The Alexandria City School Board on Thursday (July 9) unanimously elected new leadership for the next year.
Without opposition, School Board Member Christopher Harris was elected as chair, and Alexander Crider Scioscia was elected vice chair. Both are graduates of Alexandria City High School (when it was T.C. Williams High School), and the one-year appointments went into effect in the beginning of Thursday night’s meeting.
Reminder on Alexandria and USA Birthday Celebration — “The Alexandria and USA Birthday Celebration is set for Saturday, July 11 at Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison Street). This year’s event celebrates Alexandria’s 277th birthday and America’s 250th. The free party includes music by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra and Decades Band, remarks by Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, poetry reading by Alexandria Poet Laureate Cristi Donoso, local vendors, cupcakes distributed by City Council members and a grand finale fireworks display over the Potomac River.” [ALXnow]
Virginia Returns to No. 3 on Top States for Business Ranking — “Virginia has been named the country’s top state for business a record six times, most recently in 2024 — before dropping to fourth in 2025, its worst showing since 2018. CNBC tied much of that slide, and Virginia’s still-middling economy score, to the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce — layoffs concentrated in Arlington and the rest of Northern Virginia. Virginia ranked 23rd for its economy this year and 26th for cost of doing business.” [ARLnow]
Good Thursday 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 — Jul 9, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Friday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
There is a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, with increasing clouds and a high near 90°F. There will be a west wind at 5 to 7 mph. Overnight, there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, with isolated showers possible afterward. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low around 71°F and a light west wind. See more from Weather.gov.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Thanks for reading!
ACT for Alexandria’s Fund for Racial Equity has awarded more than $200,000 in grants to 29 local organizations and individuals, the organization announced in a new report.
The nonprofit created the fund in 2020 and established a resident community advisory board to lead grantmaking in 2024. The advisory board led three rounds of grantmaking over the next two years, awarding flexible, unrestricted grants to the organizations and individuals, according to ACT for Alexandria’s A Journey in Hope report.
If you’re traveling over the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge overnight, expect some traffic disruptions.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge’s drawbridge will have multiple openings between 10 p.m. Thursday, July 9 and 5 a.m. Friday, July 10 for maintenance work. Capital Beltway drivers crossing the bridge should expect traffic stoppages when the drawbridge opens.
Expect work crews at six intersections near Alexandria’s waterfront starting next week.
The city will conduct utility investigations from Monday, July 13 to Friday, July 24 as part of the Waterfront Flood Mitigation Project.
A new public dashboard will help residents stay informed on different aspects of water quality in the Potomac River.
The Reservoir Center for Water Solutions launched the dashboard in June alongside Anacostia Riverkeeper, Anacostia Watershed Society and Potomac Riverkeeper Network.
America250 Conversational Tours at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum — “Kick off the weekend with Conversational Tour: America250 – Who We Remember at Gadsby’s Tavern Museum on Friday, July 10 and Friday, July 17, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. … This conversational tour uses the history of Gadsby’s Tavern Museum to reflect on who we remember in history and why. Participants will build connections with each other as well as between past and present.” [Historic Alexandria]
Next Meeting on Taylor Run Stabilization Project — “Join us July 20, 6:30–8 p.m., at 2900 Business Center Drive or virtually for a presentation on the 60% design plans for the Taylor Run Infrastructure Stabilization Project. Learn about the proposed improvements and how the design has evolved.” [Alexandria T&ES/X]
Good Wednesday 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 — Jul 8, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, with a high near 87°F and south winds around 6 mph. There’s an 80% chance of rain, with new rainfall between a quarter and half an inch. Showers and thunderstorms will continue into the evening, especially before 8 p.m., with a low around 71°F and light southwest winds. Rain chance remains at 80%, with new precipitation between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, though thunderstorms may bring higher amounts. See more from Weather.gov.
“The best revenge is massive success.”
– Frank Sinatra
Thanks for reading!
Along with new school boundaries, newly drawn school walk zones went into effect in Alexandria on July 1.
The new walk zone maps show where students walking to school will find hazardous road crossings, bridge crossings and areas without sidewalks. Outside Alexandria City High School’s King Street and Minnie Howard campuses, for instance, there are dozens of hazardous crossing points identified by the school system.
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria has won the largest grant in its 80-year history as it continues an initiative to improve access to veterinary care.
AWLA announced today (July 8) that it was awarded $600,000 from the PetSmart Charities Incubator grant program over the next three years. It marks the second phase of the Incubator grant, following $100,000 provided to AWLA in July 2025.
