News

More details have been released on the alleged arrest of a Washington, D.C. man facing multiple charges of simulated masturbation and indecent exposure in Del Ray and Old Town.

Marc Christopher Westbrooks, 40, has been held without bond since his August arrest on four misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and six counts of simulated masturbation with the intent to be seen. He’s being represented by the public defender and goes to court for a jury trial starting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. More on the incidents from a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit are below.


News

One of the biggest games of the Alexandria City High School varsity football season is around the corner.

The 5-2 Titans will host the 2-5 James W. Robinson Secondary School Rams this Friday (Oct. 24) at the ACHS homecoming game. General admission tickets cost $8 and $6 for ACHS students.


News

Mount Vernon Community School will be recognized this week for being one of the first jurisdictions in Northern Virginia to implement a sudden cardiac arrest emergency plan.

On Wednesday, a banner will be unfurled at MVCS recognizing it as a Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillation in Adam’s Memory) Heart Safe School. Starting on July 1, all elementary and secondary schools in Virginia must have emergency cardiac response plans, per legislation from the general assembly. Eventually all ACPS elementary and secondary schools will have the designation, will have training and equipment at the ready in the event of a sudden cardiac emergency.


News

An audience of thousands held signs and cheered as Alexandria leaders decried the Trump administration at the second No Kings rally outside City Hall on Saturday.

The first No Kings rally was held in June, albeit against a different backdrop of issues. Today’s event was held amid a shuttered federal government, increased crackdowns from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, and federal troops occupying cities across the country. The speakers today in Alexandria included U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th), Mayor Alyia Gaskins, retired general Randy Mannor and Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3rd), all of whom railed against the administration, joining more than 2,700 similar demonstrations around the country.


News

It’s been quite a week, Alexandria. Here’s a look at ALXnow’s top stories.

The top story this week was on the resignation of all the commissioners overseeing the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Board. The crisis began in August when ALXnow first reported that then-ARHA CEO Erik Johnson was living in an ARHA-managed public housing unit. The ARHA board published a statement acknowledging the situation, demanded that he vacate the property, and then terminated his employment in September. In a special meeting on Wednesday, the City Council appointed six new ARHA board members.


News

Yelyzaveta Pyvovarova is looking for happiness in her portraits. It’s a feeling she’s been trying to recapture in Alexandria since leaving Ukraine after the outbreak of the ongoing war with Russia.

Lyza, as she’s formally known, escaped from Oleksandriya, Ukraine, with her two daughters shortly after the war broke out, and moved to the Alexandria area of Fairfax County in July of 2022. Her husband later joined the family, and since then she launched her own portrait photography business and manages events for ALX Community in Old Town.


News

Alexandria has set a deadline of Oct. 23 (Thursday) to give feedback on the Duke Street Land Use Plan.

When finished, the document will guide city officials in the development of the Duke Street Corridor from the former Landmark Mall to Alexandria Union Station. Last month, residents weighed in on draft principles for the document.


News

There’s a free family-friendly Halloween-themed bike ride in Del Ray on Sunday, Oct. 19.

Riders will be able to see all of the spectacularly spooky decorations throughout the neighborhood. The six-to-seven-mile ride goes from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and is hosted by the Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. More details are below.


News

A new spa just had a ribbon-cutting at the Archer Hotel (1600 King Street) in Old Town.

JoyLife Spa held its grand opening and ribbon cutting today (Oct. 16), offering customized facials, therapeutic massages, and nail care. The business was founded by massage therapist and esthetician Roshelle Veney, and its opening marks the only hotel in Alexandria with a full spa, according to the Chamber ALX.


News

An annual Alexandria City High School alumni fundraiser at Chadwicks (203 Strand Street) on Oct. 22 (Wednesday) will benefit the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, and will feature some special guests.

Starting at 6 p.m., former ACHS Executive Principal Pete Balas will act as bartender, along with current teachers Andrew Orzel and Matt Zahn. The event, which includes raffles, is a great way to reconnect with former classmates, according to the online event announcement.


News

The music of Amadeus Mozart, Scott Joplin, and Felix Mendelssohn is coming to Alexandria next month.

On Nov. 8 and 9, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will play its second concert of the season with special guest Michael Rusinek, principal clarinetist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, who will play Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. The concert includes Joplin’s Overture to Treemonisha and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 “Italian.”


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