On This Day in Alexandria History — “On April 28, 1861, soldiers attended Sunday religious services with their companies. Mount Vernon Guards attended Methodist Protestant Church, Old Dominion Rifles attended Christ Church, Warren Rifles attended Grace Church, Fairfax Calvary attended Second Presbyterian, Alexandria Artillery attended First Presbyterian, Emmett Guards and Irish Volunteers attended St. Mary’s, and Washington Home Guards attended Methodist Episcopal Church.” [Historic Alexandria]

City Council Holds Legislative Meeting Tuesday — “The April 28, 2026 Legislative Meeting of the Alexandria City Council is being held in the City Council Chamber at Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Drive, Room 1305, Alexandria, Virginia 22311) and electronically.” [City of Alexandria]


Good Monday 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 — Apr 27, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. ‘Ridiculous,’ Mayor Gaskins calls GOP bill to return Alexandria and Arlington to D.C. (1770 views)
  2. Virginia Supreme Court hears challenge to voter-approved redistricting amendment (1467 views)
  3. Alexandria paralegal spends weekends leading tours of local Korean cuisine (997 views)
  4. Morning Notes for April 27, 2026 (886 views)
  5. Spring brings more wildlife calls in Alexandria as wildlife experts encourage hands-off approach (827 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

🌦️ Tuesday’s forecast

Showers are possible from late morning to afternoon, under mostly cloudy skies with a high near 65°F. Expect south winds at 5-10 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph. The evening sees a slight chance of showers before 7pm and after 8pm, with a low of 52°F and southeast winds at 7 mph. Overall, the chance of rain is 40% during the day and 20% at night. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!


Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins is calling a congressional bill to make Alexandria and Arlington part of D.C. “silliness,” “ridiculous,” and a “huge distraction.”

In a recent Facebook post, Gaskins said U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick’s (R-Ga.) Make DC Square Again Act would upend the rights of residents in both jurisdictions. McCormick introduced the bill after the narrow passage of a statewide redistricting referendum on April 21, which gives Democrats the power to redraw congressional district maps for the 2026 midterm elections.


Virginia Supreme Court judges on Monday questioned whether the state’s Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the U.S. House.

A Republican challenge to the redistricting plan, which could net Democrats four additional seats and won narrow voter approval last week, contends that the General Assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize mid-decade redistricting. If the court agrees that lawmakers broke the rules, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote meaningless.


On This Day in Alexandria History — “On April 27, 1850 the City of Alexandria presented a block of Virginia marble to be used in construction of the Washington Monument, begun in 1848 to the design of architect Robert Mills, who also designed Alexandria’s 1838 Federal courthouse that once stood at the northwest corner of Queen and North Columbus Streets. Construction on the monument proceeded apace until 1854, when it was stopped due to lack of funds and control of the Washington National Monument Society, and later the Civil War. Construction resumed in 1877 with the final completion in 1885. By that time, the colonnade was eliminated from the original design, and the flat top of the column was replaced by a pyramidion. The pause in construction is clearly visible by a change in stone color at the 152’ height, with Alexandria’s stone in the lower portion.” [Historic Alexandria]

More on White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Shooter — “The man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner railed against Trump administration policies and referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” in writings sent to family members minutes before an attack that authorities increasingly believe was politically motivated, according to a message reviewed by The Associated Press.” [The Associated Press]


Good Friday 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 — Apr 24, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. UPDATED: No charges sought after vehicle crash into building in Old Town – UPDATED: No charges sought after vehicle crash into building in Old Town (5111 views)
  2. Poll: The best breakfast spot in Alexandria – Poll: The best breakfast spot in Alexandria (3253 views)
  3. Driver sentenced in Alexandria crash that killed pedestrian on sidewalk (2181 views)

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. UPDATED: Adult pedestrian killed in Old Town North crash (12028 views)
  2. JUST IN: Sen. Mark Warner and wife announce daughter’s death (10540 views)
  3. Two men charged after woman fights off armed robbery attempt in Braddock neighborhood (7403 views)
  4. Marks claims win in City Council race, Alexandrians largely support redistricting (5872 views)
  5. Alexandria Library Board faces backlash after ousting member over city takeover study (5489 views)
  6. City Council backs plan to replace Old Town office with 32 townhomes (4865 views)
  7. Tiki pop-up bar opens today at waterfront restaurant in Alexandria (4121 views)
  8. Coffee shop owners seek support after abrupt closure of Valletta Port (3479 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

🌦️ Saturday’s forecast

Showers are likely today, with possible thunderstorms after 5 PM, and mostly cloudy skies with a high near 66°F. Expect east winds at 10 to 13 mph, gusting up to 22 mph, and a 60% chance of rain with minimal accumulation except during thunderstorms. Overnight, showers and thunderstorms continue with a low around 47°F, northeast winds around 14 mph, gusts up to 22 mph, and a 90% chance of precipitation with new rainfall between a quarter and half an inch. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”
– Dalai Lama

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend, Alexandria!


A driver has been sentenced for a fatal crash that killed a pedestrian walking on a sidewalk in April 2025, according to the Alexandria Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.

Jilmar Doria Medina, 43, of Accokeek, Md., was sentenced April 9 in Alexandria Circuit Court to six years in prison. Medina was convicted on a felony charge of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol content of 0.15-0.20 after a four-day jury trial in December 2025. He is being held without bail at the Alexandria jail pending his transfer to prison.


One minor injury was reported after a vehicle crashed into a building at the corner of King and Washington Streets in Old Town.

The Alexandria Police and Fire Departments were called to the 600 block of King Street at 1:34 p.m. and found a two-vehicle crash involving a green SUV with Maryland tags and a gray sedan with Virginia tags. The gray vehicle had come to rest against the side of 631 King Street, home to Lily’s Chocolate and Coffee. Staff at the shop said they are still open and that nothing was damaged.


Sheriff Sean Casey is criticizing a recent Alexandria City Council decision to take $200,000 from his budget for a jail operational efficiency study, while Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley says the city should reevaluate whether it wants to maintain a longstanding contract between the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service.

On Tuesday, City Council moved forward with a proposal by Bagley and City Councilman Abdel Elnoubi to conduct the study, despite objections from Casey and members of his staff. At last Saturday’s public budget hearing, Casey said his office cannot afford the $200,000 budget reduction and asked City Council, “Do you want to be in the jail business?”


Democrat Sandy Marks, the winner of the April 21 City Council special election, will be sworn into office Tuesday, May 12, according to the city.

Marks will get sworn in before City Council at some point during its legislative meeting at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Drive), the city confirmed to ALXnow. An exact time for the swearing-in ceremony has not been set, although it will be administered by Clerk of Court Greg Parks.


On This Day in Alexandria History — “On April 24, 1940, the Robert Robinson Library opened its doors to the African American community, just eight months after one of America’s first “sit-in” demonstrations took place at the segregated Alexandria Library on Queen Street. The library was named after Robert H. Robinson, a former slave who became a pastor at a church on South Washington Street known today as Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church. The old Robinson Library building now houses the Alexandria Black History Museum.” [Historic Alexandria]

No Budget Deal as General Assembly Session Recesses — “The Virginia General Assembly convened for a special session Thursday to finalize the state’s $212 billion budget, but recessed after just a few hours without a deal, underscoring deep divisions within the Democratic majorities and leaving the spending plan unresolved. After a brief floor session, lawmakers left Richmond and returned to their districts, with no clear timeline for when negotiations might produce a compromise on the two-year spending plan.” [Virginia Mercury]


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