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 resident launches new app to help job hunters tailor resumes

By Katie Taranto
Craig Certo and dog, Frank (courtesy of Craig Certo)

A software developer in Alexandria is piloting a new digital tool to help job seekers improve their resumes.

Craig Certo created Career Catalyst last year. It’s an application designed to cross-analyze a user’s resume and offer fine-tuned editing suggestions based on job postings they’re applying for.

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Around Town

New children’s book tells story of Alexandria’s 1939 library sit-in

By Katie Taranto
Audrey Davis, Director of the African American History division of the Office of Historic Alexandria, speaks at the "Fight for the Right to Read" family program in February 2026 (courtesy of the Office of Historic Alexandria)

A new children’s book is highlighting the historic work of Samuel Wilbert Tucker, an attorney from Alexandria who pioneered one of the first library sit-ins against Jim Crow segregation.

“Fight for the Right to Read” tells the story of the Alexandria Library sit-in as Tucker, at age 26, led a group of five young Black men to enter the whites-only Alexandria Library on Aug. 21, 1939. Co-authors Jeff Gottesfeld, Michelle Y. Green and illustrator Kim Holt came to the Alexandria recently to discuss the September release and sign copies during Black History Month.

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News

Dead raccoon in Old Town tests positive for rabies, health department says

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)

A dead raccoon found in Old Town last week has tested positive for rabies, according to the Alexandria Health Department.

The animal was recovered after two people reported being bitten by a raccoon in Old Town last Tuesday. It’s not confirmed if the raccoon was responsible for one or both of the attacks, “but the location and aggressive behavior line up with how a rabid raccoon in that area might act,” AHD said in an announcement yesterday (Monday).

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News

Grand jury indicts ex-D.C. police officer on multiple sexual assault charges in Alexandria

By Katie Taranto
APD Chief Tarrick McGuire speaks during a press conference regarding multiple sexual assault cases in the region, joined by Prince George’s County Deputy Police Chief, Curtis Lightner (left), Prince George’s County State’s Attorney, Tara H. Jackson and Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney, Bryan Porter (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

An Alexandria grand jury indicted a former D.C. police officer on more than two dozen felony charges today (Monday) related to a series of sexual assaults in Alexandria last year.

Timothy Valentin, 30, of Fort Washington, Md., is currently accused of multiple sexual assaults in Alexandria and Maryland that occurred between 2024 and 2025. The suspect, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department until 2022, faces new charges including rape by force, rape by incapacitation and abduction with intent to defile in connection to three cases in Alexandria last year.

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Around Town

Free Lyft rides coming to Alexandria for St. Patrick’s Day

By Katie Taranto
Metropolitan Police Department Assistant Chief Carlos Heraud helps launch the 2025 St. Patrick's Day SoberRide effort (via Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments)

Free Lyft rides will be available on St. Patrick’s Day as part of a D.C.-area nonprofit’s efforts to curb drunk driving.

Free rides totaling up to $15 will be available on Lyft from 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 through 4 a.m. the next morning, courtesy of the Washington Regional Alcohol Program’s SoberRide initiative.

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Around Town

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Mia, a sweet, playful pup awaiting her forever home

By Katie Taranto
Mia (courtesy of AWLA)

Meet Mia, a sweet, smart pup from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria who is eager to make new friends.

At just over a year old, Mia loves playing tug and fetch, and a volunteer with the AWLA told ALXnow that she’s picking up training pretty quickly. She also savors a good nap.

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News

JUST IN: Va. health officials partially lift Potomac River recreational advisory

By Katie Taranto
A sailboat on the Potomac River (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Virginia Department of Health has partially lifted its recreational water advisory for a portion of the Potomac River as repairs continue from January’s massive sewage spill.

The advisory, first issued Feb. 13, has now been lifted for a stretch of the river including Alexandria’s waterfront. The cleared area starts south at the Route 120 Chain Bridge and ends at the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge in King George County, according to a VDH announcement this afternoon (Thursday).

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News

Alexandria police recover firearm in child’s backpack, prompting investigation

By Katie Taranto
4850 Mark Center Drive (via Google Maps)

A student “may have brought a loaded firearm” to Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School yesterday (Tuesday), according to an Alexandria City Public Schools message sent to the school’s community today.

The Alexandria Police Department recovered a firearm inside an 8-year-old child’s backpack yesterday in a Child Protective Services office at 4850 Mark Center Drive, the department told ALXnow. No injuries were reported, and officers are investigating the cause of the incident.

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News

Health officials suspect rabies after two people report raccoon attacks in Old Town

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)

The Alexandria Health Department is advising residents to be cautious around wildlife after two people reported being bitten by a raccoon in Old Town yesterday (Tuesday).

According to AHD, two people said they were bitten by a raccoon near N. Henry Street, N. Patrick Street and Cameron Street in Old Town. It’s unclear if the bites came from the same raccoon, “but the incidents happened close together in time,” according to an AHD announcement this afternoon.

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News

Early voting in Alexandria begins Friday for City Council special election

By Katie Taranto
Voting at Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library in Alexandria's West End, Nov. 5, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria voters can begin casting early ballots this Friday to participate in the city’s April 21 special election.

This includes the City Council race and a proposed constitutional amendment to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps.

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Around Town

Alexandria to accept entries for new America 250 poster contest

By Katie Taranto
The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Artwork “that reflects civic pride, historical connection, and optimism for the future” is the theme of a new poster contest in Alexandria.

As the City of Alexandria continues to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it is joining the America 250 City Art Poster Project, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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