News

Morning Notes for March 6, 2026

By ALXnow.com
The Boyle School of Irish Dance at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Old Town, March 2, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Ballyshaners Parade Weekend Is Here — “The Ballyshaners‘ 43rd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is expected to draw thousands of spectators to celebrate alongside a lineup of performers and community organizers. Local dignitaries plan to kick off festivities at noon Saturday, March 7, with the parade stepping off at 12:30 p.m.” [ALXnow]

Reminder: Early Voting Starts Today — “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.” [ALXnow]

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ALXnow Daily Debrief for Mar 5, 2026

By ALXnow.com

Good Thursday 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 5, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌥️ Friday’s forecast

Showers may occur after 4pm, with foggy conditions clearing up before 11am. Expect a mostly cloudy sky with a high near 54 degrees and an east wind blowing at 5 to 8 mph. The chance of precipitation stands at 20%. For Friday night, showers could occur after 7pm, and a low temperature around 45 degrees under a mostly cloudy sky with east winds at 5 to 8 mph and a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!

JUST IN: Va. health officials partially lift Potomac River recreational advisory

By Katie Taranto
A sailboat on the Potomac River (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Virginia Department of Health has partially lifted its recreational water advisory for a portion of the Potomac River as repairs continue from January’s massive sewage spill.

The advisory, first issued Feb. 13, has now been lifted for a stretch of the river including Alexandria’s waterfront. The cleared area starts south at the Route 120 Chain Bridge and ends at the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge in King George County, according to a VDH announcement this afternoon (Thursday).

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Alexandria’s professional employees agree to unionize in near-unanimous vote

By James Cullum
A City of Alexandria vehicle (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Alexandria’s professional employees have officially voted to unionize.

On Tuesday, the city’s professional employees voted 155-1 in favor of unionizing with AFSCME Council 20, an affiliate of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. With significant support, the vote “marks 5 of 5 eligible Alexandria bargaining units to file and win their union representation elections since 2021,” according to a release from AFSCME Council 20.

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ACPS sees 40% drop in incidents requiring police response during first semester

By James Cullum
Alexandria Police at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus. (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools saw a 40% reduction in the number of incidents requiring a police response during the first two quarters of this school year compared to last year, according to a school safety report recently presented to the Alexandria City School Board.

During the first semester this year, ACPS reported 167 total incidents requiring a police response across the school system and 27 student referrals or arrests. The recent incident count represents a 40% drop from the first semester last school year, which saw 279 reported incidents.

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Morning Notes for March 5, 2026

By ALXnow.com
As seen in Potomac Yard (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On March 5, 1910, sidewalks were being installed on Prince Street. A contractor laid out granolithic pavement on the north side of Prince between Lee and Fairfax streets.” [Historic Alexandria]

Landmark I-395 Meeting Tonight — “You are invited to learn about construction planned to modify the ramp leading from I-395 North to eastbound Duke Street at a pre-construction meeting hosted by the City of Alexandria’s project team. These modifications will provide access to the future Inova Hospital campus at the former Landmark Mall site.” [City of Alexandria]

Go to Morning Notes for March 5, 2026 Read more

ALXnow Daily Debrief for Mar 4, 2026

By ALXnow.com

Good Wednesday 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 4, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. Alexandria police recover firearm in child’s backpack, prompting investigation (1610 views)
  2. Portion of Mount Vernon Trail near Old Town closing Friday for weeks of shoreline repair (855 views)
  3. Alexandria man charged after allegedly firing gun in Landmark apartment (830 views)
  4. Health officials suspect rabies after two people report raccoon attacks in Old Town (820 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌥️ Thursday’s forecast

There’s a 20% chance of rain before 10am and after 4pm, with patchy fog expected before noon. The cloudy weather will slowly turn mostly sunny, reaching a high of 63°F. Calm winds will shift southeast at 6 mph in the afternoon. Rain is likely on Thursday night, mainly after 7pm, with a 60% chance of precipitation. The night will be mostly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to around 51°F and winds remaining eastward. New precipitation amounts could total under a tenth of an inch. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Dream big and dare to fail.”
– Norman Vaughan

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!

Alexandria police recover firearm in child’s backpack, prompting investigation

By Katie Taranto
4850 Mark Center Drive (via Google Maps)

A student “may have brought a loaded firearm” to Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School yesterday (Tuesday), according to an Alexandria City Public Schools message sent to the school’s community today.

The Alexandria Police Department recovered a firearm inside an 8-year-old child’s backpack yesterday in a Child Protective Services office at 4850 Mark Center Drive, the department told ALXnow. No injuries were reported, and officers are investigating the cause of the incident.

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New startup accelerator program seeks to foster tech company growth in Alexandria

By Emily Leayman
The Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Potomac Yard (staff photo by James Cullum)

An accelerator program to support new tech startups is launching in the city, the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership announced today (Wednesday).

The program will provide mentorship, coaching, technical support, capital connections and structured founder engagement for up to 15 startups over four to six months. It will serve startups in high-growth sectors such as robotics, aerospace, quantum, artificial intelligence (AI), energy tech, computer services, cybersecurity and defense.

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Volunteer program with local nonprofit teaches ACPS third graders how to ride bikes

By James Cullum
Nicole Radshaw, a pedestrian and bike support specialist, teaches bicycling to third graders at Patrick Henry K-8 School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Just before snowflakes fell on Monday afternoon, a class of third graders at Patrick Henry K-8 School were outside in the school basketball court learning how to ride bikes.

For three weeks every school year, all third graders at Alexandria City Public Schools are fitted with Trek bikes and taught bicycle safety and riding by volunteers and staff working with the Alexandria Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee‘s (BPAC) Bicycling in the Schools initiative. This school year, 1,266 students are in the program, which is currently seeking more volunteers.

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Health officials suspect rabies after two people report raccoon attacks in Old Town

By Katie Taranto
The entrance of the Alexandria Health Department (Credit: Alexandria Health Department)
The entrance of the Alexandria Health Department (courtesy of the Alexandria Health Department)

The Alexandria Health Department is advising residents to be cautious around wildlife after two people reported being bitten by a raccoon in Old Town yesterday (Tuesday).

According to AHD, two people said they were bitten by a raccoon near N. Henry Street, N. Patrick Street and Cameron Street in Old Town. It’s unclear if the bites came from the same raccoon, “but the incidents happened close together in time,” according to an AHD announcement this afternoon.

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