News

House passes bill to end government shutdown, sending measure to Trump

By The Associated Press
The Capitol is seen at dusk as Democrats and Republicans in Congress are angrily blaming each other and refusing to budge from their positions on funding the government, in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.

House lawmakers made their long-awaited return to the nation’s capital this week after nearly eight weeks away. Republicans used their slight majority to get the bill over the finish line with a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate has already passed the measure.

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ALXnow Daily Debrief for Nov 12, 2025

By ALXnow.com

Good Wednesday 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 — Nov 12, 2025.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. Northern lights could return to N. Va. skies tonight after Tuesday auroras (4093 views)
  2. Maintenance workers restrain larceny suspect at West End apartment complex (647 views)
  3. Project leaders break ground on Samuel Madden Homes affordable apartment complex (542 views)
  4. JUST IN: Judge dismisses case against Alexandria’s Zoning for Housing overhaul (371 views)
  5. New city assessment deems West End watersheds ‘vulnerable’ to flooding (323 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 56°F. Northwest winds will blow at 7 to 14 mph, and may gust up to 26 mph. For Thursday evening, the sky will be mostly clear, and the temperature will drop to around 35°F. A gentle west wind at approximately 6 mph is expected. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!

JUST IN: Judge dismisses case against Alexandria’s Zoning for Housing overhaul

By James Cullum
The Alexandria courthouse in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria won its nearly two-year battle in Circuit Court today (Wednesday) against residents fighting the city’s massive Zoning for Housing/Housing for All overhaul.

Judge H. Thomas Padrick, Jr. granted the city’s motion for summary judgement and dismissed the case against the plaintiffs, a group of Old Town residents who had been fighting to reverse the zoning changes since they were approved by City Council in Dec. 2023.

Go to JUST IN: Judge dismisses case against Alexandria’s Zoning for Housing overhaul Read more

Project leaders break ground on Samuel Madden Homes affordable apartment complex

By James Cullum
Groundbreaking for the 204-unit affordable housing apartment complex Samuel Madden Homes, Nov. 12, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

City and public housing leaders joined developers today (Wednesday) to break ground on the Samuel Madden Homes affordable housing apartment complex in Old Town.

The project will replace the former 66-unit public housing apartment complex with 532 new affordable homes across two phases. The first phase, costing $120 million, will redevelop the site into 207 units of affordable and mixed-income housing, with an estimated completion date of fall 2027.

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Increased disability transit fares and food truck enforcement up for Council review tonight

By Katie Taranto
DOT is the City of Alexandria's paratransit program, which is a specialized transportation service for residents and visitors who cannot use fixed routed public transit due to their disability. (via City of Alexandria)

City Council will consider fare increases to its disability transit program and changes to food truck parking enforcement at a meeting tonight (Wednesday).

Up for vote is a resolution that would increase some paratransit fares by $1 and create a new $2 “peak-hour” surcharge for some trips. The Council will also complete a first read of an ordinance that would shift how the city enforces parking for food trucks.

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Northern lights could return to N. Va. skies tonight after Tuesday auroras

By Katie Taranto and The Associated Press
The northern lights fill the sky behind the Saint Joseph the Woodworker Shrine Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025, near Valley Falls, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Solar storms brought colorful auroras to unexpected places last night (Tuesday), and there could be more to come across the D.C. area this evening.

Space weather forecasters confirmed that storms reached severe levels Tuesday, triggering vibrant northern lights as far south as Kansas, Colorado and Texas. In Virginia, residents posted about aurora sightings from northern localities like Arlington and Vienna, and out west in Rockingham County.

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New city assessment deems West End watersheds ‘vulnerable’ to flooding

By Katie Taranto
Holmes Run (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A new flooding assessment and map have identified watersheds in the West End as some of Alexandria’s most vulnerable flood zones.

Areas considered most at-risk of flooding include the Potomac waterfront, Four Mile Run and Hooffs Run — as well as new additions like Holmes Run, Cameron Run and Backlick Run, according to a map shared by Flood Resilience Plan (FRP) project leaders at a meeting Monday night.

Go to New city assessment deems West End watersheds ‘vulnerable’ to flooding Read more

Dept. of Wildlife Resources delivers hundreds of trout to Lake Cook for fishing program

By Katie Taranto
Department of Wildlife Resources staff restock Lake Cook with trout (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

With buckets, nets and a whole lot of trout, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources restocked Lake Cook’s fish population earlier this week.

DWR staff deposited about 350 pounds of trout across the four-acre lake on Monday as part of the department’s Urban Fishing Program. In total, some 200 to 300 fish made the journey to Alexandria from a DWR hatchery in Montebello, about three hours southwest, fisheries biologist John Odenkirk told ALXnow.

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Alexandria museums featured in new ‘Virginia 250 Passport’ state tourism program

By Katie Taranto
Family uses VA250 Passport booklet at Art Museums (courtesy of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture)

Three Alexandria museums are participating in a new Virginia tourism campaign to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary next year.

The new program, called the Virginia 250 Passport, includes Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, the Alexandria Black History Museum and the Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum as part of a “passport” sweepstakes. The program encourages residents to visit various museums and historic sites throughout the commonwealth.

Go to Alexandria museums featured in new ‘Virginia 250 Passport’ state tourism program Read more

Maintenance workers restrain larceny suspect at West End apartment complex

By James Cullum
The 5800 block of Quantrell Avenue in Alexandria's West End (via Google Maps)

Two maintenance workers at a West End apartment complex restrained a man last week after he allegedly threatened one of them with a knife.

Alexandria Police Department was alerted to the incident around 4:30 p.m. last Thursday. When police arrived, they found the suspect, an Annandale man, restrained by the maintenance worker and his supervisor, APD told ALXnow via email.

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Morning Notes for November 12, 2025

By ALXnow.com
Fall in Alexandria (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On Nov. 12, 1918, construction began for the U.S. Naval Torpedo Station, on North Union Street. A contract for its construction had been awarded on October 14, 1918, but work did not begin until the day after Armistice Day (November 11, 1918), which marked the official end of World War I. The first torpedo was produced there in November 1920. Once fully operational, the Torpedo Station was responsible for the manufacture and maintenance of torpedoes for the next five years.” [Historic Alexandria]

‘Living Legends’ Ceremony Tonight— “The project honors individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the Alexandria community. Resident Nina Tisara conceived the idea in 2006 to document the lives of influential people in Alexandria while they are still alive and celebrated the first Legends in 2008. Among this year’s Legends is Olympian Noah Lyles, 28, who is not only known for his speed but for his advocacy for mental health awareness.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]

Go to Morning Notes for November 12, 2025 Read more
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