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A new traveling exhibit chronicling 400 years of struggle for Black equality in the U.S. will open in Alexandria on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

The Kate Waller Branch Library (717 Queen Street) will host Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equity​ Exhibit from Sept. 24 until Oct. 25 (Saturday). The traveling exhibit from the Virginia Museum of History and Culture highlights the stories of Black Virginians who fought against injustice. Alexandria history makers are included in the exhibit, and the opening on Sept. 24 will be hosted by Alexandria Library Director Rose Dawson and feature a presentation from genealogist Char McCargo Bah on 15 African Americans “whose lives and legacies shaped the city’s journey toward equality,” according to Alexandria Library.


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Alo Yoga started construction at 814 King Street in Old Town.

The California-based yoga chain has gutted the interior of the space that was previously home to the Random Harvest furniture store. According to contractors working on site, the renovation should be completed within a month.


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Alexandria-based Carpenter’s Shelter will hold its signature fundraiser next month, pitting chefs around the city against each other.

Chefs from more than a dozen Alexandria restaurants will compete in the Carpenter’s Cook-Off 2025 from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, at The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Avenue). Funds from the event will benefit the nonprofit, which provides temporary housing and support for hundreds of homeless families and individuals every year.


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A teacher at a daycare in Old Town North has been fired, and her aide was reprimanded after a 21-month-old child was tied to a chair for 22 minutes during lunchtime on Wednesday, August 13.

The Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) made an unannounced inspection of the Vinci School Alexandria North (1001 N. Fairfax Street) on Aug. 21, after receiving a self-report on forbidden actions from the daycare’s licensing office. The toddler was tied to a chair with a thin blanket after throwing food on the floor and moving from a table while eating during lunchtime, DSS reported.


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A former U.S. Army private stationed at Fort Belvoir has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for two counts of assaulting his infant daughter in 2012, as well as one count of sexual abuse.

Austin Blair Johnson pleaded guilty in June to permanently injuring his child and raping his wife, the U.S. Department of Justice announced. Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton also ordered that Johnson must pay $1.1 million in restitution. The former U.S. Army private was living on base with his family at the time of the incidents. The sentence will be served consecutively with a 15-year sentence for assault of an infant in violation of Montana law, according to the DOJ.


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Get your Bavarian hats ready, because Oktoberfest is coming to Alexandria this month.

The annual folk festival celebrating German culture, food and beer, starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 20) with a 5K and 10K run at Port City Brewing Company (3950 Wheeler Avenue). The event wraps up at 8:30 p.m., and proceeds benefit NoVA Rugby.


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Here’s a rundown of our top stories.

Our top story this week is on the Thursday, Sept. 11, announcement that Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA) will expand its Alexandria headquarters and create 1,200 new jobs over the next five years as part of a $46.9 million investment across Northern Virginia. The defense contractor bought, and will renovate, a 239,000-square-foot office building at 2001 N. Beauregard Street. Attendees at the announcement included Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.


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It takes about one minute to cook a pie in the 1000-degree oven at Pupatella Neapolitan Pizza, and ALXnow just got a sneak peek inside their newest location in Old Town North.

The new restaurant is the twelfth for the company, and has been in development for more than two years. It will officially open on Sept. 15. Today, (Sept, 12) Pupatella had a soft opening for special guests and the restaurant’s Managing Partner Michael Berger was at the opening today, and was joined by company CEO Jim Biafore and Vice President Natasha Neely. Biafore said that the opening feels like crossing the finish line.


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A 15-year-old Alexandria male has been issued a detention order and charged with robbery using a firearm after allegedly robbing a man on a Metro train near the King St-Old Town Metro station.

The incident occurred on Monday, Aug. 4, just after 7 p.m. The victim was on a train traveling from the Van Dorn Street Metro station to the King Street station when he was approached from behind by a masked male, put in a choke hold, hit in the face and then had a black handgun “jammed into his person,” and allegedly said, “Give me everything,” according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. The victim told the Metro Transit Police Department that the suspect stole $300 in cash, an Apple watch, and a Louis Vuitton backpack.


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A popular open mic night in Del Ray is celebrating its third anniversary next Wednesday (Sept. 17).

Greg Roth and Gabe Fry started the What-Have-You open mic at Evening Star Cafe (2000 Mount Vernon Avenue) in September 2022, and since then — with the exception of January — have hosted the event from 8:30 to 11 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Next Wednesday’s event has a numbers, acronyms, and abbreviations theme, with musicians asked to perform hits from bands like R.E.M., AC/DC, INXS, and the B-52s, among others.


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Registration opens September 24 to see Emmy and Grammy Award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns unveil his latest documentary series at George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate.

Burns will offer remarks and share clips from the six-part series “The American Revolution” on Oct. 29. The event runs from 5 to 8:15 p.m. on the estate’s 12-acre bowling green, with the film preview starting at 6:15 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or lawn chairs, as seating will not be provided, according to Mount Vernon.


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