Alexandria’s recently reported unemployment rate was down from a year before and on the lower end of what has been seen citywide during the past year.
But like much of the rest of Northern Virginia, there also has been an exodus in the total number of city residents with jobs.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On October 8, 1943 U.S. Marine Corps Major General Charles Dodson Barrett, who had grown up in Alexandria, died in World War II in the South Pacific. Barrett was the first Commanding General of the 3d Marine Division. A new elementary school in Parkfairfax was name in Barrett’s honor not long after his death.” [Historic Alexandria]
Metro Adjusts Yellow and Blue Line Service Today — “From 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., trains will single track on the Yellow and Blue lines between Pentagon City and National Airport. All Yellow Line trains will run between Huntington and Greenbelt only.” [Metro/Bluesky]
A 34-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly drugging a woman at an Old Town bar and raping her on an outdoor patio of a nearby hotel.
The victim told police that on the night of Sept. 15, she had dinner and drinks with a friend in Old Town. Afterward, she and her friend walked to a popular bar near the waterfront, where she had another drink and waited with her friend for two men to join them, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
The Virginia Board of Historic Resources last month approved a new historical marker recognizing the lynchings of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas in Alexandria.
The 19-year-old McCoy was arrested without a warrant and then lynched by a mob on April 23, 1897, according to the city government. A mob of white residents stormed the Police House (now City Hall), where McCoy was being held after being accused of sexually assaulting three women. He was shot, stabbed and hanged from a lamppost at Cameron and Lee Streets.
Late-night drivers on the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) will encounter some delays over the next two nights on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.
The drawbridge will open at 11 p.m. tonight (Oct. 7) to let the Sweet Pea pass through, according to the City of Alexandria. The opening is expected to take 15 to 20 minutes. The bridge had last opened for the Sweet Pea to pass on Oct. 1.
A man was charged with malicious wounding and is being held without bond after an alleged machete attack against a homeless man in the Arlandria neighborhood on Sunday (Oct. 4), Alexandria police say.
Around 1:35 p.m., the Alexandria Police Department received multiple calls about a man in a gray Toyota Camry getting out and attacking the victim with a machete near the intersection of W. Glebe Road and Executive Avenue.
The Alexandria City School Board will announce the city school system’s new superintendent at its meeting Thursday night, (Oct. 8).
School Board Chair Christopher Harris announced in an email to the Alexandria City Public Schools community that contract negotiations with the new superintendent “concluded earlier than anticipated.”
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On October 7, 1975, the historic Taylor-Fraser House was moved from 109 South Pitt Street to the southeast corner of Franklin and South Pitt. It was loaded atop a set of airplane tires and with the help of three modified military tanks, it was transported down Washington Street, a route selected because it minimized impact to power lines and trees.” [Historic Alexandria]
New Deputy City Manager Named — “The City of Alexandria is pleased to announce the appointment of Vanetta Pledger as its new Deputy City Manager, effective Tuesday, October 13. Pledger brings more than 20 years of dedicated public service experience to the role. For the last decade, she has served as the City’s Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Director of Information Technology Services … In her new role, Pledger will oversee planning, technology, community engagement, race and social equity, finance, tourism, and innovation.” [City of Alexandria]
Good Tuesday 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 — Oct 6, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect sunny weather with a high of around 70 degrees and a gentle south wind blowing at 5 to 9 mph. Wednesday night will be clear, with temperatures dropping to about 54 degrees and a southwest wind near 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”
– Henry David Thoreau
Thanks for reading!
Under mounting privacy fears from residents, APD has answered more City Council questions on Flock surveillance cameras and released a map of where 61 of the automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are located throughout the city.
The Alexandria Police Department made nearly 21,000 automated license plate reader queries between August 2025 and August 2026, directly leading to 72 felony charges and 65 misdemeanor charges. That would represent about 5% out of the total 2,694 criminal arrests made during that period. The Flock surveillance cameras also helped APD locate three missing persons and recover 35 stolen vehicles and four firearms, according to APD’s updated FAQ page on Flock cameras.
Alexandria is set to unveil big plans along the waterfront and King Street in Old Town.
On Wednesday (Oct. 7), the city will seek approval from the Board of Architectural Review on major aesthetic and structural changes that would see red bricks replacing asphalt along the unit and 100 blocks of King Street, a 20-foot-wide walkway with a riverside railing running from Robinson Terminal South to the base of King Street, new promenades at Waterfront Park and Point Lumley Park and more.
