Staffers at a restaurant in the Potomac Yard area recently fought off a knife-wielding attempted robber and are telling their story.
On the night of Sept. 1, manager Merve McDonald was behind the counter at Omar’s Pitas & Platters (3100 Richmond Highway) and turned his back momentarily when the commotion started.
Meeting on Historic Design Guidelines Scheduled for Wednesday — “The Board of Architectural Review (BAR) Design Guidelines Committee will hold a community meeting on the following date to discuss updated Design Guideline chapters for both the Old and Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray Districts. This meeting is open to the public and testimony or comment will be received. Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Oswald Durant Center, Community Meeting Room, 1605 Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.” [City of Alexandria]
Theogony Student Newspaper Earns State Award Nominations — “The student journalists of Theogony, Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper, have another reason to celebrate. The publication has been named a finalist in eight categories in the 2026 Virginia High School League (VHSL) Media Championships. Hosted in partnership with the VHSL and Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers (VAJTA), the Media Championships recognize outstanding work by high school journalists and student media programs across Virginia.” [Alexandria City Public Schools]
Good Tuesday 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 — Sep 22, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect rain in the morning before 7 a.m., with cloudy skies and a high near 65°F throughout the day. Northeast winds will be about 11 mph, gusting up to 25 mph, with a 60% chance of rain accumulating between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Wednesday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 53°F and northeast winds at 10 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
– Walt Disney
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Washington Commanders players helped pack 500 bags of food for students at Mount Vernon Community School in Del Ray on Tuesday (Sept. 22).
Hundreds of students welcomed wide receiver Jaylin Lane, cornerback Rasul Douglas and mascot Major Tuddy in a pep rally in the school auditorium. This was the Commanders’ third annual visit to MVCS in collaboration with the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack.
President Donald Trump (R) has rolled back a 2009 executive order that has guided mandates for the Chesapeake Bay’s cleanup for more than 17 years. The action took aim at localities like Alexandria with stormwater utility fees.
The White House said the 2009 executive order created a “broad mandate” for states and localities to improve the Chesapeake Bay’s health “without providing clarity on how to implement that order’s requirements.” According to the feds, Virginia — collectively with New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C., Delaware and West Virginia — has met 100% of the goal for sediment reduction, 90% for phosphorus reduction, and 57% for nitrogen reduction.
An Alexandria man is being held without bond on charges of abduction, robbery and violating a protective order against a woman he was dating.
The suspect has been held without bond since his arrest on Monday, May 18. On the previous evening, Sunday, May 17, the victim told police the suspect physically assaulted her and stole $1,500, her iPhone and her car, according to a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit.
Employees at a local business fought off a knife-wielding robber at a restaurant near Potomac Yard on Sept. 1, and the 64-year-old suspect is being held without bond after police found him hiding under his mother’s bed.
Around 11:15 p.m., the suspect allegedly walked into the restaurant in the 3100 block of Richmond Highway holding a large hunting knife. Staff reported that he jumped on the front counter and demanded they open the register. Instead, the three employees threw things at the suspect and injured him with a large grill scraper, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On September 22, 1897, African Americans in Alexandria commemorated the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, 34 years after it was issued, with a celebration at the Third Baptist Church. The featured speaker was John Mercer Langston, the first African American elected to Congress from Virginia.” [Historic Alexandria]
City Council Meets Again Tuesday — “The Alexandria City Council meets September 22, at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Dr.). There will be a work session with State Delegation beginning at 5:30 p.m. The legislative portion of the Council meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m., or shortly thereafter.” [City of Alexandria/Facebook]
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 — Sep 21, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect rain and possible thunderstorms with patchy fog and a high of 66°F. Northeast winds will be around 13 mph, gusting up to 23 mph, and there is a 90% chance of precipitation, with new rain accumulation between half and three-quarters of an inch. Tuesday night will be rainy with patchy fog before 2 a.m., a low of 56°F, and northeast winds around 14 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. The chance of rain remains at 90%, with new precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch. See more from Weather.gov.
“What we think, we become.”
– Buddha
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Plans for upgrades at two NOVA Parks-owned Alexandria properties are getting a boost under the regional park system’s latest capital budget.
The fiscal years 2027-2031 budget adopted by the NOVA Parks Board of Directors on Sept. 17 allocates $1.5 million for building renovations at Carlyle House Historic Park (121 N. Fairfax Street) and $1 million for Winkler Botanical Preserve (5400 Roanoke Avenue) entrance improvements.
Alexandria’s City Council, on Saturday (Sept. 19), deferred a plan to convert a vacant lot and a one-story barbershop in the Parker-Gray Historic District into five four-story townhomes.
If approved, the plan would convert 724, 726 and 728 N. Patrick Street into five four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bathroom homes with one-car garages and roof decks. City Council decided to defer the item to its public hearing on Oct. 17, during which time the city will talk with the property owner about keeping neighborhood-serving commercial businesses on the site.
