Emily Leayman | ALXnow

Mayor urges support for West End businesses disrupted by water main break

Published September 21, 2026 at 10:00AM

The water main break Saturday, Sept. 19 near the S. Van Dorn and Pickett Streets intersection (via Alexandria Police/Facebook)

A water main break over the weekend in the West End didn’t just cause disruptions for drivers.

Virginia American Water responded to a water main break on a 12-inch main near the 700 block of S. Pickett Street on the afternoon of Saturday (Sept. 19).

News

Track vehicle derailment prompts Metro to run limited service on Yellow Line

By Emily Leayman

Published September 21, 2026 at 9:15AM | Updated September 21, 2026 at 4:59PM

A derailment involving a track vehicle Sunday (Sept. 20) has prompted Metro to scale back Yellow Line service.

According to Metro, a track vehicle, not a train, derailed amid weekend bridge and track rehabilitation on the Yellow Line. There were no reported injuries.

Around Town

Alexandria Oktoberfest, Chalk-A-Block, Classic Car Show lead weekend events

By Emily Leayman

Published September 18, 2026 at 3:45PM

Mayor Alyia Gaskins at a previous Chalk-A-Block in Old Town North (courtesy of Old Town North Alliance)

As September continues, more and more festivals and other events are happening around Alexandria.

Families will find events for all kinds of interests, from shopping and art to history. It’s a busy weekend between Alexandria Oktoberfest, The Lyceum’s Classic Car Show, Old Town Boutique Community’s Alexandria Days and Alexandria Library’s Black Family Reunion. Old Town North particularly has a lot going on — Chalk-A-Block, Alexandria Canal History Pub Crawl and Vintage Flea and Artisans Market.

Around Town

Adoptable pet of the week: Bonnie will bring her social energy to your home

By Emily Leayman

Published September 18, 2026 at 9:15AM

Adoptable Bonnie (via AWLA)

Meet Bonnie, a dog whose zest for life and love for people doesn’t go unnoticed.

This 3-year-old confident and social dog from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is ready to make a new family her own. She has moved past the puppy stage but still has plenty of energy for runs, hikes and other adventures. After playtime, she’s happy to settle into cuddle time.

News

AWLA’s Paws in the Park returns in October with largest adoptable animal section to date

By Emily Leayman

Published September 17, 2026 at 3:45PM

Paws in the Park (via Duane Rogers for AWLA)

As the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria celebrates its 80th anniversary this year, its fall festival will be bigger than ever.

Paws in the Park will return to Oronoco Bay Park, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. The annual event celebrates all things animals, with vendors, adoptable animals, live music, and entertainment for kids and adults. The first 1,000 attendees will get a swag bag.

News

Visit Alexandria celebrates 30th anniversary as city records $1 billion visitor spending milestone

By Emily Leayman

Published September 17, 2026 at 1:45PM

Visit Alexandria President and CEO Todd O’Leary announces the first-ever Tourism Champion Award (staff photo by Emily Leayman)

Visit Alexandria founders, city leaders and businesses from the hospitality industry gathered to celebrate the organization’s 30th anniversary and the tourism industry’s achievements Wednesday (Sept. 16).

The milestone came as Visit Alexandria reported strong financial results from visitor spending. At the Visit Alexandria meeting at The Westin Alexandria Old Town, Mayor Alyia Gaskins reported the city had reached a milestone of $1 billion in visitor spending in 2025 for the second consecutive calendar year. The figure applies to visitors coming to Alexandria from 50 or more miles away.

News

Metro’s Yellow Line service to be suspended over two weekends

By Emily Leayman

Published September 17, 2026 at 9:15AM

The Potomac Yard Metro station (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria Metro riders looking for that Yellow Line shortcut into D.C. won’t find it this weekend.

Metro announced Yellow Line service will be shut down Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20. That’s due to planned bridge and track rehabilitation, according to the transit agency.

Around Town

Retired Navy captain from Alexandria pens book helping kids understand family strokes

By Emily Leayman

Published September 16, 2026 at 1:45PM

George Vercessi (courtesy of George Vercessi)

Alexandria resident George Vercessi was an adult when his late mother unexpectedly had a stroke. His tight-knit family was suddenly dealing with unfamiliar territory as every day brought new challenges for his mother’s recovery.

Until it happened to his mother, Vercessi didn’t know the impacts of a stroke on the body or what the recovery period looked like. He thought it might be even more difficult for younger family members to understand.

News

Suspect wanted in early morning stabbing in Arlandria

By Emily Leayman

Published September 15, 2026 at 5:40PM | Updated September 16, 2026 at 9:02AM

Alexandria Police Department cruisers on Nov. 7, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Police Department is seeking a suspect after a stabbing early Tuesday (Sept. 15) in Arlandria.

Around 3:20 a.m., police believe an unknown man approached a man sleeping on the ground near the Tiger Market parking lot (3903 Mount Vernon Avenue) and stabbed him multiple times. EMS requested officers to respond around 4:08 a.m. for “unknown trouble,” and the victim reported that the stabbing happened an hour or two prior.

News

Hundreds of near-misses prompt push for stop sign cameras, more measures in Alexandria

By Emily Leayman

Published September 15, 2026 at 3:45PM

The roundabout at Hickory and Kennedy Streets in Alexandria's Potomac West neighborhood, November 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

After collecting reports on hundreds of near-miss crashes over the last year and a half, Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets is calling on Alexandria to deploy new authority over stop sign cameras and other measures to address driver behaviors.

Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets, which includes an Alexandria chapter, collected 241 near-miss reports in the city between January 2025 and June 2026. While crashes are recorded on the city’s dashboard, the organization takes resident reports of near-misses by text and online survey.

Around Town

Alexandria’s first-ever Old Town Beauty Crawl organized by over a dozen businesses

By Emily Leayman

Published September 15, 2026 at 1:45PM

Inside perfume store Arielle Shoshana in Old Town (courtesy of Arielle Shoshana)

More than a dozen shops and salons will team up to offer specials in Alexandria’s first-ever beauty crawl.

The Old Town Beauty Crawl will run Friday, Sept. 25 to Sunday, Sep. 27 at participating businesses in Old Town. Shops and salons specializing in cosmetics, fragrance, skincare, haircare or beauty treatments will offer promotions and prizes throughout the three-day weekend.