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.

Around Town

Penny Post expects line for popular Stationery Store Day in August

By Emily Leayman
Colorful craft store filled with pens, markers, stickers, and greeting cards on white shelves and displays in a bright space.
Penny Post at 1201 King Street (courtesy of Penny Post)

Old Town stationery store Penny Post is getting ready for its biggest day of the year.

Penny Post (1201 King Street) will hold its fifth annual Stationery Store Day, an in-store-only event to celebrate all things pen, paper and analog. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1.

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News

Alexandria-affiliated GQ becomes first all-female barbershop quartet to win international title

By Emily Leayman
Four women in black dresses hug on a blue-lit stage, wearing gold medals around their necks with a trophy in front, celebrating.
GQ winning the international competition (via Girls Quartet)

Several choral groups affiliated with the Alexandria A Cappella Collective have earned international awards, including a historic first for world’s best barbershop quartet.

All-female quartet GQ (Girls Quartet) won gold at the Barbershop Harmony Society’s 2026 international competition on July 4. Their win came from the performance of six songs, including humorous songs, ballads and a Broadway tune arrangement of Chappell Roan’s “Coffee.”

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Around Town

Self-taught Hammond Middle School coder launches CalcHub with over 50 custom calculators

By Emily Leayman
Left panel shows a Budget Calculator web app with inputs for Monthly Income, Needs, Wants, and Savings; right side features a smiling person making a peace sign.
Hammond Middle School student Emmanuel Adu-Wadier created CalcHub with more than 50 custom calculators (via Emmanuel Adu-Wadier)

An 11-year-old student at Hammond Middle School is behind a new resource covering everything from budget calculators to random password generators.

In July, Emmanuel Adu-Wadier launched CalcHub, a free website with more than 50 unique calculators covering finance and investment, mathematics, science, health and wellness, education and everyday tools. The rising seventh grader built the site using JavaScript, HTML, CSS and AI.

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Around Town

Alexandria artist uses crowdsourcing to bring original puzzle game to Made in ALX

By Emily Leayman
Smiling woman sits at a wooden table with a colorful board game and tokens; shelves of board games behind her.
Alexandria artist Maritza Maxwell created a new game called Trapdoors (via Maritza Maxwell)

An Alexandria artist who has invented a puzzle game has started a crowdsourcing campaign to bring it to stores and to customers’ doors.

Maritza Maxwell of Hatch Skills came up with the concept for Trapdoors, a tabletop map in which players take turns sliding tiles to match the challenge image while avoiding trapdoors that take pieces.

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News

Alexandria pushes back timeline for $2.1M Taylor Run stream stabilization

By Emily Leayman
Areas covered by the Taylor Run Infrastructure Stabilization Project (via City of Alexandria)

Alexandria has pushed back the timeline on a project to stabilize the Taylor Run stream and sanitary sewer infrastructure at risk of damage from erosion.

The city’s Department of Transportation & Environmental Services Stormwater Division and design consultant AECOM hosted a community briefing Monday (July 20) to present the 60% design on the Taylor Run Infrastructure Stabilization Project. The $2.1 million project is based on recommendations from the Taylor Run Consensus Building Group, a stakeholder group formed to address community concerns from the previous stream restoration proposal. The former proposal drew controversy over its environmental impacts, leading City Council to send the full stream restoration back to study in 2021.

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News

Democratic early votes far outpace Republican turnout in Alexandria primaries

By Emily Leayman
A voting sign at the Alexandria Registrar of Voters, 132 N. Royal Street, in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Early voters participating in the Democratic primary are far outnumbering those in the Republican primary, according to data from the Alexandria Office of Voter Registration and Elections.

Thousands of votes have been cast in about a month of early voting for the Aug. 4 primary elections.

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Around Town

Tech firm thrives near Alexandria’s Mark Center amid uncertain time for federal contractors

By Emily Leayman
Systems Planning & Analysis employee at the Alexandria headquarters (courtesy of SPA)

As federal reductions have caused uncertainties for federal contractors, one Alexandria-based firm feels confident about its future.

Systems Planning & Analysis, located in the West End near the Mark Center, has been headquartered in the city since its 1972 founding. Its more than 3,000 employees worldwide work with clients from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, federal intelligence and other agencies to deliver mission engineering, advanced analytics, operational insights, and technology solutions.

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News

JUST IN: Hazardous materials scene partially closes Duke Street in Alexandria

By Emily Leayman
Hazardous materials response on Duke Street, July 20, 2026, (via Alexandria Police Department/Facebook)

A hazardous materials spill onto Duke Street in the West End prompted a partial road closure and police and fire presence Monday morning.

Around 8:07 a.m., the Alexandria Police Department and Alexandria Fire Department responded to a call in the 5300 block of Duke Street about white powder substance falling from a truck.

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News

Alexandria to brief residents on upcoming gas-powered leaf blower ban

By Emily Leayman
Leafblower (via Philip Myrtorp/Unsplash)

With about four months to go until the City of Alexandria completely bans the use of gas-powered leaf blowers, the city government will hold a meeting Tuesday on specifics of the ban.

Residents, business owners, property owners and landscapers are invited to the meeting on the ban from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday, July 21. There are options to attend in person at the Charles Houston Recreation Center  in the preschool activity room or virtually through Zoom (meeting ID 972 6916 1416 and passcode 575982).

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Around Town

What’s on in Alexandria this weekend: Old Town Pub Crawl, Stewart Copeland show

By Emily Leayman
Daniel O’Connell’s Irish Restaurant and Bar at 112 King Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Old Town Pub Crawl, a sold-out show with The Police drummer Stewart Copeland, historical tours and other events will keep Alexandrians busy throughout the weekend.

After a Code Purple Air Quality Alert on Friday, conditions should somewhat improve for outdoor events this weekend. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments is predicting a moderate air quality index on Saturday.

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Around Town

Adoptable pet of the week: Petite Ginger seeks a quiet home

By Emily Leayman
Dog with black, white, and tan coat wearing a blue collar, sitting on a patterned rug indoors.
Ginger is available for adoption (via AWLA)

Meet Ginger, a petite pup seeking a quiet home to land in.

This gentle dog at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria needs a patient family who will move at her pace until she gets comfortable. She enjoys snuggling up once she feels safe with her person, an AWLA volunteer told ALXnow.

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