Author: Ryan Belmore

On This Day in Alexandria: Leon Day, Negro League Star, Born in Alexandria — On Oct. 30, 1916, Leon Day, a star baseball player in the Negro League, was born in Alexandria, where his father Ellis worked in a glass factory. Day was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on March 7, 1995, and died six days later. [Historic Alexandria]

City Council Supports Expanding Parking Enforcement Pilot Program — Alexandria City Council unanimously expressed support Tuesday night for expanding the city’s parking enforcement pilot program after data showed substantial improvements in citation rates, response times, and revenue collection since contractors began supplementing city staff in December 2023. [ALXnow]

Alexandria SNAP Recipients to Shift to State-Funded Program Next Week — Alexandria residents receiving food assistance will see their benefits shift to a new state-funded program next week as federal SNAP funding lapses amid a government shutdown. The Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance Program will begin Monday, providing weekly payments to nearly 6,000 households and approximately 12,000 individuals in Alexandria. [ALXnow]

Alexandria Early Voting Nears 2021 Total With Four Days Remaining — Alexandria residents have just four days remaining to vote early in next week’s general election, with turnout approaching the total number of early votes cast during the entire 2021 election cycle. As of Oct. 27, Alexandria had recorded 20,853 early votes — already 82% of the 25,475 total early ballots cast during all of 2021. [ALXnow]

This Day in Alexandria History: Submarine U.S.S. Sea Robin Docks in Alexandria — On Oct. 28, 1947, the submarine U.S.S. Sea Robin docked in Alexandria and received thousands of local visitors. The sub, a Balao-class submarine, was named for the reddish-brown, spiny-finned fish that uses its pectoral fins to walk along the sea floor. Sea Robin was constructed in 1944 at Kittery, Maine, and served in the South Pacific during World War II. Just five months before arriving in Alexandria, the submarine set out on a simulated war patrol around the South American continent, becoming the first U.S. sub to round Cape Horn. [Historic Alexandria]

Benny DiForza’s Pizza Served With Legal Notice Barring Access to Del Ray Location — Benny DiForza’s Pizza, which opened in Del Ray in February 2024, has been served with a legal notice barring access to its Mount Vernon Avenue location, according to signage posted on the restaurant’s door. [ALXnow]

With just one week before Election Day, Virginia lawmakers returned to the state Capitol Monday for a surprise special session that swiftly turned into a partisan clash over the future of the state’s congressional map — and, potentially, its balance of political power for years to come.

House Speaker calls Virginia lawmakers back to Richmond as possible redistricting fight brews