Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

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Seifeldein spars with Beyer at candidate forum as congressional primary approaches

By Scott McCaffrey
Candidate Mo Seifeldein, with Rep. Don Beyer in background (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A former Alexandria City Council member used a candidate forum to rip into Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th) as the Democratic congressional primary draws closer and heats up.

At the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s candidate forum on July 1, Mo Seifeldein went after Beyer on campaign finances and banking reform. Seifeldein also said the incumbent “hasn’t pushed back” on the Trump administration or Republicans in Congress.

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Alexandria’s jobless count falls below 3,000 for first time since mid-2025

By Scott McCaffrey
Job interview (via Mina Rad/Unsplash)

As the number of Alexandria residents counted as unemployed dropped below 3,000 for the first time in more than a year, the city’s jobless rate reached its lowest level since April 2025, according to new state data.

A total of 96,006 Alexandria residents were counted in the civilian workforce for the month, with 2,888 seeking jobs, according to figures reported July 1 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

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Alexandria apartment rents dip but remain well above pre-Covid levels

By Scott McCaffrey
Apartment living (via Brian Zajac/Unsplash)

While down year over year, Alexandria’s median apartment rental rate is still more than 16% above the onset of the pandemic and 28% more than during the worst of Covid-19.

The city’s median rent of $2,234 — $2,046 for one-bedroom units, $2,513 for two bedrooms — was down 3.1% in June from a year before, according to figures released June 30 by Apartment List.

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Alexandria hospital’s replacement on track for opening in late 2028, Inova CEO says

By Scott McCaffrey
Inova Alexandria Hospital at Landmark, April 13, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Inova Alexandria Hospital replacement and a new hospital to the south in Fairfax County remain on schedule for opening in late 2028 — potentially on the same day.

Meeting the timetable will be good news for the region’s economy, Inova Health System CEO Dr. J. Stephen Jones said at a June 16 roundtable of Fairfax County’s Council for Economic Opportunity, a group of government and business leaders looking at high-level economic, development and technology trends. Jones called health care “the job engine and in many ways economic engine” of Northern Virginia.

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Alexandria’s home sales, prices rose in May amid strengthening real estate market

By Scott McCaffrey
Couple moves into new home (via Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash)

Increases in sales and average prices in May propelled Alexandria’s homes market to a nearly 15% year-over-year increase in sales volume.

A total of 220 Alexandria residential properties went to closing during the month, up from 206 in May 2025, according to figures reported June 10 by MarketStats by ShowingTime, based on data from Bright MLS.

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Arlington backs city’s $27M funding request for road upgrades near Bradlee Shopping Center

By Scott McCaffrey
Plans to overhaul King Street access road near the Bradlee Shopping Center (image via City of Alexandria)

Alexandria’s request for up to $27 million in state funds to support transportation improvements to a King Street access road in the Bradlee Shopping Center area has won support from the city’s neighbor to the north.

Arlington County Board members on Saturday (June 13) approved a resolution supporting the city’s SMART SCALE application for the project as part of the 2026 application round.

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NVTC seeks Alexandria input on Route 7 transit upgrades at listening tour stop

By Scott McCaffrey
City Council member Canek Aguirre discusses proposed Route 7 bus improvements (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Regional transportation officials brought their quest for input on ways to rejuvenate the Route 7 (King Street and Leesburg Pike) corridor to Alexandria on Tuesday (June 9).

“This, combined with other conversations, it’s really helpful,” said Vikram Sinha, a Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) senior program manager who leads the Envision Route 7 initiative.

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Alexandria’s unemployment outlook improves, yet regional retention challenges remain

By Scott McCaffrey
Panelists Taylor Chess, Jason Stanford, Ryan McLaughlin and Terry Clower at June 3, 2026, forum on the region’s economy (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Alexandria’s unemployment rate in April was its lowest in nearly a year, but the region still faces ongoing headwinds in keeping both jobs and workers in place, according to a panel of experts.

With 96,031 city residents counted in the civilian workforce and 3,088 looking for jobs, the city’s unemployment rate of 3.1% in April was the lowest since 3% in June 2025, according to figures reported June 3 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

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Alexandria’s rents up nearly 4% since start of year but remain lower than 2025 figures

By Scott McCaffrey
The Alexandria skyline (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria’s median apartment rental cost is up 3.7% since the start of the year and stands about 3.6% higher than the metro area’s median costs, according to new data.

The city’s median apartment rental cost of $2,239 in May — $2,050 for one-bedroom units and $2,518 for two bedrooms — was up 0.6% from April, another sign that the market ramped up as winter gave way to spring.

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Alexandria’s jobless count has remained above 3,000 for nearly a full year

By Scott McCaffrey
Job interview (via Tim Gouw/Unsplash)

The number of Alexandria residents among the ranks of the unemployed stayed above 3,000 for the 11th consecutive month in March, according to new state data.

The 3,333 Alexandrians reported as seeking work in March was up 14.8% from 2,902 a year before, according to figures reported May 19 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

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More public input on Route 7 bus improvements sought as planning moves toward Alexandria

By Scott McCaffrey
F20 Metrobus service runs from Tysons east to Alexandria (photo courtesy of NVTC)

As planning efforts move eastward toward Alexandria, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) has embarked on a new round of community engagement in its Envision Route 7 effort to upgrade transit options.

Both in-person and online opportunities will be available over the next month, focused on the eastern portions of what will become a 14-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) line running from Tysons to Alexandria’s Mark Center.

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