A water main break over the weekend in the West End didn’t just cause disruptions for drivers.
Virginia American Water responded to a water main break on a 12-inch main near the 700 block of S. Pickett Street on the afternoon of Saturday (Sept. 19).
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A derailment involving a track vehicle Sunday (Sept. 20) has prompted Metro to scale back Yellow Line service.
According to Metro, a track vehicle, not a train, derailed amid weekend bridge and track rehabilitation on the Yellow Line. There were no reported injuries.
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On This Day in Alexandria History — “On September 21, 1955, Alexandrians held a special ceremony to commemorate the issue of a 30-cent postage stamp honoring Robert E. Lee. The stamps, which had been flown in that day from Norfolk, went on sale following a luncheon at the George Mason Hotel and sold out in 15 minutes. The new stamp, part of a special definitive series of stamps distributed between 1954 and 1965, was known as the ‘Liberty Issue,’ so named as three of the 24 denominations issued portrayed the Statue of Liberty in monocolor and two-color editions. This series marked the first time the United States Postal Service had issued a series of stamps that included both notable American landmarks, including Mount Vernon, and famous Americans, such as Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry and Susan B. Anthony.” [Historic Alexandria]
Good Friday 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 — Sep 18, 2026.
- 7:30 am: Morning Notes for September 18, 2026 | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:15 am: Adoptable pet of the week: Bonnie will bring her social energy to your home | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:45 pm: New Olympic weightlifting gym to open Sept. 26 in West End | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:45 pm: APD: Alleged 2025 sexual assault at Alexandria City High School remains an open investigation | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:45 pm: Alexandria Oktoberfest, Chalk-A-Block, Classic Car Show lead weekend events | 🗣️ Comments
Here are today’s most-read articles:
- Poll: The best neighborhood in Alexandria (777 views)
- APD: Alleged 2025 sexual assault at Alexandria City High School remains an open investigation (550 views)
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
- Cocaine, guns and codeine seized from Alexandria apartment in multi-county probe (8980 views)
- Rollover crash on Richmond Highway in Potomac Yard sends two to hospital (3978 views)
- Man arrested 6 years after allegedly stealing girlfriend’s rental car in Alexandria (3011 views)
- Metro’s Yellow Line service to be suspended over two weekends (2963 views)
- Hundreds of near-misses prompt push for stop sign cameras, more measures in Alexandria (2775 views)
- JUST IN: Arlandria stabbing suspect arrested, was recently indicted after traffic incident (2701 views)
- Rus Uz bids farewell to Alexandria as Hoffman Town Center location closes (2522 views)
- Two restaurants at Shoppes at Foxchase remain closed after Aug. 25 truck fire (2219 views)
- ACPS targets intersections across Alexandria in rush to resolve bus dispute (2031 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
- 8:00 am: Cameron Station Community Yard Sale
- 👉 9:00 am: 2026 Ocean, River Cruises & Guided Tours Showcase – Germantown, MD
- 9:00 am: Velocity’s Monthly Used Bike Sale
- 11:00 am: Alexandria OKTOBERFEST @ JOHN CARLYLE SQUARE
- 11:00 am: 3rd Annual Chalk-A-Block
- 👉 12:00 pm: Alexandria Canal History Pub Crawl
- 👉 12:00 pm: Gustave Oktoberfest
- 2:00 pm: Dining through the Decades: Feasting at Lee-Fendall
- 2:00 pm: Community Volunteer Fair
- 👉 7:00 pm: Casino Night – All in for Autism
- 7:30 pm: Plant BINGO!
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
- 👉 3:00 pm: Truck-A-Palooza! Driver Recruitment Day
- 3:00 pm: Book Talk with Dr. Saladin Ambar – The Crimes that Shaped Lincoln
🌤️ Saturday’s forecast
Expect partly sunny skies with a high near 79 and northeast winds at 7 to 9 mph. Saturday night will be mostly cloudy with a low around 68, accompanied by southeast winds at 6 to 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.”
– Walter Elliot
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
We hope you have a great weekend, Alexandria!
Event location
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To Be Provided
Alexandria, Virginia 22302
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The Alexandria A Cappella Collective – composed of award-winning men's and women's choruses the Harmonizers and Metro Voices, respectively – is excited to announce that registration is open for the ’26-’27 season of its youth chorus, Capital Force! Students learn a unique form of a cappella from top educators and will perform locally and on the Barbershop Harmony Society International stage in February.
The kick off rehearsal includes voice placement, an informal audition, vocal warm-ups, and singing together. You will also learn about the season’s dates and rehearsal expectations. Interested singers are welcome to try the first rehearsal before deciding whether to join.
As September continues, more and more festivals and other events are happening around Alexandria.
Families will find events for all kinds of interests, from shopping and art to history. It’s a busy weekend between Alexandria Oktoberfest, The Lyceum’s Classic Car Show, Old Town Boutique Community’s Alexandria Days and Alexandria Library’s Black Family Reunion. Old Town North particularly has a lot going on — Chalk-A-Block, Alexandria Canal History Pub Crawl and Vintage Flea and Artisans Market.
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An alleged sexual assault in a bathroom at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus (3775 W. Braddock Road) last year is still an open investigation, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
On the day of the incident — March 15, 2025 — the 15-year-old victim told police that she was pushed against her will by a male student into a unisex bathroom at the school. The victim said she was prevented from escaping and told the suspect to stop several times. An ACHS security officer heard them inside the bathroom and intervened, according to a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit.
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A new Olympic weightlifting gym is opening its doors in Alexandria’s West End on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Gym owner Brian Leung is opening Monument Weightlifting at 614 S. Pickett Street. The 6,800-square-foot gym will teach clients that want to learn Olympic lifts, or to continue developing their training.
Alexandria has a wide range of neighborhoods with their own identities, from the historic Old Town and family-friendly Del Ray to the Latino-influenced Arlandria/Chirilagua and the more suburban North Ridge and Seminary Hill.
Here are the nominees for “Best Neighborhood in Alexandria” as part of our returning ALXnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite neighborhood? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for the Best Preschool/Daycare in Alexandria is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best New Restaurant in Alexandria. The results are now official:
1. Little Birdie
2. Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar
3. Dok Khao Thai Eatery
Meet Bonnie, a dog whose zest for life and love for people doesn’t go unnoticed.
This 3-year-old confident and social dog from the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria is ready to make a new family her own. She has moved past the puppy stage but still has plenty of energy for runs, hikes and other adventures. After playtime, she’s happy to settle into cuddle time.