Mayor Alyia Gaskins and the City Council are calling on the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office to stop transferring inmates to immigration enforcement unless required by law.
Following months of pressure from activists critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — including a protest during an Oct. 18 public hearing — Gaskins and the Council publicly asked Sheriff Sean Casey to stop transferring Alexandria inmates to ICE custody via the agency’s detainers and administrative warrants.
Homes that sold across Alexandria in October garnered the highest per-square-foot price of any jurisdiction in the metro area for the month.
City sellers pocketed, on average, $516 per square foot for their properties, according to new data from Bright MLS, the region’s multiple-listing service.
At Carr Workplaces King Street, experience a 5-star rated workspace on Google—designed to support your entire workday in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.
- Start your morning with an easy Metro commute
- Power through your day in a private office with on-site support
- Recharge with access to a fitness center and showers
- When it’s time to connect, host clients at nearby restaurants or step out onto King Street for a change of pace—all just steps from your office.
This is more than a place to work—it’s a seamless, full-day experience built around how you actually live and work.
Work smarter, feel better, and enjoy every part of your day from start to finish.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On Nov. 13, 1873, the Alexandria City Council granted permission to the Electro-Magnetic Telegraph Company, created in 1845 by inventor Samuel Morse, to run its lines through Alexandria providing instant communication for the first time from New York all the way to Richmond.” [Historic Alexandria]
House Passes Bill to End Shutdown — “The compromise funds three annual spending bills and extends the rest of government funding through Jan. 30. Republicans promised to hold a vote by mid-December to extend the health care subsidies, but there is no guarantee of success.” [The Associated Press]
WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Wednesday to end the nation’s longest government shutdown, sending the measure to President Donald Trump for his signature after a historic 43-day funding lapse that saw federal workers go without multiple paychecks, travelers stranded at airports and people lining up at food banks to get a meal for their families.
House lawmakers made their long-awaited return to the nation’s capital this week after nearly eight weeks away. Republicans used their slight majority to get the bill over the finish line with a mostly party-line vote of 222-209. The Senate has already passed the measure.
Raise a glass to culture and camaraderie at the 2026 whisky tasting event. Guests will enjoy a guided tasting across the whisky regions of Scotland, gaining insights into the craftsmanship and culture behind each pour. This informative program will help you learn all about the rich tapestry that is Scotch whisky, enable you to sample five different whiskies from across Scotland, and provide an opportunity to ask questions and share personal insights. VIP ticket holders will receive two additional exclusive samples of rare whiskies. All attendees will take home a souvenir Glencairn glass, perfect for continuing their whisky journey. Tickets are $100 for VIP or $75 for general admission (listed as a separate event on Alexandriava.gov/Shop), with hors d’oeuvres included. Wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for non-whisky drinkers. A raffle will also be held with prizes, with tickets available for cash purchase at the event. Minimum age: 21. All proceeds support the Alexandria Sister Cities Committee and its mission to support the educational and cultural exchanges between Alexandria, VA and her sister cities of Dundee, Scotland and Helsingborg, Sweden.
Please note: You do not need to print off tickets. Your name will be on the registration list for the event.
Good Wednesday 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 — Nov 12, 2025.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
- Northern lights could return to N. Va. skies tonight after Tuesday auroras (4093 views)
- Maintenance workers restrain larceny suspect at West End apartment complex (647 views)
- Project leaders break ground on Samuel Madden Homes affordable apartment complex (542 views)
- JUST IN: Judge dismisses case against Alexandria’s Zoning for Housing overhaul (371 views)
- New city assessment deems West End watersheds ‘vulnerable’ to flooding (323 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
☀️ Thursday’s forecast
Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 56°F. Northwest winds will blow at 7 to 14 mph, and may gust up to 26 mph. For Thursday evening, the sky will be mostly clear, and the temperature will drop to around 35°F. A gentle west wind at approximately 6 mph is expected. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!
Alexandria won its nearly two-year battle in Circuit Court today (Wednesday) against residents fighting the city’s massive Zoning for Housing/Housing for All overhaul.
Judge H. Thomas Padrick, Jr. granted the city’s motion for summary judgement and dismissed the case against the plaintiffs, a group of Old Town residents who had been fighting to reverse the zoning changes since they were approved by City Council in Dec. 2023.
City and public housing leaders joined developers today (Wednesday) to break ground on the Samuel Madden Homes affordable housing apartment complex in Old Town.
The project will replace the former 66-unit public housing apartment complex with 532 new affordable homes across two phases. The first phase, costing $120 million, will redevelop the site into 207 units of affordable and mixed-income housing, with an estimated completion date of fall 2027.
City Council will consider fare increases to its disability transit program and changes to food truck parking enforcement at a meeting tonight (Wednesday).
Up for vote is a resolution that would increase some paratransit fares by $1 and create a new $2 “peak-hour” surcharge for some trips. The Council will also complete a first read of an ordinance that would shift how the city enforces parking for food trucks.
Solar storms brought colorful auroras to unexpected places last night (Tuesday), and there could be more to come across the D.C. area this evening.
Space weather forecasters confirmed that storms reached severe levels Tuesday, triggering vibrant northern lights as far south as Kansas, Colorado and Texas. In Virginia, residents posted about aurora sightings from northern localities like Arlington and Vienna, and out west in Rockingham County.