News

Alexandria Police target high-crash corridors with increased patrols

By Ryan Belmore
Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Alexandria Police Department announced on Tuesday that it will focus enforcement efforts on speeding and distracted driving as part of the city’s Vision Zero initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries on local roads.

The department is targeting three intersections where crashes have clustered over the past three years: Duke Street and Washington Street, King Street and Interstate 395, and Duke Street and Van Dorn Street. Those areas account for a significant portion of the 73 injury crashes recorded in Alexandria during October over the past three years, according to police data.

Go to Alexandria Police target high-crash corridors with increased patrols Read more

Grocery store opens inside Del Ray Farmhouse Market and Garden

By James Cullum
The Del Ray Farmhouse Market and Garden at 1913 Mount Vernon Avenue (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Del Ray Farmhouse Market and Garden, located at 1913 Mount Vernon Avenue, has just opened a small grocery store inside its premises.

Owner Jay Portlance soft-opened the grocery store today (Oct. 8), selling vegetables, fresh bread, and eggs. He said that the store will support local vendors and farms. Portlance noted that the store is a “micro-version” of a standard grocery store and plans to expand its offerings over the next several weeks.

Go to Grocery store opens inside Del Ray Farmhouse Market and Garden Read more

Alexandria Health Department needs volunteers to craft five-year health improvement plan

By James Cullum
Alexandria sign in the city's Arlandria neighborhood (via Facebook)

The Alexandria Health Department is looking for volunteers to join community coalitions to create the city’s next five-year Health Improvement Plan.

In the upcoming 2026-2031 plan, AHD will focus on citywide mental wellness, as well as in the Landmark/Van Dorn corridor in the West End and the city’s Arlandria neighborhood. The focus areas were chosen in AHD’s most recent State of Health Report. Each subject matter area will be worked on by a coalition, which will be made up of “Alexandria residents, businesses, faith leaders, community groups, and others who work and spend time here,” according to AHD.

Go to Alexandria Health Department needs volunteers to craft five-year health improvement plan Read more

Comey pleads not guilty at Alexandria federal courthouse as lawyers signal intent to argue Trump foe’s case is politically motivated

By The Associated Press
This courtroom sketch depicts former FBI Director James Comey, second from left, and his attorneys Jessica Carmichael, seated left, and Patrick J. Fitzgerald, standing right, during his arraignment at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons, is seated right. (Dana Verkouteren via AP)

By ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — James Comey pleaded not guilty Wednesday in a criminal case that has highlighted the Justice Department’s efforts to target adversaries of President Donald Trump, with lawyers for the former FBI director saying they plan to argue the prosecution is politically motivated and should be dismissed.

Go to Comey pleads not guilty at Alexandria federal courthouse as lawyers signal intent to argue Trump foe’s case is politically motivated Read more

Researchers to share findings on Alexandria’s Civil War history, LGBTQ+ community

By James Cullum
Alexandria during the Civil War (image via Visit Alexandria)

Three grant recipients will unveil their findings on Alexandria’s history during the Civil War, records at Douglas Cemetery and more.

The grants were awarded as part of the Alexandria Historical Society‘s 50th anniversary celebration. The “golden grantees” will present their findings at the free event at the Lyceum (201 S. Washington Street) on Wednesday, Oct. 22, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Go to Researchers to share findings on Alexandria’s Civil War history, LGBTQ+ community Read more

Alexandria City Council tackles capital priorities amid tight debt capacity

By Ryan Belmore
Alexandria City Council held a Capital Improvemnt Work Session on Oct. 7. (Photo by Ryan Belmore/ALXnow)

Alexandria City Council members grappled with difficult decisions on Tuesday evening about which major infrastructure projects deserve funding over the next decade, as Alexandria approaches its debt capacity limits while facing $307 million in unfunded needs.

The work session at City Hall focused on prioritizing projects within the city’s Capital Improvement Plan — a $2.1 billion blueprint for infrastructure investments through 2035 that includes everything from school replacements to fire station upgrades and recreation facilities.

Go to Alexandria City Council tackles capital priorities amid tight debt capacity Read more

America 250 sculpture proposed for Alexandria courthouse courtyard

By James Cullum
Sandy Williams IV speaks at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, Oct. 7, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Next week, Sandy Williams IV will submit his proposal for an art installation in Alexandria to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Williams’ proposal for public art to adorn the courtyard of the Alexandria Circuit Court (520 King Street) from April to November must first receive approval from the city’s Commission for the Arts. The design is still under wraps, although the artist, who is known for creating pieces that defy convention, says that the issues the signers of the Declaration of Independence wrestled with in 1776 are similar to those faced by contemporary Americans.

Go to America 250 sculpture proposed for Alexandria courthouse courtyard Read more

Morning Notes for October 8, 2025

By ALXnow.com
The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Senators Slam Shutdown Messages – Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine joined 22 Senate colleagues Monday in demanding the Trump administration remove partisan political messages from federal agency websites and employee email accounts. [ALXnow]

Federal Workers Guaranteed Back Pay – Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., whose district includes Alexandria and has one of the largest concentrations of federal employees in Congress, said Tuesday that federal workers are guaranteed back pay “without question or exception,” pushing back against Trump administration warnings that retroactive pay is not assured during the government shutdown. [ALXnow]

Go to Morning Notes for October 8, 2025 Read more

Veteran defense lawyer turned judge oversees case against ex-FBI Director Comey

By The Associated Press
FILE - The Albert Bryan United States Courthouse is photographed Sept. 26, 2025 in Alexandria. Va. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Michael Nachmanoff has built a quiet reputation in the federal courthouse in northern Virginia — a onetime public defender turned judge known for methodical preparation and a cool temperament. On Wednesday, he found himself at the center of a political storm: presiding over the Justice Department’s prosecution of former FBI Director James Comey.

Go to Veteran defense lawyer turned judge oversees case against ex-FBI Director Comey Read more

Comey will make first court appearance in Justice Department case accusing him of lying to Congress

By The Associated Press
FILE - Former FBI Director James Comey, arrivex to testify under subpoena behind closed doors before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 7, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

By ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press737

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey is set to make his first court appearance Wednesday in a Justice Department criminal case accusing him of lying to Congress five years ago.

Go to Comey will make first court appearance in Justice Department case accusing him of lying to Congress Read more

Alexandrians launch Victorian mystery game series

By James Cullum
(Left to right) Kiernan McGowan, Raven Bonniwell, Kerry McGee and Jon Reynolds of the Alexandria-based Literary Adventure Society (courtesy photo)

Ready to solve a mystery at home?

Four years ago, a group of Alexandrians combined their talents to launch the Literary Adventure Society, a play-at-home mystery game series based on classic detective stories set in Victorian London, featuring sleuths Sherlock Holmes and Loveday Brooke. Would-be detectives (up to six at a time) can order the $55 interactive mystery boxes that include audio plays, clues, as well as custom tea blends and scented candles to get everyone in the right frame of mind to unravel mind-bending crimes like A Scandal in Bohemia, The Dancing Men, and The Mystery of the Black Bag.

Go to Alexandrians launch Victorian mystery game series Read more
View More Stories