Facing no electoral opposition in her November reelection, Alexandria School Board Chair Meagan Alderton says the next three years will be full of challenges. For one thing, the incoming nine-member board will have six new faces who will be challenged to lead a school system beset by controversy.

“I am definitely concerned about the turnover of the board,” Alderton told ALXnow. “One of the greatest challenges in today’s public schools in general is what I call the revolving door. We really reached a critical juncture in which we can’t even expect and plan to our support personnel — teachers, principals, leadership, superintendents… To not stick around for at least five years is devastating to our potential for progress.”


The sprawling Carlyle Crossing development that aims to completely transform Eisenhower East is inching closer to completion as the first of the apartment buildings starts pre-leasing.

The first of the properties to start pre-leasing at the property is Reese, a 161-residence tower at 2495 Mandeville Lane. The building will have a 3-acre, 60-foot-high elevated terrace park that connects to another residential building, Dylan. Reese opened for pre-leasing earlier this month, with residents starting move-in later this fall. A third apartment building, Easton, will open this winter and the Dylan is scheduled to open early next year.


The 100 block of King Street has been closed to cars for over a year, and now the city is looking to make the change permanent.

At an upcoming meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 5, the Planning Commission is docketed to review a proposal by city staff to permanently turn the 100 block of King Street between Lee Street and Union Street into a pedestrian zone.


A Prince William County man has been arrested for sending threatening texts and posting lewd photos on Twitter of his adult stepsister, with whom he also had a romantic relationship.

The suspect was arrested in Prince William County.


Alexandria Symphony to provide live soundtrack for six short films — ” The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) and the Alexandria Film Festival (AFF) are teaming to bring a special, immersive experience to audiences. On Saturday, Nov. 6, ASO will perform at Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center as six original films play onscreen.” [Zebra]

Local documentary explores ‘The Pits’ before it was Kingstowne — “For me, the gravel pits behind Hayfield Secondary School was the local fishing hole – at age 10, in 1972, I’d grab something out of my mom’s refrigerator to use as bait, and head on up there on foot or on bicycle and fish for hours. Usually, I’d catch a bunch of bluegill fish, maybe hook a snapping turtle or two, and head home. If I was lucky, I had some change in my pocket or find a few returnable bottles, and I’d stop at 7-11 for a Slurpee.” [Zebra]


The Alexandria Police Department confirmed that a firecracker, not gunshots, prematurely ended a football game Saturday between Herndon High School and Alexandria City High School (ACHS).

“The game was called with less than three minutes remaining,” said Claire Going, a spokesperson for Alexandria City Public Schools. “Fans began self-evacuation. Once the source of the noise was determined, an announcement was made to let people in the stadium know what had caused it.”


If you ever feel bad about getting on the bus in Alexandria and realizing too late you’re on the wrong one, don’t fret. Apparently some of the people who run the city’s bus system do the same thing.

The new DASH bus network launched on Sept. 5, but city leaders and transit administrators met last week to celebrate.


The Alexandria Health Department, over the weekend, started distributing Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots.

While the boosters for the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines are yet to be approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the city is also recommending that residents also get a flu shot at the same time.


After the end of the eviction moratorium, Alexandria’s City Council is looking to step up protection for locals facing eviction.

According to a docket item for tomorrow’s (Tuesday) City Council meeting, city staff are recommending that the city fund new services and positions aimed to support Alexandria households going through the eviction process.


(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) A 33-year-old Alexandria man is in custody after a Maryland man was killed at the BJ’s Wholesale Club in the Landmark area of the West End on Saturday night.

The incident occurred at around 7:45 p.m. Rakibul Fakir was charged with second-degree murder after allegedly stabbing 29-year-old Abiy Zemene to death.


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