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Alexandria’s Black Family Reunion, Chalk-A-Block highlight packed weekend schedule

By Ryan Belmore
Photo from Chalk-A-Block 2024 (contributed photo)

Alexandria is set to have a bustling weekend with a variety of events for all ages, though you might want to bring an umbrella.

According to the National Weather Service, isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout the day Saturday, with some storms capable of producing heavy rainfall. The high will be near 89 degrees with a chance of precipitation at 80%. One of the day’s key events is the third annual Alexandria Library Black Family Reunion at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. This free community event aims to preserve the city’s African American history by encouraging attendees to bring family photos and documents to be digitized for the library’s archives. The reunion will also feature food trucks, music, dancing, games, and opportunities to record mini oral histories.

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New speakeasy in Old Town leads this week’s top stories

By James Cullum
(Left to right) Jacob Sunny, owner Chef Samuel Darlo, and Kelvin Sone at Bar 86, a speakeasy, is opening in October at Café du Soleil at 215 S. Union Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

We made it to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s a look at our most-read stories this week.

Our top story is on a new speakeasy Bar 86 opening next month at Café du Soleil (215 S. Union Street) in Old Town. The Tiki bar has been in development for a year, and is the work of owner Chef Samuel Darlo and consultants Jacob Sunny and Kelvin Sone.

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HRP Group to conduct free tours of power plant property in Old Town North

By James Cullum
Tour gathers outside the GenOn power plant in Old Town North (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

The owner of the dilapidated former Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town North will conduct guided tours of the property next month.

HRP Group bought the former power plant in 2020, and plans to convert the 18-acre site at 1300 N. Royal Street into a mixed-use development. The guided tours will be held Friday, Oct. 3, and Saturday, Oct. 4, and “will give community members the chance to meet the project team and visit the site, which has been inaccessible to Old Town North for decades,” according to HRP Group.

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Alexandria City High School students stage walkout protesting gun violence in schools

By James Cullum
Students staging a walkout at Alexandria City High School's King Street campus, Sept. 5, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Hundreds of Alexandria City High School students held a walkout on Friday, Sept. 5, demonstrating against gun violence in schools.

The walkout at ACHS’s King Street and Minnie Howard campuses started at 11:30 a.m., and lasted for less than a half hour. The demonstrations are part of a national walkout, were organized by Titans Demand Action and held on school grounds. Media was not permitted to observe, except from the public sidewalk. Students held signs, threw water bottles and chanted, “End the violence!”

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Federal agents spotted in Alexandria’s Arlandria neighborhood Friday

By James Cullum
Federal agents parked at The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Avenue) in the city's Arlandria neighborhood, Sept. 5, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Federal agents were spotted in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood on Friday, Sept. 5.

There were no reports of arrests. Footage taken by ALXnow at around 9:30 a.m. shows multiple vehicles with Texas license plates in the parking lot of The Birchmere at 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue. A photo submitted to ALXnow also shows federal officers speaking to people at Four Mile Run Park near Casa Chirilagua (4109 Mount Vernon Avenue).

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Alexandria Library’s third annual Black Family Reunion to close Queen Street Saturday

By Ryan Belmore
Alexandria Library Hosts Third Annual Black Family Reunion (via Alexandria Library)

The 700 block of Queen Street will be closed to traffic Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. as the Alexandria Library hosts its third annual Black Family Reunion at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library.

The community event, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 717 Queen Street, aims to bring neighborhoods together and help fill gaps in the documented history of Alexandria’s African American community.

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Alexandria man sentenced 4 years for selling classified documents to Chinese agents

By James Cullum
Michael Schena taking a photograph of a classified document while at his DOS desk on February 27, 2025 (redacted). (Via Department of Justice)

An Alexandria man has been sentenced to four years in prison for conspiring to collect and send the Chinese government national defense information.

Michael Charles Schena, a former South Caribbean Desk Officer in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs with the U.S. State Department, sent classified documents to individuals he believed were agents of the People’s Republic of China, and received between $13,000 and $37,000 in return, according to court records.

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8 affordable units available via lottery at new luxury condo building in Old Town North

By James Cullum
The Whitley at 811 N. Columbus Street in Old Town North (courtesy image)

A new luxury condominium building in Old Town North is offering eight affordable units to first-time homebuyers who live or work in Alexandria.

The city’s Office of Housing announced on Thursday (Sept. 4), that the eight units at  The Whitley, a new 78-unit complex at 811 N. Columbus Street, are available and due to high demand buyers will be chosen in a lottery. The units, ranging from one-to-three bedrooms, will start accepting applications from Friday, Sept. 26, to Friday, Oct. 24 at 5 p.m.

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Del Ray’s First Thursday event gets postponed due to rain

By James Cullum
Cameo brooch at The Antique Guild (photo via The Antique Guild/Facebook)

Del Ray’s final First Thursday of the year has been postponed due to rain.

The event, which featured antique appraisals from three experts, has been rescheduled from today (Sept. 4) to Thursday, Sept. 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the parking lot of Del Ray Psych and Wellness (1900 Mount Vernon Avenue).

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Alexandria scraps third-party green building certifications to cut developer costs

By James Cullum and Ryan Belmore
Alexandria City Hall sign (staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria will eliminate requirements for third-party green building certifications under a new policy aimed at reducing development costs while maintaining environmental standards.

The City Council is expected to consider the updated Green Building Policy later this year after review by the Planning Commission and Environmental Policy Commission. The changes would take effect Jan. 1, replacing the current 2019 policy.

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