News

Morning Notes for September 8, 2026

By ALXnow.com
Blue DASH bus at a curbside bus stop with a man in a blue shirt standing nearby, possibly taking photos or notes.
A DASH bus driver takes five at the Braddock Road Metro station (staff photo by James Cullum)

City Council Is Back for Tuesday Meeting — After recess, City Council will return for a meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8. Featured agenda items include updates on Flock cameras, the city and ACPS budget category process, City Hall construction impacts on businesses and state of the economy, as well as introduction of an ordinance on tax extensions for federal workers during government shutdowns. [City of Alexandria]

ACPS to Dedicate Media Center to Teacher Tuesday — “Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) will host a special naming ceremony to officially dedicate the media center at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School as the ‘Jean B. Reid Media Center’ in honor of former ACPS educator Jean B. Reid, who dedicated 30 years of service to ACPS as a reading specialist from 1971 until her retirement in 2001.” [Alexandria City Public Schools]

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ALXnow Daily Debrief for Sep 4, 2026

By ALXnow.com
ALXnow Daily Debrief for Sep 4, 2026 over a city skyline at dusk.

Good Friday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 4, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. Thousands lose power and multiple rescued from floodwaters as strong storms hit Alexandria (3018 views)
  2. Poll: The best new restaurant in Alexandria (743 views)
  3. Man allegedly drives off in stolen car with over $10K in tools from Arlandria dealership (548 views)
  4. Morning Notes for September 4, 2026 (505 views)

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. Alexandria resident seeks good Samaritans who pulled him out of the Potomac River (6288 views)
  2. Alexandria residential parking permit confusion prompts apology from Mayor Gaskins (3752 views)
  3. Post-game fights cleared by police following Alexandria City High School football win (3301 views)
  4. Suspect in Holmes Run Parkway fatal shooting arrested in North Carolina (3003 views)
  5. UPDATED: Juvenile pedestrian not seriously injured in crash at Arlandria intersection (2336 views)
  6. Alexandria pet adopters step up to ease strain on nearly full AWLA shelter (2247 views)
  7. South Korean coffee chain plans to open first U.S. location in Alexandria in October (1346 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Saturday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.

🌦️ Saturday’s forecast

Expect a 30% chance of showers today before 2pm and again after 4pm, with partly sunny skies and a high near 84°F. Winds will be from the north at about 6 mph. On Saturday night, there is a 40% chance of showers mainly before 9pm, with mostly cloudy conditions and a low around 66°F. Winds will remain light from the north. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.”
– Aristotle

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend, Alexandria!

Alexandria Choral Society returns with ‘pay-what-you-can’ pricing for 57th season

By James Cullum
The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Alexandria Choral Society perform their holiday concert at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Dec. 8, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Choral Society is returning for its 57th season next month, and offering a “pay-what-you-can” pricing model for its performances in the city.

ACS will return on Oct. 15 in a show partnering with the American Classical Contemporary Orchestra under conductor Jeffrey Dokken. The show, Dreamweaver, focuses on Ola Gjeilo’s choral work inspired by the medieval folk poem “Draumkvedet,” which tells the story of Olav Asteson, who tells the story of being asleep for 13 days. The show will be held at the Miracle Theatre (535 8th Street SE) in DC and ticket prices range from $15 to $47.

Go to Alexandria Choral Society returns with ‘pay-what-you-can’ pricing for 57th season Read more

Man allegedly drives off in stolen car with over $10K in tools from Arlandria dealership

By James Cullum
Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

An Alexandria man faces felony theft charges after allegedly stealing a vehicle and more than $10,000 in tools from a car dealership in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood.

The Alexandria Police Department was notified of the incident around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The suspect allegedly broke into an office window at Alexandria Volkswagen at 107 W. Glebe Road and then drove a 2023 Volkswagen Golf “through the service bay garage door and through the lot fence onto W. Reed Avenue,” according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

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Thousands lose power and multiple rescued from floodwaters as strong storms hit Alexandria

By Emily Leayman
Downed tree branches block a street and sidewalk after a storm, with a large tree leaning over the road and debris scattered nearby, sky cloudy at dusk
Downed tree at Chinquapin loop road (courtesy of Eric Keber)

Downed trees and thousands of Dominion Energy customers with power outages were without power in Alexandria after a strong thunderstorm system that rocked the region overnight into Friday.

Most power outages had been restored. More than 2,300 customers were without power at 10 a.m., and that number dropped to about about 400 by 4 p.m.

Go to Thousands lose power and multiple rescued from floodwaters as strong storms hit Alexandria Read more

Morning Notes for September 4, 2026

By ALXnow.com
The Alexandria skyline (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

On This Day in Alexandria History — “In the mid-19th century Alexandria was a bustling port and prosperous commercial center. By 1856 more than 30 Jews, most from Germany, had immigrated to the city seeking freedom, dignity, and their fortunes in the various retail trades. By 1857, the families had established the Hebrew Benevolent Society to create a Jewish burial ground. By 1859 two congregations, one Reform and one Orthodox, had formed, but they settled their basic differences in time to celebrate the High Holy Days together in 1860. The Reform Congregation, Beth El Hebrew Congregation, was formed on September 4, 1859. In 1871, Beth El had established a Temple on North Washington Street, pictured above, which served the congregation for the next 84 years.” [Historic Alexandria]

Upcoming Affordable Housing Option in Alexandria — “Margot, a new apartment community located at 425 Montgomery St., Alexandria, VA 22314 is providing 16 new apartments ranging in size from junior one bedrooms to two-bedroom units under the City’s Affordable Rental Set-Aside Program. The units will be affordable at 60% of the area median income … More information will be available in October.” [Alexandria Office of Housing]

Go to Morning Notes for September 4, 2026 Read more

ALXnow Daily Debrief for Sep 3, 2026

By ALXnow.com
ALXnow daily debrief banner on a black background, dated Sep 3, 2026

Good Thursday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 3, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. South Korean coffee chain plans to open first U.S. location in Alexandria in October (606 views)
  2. Parker-Gray garage conversion to three-story townhome heads to City Council (442 views)
  3. Morning Notes for September 3, 2026 (395 views)
  4. Alexandria mobile fitness studio founder draws inspiration from entrepreneurial grandfather (328 views)
  5. Alexandria officials mark major milestone in George Mason Elementary reconstruction (323 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.

🌦️ Friday’s forecast

Expect increasing clouds with a high near 91°F and a heat index up to 101°F. Showers and thunderstorms are possible after 2 PM, with a 40% chance of precipitation. Winds will shift from the west to northwest at 5 to 9 mph. Overnight, there’s a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 AM, decreasing slightly by 3 AM, with mostly cloudy skies and a low of around 72°F. Northwest winds will be light at 3 to 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.”
– Chris Grosser

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!

Alexandria City Council weighs car tax extensions for furloughed federal workers during shutdowns

By James Cullum
Money on a table (staff photo via Vernon Miles)

The Alexandria City Council will consider a measure to allow due date extensions for personal property tax payments from federal employees when furloughed by a government shutdown.

The item is on City Council’s Sept. 8 docket and would give federal employees impacted by a shutdown a 90-day extension to pay personal property taxes after the government reopens. The last government shutdown was from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, 2025, making it the longest in history, and in Alexandria it coincided with the personal property tax deadline. The measure also comes as Congress recently passed a short-term funding bill to avoid a shutdown until Dec. 11.

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Parker-Gray garage conversion to three-story townhome heads to City Council

By James Cullum
Row of garage bays with two black cars parked in front; middle bay highlighted in red outline.
911 B and C Pendleton Street highlighted in red in the Parker-Gray Historic District (via City of Alexandria)

A small property in the Parker-Gray Historic District used as a storage and garage space could soon be converted into a new townhome.

The owner of 911 B and C Pendleton Street is asking the city to approve converting the 1,445-square-foot property into a 35-foot-tall, three-story townhome with a rooftop garden.

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Labor Day weekend prompts closures and schedule changes around Alexandria

By Emily Leayman
Sunny day in Old Town (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Residents will unofficially bid farewell to the summer season during Labor Day weekend, which will also bring some closures and schedule changes to services in Alexandria.

Labor Day falls on Monday, Sept. 7, resulting in an extended holiday weekend for many employees and students. All City of Alexandria government offices will be closed for the Labor Day observance on Sept. 7.

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Alexandria officials mark major milestone in George Mason Elementary reconstruction

By Emily Leayman
Construction site with red steel beams and corrugated metal decking under a blue sky.
Topping out at George Mason Elementary School (via ACPS/Facebook)

Alexandria officials gathered yesterday (Sept. 2) to mark the topping out of the reconstructed George Mason Elementary School, the latest of Alexandria City Public Schools’ modernization projects.

Monday’s topping out ceremony represented the installation of the final structural steel beam on the school. The school at 2601 Cameron Mills Road in the North Ridge neighborhood is being rebuilt to address capacity needs and replace an aging facility, according to ACPS. Built in 1939, the school was renovated before in 1949 and 1977.

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