A dog died in a high-rise apartment fire at 1202 S. Washington Street on Tuesday afternoon (Sept. 9).
The Alexandria Fire Department responded to the blaze at an apartment on the eighth floor just before 4 p.m. and found “dark smoke conditions,” as well as a smoldering mattress and a deceased dog in a cage by the bed, according to AFD dispatches.
Dominion Energy has invested $18.02 million in reliability projects across Alexandria from 2022 through the first quarter of 2025, completing 37 projects that have benefited 56,792 customers, External Affairs Representative Gaston Araoz told the Alexandria City Council Tuesday night.
The utility company serves 62,500 residential customers, 5,600 commercial customers, 440 governmental customers, and two industrial customers in Alexandria, according to Araoz’s presentation to the council.
Alexandria drivers should expect delays and exercise extra caution this morning at the intersection of Duke Street and Walker Avenue, where ongoing traffic signal work is affecting the morning commute.
The Alexandria Police Department issued an alert at 7:42 a.m. Wednesday advising motorists that work is being performed on the traffic light at the busy intersection. Officers are currently on scene directing traffic to maintain safety and flow.
Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Wednesday, Sept. 10, the 253rd day of 2025. There are 112 days left in the year.
☀️ Today’s weather: A chance of showers, mainly before 8 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 72. North wind around 9 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Mostly cloudy tonight, with a low around 59. North wind 3 to 6 mph.
Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance Tuesday night to permanently close the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic, following a pilot program that demonstrated overwhelming public support.
The ordinance, which passed 7-0, sets a public hearing and final vote for Saturday, Sept. 13. If approved, the permanent closure would take effect Oct. 1.
Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon presented the first in a series of monthly economic updates to the city council on Tuesday, Sept. 9, highlighting mixed economic signals and rising uncertainty that could complicate budget planning.
The presentation, requested by Mayor Alyia Gaskins, showed commercial office vacancy rates climbing to 21.6% in 2025 from 15% in 2023, while retail markets remained strong with Old Town posting a 5.8% vacancy rate.
Alexandria announced Tuesday its first project labor agreement for a $35 million renovation of City Hall, Market Square Plaza and an underground garage set to begin in January 2026.
City Manager James Parajon presented the agreement during Tuesday’s city council meeting, calling it “a major milestone in the history of the city of Alexandria.” The city announced the agreement via a press release following Parajon’s presentation.
The City of Alexandria will commemorate the 24th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on Thursday, Sept. 11, with a remembrance ceremony at City Hall and a volunteer service project at Alexandria National Cemetery.
More than 200 volunteers are expected to gather at Alexandria National Cemetery from 9 a.m. to noon to clean headstones and beautify the grounds. The volunteer event is organized by Carry The Load, a national nonprofit, and is part of a nationwide initiative spanning nearly 70 national cemeteries where thousands of volunteers will participate in similar acts of remembrance.
Alexandria resident and retired supervisory special agent Jeffrey James Higgins released his latest espionage thriller, “The Khorasan Retribution,” today, Sept. 9. The book is the newest in his Nathan Burke Thrillers series.
The novel follows FBI Special Agent Nathan Burke and his new partner, Bridget Quinn, who find themselves in a fierce shootout outside a mosque in Arlington while intercepting a shipment of Chinese fentanyl. The operation reveals a plot involving a series of deadly terror attacks that use opioids. As the death toll rises, Burke races the clock to identify the terrorists. His investigation uncovers a shadowy figure leading an elite terror cell, the Phantoms of Khorasan, who is driven by revenge.
Democrat James Walkinshaw, a politician with experience working on Capitol Hill, has won a special election to be the next U.S. House representative of the Virginia district home to the state’s most populous county.
Walkinshaw’s victory in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District helps Democrats winnow Republicans’ narrow majority in the House and only adds to the GOP’s spending battles this month ahead of a potential government shutdown.
About 50 family members, friends, and city officials gathered at Alexandria City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 9, to celebrate the city’s 13 centenarians during the annual recognition ceremony.
The event, held in the Vola Lawson Lobby, honored residents age 100 and older with personalized birthday displays, music from the Alexandria Citizens Band, and a decorated sheet cake reading “Celebrating Alexandria’s Centenarians!”
