Author: Katie Taranto

Katie Taranto is a reporter at ALXnow. She previously covered local businesses at ARLnow and K-12 education at The Columbia Missourian. She is originally from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

Around Town

Stretch therapy center plans grand opening at larger space in West End this week

By Katie Taranto
Movement in Science's new location (courtesy of Movement in Science)

Celebrations are in order this week for a stretch therapy center that recently relocated to a larger space in the West End.

Movement in Science has moved to Suite 228 at 50 S. Pickett Street, a little under a mile from its previous location 648 S. Pickett Street. The business has planned a “Wellness Open House” from 9-11 a.m. Thursday and a ribbon cutting on Friday.

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News

New Health Department plan will seek to improve Alexandria’s mental wellness

By Katie Taranto
The entrance of the Alexandria Health Department (Credit: Alexandria Health Department)
The entrance of the Alexandria Health Department (courtesy of the Alexandria Health Department)

Improving mental health across the city will be in focus in Alexandria’s next Community Health Improvement Plan.

Mental wellness is one of three topics that will be addressed in the city’s new CHIP, AHD announced last week. The topic was selected for further engagement after 47% of 2,020 respondents in the city’s 2025 Community Health Assessment survey selected “mental health” as their top community health issue.

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Alexandria Sheriff’s Office inmate dies in hospital, prompting investigations

By Katie Taranto
Inova Alexandria Hospital at 4320 Seminary Road (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Police Department and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are investigating the death of an Alexandria Sheriff’s Office inmate yesterday (Monday).

Ricardo Roberts, 60, died shortly after 5 a.m. yesterday “while being treated for chronic medical issues” at Inova Fairfax Hospital, the Sheriff’s Office announced yesterday. The investigations are required by law following an in-custody death.

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Four candidates will appear on Tuesday’s primary ballot after Fairfax County teacher joins race

By Katie Taranto
Voters wait in line at the firehouse primary at Charles Houston Recreation Center in Old Town, Jan. 13, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Voters in tomorrow’s Democratic firehouse primary will have four candidates to choose from after Fairfax County Public Schools teacher Gregory Darrall entered the race this weekend.

Darrall, a self-described “proud progressive,” is a special education teacher and vice president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers. His name will appear on District 5 voters’ ballots tomorrow alongside City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike, former School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera and defense attorney Chris Leibig.

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Defense attorney Chris Leibig is third candidate to enter primary for Bennett-Parker’s seat

By Katie Taranto
Chris Leibig (courtesy of Chris Leibig)

Chris Leibig, a longtime criminal defense attorney and former public defender from Del Ray, is running for delegate in Tuesday’s Democratic firehouse primary.

Leibig served in the Alexandria Public Defender’s Office from 1996-2002 and practices law from his Old Town office. He is the third candidate to enter Tuesday’s race to replace outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, joining City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.

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Around Town

Alexandria restaurants to compete for best cherry dishes in upcoming ‘Cherry Challenge’

By Katie Taranto
Cherry dessert (via George Washington Birthday Celebration/Facebook)

Restaurants in Alexandria will face off later this month to determine which eateries have the best cherry-oriented appetizers, entrees, drinks and desserts.

It’s all part of the “Cherry Challenge” culinary contest starting Sunday, Jan. 25, hosted in tandem with other festivities to commemorate George Washington’s birthday by the president’s Birthday Celebration Committee.

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JUST IN: Democratic firehouse primary for Del. Bennett-Parker’s seat scheduled for Tuesday

By Katie Taranto
Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5th) at the No Kings Rally at Market Square in Old Town, Oct. 18, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria Democrats are in for deja vu as this month’s second Democratic firehouse primary will take place Tuesday to fulfill outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s seat, after her resignation announcement.

The firehouse primary is happening this Tuesday, Jan. 20, according to the Alexandria Democratic Committee. So far, two candidates have entered the race vying for Bennett-Parker’s 5th District seat: City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.

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News

Alexandria ceremony honoring MLK Jr. rebukes political violence and racism

By Katie Taranto
Attendees at the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program 2026 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

Alexandria honored the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with song, dance and poetry, as well as a thorough rebuke of political violence and societal divisions under the Trump administration last night (Thursday).

The 53rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program began with an impassioned invocation from the Rev. Quardricos Bernard Driskell of Beulah Baptist Church, who said King is remembered as “a prophet who named America’s sins and paid his life for it.” Driskell denounced current approaches to immigration enforcement, military spending and “taking over sovereign nations for profit, power and greed.”

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Croatian Football Federation names Alexandria as home base during FIFA World Cup

By Katie Taranto
Players with the Croatian Football Federation (via Hrvatski nogometni savez /Facebook)

Soccer fans in Alexandria are in for a treat, as the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has announced it will be staying in Alexandria during the FIFA World Cup this summer.

The team’s base camp will be in Alexandria, where players will stay at the AKA Hotel at 625 First Street in Old Town and train at Episcopal High School as they participate in the World Cup. Games will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Jun. 11 through July 19.

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Around Town

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Crystal, with ‘ears that could hear signals from space’

By Katie Taranto
Crystal (courtesy of Animal Welfare League of Alexandria)

Meet Crystal, a good girl with endearingly pointy ears who is waiting to meet her future family at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

The three-year-old dog weighs 56 pounds and is easily spotted by her brown brindle patches and “ears that could hear signals from space,” an AWLA volunteer wrote. The four-legged pal is full of energy and fond of squeaky toys.

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Teen pedestrian transported to hospital with serious injuries after Thursday night crash

By Katie Taranto
Near N. Van Dorn Street and Holmes Run Parkway (via APD/Facebook)

A 15-year-old was transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries last night (Thursday) after being struck by a driver in the Landmark area.

The Alexandria Police Department reported a “serious motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian” at the intersection of northbound N. Van Dorn Street and Holmes Run Parkway. The crash, which reportedly involved a driver in a silver Honda Civic, happened around 7:12 p.m., according to APD dispatches.

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