Alexandria City Council appointed six new commissioners to the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority board during a special meeting on Wednesday night, one day after eight of nine board members resigned under pressure from city leaders.
The emergency appointments aim to restore the functioning of ARHA’s governing board, which oversees more than 1,100 public housing units and serves over 2,700 residents through various programs.
A popular beer garden in Del Ray will remain open in the winter as its owners fight a legal battle with their landlords, who are seeking to evict them.
For the last five years, Jeremy Barber and Justis Frank, the owners of The Garden (1503-1505 Mount Vernon Avenue), shut down during the winter and reopened in the spring. Their landlord, Twenty-Third Street Corridor LLC, is seeking to evict them, and previously deferred their rent during those months, but no longer. With all parties returning to the General District Court on January 8, Barber and Frank will pay monthly rent and plan to keep a heated area in the back of the property open.
Alexandria will provide an update later this month on stormwater solutions for the historic, and flood-prone, Douglass Memorial Cemetery (1421 Wilkes Street).
The city says that the cemetery, named after abolitionist Frederick Douglass, faces flooding and drainage problems, and that grave markers have been damaged. After two years of developing a plan to mitigate flooding and repair grave markers, the city will present an update on the project on Oct. 29 (Wednesday) from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Lloyd House (220 N. Washington Street).
The 10th annual Walk to Bust Cancer at Fort Hunt Park in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County on Sunday, Oct. 19, has been postponed due to the government shutdown, organizers said.
“With Fort Hunt Park closed and the National Park Service scheduling system offline, organizers are currently unable to secure a backup date,” organizers said in an email. “After an extensive search to try and find an alternative non-government location, this decision rooted in safety, logistics, and respect for survivors, families, volunteers, and supporters was not taken lightly. The Walk is a deeply meaningful moment to honor loved ones and rally the surrounding community.”
The Study at Morrison House (116 S. Alfred Street) is bringing back a banned book speakeasy next month.
The speakeasy will run from 5 to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, to Saturday, Nov. 8, with $1 from every drink sold benefiting the Virginia Library Association. The event, last held in April, will spotlight several books on PEN America’s 2025 List.
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating the theft of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the Lululemon store (700 King Street) in Old Town.
On Sept. 23 (Tuesday), the store manager reported that two women stole $5,536 in merchandise from the store at around 8:30 p.m. The manager told APD that the suspects “began selecting clothing while appearing to check the sizes of the merchandise,” and then left the store with the clothing, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board unanimously voted Wednesday to defer including Virginia’s controversial I-495 Southside Express Lanes project in its long-range transportation plan, effectively blocking the highway expansion from moving forward until at least 2026.
The TPB adopted Resolution R2-2026, which excludes the 11-mile express toll lanes project from the Visualize 2050 plan and directs the Virginia Department of Transportation to provide a 2026 status report on its work with all relevant jurisdictions.
By JANIE HAR Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration for now must stop firing workers during the government shutdown, a federal judge ordered on Wednesday.
CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union cut the ribbon at its newest location in the Shoppes at Foxchase in Alexandria’s West End on Tuesday.
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, credit union CEO Frank Wasson, Board Chairman Rupert J. Jennings, III, and Chamber ALX CEO Joe Haggerty attended the event at 4557 Duke Street.
A Swedish maritime technology company will demonstrate its electric hydrofoiling vessel on the Potomac River next week, showcasing technology that could potentially transform water commuting in the Washington region.
Candela will perform media demonstration rides Oct. 17-23 near the Swedish Embassy using its C-8 flying vessel. The demonstrations coincide with the Swedish Green Transition Summit, a forum focused on sustainable development innovations.
By MARY CLARE JALONICK and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Entering the third week of a government shutdown, Democrats say they are not intimidated or cowed by President Donald Trump’s efforts to fire thousands of federal workers or by his threats of more firings to come.
