News

Four candidates will appear on Tuesday’s primary ballot after Fairfax County teacher joins race

By Katie Taranto
Voters wait in line at the firehouse primary at Charles Houston Recreation Center in Old Town, Jan. 13, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Voters in tomorrow’s Democratic firehouse primary will have four candidates to choose from after Fairfax County Public Schools teacher Gregory Darrall entered the race this weekend.

Darrall, a self-described “proud progressive,” is a special education teacher and vice president of the Fairfax County Federation of Teachers. His name will appear on District 5 voters’ ballots tomorrow alongside City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike, former School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera and defense attorney Chris Leibig.

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Defense attorney Chris Leibig is third candidate to enter primary for Bennett-Parker’s seat

By Katie Taranto
Chris Leibig (courtesy of Chris Leibig)

Chris Leibig, a longtime criminal defense attorney and former public defender from Del Ray, is running for delegate in Tuesday’s Democratic firehouse primary.

Leibig served in the Alexandria Public Defender’s Office from 1996-2002 and practices law from his Old Town office. He is the third candidate to enter Tuesday’s race to replace outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, joining City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.

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ALXnow Daily Debrief for Jan 16, 2026

By ALXnow.com

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 — Jan 16, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. Teen pedestrian transported to hospital with serious injuries after Thursday night crash (1051 views)
  2. Croatian Football Federation names Alexandria as home base during FIFA World Cup (947 views)
  3. Outgoing Gov. Youngkin says he regrets failed deal for Potomac Yard sports arena (748 views)
  4. JUST IN: Democratic firehouse primary for Del. Bennett-Parker’s seat scheduled for Tuesday (536 views)
  5. Second firehouse primary imminent as Del. Bennett-Parker to resign, run for State Senate (313 views)

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

  1. Man hospitalized after Sunday night shooting near Potomac Yard (5664 views)
  2. JUST IN: Bennett-Parker wins Democratic firehouse primary for State Senate seat (5247 views)
  3. Hundreds gather in Alexandria to protest ICE after fatal Minneapolis shooting (4400 views)
  4. Alexandria Republicans announce state Senate candidate for February special election (3575 views)
  5. Del Ray record store considers relocation after shutting down amid ‘catastrophic flooding’ (3501 views)
  6. Dozens of Old Town shops plan discounts during Alexandria Warehouse Sale next month (2204 views)
  7. D.C. man sentenced to decade in prison for 2024 abduction, attempted rape in Potomac Yard (2171 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

🌦️ Saturday’s forecast

Scattered snow showers will transition to rain showers between 10am and noon before the skies gradually clear up and become mostly sunny with a high of 47°F. A south wind of 8 to 10 mph and gusts up to 21 mph accompany a 50% chance of precipitation. On Saturday night, expect a chance of rain after 1am, mixing with snow after 4am, and a mostly cloudy sky with a low around 31°F. Light and variable winds will become northwest around 5 mph after midnight, with a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend, Alexandria!

Outgoing Gov. Youngkin says he regrets failed deal for Potomac Yard sports arena

By Emily Leayman
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin speaks at the announcement of a new arena for the Washington Wizards and Capitals in Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Dec. 13, 2023 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin doesn’t have many regrets as he prepares to leave office. But he named the inability to get an Alexandria arena deal done in 2024 as one lost opportunity.

The Washington Capitals and Wizards arena would have gone in Potomac Yard as part of an entertainment district. But in March 2024, the City of Alexandria announced that the proposal wouldn’t be moving forward.

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Virginia’s first flu-related child death of season confirmed by state health officials

By Emily Leayman
Medical office equipment (via fr0ggy5/Unsplash)

The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first flu-related pediatric death this season, as public health officials across Virginia continue to monitor increased flu activity.

Health officials yesterday (Thursday) said a preschool-aged child — between newborn age and 4 years old — died from flu-related complications. The child was from Virginia’s Eastern Region, which largely covers the Tidewater and Eastern Shore areas. The health department is not releasing additional information about the child to protect the family’s privacy.

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JUST IN: Democratic firehouse primary for Del. Bennett-Parker’s seat scheduled for Tuesday

By Katie Taranto
Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5th) at the No Kings Rally at Market Square in Old Town, Oct. 18, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria Democrats are in for deja vu as this month’s second Democratic firehouse primary will take place Tuesday to fulfill outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s seat, after her resignation announcement.

The firehouse primary is happening this Tuesday, Jan. 20, according to the Alexandria Democratic Committee. So far, two candidates have entered the race vying for Bennett-Parker’s 5th District seat: City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.

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Alexandria ceremony honoring MLK Jr. rebukes political violence and racism

By Katie Taranto
Attendees at the 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program 2026 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

Alexandria honored the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with song, dance and poetry, as well as a thorough rebuke of political violence and societal divisions under the Trump administration last night (Thursday).

The 53rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program began with an impassioned invocation from the Rev. Quardricos Bernard Driskell of Beulah Baptist Church, who said King is remembered as “a prophet who named America’s sins and paid his life for it.” Driskell denounced current approaches to immigration enforcement, military spending and “taking over sovereign nations for profit, power and greed.”

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Croatian Football Federation names Alexandria as home base during FIFA World Cup

By Katie Taranto
Players with the Croatian Football Federation (via Hrvatski nogometni savez /Facebook)

Soccer fans in Alexandria are in for a treat, as the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has announced it will be staying in Alexandria during the FIFA World Cup this summer.

The team’s base camp will be in Alexandria, where players will stay at the AKA Hotel at 625 First Street in Old Town and train at Episcopal High School as they participate in the World Cup. Games will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Jun. 11 through July 19.

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Second firehouse primary scheduled next week as Del. Bennett-Parker runs for State Senate

By James Cullum
Virginia Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5th) at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus ribbon cutting, Feb. 28, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Fresh from her firehouse Democratic primary win for a State Senate seat, Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) has announced her resignation from the House of Delegates.

The resignation will go into effect Feb. 18, Bennett-Parker said in an email yesterday (Thursday). The delegate won the firehouse primary for the 39th District State Senate in the early morning hours on Wednesday. Now, another firehouse primary to fill her 5th District seat has been scheduled for next Tuesday, as of late Friday morning.

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Teen pedestrian transported to hospital with serious injuries after Thursday night crash

By Katie Taranto
Near N. Van Dorn Street and Holmes Run Parkway (via APD/Facebook)

A 15-year-old was transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries last night (Thursday) after being struck by a driver in the Landmark area.

The Alexandria Police Department reported a “serious motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian” at the intersection of northbound N. Van Dorn Street and Holmes Run Parkway. The crash, which reportedly involved a driver in a silver Honda Civic, happened around 7:12 p.m., according to APD dispatches.

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Morning Notes for January 16, 2026

By ALXnow.com
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Michael Wilson)

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On Jan. 16, 1947, the United Service Organization center on Cameron Street closed. Built during World War II, the USO center provided recreational and social activities for service members. The City of Alexandria later acquired the building for use by the Department of Recreation and today it’s known as the Dr. Oswald Durant Memorial Center.” [Historic Alexandria]

MLK Jr. Day Events, Volunteering in NoVA — “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for racial equality, human rights, and justice for all. Participate in these local service projects around your neighborhood, learn more about the Civil Rights movement, and watch a parade celebrating his life and legacy.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

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