Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.
The Alexandria City Council will consider a measure to allow due date extensions for personal property tax payments from federal employees when furloughed by a government shutdown.
The item is on City Council’s Sept. 8 docket and would give federal employees impacted by a shutdown a 90-day extension to pay personal property taxes after the government reopens. The last government shutdown was from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, 2025, making it the longest in history, and in Alexandria it coincided with the personal property tax deadline. The measure also comes as Congress recently passed a short-term funding bill to avoid a shutdown until Dec. 11.