Alexandria voters can begin casting early ballots this Friday to participate in the city’s April 21 special election.
This includes the City Council race and a proposed constitutional amendment to redraw Virginia’s congressional maps.
News
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On March 4, 1827, St. Mary’s Catholic Church, the oldest Catholic parish in Virginia, was officially consecrated. The cornerstone had been set the summer before and when completed, the church building measured 45 feet by 60 feet. The church is said to have been started in 1795 when Colonel John Fitzgerald, a close friend and associate of George Washington, and an early mayor of Alexandria, took up a collection to fund construction of a small chapel at the southern end of South Washington Street, now the site of St. Mary’s Cemetery, where the street ended at the edge of Great Hunting Creek.” [Historic Alexandria]
AEDP Launching ‘Tech Accelerator’ — “The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership is set establish its first tech accelerator to shore up the city’s standing in the increasingly competitive Northern Virginia technology sector. Marian Marquez, senior vice president at AEDP, told [WBJ] a request for proposals seeking candidates to run an accelerator — similar to a business consultancy service for early-stage companies — is expected to open on Wednesday.” [WBJ]
Good Tuesday 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 — Mar 3, 2026.
- 7:30 am: Morning Notes for March 3, 2026 | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:15 am: Women’s Bar Crawl and fundraiser coming to Del Ray this Saturday | 🗣️ Comments
- 12:40 pm: Challenges remain for children’s shelter despite fulfilled funding in Alexandria budget proposal | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:15 pm: A Q&A with Shannon Steene, departing executive director of Carpenter’s Shelter in Alexandria | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:17 pm: Alexandria to accept entries for new America 250 poster contest | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:30 pm: Acclaimed Old Town-based marketing CEO Maurisa Potts is focused on expansion | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:45 pm: Alexandria joins N. Va. opposition to bill that would allow by-right housing in commercial zones | 🗣️ Comments
Here are today’s most-read articles:
- Alexandria joins N. Va. opposition to bill that would allow by-right housing in commercial zones (870 views)
- Morning Notes for March 3, 2026 (527 views)
- Grand Opening Spotlight: A new standard of luxury living at The Whitley (411 views)
- Acclaimed Old Town-based marketing CEO Maurisa Potts is focused on expansion (311 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
☔️ Wednesday’s forecast
Expect rain after 4pm, with a cloudy sky and a high near 52, accompanied by a calm wind transitioning to northeast at 5 mph. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation with less than a tenth of an inch possible. On Wednesday night, rain remains likely, with a cloudy low around 49 and a 70% chance of precipitation, again with less than a tenth of an inch possible. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
– Nelson Mandela
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading!
Despite opposition from Alexandria and other Northern Virginia localities, bills permitting by-right multifamily development in commercial zones are advancing in the Virginia General Assembly.
HB 816 by Del. Dan Helmer (D-10) and SB 454 by state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-16) would require local zoning ordinances to permit by-right multifamily and mixed-use residential development on a portion of commercial or business zoning district land. The amended bills calls for localities to allow by-right development on at least 50% of commercially zoned land, which is less than the 75% originally proposed.
Shannon Steene says that a ritual with keys is his favorite part of the job as executive director of Carpenter’s Shelter.
On the days when clients at the homeless shelter move out to transition into newfound housing, staff and other residents will say goodbye to them by jingling their keys. Now after 11 years leading the nonprofit, Steene said he’s looking forward to his own departure ceremony of sorts, as he’s stepping down later this month to lead Reston-based nonprofit Cornerstones.
The executive director of Sheltercare, a short-term group home that provides services to youth in the city’s West End, says she may have to consider cutting staff, services or beds, despite nearly $2 million in funding included in the city’s proposed 2027 budget.
The city manager’s budget fulfills a funding request from the Juvenile Detention Commission of Northern Virginia, which oversees the 14-bed Sheltercare facility. However, the program’s planned budget of $2.14 million is scaled down from executive director Annie Reiney’s initial $2.7 million proposal, which included a 40% increase in funding to pay for extra staffing and building improvements.
ACPS On Regular Schedule Today — “All Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) schools and offices will open on time with normal schedules and operations today, March 3, 2026. All school activities and transportation will operate as scheduled.” [ACPS]
Bagel Uprising Expanding to Arlington — “Bagel Uprising, based in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood, plans to open its second location at 901 N. Glebe Road in May, co-founder Chad Breckinridge told ARLnow. That’s just half a mile from D.C.-based bagel chain Call Your Mother’s planned location at 4000 Wilson Blvd. Although Bagel Uprising’s announcement comes less than a week after its competitor’s, Breckinridge says he’s not planning on any schmear campaigns.” [ARLnow]
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 — Mar 2, 2026.
- 7:30 am: Morning Notes for March 2, 2026 | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:00 pm: Democratic City Council candidate Sandy Marks lays out stakes in upcoming special election | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:45 pm: New Indian restaurant ‘The Bombay Canteen’ celebrates opening on Eisenhower Avenue | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:00 pm: New apartment building for seniors opens next to sister location in Potomac Yard | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:15 pm: Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail receive ‘Trail of the Year’ award for renovation efforts | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:45 pm: Shiloh Baptist Church receives $360K grant to preserve historic sanctuary | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:50 pm: Snowfall underway in Alexandria ahead of warmer temperatures later this week | 🗣️ Comments
Here are today’s most-read articles:
- New apartment building for seniors opens next to sister location in Potomac Yard (606 views)
- Morning Notes for March 2, 2026 (577 views)
- Democratic City Council candidate Sandy Marks lays out stakes in upcoming special election (533 views)
- Shiloh Baptist Church receives $360K grant to preserve historic sanctuary (466 views)
- New Indian restaurant ‘The Bombay Canteen’ celebrates opening on Eisenhower Avenue (382 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
Expect rain before 2pm and possibly after 5pm, with cloudy skies and a high near 48. Calm winds will shift to the south around 6 mph in the afternoon, with a 70% chance of precipitation and up to a quarter-inch of rainfall. Tuesday night, rain is likely after 7pm, with a low around 45, south winds of 6-8 mph, and an 80% chance of precipitation, accumulating another tenth to a quarter-inch of rain. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Success is not in what you have, but who you are.”
– Bo Bennett
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading!
Snowfall has started in Northern Virginia, with about an inch or less of accumulation predicted throughout the rest of the day Monday, according to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.
Light snow is expected through the midday and afternoon, with the steadiest snowfall lasting through 5 p.m., according to NWS. As much as an inch of snow could accumulate at unpaved surfaces throughout the D.C. metro area, NWS said in a special weather statement issued this morning (Monday).
Alexandria’s Shiloh Baptist Church is among more than 30 historically Black churches to receive a new grant aimed at preserving and restoring their buildings.
The church at 1401 Jamieson Avenue has received $360,000 from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund as part of its Preserving Black Churches grant program. Recipients were announced last week.
Fresh from her recent Democratic firehouse primary win, City Council candidate Sandy Marks says there’s a lot on the line in the upcoming special election.
Marks is facing independent candidates Frank Fannon and Alison O’Connell in the race, which is slated to coincide with a proposed constitutional amendment to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts.