Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Thursday, July 17, the 198th day of 2025. There are 167 days left in the year.

🏠 On this day in 1946, the city established the Old and Historic Alexandria District, becoming only the third historic district in the United States after New Orleans’ Vieux Carre and following Charleston’s pioneering model. This groundbreaking ordinance extended zoning powers beyond traditional land use to regulate the aesthetic appearance of buildings—a concept that would remain legally unchallenged for over three decades until the Supreme Court’s 1978 Penn Central decision involving Grand Central Station.


Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is opening a financial and polling gap in the race for governor, outraising her Republican opponent Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by nearly 2-to-1 last quarter and entering the final four months of Virginia’s statewide election season with more than triple the cash on hand.

New campaign finance filings show the Democrat raised a record-breaking $10.7 million in the second quarter — including $4.3 million in the final weeks of June — and ended the period with $15.2 million in the bank. Earle-Sears brought in $5.9 million over the same three months, finishing June with $4.5 million on hand.


Alexandria residents will commemorate the fifth anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s death Thursday with a rally designed to carry forward his legacy of nonviolent action and defend democracy.

The “Good Trouble Lives On” rally, scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m., will take place at Judy Guse-Noritake Park (600 N. Henry Street) at the corner of Pendleton Street and Henry Street. Indivisible is hosting the event Do Something NCR, a non-partisan community organization whose objective “is to push the country to be kinder and more progressive, ensuring all people are represented and cared for”.


It’s going to be very hot in and around Alexandria on Thursday (July 17).

How hot? The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and expects heat index values around 105 degrees.


Not long ago, Bruce Anderson and a handful of his boyhood friends from Alexandria decided to give back with a free community cookout.

The event was a bigger hit than the group anticipated, with hundreds of people showing up to the Nannie J Lee Memorial Recreation Center (1108 Jefferson Street). Now in its third year, the Southside Community Fest features free food, live musical performances, a DJ, special guest speakers, and more.


Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Jim Morrison — name a musical icon from the world of rock, soul, and pop, and chances are, Sandy Gibson interviewed them.

Gibson, a longtime Del Ray resident, was also Billy Joel’s first publicist. She was interviewed multiple times for the HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which premieres on Friday (July 18). Music lovers can also hear Gibson talk about her career on Thursday, August 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Stardust Vintage & Gift (1904 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray.


The Alexandria Police Department has released a list of participating communities in the city for National Night Out.

The national event on Aug. 5 (Thursday) is intended to bring police closer to their communities with hot dogs, games, and raffles. The Alexandria Police Department has released a list of dozens of participants (see below).


With fewer than four months to go before Virginians elect a new slate of statewide leaders, a new poll from Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs finds Democrats holding early leads in all three top races — and voters sharply focused on economic pressures and personal freedoms.

The latest Commonwealth Poll, conducted June 19–July 3, captures evolving voter sentiment in advance of the 2025 election and suggests momentum has shifted further toward Democratic candidates, particularly among independents.


The Alexandria Aces have achieved a new milestone, setting a franchise record with seven former players selected in the 2025 MLB Draft held July 13-14.

The previous record was five draft selections in 2019, with the team also seeing four players chosen in both 2017 and 2015. This year’s draft class brings the Aces’ total to 50 players sent to MLB organizations over their 17 seasons, averaging nearly three draftees per year.


Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Wednesday, July 16, the 197th day of 2025. There are 168 days left in the year.

⛈️ Today’s weather: Expect showers and thunderstorms mainly after 5pm, with partly sunny skies and a high near 90. Heat index could reach up to 100, accompanied by a south wind at 5-9 mph. A 60% chance of precipitation brings potential rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, with higher possibilities during thunderstorms. Wednesday night’s forecast includes storms mainly before 8pm, mostly cloudy conditions, a low around 76, southwest wind at 7 mph, and similar precipitation chances and rainfall amounts.


Alexandria has exceeded the 2030 regional goals for developing new affordable housing, and now the city is setting its sights on establishing a new benchmark for 2040.

On July 30 (Wednesday), the Alexandria Housing Affordability Advisory Committee will discuss housing affordability targets and other considerations going into the city’s Housing 2040 Master Plan. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. via Zoom.


View More Stories