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

Mount Vernon Avenue bridge fully closing for construction starting Saturday

By Emily Leayman
The Mount Vernon Avenue/Arlington Ridge Road bridge in 2025 before construction began (via Google Maps)

The Mount Vernon Avenue/Arlington Ridge Road bridge between Arlington and Alexandria will be closed during upcoming construction beginning Saturday (May 16).

The bridge will be fully closed in both directions during construction hours from Saturday, May 16 to Saturday, May 23. Closures will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. There will be no construction or bridge closure on Sunday, May 17.

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Around Town

Spring Maker’s Market and block party among May 2-3 weekend events in Alexandria

By Emily Leayman
Made in ALX Spring Maker's Market at Port City Brewing Co. (via Made in ALX)

There’s much to do in Alexandria on this first weekend of May.

If you haven’t gotten Mother’s Day gifts yet, there are several shopping events to pick something out for Mom. There’s also an America250 concert and Kentucky Derby-themed fundraiser at Lee-Fendall House.

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Around Town

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Bugsy, who can make veggies vanish like magic

By Emily Leayman
Bugsy, an adoptable guinea pig at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (via AWLA)

Meet Bugsy, a guinea pig doubling as an aspiring magician who can make her favorite veggies disappear.

Bugsy is a white and brown guinea pig awaiting her forever family at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. She’s ready to dazzle people with her food vanishing talents.

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Sports

Alexandria Aces seeking host families for collegiate baseball players this summer

By Emily Leayman
Alexandria Aces branding at Frank Mann Field in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Aces, a collegiate summer baseball team, are seeking host families to provide a “home away from home” for their players during the 2026 season.

The team, which plays wooden bat baseball games at Frank Mann Field (3700 Commonwealth Avenue), regularly seeks Alexandria families to host student-athletes. This year, the team needs hosts from May 30 to July 25.

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Around Town

Old Town boutiques to host block party with pop-ups and activities this weekend

By Emily Leayman
A 'Shop Local' sign in the 200 block of King Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

A block party involving numerous independent boutiques is coming to Old Town this weekend.

The Old Town Boutique Community, an organization of 30 small businesses in Old Town, will host the Spring Fling: An Old Town Block Party, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday (May 2). The family-friendly block party will feature activities for all ages, including tarot card readings, build-your-own flower bouquets and other hands-on crafts, outdoor yoga sessions and snow cones.

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News

Pride of Baltimore II to arrive in Alexandria, prompting Woodrow Wilson Bridge opening

By Emily Leayman
Pride of Baltimore II during a previous Alexandria visit near Founders Park (via Pride of Baltimore II/Facebook)

The Pride of Baltimore II will be sailing into Alexandria Thursday for several days of tours and sails.

The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, a drawbridge on the Capital Beltway (I-495), will open at midnight Thursday (April 30) to allow the ship to pass. Drivers should expect delays during the drawbridge opening and follow signs displayed on the bridge, according to the city government.

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News

D.C. region’s federal workforce reaches lowest level since 1990, analysis says

By Emily Leayman
The US Patent and Trademark Office in Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The D.C. region’s federal workforce has reached its lowest level since 1990 under cuts pursued by the Trump administration, according to a new economic analysis from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

The D.C. metropolitan area lost 62,100 federal jobs between January 2025 and January 2026, putting the region’s federal workforce — approximately 313,700 — at its lowest level since 1990, according to the COG report.

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Around Town

Del Ray’s First Thursday dates reduced as citizens association takes over event

By Emily Leayman
First Thursday in Del Ray (via Del Ray Business Association/Facebook)

This will be the first year the Del Ray Business Association is not hosting First Thursday block parties since it founded the event nearly 30 years ago.

Del Ray’s First Thursdays have been turned over to the Del Ray Citizens Association, which runs other neighborhood events such as last weekend’s Del Ray GardenFest and the upcoming Del Ray House and Garden Tour on Saturday, May 9.

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News

New Traffic and Parking Board member testified on Braddock Road changes for civic association

By Emily Leayman
The Traffic and Parking Board in March 2026 (via City of Alexandria)

A new Traffic and Parking Board member appointed by Alexandria City Council had testified on behalf of a citizens association on the Braddock Road changes the board approved in February.

Rosemarie Spano was appointed by City Council as a citizen member of the board on April 14. Spano replaces former Chair Ann Tucker, who had served on the board for 10 years and had her last meeting in March. Spano told ALXnow her term starts in May.

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News

Alexandria vies for ninth consecutive Condé Nast Traveler ‘Best Small Cities’ ranking

By Emily Leayman
The Alexandria waterfront along the Potomac River (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria is vying for its ninth consecutive ranking in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards. The city is nominated in the “Cities” category and hopes to retain its place among the “Best Small Cities in the U.S.”

Visit Alexandria, the city’s tourism organization, is asking for public support to keep Alexandria on the list. High-profile rankings in Condé Nast Traveler and other publications are one of the organization’s strategies to boost visitor-related tax revenues that fund core city services.

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News

Virginia Supreme Court hears challenge to voter-approved redistricting amendment

By Emily Leayman and The Associated Press
Signs at Mount Vernon Recreation Center in Del Ray on Election Day, April 21, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Virginia Supreme Court judges on Monday questioned whether the state’s Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the U.S. House.

A Republican challenge to the redistricting plan, which could net Democrats four additional seats and won narrow voter approval last week, contends that the General Assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize mid-decade redistricting. If the court agrees that lawmakers broke the rules, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote meaningless.

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