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

Alexandria hosted ‘Queer Eye’ production team during show’s final season

By Katie Taranto
Queer Eye's "Fab Five" (left to right) Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Jeremiah Brent in episode 1005 of Queer Eye. Cr. Kit Karzen/Netflix © 2026 (via Queer Eye/Facebook)

Alexandria was home to the reality TV show “Queer Eye” last summer as the Fab Five filmed their tenth and final season in the D.C. area.

The Netflix show held its production headquarters in a warehouse at Van Dorn Station during a five-week shoot from late June to August 2025, Visit Alexandria spokesperson Allison O’Keefe told ALXnow. The location was coordinated through a partnership between the city of Alexandria, Visit Alexandria and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership.

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Around Town

DCanter wine boutique aims to open in Old Town in coming months

By Katie Taranto
Vacant retail bay at 1101 King Street where DCanter plans to open (staff photo by James Cullum)

A D.C.-based wine boutique with a focus on sustainably sourced libations is expanding into Old Town this year.

DCanter Alexandria is preparing to open in suite 112 at 1101 King Street, on the ground floor of CityHouse Old Town apartments. The shop, which first opened on Capitol Hill in 2013, hopes to join Old Town “in the first quarter of 2026,” co-founder Michelle Lim Warner told ALXnow.

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News

Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley to serve as 2026 chair of N. Va. Transportation Commission

By Katie Taranto
Alexandria City Council Member Sarah Bagley after being voted vice mayor by her colleagues, Jan. 2, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission plans to elect Alexandria Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley as its new chair this week.

Bagley currently serves as the commission’s vice-chair and is a member of its Program Advisory Committee, following her initial appointment in 2022. This is in addition to her role as chair of the Virginia Railway Express’ Operations Board.

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News

National Park Service proposes new safety, trail and waterfront upgrades in Old Town North

By Katie Taranto
The Mount Vernon Trail near Daingerfield Island (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The National Park Service is seeking input on a proposal to redesign intersections, add new trail connections and expand waterfront access in Old Town North, among other changes.

The agency is planning a slate of future upgrades along the GW Parkway, Mount Vernon Trail and Potomac waterfront, aiming to make the areas “safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable for everyone,” according to a press release. Plans include trail bridge replacement, new bike lanes and crosswalks and “improved views” of the waterfront.

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Around Town

Ticket sales for ‘School of Rock’ start tomorrow at Little Theatre of Alexandria

By Katie Taranto
The Little Theatre of Alexandria (via Little Theatre of Alexandria/Facebook)

Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Wednesday) for a new production at The Little Theatre of Alexandria next month.

The Old Town theatre is preparing to show “School of Rock,” a musical based on the 2003 movie of the same name starring Jack Black. The production will run from Feb. 7-28, with 8 p.m. showings Thursday through Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. at 600 Wolfe Street.

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News

VSP trooper injured in crash after reckless driving pursuit on I-495

By Katie Taranto
Alexandria Police lights (staff photo by James Cullum)

A Virginia State Police (VSP) trooper was injured in a Sunday crash on Interstate 495 in Alexandria after attempting to stop a motorist for reckless driving.

The trooper went off the road to avoid striking a third, uninvolved vehicle, striking a tree and rolling over once, according to VSP.

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Around Town

DASH party bus helps Del Ray preschooler celebrate his ‘dream’ birthday

By Katie Taranto
Group photo at Rowan Gilbart's fourth birthday party with DASH (courtesy of Erica Toler)

The wheels on a Del Ray preschooler’s birthday party bus went round and round Alexandria last week.

Four-year-old Rowan Gilbart celebrated his best birthday yet with a DASH charter bus ride and tour of the system’s facilities on Friday. The Del Ray kid “loves riding the bus,” mother Erica Toler told ALXnow, and the duo regularly take Line 33 to get to preschool and other places around town.

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News

Emergency visits for the flu triple in Alexandria, prompting calls for more vaccinations

By Katie Taranto
Former ALXnow editor receives a Covid-19 shot on Wednesday, Sept. 10 (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

After a reported uptick in flu, COVID-19 and other illnesses in the city, the Alexandria Health Department is recommending the flu shot and and other preventative measures to stay healthy.

Flu-related emergency department visits more than tripled in Alexandria during the last two weeks of December, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health. Alexandria’s current flu vaccination rate is low, sitting at less than 30% of the population, AHD spokesperson Eve Elliott told ALXnow.

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News

Old Town-based bank expanding into Pennsylvania through $354M deal

By Katie Taranto
Burke and Herbert Bank at the corner of Fairfax and King Street in Old Town (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Old Town-based Burke & Herbert Bank is expanding its reach after acquiring a Pennsylvania bank in a multimillion-dollar deal.

Burke & Herbert is acquiring Camp Hill, Pa.-based LinkBank for $354.2 million, a deal expected to close in the second half of 2026. The merger will expand the bank into Pennsylvania and increase its footprint to 100 locations across six states, according to a press release.

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Around Town

Winning $1M lottery ticket sold at Del Ray convenience store

By Katie Taranto
7-Eleven at 2108 Mount Vernon Avenue (via Google Maps)

One Virginia Lottery player is starting off the new year with a winning $1 million ticket purchased in Del Ray.

The ticket was one of five $1 million winners in the lottery’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle, announced yesterday (Thursday). It was purchased at the 7-Eleven at 2108 Mount Vernon Avenue and beat one in 125,000 odds to win.

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News

Christmas tree collection in Alexandria starts today

By Katie Taranto
The Christmas Tree lighting in Alexandria's Market Square, Nov. 23, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

It’s time to start taking those Christmas trees down.

Christmas tree collection in Alexandria starts today (Friday) and will last through Friday, Jan. 16. The city will pick up natural Christmas trees and wreaths at residents’ usual waste collection spots during their regularly scheduled collection.

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