Good Sunday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny, with a high near 62 degrees. Light southwest wind becoming west 8 to 13 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low around 37 degrees. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Monday will be sunny, with a high near 67. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph.
A new historic interpretation sign now stands at Alexandria City High School's Minnie Howard Campus, commemorating five young Black students who integrated the formerly all-white Minnie Howard Elementary School in 1960.
The sign, unveiled Saturday during a special ceremony attended by more than 100 people, honors Judy Belk, Vickie Belk, Marie Bradby, Deborah Bradby, and James O. Bradby – known as the "Minnie Howard Five."
Owners of the commuter rail system Virginia Railway Express on Thursday signed off on a five-year, $155 million agreement to purchase the Manassas Line, allowing the system to enhance service reliability and provide control over stations and schedules between Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia.
The Manassas Line originates at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and goes to Broad Run in Prince William County.
The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria (AWLA) is running a Spring Break Camp for kids in grades two through five from March 24 to 28.
The camp runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, giving children the chance to hang out with adoptable shelter animals, learn from staff, and participate in animal-themed activities.
A U.S. Department of State employee from Alexandria is facing federal charges for allegedly participating in a criminal conspiracy to gather, transmit, or lose national defense information.
Michael Charles Schena, 42, who held a top-secret security clearance, is accused of communicating with people he met online and providing them with sensitive information in exchange for payments, according to a press release published on Friday from the U.S. Department of Justice. This activity allegedly began in April 2022.
Good Saturday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today's weather: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 55 degrees. Northwest wind 6 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low around 32 degrees. Northwest wind 5 to 9 mph becoming light and variable. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.
Alexandria is expanding its pedestrian-friendly initiative in Old Town. On March 14, Phase 2 of a pilot walk-only zone for the 200 block of King Street will kick off.
The City’s Department of Transportation & Environmental Services announced the pilot will run through September 30. A Phase 1 holiday season trial ran from November 22, 2024, to January 3, 2025.
Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th) criticized Elon Musk and President Donald Trump’s efficiency efforts as “cruel” and “inefficient” during a roundtable on potential Medicaid cuts on Friday.
When asked in his Old Town office by ALXnow, Beyer shared the following:
Alexandria Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th) is sounding the alarm about proposed Medicaid cuts that could have devastating consequences for hundreds of thousands of Virginians who rely on the program for healthcare.
Beyer hosted a roundtable at his Alexandria office Friday with elected leaders, healthcare providers, advocates, and affected Virginians to discuss the potential impact of nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts proposed in a budget resolution passed by House Republicans last week.
ALXnow readers were paying attention this week to stories about a toll charge scam, how you can get free coffee for a year, and the impact tariffs are having locally.
The most-read stories this week were:
A 39-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond and goes to court this month after allegedly firing a handgun at three people in a fleeing vehicle in the West End.
The chilling incident occurred on Jan. 6 – the same day as a snowstorm that shut down the city and closed the school system.
