An annual Alexandria City High School alumni fundraiser at Chadwicks (203 Strand Street) on Oct. 22 (Wednesday) will benefit the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, and will feature some special guests.
Starting at 6 p.m., former ACHS Executive Principal Pete Balas will act as bartender, along with current teachers Andrew Orzel and Matt Zahn. The event, which includes raffles, is a great way to reconnect with former classmates, according to the online event announcement.
The music of Amadeus Mozart, Scott Joplin, and Felix Mendelssohn is coming to Alexandria next month.
On Nov. 8 and 9, the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) will play its second concert of the season with special guest Michael Rusinek, principal clarinetist of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, who will play Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. The concert includes Joplin’s Overture to Treemonisha and Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 “Italian.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) says the 16-day government shutdown can only be resolved if President Trump becomes directly involved in negotiations, arguing that Republican congressional leadership lacks the independence to act without White House direction.
“Donald Trump rules the Republican Party with an iron fist, and he has to be in the negotiations to get this dispute resolved,” Warner said during a media availability with Virginia media on Thursday. “The idea that there would be any kind of independent acting Republicans, and I’ve been proud to work on all of those gangs in the past, at least at this moment in time, would be simply a fantasy.”
Georgetown Olive Oil Co. is opening at the end of this month at 1314 King Street in Old Town, its owner tells ALXnow.
Emil Merdzhanov and his team have been working on the interior of the space since July, and said he’s excited to reopen a brick and mortar location since his Georgetown location closed on M. Street four years ago. The company was founded in 2016, and bottles and sells dozens of olive oil and balsamic vinegar flavors, among other items, in their warehouse, distribution center and showroom at 4719 Eisenhower Avenue.
There are 76 items up for bid in the Animal Welfare League’s Paws in the Park silent auction. The final day to make a bid is 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19.
The cancelation of the Paws in the Park fundraiser at Oronoco Bay Park due to weather on Oct. 12 was a blow to the AWLA, as it’s the biggest moneymaker for the nonprofit every year. Consequently, the silent auction deadline was extended, and items include second-row seats for the Washington Capitals game against the New York Rangers on Dec. 23, a week-long vacation in the Outer Banks, a U.S. flag flown over the Capitol, and lunch with U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th).
A new Northern Virginia chapter of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library announced Thursday it is launching a fundraising campaign to provide free books to young children, with Alexandria the first city in the region to host the program.
The Northern Virginia Imagination Library aims to begin registering Alexandria children by summer 2026, with plans to expand throughout Northern Virginia eventually. The program will mail one age-appropriate book per month to enrolled children from birth to age five at no cost to families.
The Institute for Defense Analyses has selected retired Adm. Charles “Chas” Richard to serve as the Alexandria-based organization’s next president, effective March 14, 2026.
Richard brings more than 40 years of service in the U.S. Navy, culminating in his role as commander of U.S. Strategic Command from 2019 to 2022. In that capacity, he was responsible for the global command and control of all strategic U.S. nuclear forces, overseeing a workforce of more than 150,000 personnel focused on strategic deterrence, nuclear operations, and missile defense.
Alexandria leaders will join more than 600 people Sunday afternoon at a major gathering aimed at launching a statewide movement to address Virginia’s housing shortage and affordability crisis.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, and City Council members Canek Aguirre and Jacinta Greene are expected to attend the assembly organized by VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith and Community Engagement) and the Commonwealth Housing Coalition, according to organizers.
On This Day: Lafayette’s Triumphant Alexandria Visit — On this day in 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette made a triumphant entrance into Alexandria as part of his celebrated “Grand Tour of America,” marking one of the most memorable moments in the young city’s history. The Revolutionary War hero was greeted with cannon salutes, a grand procession through the streets in a four-horse carriage, and crowds of cheering residents—with women waving handkerchiefs from windows along Columbus, King, Fayette, and Washington Streets. The highlight came when Lafayette passed through a Grand Arch on King Street and was met by 200 children, aged seven to twelve, lining his path to a reception at Clagett’s Tavern, where Mayor Roberts delivered a warm welcome on behalf of the city. Lafayette stayed at 301 South St. Asaph Street during his extended visit to Alexandria, cementing the occasion as a social high point for the nation he had fought so passionately to establish. [Historic Alexandria]
Masked Trio Attempts Home Break-In — A terrifying late-night encounter was caught on camera in Alexandria. Disturbing doorbell camera footage shows a group of three people wearing Halloween masks trying to break into an Alexandria home, with one suspect heard yelling “Open the door!” during the attempted break-in. [WUSA9]
By STEPHEN GROVES and MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats rejected for the 10th time Thursday a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government, insisting they won’t back away from demands that Congress take up health care benefits.
Good Wednesday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 15, 2025.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect sunny conditions and a high temperature around 62 degrees, accompanied by a north wind blowing at 9 to 14 mph and gusts reaching up to 26 mph. Thursday night will be clear with the temperature dropping to a low of around 42 degrees, while the north wind continues to blow at approximately 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
– Chinese Proverb
Thanks for reading!
