Around Town

After being open for less than a year, a Japanese restaurant in an Arlandria shopping center has merged with a fusion restaurant two doors down.

Signs on the window of the Sake Express Japanese Hibachi (3827 Mount Vernon Avenue) direct customers to get their favorite dishes at the Vietnamese-Japanese fusion restaurant 2D Noodles, which serves pho, sushi, and now, hibachi dishes.


News

Crimes against people in Alexandria went down 31% in 2025 compared to 2024, marking the first year-round crime reduction in Alexandria since 2021.

Part 1 crimes include homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny and auto theft. There were 3,400 Part 1 incidents in Alexandria in 2025 — a decrease of 31% over the 4,929 incidents reported in 2024, according to preliminary statistics released on the city’s crime dashboard.


News

Alexandria’s draft plan to address city housing needs between through 2040 will be available for public review at an open house this Saturday.

The Office of Housing is hosting the free open house to discuss the Housing 2040 draft recommendations and strategies at the Nannie J. Lee Recreation Center (1108 Jefferson Street), with interactive stations and breakout sessions from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.


News

After spending more than half his life with the Alexandria Police Department, Bennie Evans Jr. is taking a small break.

Not for long, he says, because he wants to get back to doing what he considers his passion — working with people. Last month, Evans was congratulated for 28 years with APD and four years with the Sheriff’s Office at his retirement ceremony with city and APD leadership at police headquarters.


News

Former Alexandria Democratic Committee Chair Sandy Marks has won the Democratic firehouse primary for an open seat on City Council tonight (Saturday), beating four opponents to face independent candidate and former Republican councilman Frank Fannon in the special election.

Marks won with 1,573 votes (39.6%), against 947 votes for Tim Laderach (23.8%), 876 votes for Roberto Gomez (22%), 467 votes for Charles Sumpter (11.7%) and 112 votes for Cesar Madison Tapia (2.8%) out of the 3,975 ballots cast. From the time polls opened at 8:30 a.m. to closing at 7 p.m., the five candidates spent time at both polling locations: Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library (5005 Duke Street) and the Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center (25 W. Reed Avenue).


News

Visit Alexandria‘s newest marketing campaign is tapping into the stories behind businesses, tourist attractions and unique personalities.

From now until June, the Unlock Your Story campaign will tell stories all over Alexandria, focusing on the city’s history, small attractions, and unique small businesses, artists and entrepreneurs. The promotion follows Visit Alexandria’s Best Kept Shh! campaign, which launched three years ago and positioned Alexandria as the region’s best kept secret.


News

Two Alexandria students were recently awarded $500 prizes for their submissions to the 2026 George Washington Legacy Foundation Essay Contest.

Garrett Wagman of George Washington Middle School and David De Costa of Bishop Ireton High School won the middle school and high school contests, which were open to all students in the city. This year’s 700-to-1,000-word essay contest focused on America’s 250th anniversary and Washington’s role in uniting the colonies.


News

Alexandria City School Board member Kelly Carmichael Booz visited Minnesota last week as part of a project to inform educators on how to respond to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.

Booz, who is from Minneapolis, visited the Twin Cities from Feb. 9-13, in the wake of the fatal ICE shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good and the widely reported drawdown of ICE agents there. Her project, a report for the American Federation of Teachers, aims to offer “resources and trainings” for school districts and unions on what to do when ICE enters their communities, she told ALXnow.


Around Town

A new wellness studio is expected to open this spring in Alexandria’s Braddock neighborhood.

The property at 800 N. Henry Street has undergone significant renovations to accommodate a new, 2,400-square-foot “KALM Studio.” The studio will feature three private saunas and a communal sauna, with plans to also host yoga and Pilates classes for up to 12 clients.


News

The Alexandria Police Department has extended the deadline to apply to its spring Community Police Academy to tomorrow (Friday).

The free nine-week program gives the public a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at APD’s operations. The deadline was previously scheduled on Monday this week.


News

No injuries have been reported after an early morning fire at 6060 Tower Court in Alexandria’s Landmark area that prompted a full resident evacuation.

The Alexandria Fire Department was reportedly called at around 12:30 a.m. today (Thursday) for heavy smoke on multiple floors of the 16-story apartment building. The fire and heavy smoke originated in a utility room in the building’s basement, according to AFD radio dispatches.


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