News | ALXnow - Part 155

Alexandria officials attempt to repair ‘dysfunctional’ relationship

Published September 30, 2025 at 9:30AM | Updated September 30, 2025 at 1:11PM

ACPS Board/Council Work Session (ACPS)

Alexandria City Council and School Board officials attempted to repair what they openly called a “dysfunctional” relationship on Monday night, with one councilman acknowledging that the tension had persisted for 12 years.

“We are five minutes into our meeting, five minutes into it, and already we’ve taken a tone of not being productive,” School Board Vice Chair Christopher Harris said. “Whether we like it or not, we have to communicate. We have to engage. We have to work together. This is dysfunction.”

Notes: Del Ray’s Art on the Avenue celebrates 30 years this Saturday

By Ryan Belmore

Published September 30, 2025 at 8:17AM

Art on the Avenue in Del Ray, Oct. 5, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Tuesday, Sept. 30, the 273rd day of 2025. There are 92 days left in the year.

🌥️ Today’s weather: Cloudy, with a high near 78°F. North wind 5 to 7 mph. Cloudy tonight, then gradually becoming partly cloudy, with a low around 60°F. North wind around 7 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

What will happen if there’s a government shutdown at day’s end

By KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

Published September 30, 2025 at 5:45AM

The Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, with just days to go before federal money runs out with the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday, Sept. 30. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington is just hours away from yet another federal government shutdown, with prospects looking rather bleak for a last-minute compromise in Congress to avoid federal closures beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.

Republicans have crafted a short-term measure to fund the government through Nov. 21, but Democrats have insisted that the measure address their concerns on health care. They want to reverse the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s mega-bill that passed this summer as well as extend tax credits that make health insurance premiums more affordable for millions who purchase through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act. Republicans say the Democratic proposal is a non-starter.

Alexandria School Board opposes DASH proposal for high school students

By Ryan Belmore

Published September 29, 2025 at 8:00PM | Updated September 30, 2025 at 1:11PM

ACPS Board/Council Work Session (ACPS)

The Alexandria City Public School Board will not support a proposal to use DASH buses to transport high school students, Chair Michelle Rief announced on Monday night, effectively ending months of work on a cost-saving initiative that exposed deep-seated tensions between the board and the City Council.

“After several months of thoughtful discussion and deliberation, the school board has determined that we cannot support moving forward with this proposal,” Rief said at the opening of the joint work session at ACPS Central Office. “While we appreciate the efforts to explore cost-saving strategies and alternative transportation options, we ultimately do not believe this approach is in the best interest of ACPS students, families, or staff.”

Alexandria Republicans host Lt. Gov. candidate at annual picnic

By Ryan Belmore

Published September 29, 2025 at 4:30PM | Updated September 29, 2025 at 5:14PM

Candidate for lieutenant governor, John Reid, addresses attendees at the Annual GOP Picnic. (via John Reid on X)

The Alexandria Republican City Committee welcomed Virginia’s Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, John Reid, to its annual picnic Sunday at Fort Ward Park, drawing what organizers described as the largest crowd in recent memory.

Reid arrived after navigating heavy traffic caused by accidents on Interstate 95, he said on X on Monday.

Three suspects arrested for murder of Alexandria man in Fairfax County

By James Cullum

Published September 29, 2025 at 3:40PM | Updated October 3, 2025 at 2:02PM

GoFundMe for Jaylin Theodore Hartless (Screenshot)

Three suspects have been arrested in connection with the Sept. 19 shooting death of Jaylin Hartless in the Woodlawn area of Fairfax County.

The 21-year-old Hartless was found shot by his vehicle in the 3400 block of Buckman Road at around 4:45 a.m. and died at the scene. Following information relayed via the Fairfax County Police Department’s Crime Solvers tip line, detectives arrested Tavon Ferguson, 31, from the city of Alexandria, Tennida Ferguson, 49, of the Alexandria area of Fairfax County, and Tavon Lang, 32, also from the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.

Carlyle office building conversion to 187 apartments heads to Planning Commission

By James Cullum

Published September 29, 2025 at 2:45PM

The proposed conversion from office to residential at 2051 Jamieson Avenue would also add four stories and a mechanical penthouse (via City of Alexandria)

A proposal to convert an office building in Alexandria’s Carlyle neighborhood into a 187-unit apartment building with four new stories and a mechanical penthouse is heading to the Planning Commission.

Red Fox Development LLC is requesting that the city approve the conversion of the office building located at 2051 Jamieson Avenue. The proposal is scheduled to be presented to the Planning Commission on Thursday, November 6.

Alexandria to host free expungement clinic Oct. 18

By James Cullum

Published September 29, 2025 at 1:45PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Looking to clear your criminal record? Some of Alexandria’s top legal minds will meet next month for a free expungement clinic in the city’s West End.

The clinic will be held at Patrick Henry Recreation Center (4653 Taney Avenue) on Oct. 18 (Saturday) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with volunteer pro bono attorneys, as well as Del Charniele Herring (D-4), Sheriff Sean Casey, Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter, Circuit Court Clerk Greg Parks, and Public Defender Megan Thomas.

7-story, 402-unit apartment building on Mark Center Drive heads to Planning Commission

By James Cullum

Published September 29, 2025 at 12:00PM

A proposal to redevelop a vacant lot at 4880 Mark Center Drive into a multi-unit apartment building heads to the Alexandria Planning Commission on Nov. 6, 2025 (via City of Alexandria)

A proposal to build a seven-story residential multi-unit building with 402 units in Alexandria’s West End is scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on Thursday, Nov. 6.

Maryland-based Bozzuto Development Company is presenting the plan to redevelop the vacant four-acre lot at 4880 Mark Center Drive, which is bounded by the Winkler Botanical Preserve and near the Seminary Road exit to Interstate 395.

Patrick Garrity, longtime Alexandria realtor and St. Patrick’s Day Parade organizer, dies at 63

By James Cullum

Published September 29, 2025 at 10:00AM

Ballyshaner Pat Garrity at Alexandria's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Old Town, March 1, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Patrick T. Garrity, a longtime realtor and organizer of the Ballyshaner’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Old Town, died on Tuesday, Sept. 23.

Garrity was a longtime volunteer at the parade, a dedicated Ballyshaner (meaning “Old Towner” in Gaelic), and a multi-million-dollar award-winning realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty. He was 63 years old, and no cause of death was announced.

Notes: Alexandria City Council, School Board to discuss DASH pilot, long-range facilities planning

By Ryan Belmore

Published September 29, 2025 at 8:00AM | Updated September 29, 2025 at 9:30AM

A DASH bus in Old Town Alexandria (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Monday, Sept. 29, the 272nd day of 2025. There are 93 days left in the year.

🌥️ Today’s weather: Increasing clouds, with a high near 79°F. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph in the morning.