News

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On February 20, 1755 General Edward Braddock arrived at Hampton, Virginia to command British forces against New France in the American colonies. Less than two months later, on April 15 he met with five colonial governors at the Congress of Alexandria, held at the home of John Carlyle. Braddock had hoped to raise funding from the colonies to finance the French and Indian War, but was rebuffed in his efforts by the governors, who demanded that the United Kingdom honor its past promises of financial support. The meeting was one of the first instances of tension over taxation between the Americans colonies and Britain.” [Historic Alexandria]

Firehouse Primary Tomorrow, Online Voting Available — “The Alexandria Democratic Committee will hold an unassembled caucus, also known as a firehouse primary, [for Alexandria City Council] on Saturday, February 21, 2026, from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM.” Voting will be available at Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library, Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center or online, for voters who register by 5 p.m. today (Friday). [Alexandria Democratic Committee]

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On February 19, 1885, a fatal train crash occurred at Four Mile Station when two trains collided near the Alexandria canal. Virginia Midland passenger train traveling north and a southbound Baltimore & Potomac train crashed around 10 p.m. and resulted in the deaths of at least seven people.” [Historic Alexandria]

Lawmakers Push For Potomac Spill Plan, Transparency — “Congressional lawmakers from Maryland and Virginia are pushing for a “rigorous” environmental remediation plan, public briefings and continued bacteria monitoring in the wake of last month’s spill of millions of gallons of sewage into the Potomac River. The lawmakers’ letter to DC Water, the owner of the broken pipe, comes amid continued sparring between President Donald Trump (R) and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) about who’s responsible for the devastating sewage leak.” [Virginia Mercury]