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

Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail receive ‘Trail of the Year’ award for renovation efforts

By Emily Leayman
Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail win the Trail of the Year Award from the Public Lands Alliance (via Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail/Facebook)

Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail, a volunteer group dedicated to trail maintenance and education efforts, was recognized with an award last month for its trail renovation work.

The organization was honored with the “Trail of the Year” award from the Public Lands Alliance at the nonprofit’s conference in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Feb. 23. The group received the award for its partnership with the National Park Service to renovate the George Washington Memorial Parkway’s trail surface and rest areas from 2024 to 2025.

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News

Alexandria’s congressional primary elections moved to August amid redistricting push

By Emily Leayman
Voters at the Mount Vernon Recreation Center on Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The 2026 congressional primaries in Alexandria and the rest of Virginia will be delayed until August, leaving more time for candidate filings after the fate of mid-decade redistricting is decided.

Alexandria’s General Registrar Angie Maniglia Turner confirmed to ALXnow that the city will have its primary elections on Aug. 4. According to Maniglia Turner, the city’s only primaries in 2026 are Sen. Mark Warner (D)’s U.S. Senate seat and U.S. House of Representatives.

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News

City moves forward with Torpedo Factory operator search, including option to display historic ship hull

By Emily Leayman
The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

A process to select a new operator for the Torpedo Factory Art Center is moving forward, and the option to display remains of an 18th century ship could potentially be part of operators’ plans.

On Saturday, Alexandria City Council gave final approval to a procurement process to select a new operator for the Torpedo Factory Art Center at 105 N. Union Street. Council previously delayed approval of the procurement process to add a provision about exploring displays of historical archaeology artifacts.

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News

Regional officials briefed about ongoing response to Potomac River sewage spill

By Emily Leayman and Katie Taranto
A sailboat on the Potomac River (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Regional officials were briefed yesterday (Monday) on continued repairs and efforts to mitigate health risks five weeks after a sewage pipe collapsed, releasing an estimated 243 million gallons of sewage into the Potomac River.

DC Water officials outlined steps it has taken since the Jan. 19 sewer pipe collapse, just east of the American Legion Bridge, during a virtual meeting with the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments that included Vice Chair, Mayor Alyia Gaskins. The collapse happened in a section of the Potomac Interceptor, which carries about 60 million gallons of sewage daily from Fairfax and Loudoun counties, the towns of Vienna and Herndon, Dulles Airport and Montgomery County, Md.

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News

Traffic board approves Braddock Road corridor safety redesign and parking removal

By Emily Leayman
Segments of Braddock Road where the Alexandria Traffic and Parking Board approved changes (via City of Alexandria)

After a meeting that stretched into the early morning hours today (Tuesday), the Alexandria Traffic and Parking Board approved a proposed redesign of the Braddock Road corridor that would remove parking, construct new bike lanes and install other safety improvements for bicyclists and pedestrians.

The board approved the full staff recommendations for Braddock Road between West Street and Russell Road in the Rosemont and Del Ray neighborhoods, prompting the project to continue forward in the design phase.

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News

Proposed parking removal, bike lanes on Braddock Road spur debate before traffic board review

By Emily Leayman
Roadway changes on a portion of Braddock Road will go to the Traffic and Parking Board (City of Alexandria)

Some residents have pushed back on proposed lane changes and parking removals on Braddock Road ahead of the Alexandria Traffic and Parking Board’s review on Monday.

The changes are being proposed on the major route between West Street near the Braddock Road Metro and Russell Road in the Del Ray and Rosemont neighborhoods. The city has worked on the Braddock Road Corridor Improvements project since last year as a response to concerns from Alex311, the 2023 Safe Routes to School walk audit at George Washington Middle School and the Virginia Department of Transportation.

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News

ACPS board approves $406M budget, but uncertainty remains over city funding

By Emily Leayman
Alexandria School Board meeting in 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City School Board approved the school division’s 2027 budget yesterday (Thursday), but challenges surrounding city funding and employee health care costs remain before the final version is adopted in June.

The bulk of the Alexandria City Public Schools’ $406.5 million combined funds budget includes the $374.5 million operating budget, as well as school nutrition funds, grants and a special projects fund. The operating budget itself is a 3.7% increase from the last budget.

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News

Grand reopening weekend will bring tastings to ‘The World Crafted on King’ in Old Town

By Emily Leayman
The World Crafted on King, rebranded from Ten Thousand Villages (courtesy of The World Crafted on King)

 

The grand reopening for The World Crafted on King, a fair trade store that rebranded from Ten Thousand Villages, starts tomorrow (Friday), leading into a weekend of festivities.

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News

Water main relocation planned on Commonwealth Avenue ahead of flood mitigation work

By Emily Leayman
Commonwealth Avenue and Ashby Street intersection (via Google Maps)

A water main relocation project is coming to a stretch of Commonwealth Avenue in and around Del Ray, where one of the city’s biggest flood mitigation projects is planned.

Virginia American Water, the city’s drinking water utility, said it is starting a water main relocation on Commonwealth Avenue. The work is taking place between the 3700 block of Commonwealth Avenue and Ashby Street, and is intended to make space for new, larger stormwater pipes as part of the city’s Commonwealth, Ashby, Glebe Flood Mitigation Project in northern Del Ray.

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Around Town

Spanish immersion child care to open at Landmark Mall redevelopment

By Emily Leayman
WestEnd Alexandria development construction site (staff photo by James Cullum)

A child care center is slated to be part of the future WestEnd development replacing the former Landmark Mall.

Tierra Encantada, a Spanish immersion day care, confirmed to ALXnow that it will open at the WestEnd Alexandria development.

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News

Alexandria Health Department advises of measles case at more N. Va. locations

By Emily Leayman
Alexandria Health Department (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The Alexandria Health Department is advising residents of another measles case, the seventh in the Northern Virginia region.

An adult who recently traveled abroad was diagnosed with measles after visiting a local grocery store and two Inova facilities, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

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