Author: Emily Leayman

Emily Leayman is the editor of ALXnow and contributes reporting to ARLnow and FFXnow. She was previously a field editor covering parts of Northern Virginia for Patch for more than eight years. A native of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, she lives in Northern Virginia.

News

Tech startups with high-growth potential chosen for Alexandria business accelerator

By Emily Leayman
Railroad view from the Potomac Yard Metro station in January 2026 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

Eleven tech startups with high prospects of growth have joined Alexandria’s first-ever tech accelerator program, the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership announced with program manager FedTech and the City of Alexandria Wednesday (Aug. 12).

The 11 participants were chosen among 41 applications for the Accelerate ALX program beginning in August. According to AEDP, the companies “represent high-growth sectors including defense, aerospace, health tech, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and cybersecurity.”

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News

APD to refund, dismiss tickets after speed camera error in the West End

By Emily Leayman
Busy parking lot near a school zone with orange traffic signs and a 'School Zone' sign in view
A speed camera enforcement sign on Seminary Road west of Francis C. Hammond Middle School (via Google Maps)

An error with a speed camera in the West End is prompting police to dismiss and refund citations.

The Alexandria Police Department found a programming issue in the eastbound school zone speed camera on Seminary Road at Francis C. Hammond Middle School. A review determined 115 citations were given outside the enforcement period, which can only be school arrival and dismissal times under Virginia law.

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News

Virginia sticks to childhood vaccine schedule, rejecting Trump’s order to space out shots

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press
Gloved hands drawing liquid from a vial into a syringe for vaccination.
A vaccine (Mufid Majnun/Unsplash)

After President Donald Trump issued an order seeking more spaced out childhood vaccinations, the Virginia Department of Health joined other medical experts in backing the existing childhood vaccination schedule.

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order calling for revamped childhood vaccine recommendations that promote his long-held but discredited theory that childhood shots should be spaced out into separate medical visits.

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Around Town

Bands & Brews returns to Del Ray with live music and specials at 20+ restaurants

By Emily Leayman
Whimsical storefront window with a yellow cartoon guitar character waving and a blue dog cutout beside it on glass.
Bands & Brews art at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub (via Del Ray Business Association/Facebook)

Thousands will flock to Del Ray this weekend for drinks and live music at the returning Bands & Brews Bar Crawl.

The sixth annual event will take place from 12:30-6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 15. Hosted by the Del Ray Business Association, the event will provide a portion of proceeds to The Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, which provides scholarships and personalized college advising to students seeking college, career and technical education.

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News

UPDATED: AFD hazmat team contains apparent diesel spill in Hooffs Run

By Emily Leayman
Overgrown riverbank with reddish-brown water and a fallen branch partially submerged in the stream.
Hazmat spill in Hooffs Run, Aug. 11, 2026 (via Alexandria Fire Department/X]

An apparent diesel spill in Hooffs Run prompted a response by the Alexandria Fire Department Tuesday afternoon in the Carlyle area.

Around 3:32 p.m., units responded to Holland Lane and Jamieson Avenue for an investigation of a “reddish liquid” flowing downstream in Hooffs Run. The caller believed it may be heating oil entering the waterway around the bridge between the Public Storage building and Residence Inn, according to radio dispatches.

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News

A dozen Alexandria companies land on Inc. 5000 fastest-growing company list in 2026

By Emily Leayman
The Alexandria skyline viewed from Belle View (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria is still making a showing on the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies list, but none of the companies are appearing near the top of the ranking.

Inc. came out with its annual ranking of America’s fastest-growing companies Tuesday (Aug. 11). A dozen Alexandria companies — seven in the city and five with addresses in Fairfax County — made the cut in 2026.

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Around Town

Founding Farmers plans on-site distillery at Alexandria location

By Emily Leayman
Founding Farmers restaurant storefront in a multi-story building with outdoor seating and yellow umbrellas on a city sidewalk
Founding Farmers at 461 Swann Avenue (via Google Maps)

The popular D.C.-area restaurant Founding Farmers is preparing to bring an on-site distillery to its Alexandria location.

The Founding Farmers Alexandria location at 461 Swann Avenue plans to operate a distillery, according to a license application filed with Virginia ABC. The farmer-owned restaurant group is pursuing similar plans at its Tysons and Reston locations.

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News

Alexandria teen’s Eagle Scout project focuses on teaching kids to protect waterways

By Emily Leayman
Young woman in a tan Scout uniform standing in a sunlit forest, arms crossed, patches visible on the shirt.
Eagle Scout candidate and rising St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes senior Charlotte Barnes (courtesy of Charlotte Barnes)

When 17-year-old Charlotte Barnes observes the stormwater system, she understands it’s not just rainwater flowing underground but something that affects local waterways.

That thought inspired the rising St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes high school senior to make waterway health the focus of her Eagle Scout service project. Barnes created The River Rescue: A Coloring Book, a free educational resource to help elementary-aged children understand how litter on neighborhood streets can get into local streams, rivers, the Chesapeake Bay and beyond.

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News

Civil rights discussion to headline annual remembrance event for teen lynched in Alexandria

By Emily Leayman
Sign marking the lynching of Benjamin Thomas (image via City of Alexandria)

An NAACP official will be the keynote speaker of Alexandria’s annual remembrance event for one of its two documented lynching victims in city history.

The Alexandria Community Remembrance Project will host the “Civil Rights in Uncertain Times” conversation with Myesha Braden, deputy general counsel for the NAACP, from 7-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28 at Shiloh Baptist Church (1401 Jamieson Avenue). Braden, a Tulane Law graduate, has worked on civil rights and has served in positions at the Department of Justice and in the nonprofit sector.

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News

Alexandria seeks resident input into next legislative agenda for 2027 General Assembly

By Emily Leayman
Virginia State Capitol in Richmond (staff photo)

The City of Alexandria is asking residents if and how it should change its legislative priorities for the next Virginia General Assembly session in 2027.

Because Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, localities can only use authority specifically granted by the General Assembly through a state law or city charter. The city sends requests to state lawmakers each year through its Legislative Agenda.

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News

Police and fire presence at ACHS Minnie Howard Campus planned for emergency drill

By Emily Leayman
Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus (staff photo by James Cullum)

Residents shouldn’t be alarmed when they see an increased police and fire presence at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus later this week.

The Alexandria Police Department, Alexandria City Public Schools and other emergency partners will hold an incident response drill at the campus (3775 W. Braddock Road) Thursday (Aug. 13). Expect police, fire and EMS vehicles and personnel to be in the area between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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