News

Titans Robotics team members protest move to smaller space at Alexandria City High School

By James Cullum
ACHS rising senior Charlotte Ware asks the School Board for more space for Titan Robotics, April 11, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Members of Alexandria City High School’s award-winning Titan Robotics team are protesting a decision to move the team to a new, smaller  dedicated classroom space at the King Street Campus.

Last September, the award-winning Titan Robotics team was informed they would have to divide their 4,000-square-foot space next to the school gym with a new carpentry program. The move took away an area the team used to test the robot they enter in regional and national competitions. Earlier this month, the team was told by an Alexandria City Public Schools facilities administrator that the carpentry program was expanding and that Titan Robotics would be moved to an unused 1,500-square-foot classroom on the ground floor of the King Street Campus.

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ARHA board promotes housing director as acting deputy CEO

By James Cullum
ARHA properties in Old Town, Alexandria. (Staff photo by James Cullum)

With its interim chief executive officer stepping down today (Friday), the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners has promoted its director of housing to help provide continuity of leadership.

ARHA’s interim CEO Rickie Maddox submitted her resignation last month, leaving behind Alexandria’s struggling housing authority nearly a year after its previous CEO Erik Johnson was fired for living in a public housing unit — and the organization’s nine-member board resigned and was replaced. Now, Board Chair Mark Jinks says that Janell Diaz, ARHA’s director of housing, has been appointed the acting deputy CEO.

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Morning Notes for June 19, 2026

By ALXnow.com
The audience at APD's Public Safety Summit, June 18, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On June 19, 1943, the United Service Organization (USO) opened a center for World War servicemen in the rear section of 115 N. Washington Street, seen in the background of this image, in what was once the 18th century home built for John Gordon at the corner of King Street.” [Historic Alexandria]

City Government Services Closed for Juneteenth — “All City of Alexandria government offices will be closed Juneteenth (Friday, June 19). The holiday recognizes the end of slavery in the U.S. as the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free on June 19, 1865 — two years after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation.” [ALXnow]

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ALXnow Daily Debrief for Jun 18, 2026

By ALXnow.com

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 — Jun 18, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. Alexandria hospital’s replacement on track for opening in late 2028, Inova CEO says (907 views)
  2. Alexandria congressional candidate weighs in on federal firings in ‘Daily Show’ segment (663 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

☁️ Friday’s forecast

There was an error with the forecast, and it should be added manually. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”
– Plutarch

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!

N. Va. public safety leaders reaffirm mutual aid in reducing crime at Alexandria summit

By James Cullum
(Left to right) Moderator Simone de Alba, Alexandria Police Department Chief Tarrick McGuire and Robin Engle at APD's Public Safety Summit at Virginia Theological Seminary on June 18, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Public safety leaders and their counterparts from around the region reaffirmed a commitment to mutual aid today (Thursday) at the Alexandria Police Department’s Public Safety Summit.

The three-hour event was held at Virginia Theological Seminary, and attended by Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Sheriff Sean Casey, Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter, City Manager Jim Parajon, Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez, Jr, as well as officials from Alexandria City Public Schools and other city departments. Speakers included Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn, Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham, and Stanley Meador, the Virginia Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

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Alexandria hospital’s replacement on track for opening in late 2028, Inova CEO says

By Scott McCaffrey
Inova Alexandria Hospital at Landmark, April 13, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Inova Alexandria Hospital replacement and a new hospital to the south in Fairfax County remain on schedule for opening in late 2028 — potentially on the same day.

Meeting the timetable will be good news for the region’s economy, Inova Health System CEO Dr. J. Stephen Jones said at a June 16 roundtable of Fairfax County’s Council for Economic Opportunity, a group of government and business leaders looking at high-level economic, development and technology trends. Jones called health care “the job engine and in many ways economic engine” of Northern Virginia.

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Alexandria congressional candidate weighs in on federal firings in ‘Daily Show’ segment

By Emily Leayman
Michael Duffin is running for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District seat (via Michael Duffin for Congress)

Michael Duffin, a fired State Department worker from Alexandria who is running for Congress, appeared on “The Daily Show” Tuesday to discuss federal workforce reductions by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Duffin, who lives in the West End with his wife and two children, was one of more than 1,300 federal workers fired by the State Department in July 2025. The Democrat running in the 8th Congressional District joined Maryland congressional candidates Alexis Goldstein and Tracy Starr and New York candidate Alissa Ellman in “The Daily Show” segment on fired federal workers’ campaigns.

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Morning Notes for June 18, 2026

By ALXnow.com
City Hall and Market Square construction is ongoing in Old Town (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On June 18, 1812, President James Madison declared war on England, in response to years of British harassment of American trading ships on the Atlantic, impressment of American seamen into British service, armed support of Native Americans and a possible Indian Confederacy in the Midwest, and aspirations to expand American territory into Canada. Thus began the War of 1812, considered by some to be America’s “Second War of Independence.” Although Alexandrians were quick to recognize the threat to their city and the nearby national capital, Secretary of War John Armstrong largely dismissed their concerns and financial offers to reinforce security in the Potomac River region. Two years later, Alexandrians found themselves in the crosshairs of the escalating conflict, and their premonition of defeat by a Naval force proved all too accurate.” [Historic Alexandria]

Early Voting Opens for Aug. 4 Primaries — “Early voting is set to begin Thursday, June 18 for 2026 congressional primary elections in Alexandria, according to the city’s Office of Voter Registration and Elections. The elections on Aug. 4 will include a Democratic primary for U.S. House of Representatives in the 8th Congressional District and a Republican primary to decide who will run against Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) for U.S. Senate.” [ALXnow]

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ALXnow Daily Debrief for Jun 17, 2026

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 — Jun 17, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. King Street closure for VRE work at Alexandria Union Station to begin tomorrow (852 views)
  2. Former Hotel AKA Alexandria in Old Town North rebranded as The Satire (725 views)
  3. 11 students earn high school diplomas at Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center (536 views)
  4. Morning Notes for June 17, 2026 (358 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌦️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect a high of 94°F and partly sunny skies, with a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 PM. It will be breezy with south winds at 13-20 mph, gusting to 34 mph. Thursday night, there is a slight 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mostly before 3 AM, with a low of 69°F and west winds at 5-10 mph, gusting to 20 mph. On Juneteenth, it will be mostly sunny with a high of 84°F, and northwest winds at 7-11 mph, gusting to 20 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.”
– Oscar Wilde

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!

VEA sets timeline for new Alexandria teachers union elections after invalidating results

By James Cullum
David Paladin-Fernandez speaks at a School Board meeting on June 11, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

After invalidating the officer elections for the local Alexandria teachers union, the Virginia Education Association has set a timeline for new elections that it will oversee later this month.

VEA President Carol Bauer informed Education Association of Alexandria (EAA) members of the new election timeline in an email on June 12. VEA’s decision to reject EAA’s union officer elections came after the elections were postponed from May 18 to May 21, and candidate for EAA president David Paladin-Fernandez was disqualified less than 12 hours before the elections.

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11 students earn high school diplomas at Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center

By James Cullum
Graduation day at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center, June 17, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Eleven residents at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center in Alexandria’s West End marked a significant milestone as they were presented with their high school diplomas today (Wednesday).

The graduation event was attended by family members, NVJDC residents and staff, as well as City Councilwoman Sandy Marks and Alexandria City School Board Chair Michelle Rief. The jail’s state-operated school is managed by Alexandria City Public Schools, which provides licensed staff to teach 10-to-18-year-old children brought in from across Alexandria, Arlington County and the city of Falls Church.

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