A proposal to add solar and photovoltaic panels to the Oswald Durant Center in Old Town is heading to the Board of Architectural Review next month.
The city’s proposal would replace the roof and add the panels to both the sloped and flat roof portions of the building at 1605 Cameron Street. The Durant Center is used as a recreation and private event facility for the city.
Fright and fun is returning to Del Ray, as the James M. Duncan Branch Library (2501 Commonwealth Avenue) has been transformed into a haunted house.
On Oct. 24 (Friday) and 25 (Saturday), the annual Duncan Haunted Library will feature spooky tours, spine-tingling ghost stories and more. Tickets cost $10 and proceeds go toward new books, community programs and other special library events.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former President Barack Obama will campaign alongside Democrats Abigail Spanberger and Mikie Sherrill in the final stretch of their statewide campaigns for governor in Virginia and New Jersey.
Spanberger and Sherrill’s campaigns said in Tuesday news releases that Obama will campaign with both candidates at Nov. 1 rallies in Norfolk, Virginia, and Newark, New Jersey. Election Day is Nov. 4.
Early voting turnout in Alexandria continues to significantly outpace the 2021 election cycle, with more than 14,000 ballots cast so far for the November general election.
As of Oct. 20, Alexandria has recorded 14,221 early votes, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project. At the same point in 2021 — 15 days before Election Day — the city had received just 9,353 early ballots, meaning current turnout is running 52% ahead of the 2021 pace.
On This Day in Alexandria: October 21, 1669: The Land That Would Become Alexandria Changes Hands — On this date, Virginia’s colonial governor Sir William Berkeley granted Welsh sea captain Robert Howson a sprawling 6,000-acre land patent along the Potomac River. The tract stretched from Hunting Creek in the south to Little Falls in the north—land that overlapped a 700-acre plot previously awarded to Dame Margaret Brent in 1654. Less than a month later, Howson sold the entire parcel to Scotsman John Alexander, whose name would eventually grace the city. Eight decades would pass before a portion of this land was formally established as the town of Alexandria in the 1740s, situated just south of Hugh West’s tobacco inspection station that had operated since 1732.
On This Day in Alexandria: October 21, 1907: A Night School Opens Doors to Adult Learners — At 1401 Duke Street, the Alexandria Institute welcomed its first students at Shiloh Baptist Church. This pioneering night school was established to serve adult learners, with dedicated educators like Samuel W. Madden and John F. Parker volunteering their time to teach English and other subjects. The institute represented a crucial educational opportunity for Alexandria’s working adults seeking to advance their knowledge and skills. [Historic Alexandria]
Good Monday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 20, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect sunny skies and a high of 71 degrees, accompanied by a south wind ranging from 5 to 11 mph and gusts reaching 22 mph. Tonight, there is a 40% chance of showers before 2 am; however, the mostly cloudy skies will gradually clear with a low of around 49 degrees. The west wind will be around 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thanks for reading!
More details have been released on the alleged arrest of a Washington, D.C. man facing multiple charges of simulated masturbation and indecent exposure in Del Ray and Old Town.
Marc Christopher Westbrooks, 40, has been held without bond since his August arrest on four misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and six counts of simulated masturbation with the intent to be seen. He’s being represented by the public defender and goes to court for a jury trial starting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. More on the incidents from a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit are below.
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins joined hundreds of people Sunday at a major rally in Herndon launching a statewide push for affordable housing legislation, part of a growing coalition effort that drew nearly 1,000 participants.
Gaskins was among several Alexandria officials at the assembly organized by VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith and Community Engagement) and the Commonwealth Housing Coalition. Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley also attended.
One of the biggest games of the Alexandria City High School varsity football season is around the corner.
The 5-2 Titans will host the 2-5 James W. Robinson Secondary School Rams this Friday (Oct. 24) at the ACHS homecoming game. General admission tickets cost $8 and $6 for ACHS students.
Mount Vernon Community School will be recognized this week for being one of the first jurisdictions in Northern Virginia to implement a sudden cardiac arrest emergency plan.
On Wednesday, a banner will be unfurled at MVCS recognizing it as a Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillation in Adam’s Memory) Heart Safe School. Starting on July 1, all elementary and secondary schools in Virginia must have emergency cardiac response plans, per legislation from the general assembly. Eventually all ACPS elementary and secondary schools will have the designation, will have training and equipment at the ready in the event of a sudden cardiac emergency.
Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger will bring her “Virginia Votes Bus Tour” to Alexandria on Thursday, Oct. 30, as part of an 11-day, 40-plus-stop campaign swing across Virginia ahead of Election Day.
The Democratic gubernatorial candidate announced the tour Monday, saying she will visit all 11 of Virginia’s congressional districts between Oct. 25 and Election Day on Nov. 4.
