Chris Leibig, a longtime criminal defense attorney and former public defender from Del Ray, is running for delegate in Tuesday’s Democratic firehouse primary.
Leibig served in the Alexandria Public Defender’s Office from 1996-2002 and practices law from his Old Town office. He is the third candidate to enter Tuesday’s race to replace outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, joining City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.
Good Friday 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 — Jan 16, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Scattered snow showers will transition to rain showers between 10am and noon before the skies gradually clear up and become mostly sunny with a high of 47°F. A south wind of 8 to 10 mph and gusts up to 21 mph accompany a 50% chance of precipitation. On Saturday night, expect a chance of rain after 1am, mixing with snow after 4am, and a mostly cloudy sky with a low around 31°F. Light and variable winds will become northwest around 5 mph after midnight, with a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine
We hope you have a great weekend, Alexandria!
Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin doesn’t have many regrets as he prepares to leave office. But he named the inability to get an Alexandria arena deal done in 2024 as one lost opportunity.
The Washington Capitals and Wizards arena would have gone in Potomac Yard as part of an entertainment district. But in March 2024, the City of Alexandria announced that the proposal wouldn’t be moving forward.
The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first flu-related pediatric death this season, as public health officials across Virginia continue to monitor increased flu activity.
Health officials yesterday (Thursday) said a preschool-aged child — between newborn age and 4 years old — died from flu-related complications. The child was from Virginia’s Eastern Region, which largely covers the Tidewater and Eastern Shore areas. The health department is not releasing additional information about the child to protect the family’s privacy.
Alexandria Democrats are in for deja vu as this month’s second Democratic firehouse primary will take place Tuesday to fulfill outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s seat, after her resignation announcement.
The firehouse primary is happening this Tuesday, Jan. 20, according to the Alexandria Democratic Committee. So far, two candidates have entered the race vying for Bennett-Parker’s 5th District seat: City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.
Alexandria honored the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with song, dance and poetry, as well as a thorough rebuke of political violence and societal divisions under the Trump administration last night (Thursday).
The 53rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program began with an impassioned invocation from the Rev. Quardricos Bernard Driskell of Beulah Baptist Church, who said King is remembered as “a prophet who named America’s sins and paid his life for it.” Driskell denounced current approaches to immigration enforcement, military spending and “taking over sovereign nations for profit, power and greed.”
Soccer fans in Alexandria are in for a treat, as the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has announced it will be staying in Alexandria during the FIFA World Cup this summer.
The team’s base camp will be in Alexandria, where players will stay at the AKA Hotel at 625 First Street in Old Town and train at Episcopal High School as they participate in the World Cup. Games will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Jun. 11 through July 19.
Fresh from her firehouse Democratic primary win for a State Senate seat, Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) has announced her resignation from the House of Delegates.
The resignation will go into effect Feb. 18, Bennett-Parker said in an email yesterday (Thursday). The delegate won the firehouse primary for the 39th District State Senate in the early morning hours on Wednesday. Now, another firehouse primary to fill her 5th District seat has been scheduled for next Tuesday, as of late Friday morning.
A 15-year-old was transported to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries last night (Thursday) after being struck by a driver in the Landmark area.
The Alexandria Police Department reported a “serious motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian” at the intersection of northbound N. Van Dorn Street and Holmes Run Parkway. The crash, which reportedly involved a driver in a silver Honda Civic, happened around 7:12 p.m., according to APD dispatches.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On Jan. 16, 1947, the United Service Organization center on Cameron Street closed. Built during World War II, the USO center provided recreational and social activities for service members. The City of Alexandria later acquired the building for use by the Department of Recreation and today it’s known as the Dr. Oswald Durant Memorial Center.” [Historic Alexandria]
MLK Jr. Day Events, Volunteering in NoVA — “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for racial equality, human rights, and justice for all. Participate in these local service projects around your neighborhood, learn more about the Civil Rights movement, and watch a parade celebrating his life and legacy.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
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 — Jan 15, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Friday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Clouds will increase today, bringing a high temperature near 37 degrees and a southern wind of 7 to 10 mph. Tonight, there’s a 30% chance of snow showers after 1am, with the clouds continuing to increase. The low temperature will be around 32 degrees, accompanied by a southern wind at 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“The purpose of our lives is to be happy.”
– Dalai Lama
Thanks for reading!
