The Alexandria waterfront along the Potomac River (staff photo by James Cullum)
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On Jan. 5, 1874, the old George’s Tavern, also known as the Old English House on the northwest corner of Cameron and North Royal Streets, caught fire and was severely damaged, burned beyond repair. Seen in the background of this Civil War era photo of Union soldiers taken in front of Gadsby’s Tavern, the dormered building is further marked by a large horizontal sign extending over the public sidewalk reading ‘Restaurant.'” [Historic Alexandria]
Beyer Responds to Military Strike in Venezuela — “I’ve always opposed American attacks on Venezuela and I oppose them now. You don’t need sympathy for Maduro to grasp that attacking another country for unclear, shifting rationales without domestic support or a clear plan for the day after won’t make us safer. The Administration lied to Congress and launched an illegal war for regime change and oil. Foolhardy and wrong.” [Rep. Don Beyer]
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
🌥️ Saturday’s forecast
The weather will be mostly cloudy with a high around 36 degrees and a light north wind. On Saturday night, there’s a slight chance of snow before 1am, followed by a transition from cloudy to partly cloudy skies and a low temperature near 27 degrees. The chance of precipitation is 20%, with calm winds throughout. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.” – Chris Grosser
This recurring Most and Least Expensive Home feature is sponsored by Adrianna Vallario of Compass. Based in the North Ridge area of Alexandria City, Adrianna is more than just a real estate agent – she is a trusted advisor, relocation expert, and community advocate.
In October 2026, 26 detached homes sold, 50 condos sold, and 41 townhomes sold. Detached home sales are down 40% when compared to the same time period last year, condos are down 52%, and townhomes are down 18%.
The Alexandria Fire Department responds to a blaze in the 100 block of E. Del Ray Avenue on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Battalion chiefs at the Alexandria Fire Department do not qualify for overtime wages, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled on Wednesday, siding with the city and affirming a lower district court’s 2023 judgment.
The plaintiffs, 10 current and former AFD battalion chiefs, had sued the department for unpaid overtime wages. Chief Judge Albert Diaz issued the deciding opinion in the case, stating that the chiefs were exempt from overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act due to being “highly compensated employees,” a distinction that separates them from rank-and-file first responders under the city’s collective bargaining agreement.
Join artist Nora Naranjo Morse (Kha’p’o Owenge ([Santa Clara Pueblo]), creator of Always Becoming, and the community that cares for the museum’s ephemeral outdoor sculpture family, to learn about the project’s evolution over the past two decades, and what the future holds.
Learn about the art of clay, traditions of sustainability in Pueblo building techniques, and more. Visitors can enjoy family-friendly art activities, dance performances by the Zuni Olla Maidens, watch a short film, and multiple opportunities to hear from the artist, her family, and museum experts that have contributed to the care and revitalization of the sculptures.
Alexandria closed out 2025 with median apartment rental rates down 2.5% from the start of the year — the first annual decline in five years.
The 2.5% dip is more than twice the rate of decline across the metro area, with Alexandria pushed down in part by a 1.1% drop in median rents from November to December.
Northern Virginia Fairfax Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS) cordially invites you to attend and support our upcoming World Day of Remembrance (WDoR) for Road Traffic Victims.
World Day of Remembrance is an annual event where we honor those whose lives were prematurely ended after being struck by a person driving. This year is particularly painful and sad as we think about the recent death of a 13-year-old Frost middle school student who was struck and killed by a person driving a truck on Pickett Road. We will also honor the nearly 30 other people (as of today’s date) who have been killed on Northern Virginia streets while, walking, biking, or rolling since last year’s day of remembrance.
7-Eleven at 2108 Mount Vernon Avenue (via Google Maps)
One Virginia Lottery player is starting off the new year with a winning $1 million ticket purchased in Del Ray.
The ticket was one of five $1 million winners in the lottery’s New Year’s Millionaire Raffle, announced yesterday (Thursday). It was purchased at the 7-Eleven at 2108 Mount Vernon Avenue and beat one in 125,000 odds to win.
The Christmas Tree lighting in Alexandria's Market Square, Nov. 23, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)
It’s time to start taking those Christmas trees down.
Christmas tree collection in Alexandria starts today (Friday) and will last through Friday, Jan. 16. The city will pick up natural Christmas trees and wreaths at residents’ usual waste collection spots during their regularly scheduled collection.
The Mount Vernon Trail (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Old Town Food Pantry Meets Increasing Need — “The Diocese of Arlington’s annual report indicates 25,677 meals were served at Christ House in 2025, up about 25 percent from the previous year. John Croft, the director of Christ House, told Patch that an average 60 guests are coming in for meals, along with about 14 men served in Christ House’s transitional housing.” [Patch]
New VA Law Limits Teens’ Social Media Usage — “A new Virginia law that goes into effect Jan. 1 requires social media companies to limit kids’ usage to one hour each day … A group that lobbies on behalf of social media companies is trying to stop the law. The group is called NetChoice and it filed a lawsuit in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia just last month.” [NBC4 Washington]
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
I’m unable to provide the emoji without the forecast information. Please provide the details of the weather forecast so I can select the appropriate emoji. Thursday’s forecast
Apologies, but there was an error with the forecast. To ensure accuracy, please manually add the forecast information. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.” – Plutarch
The Alexandria skyline (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
At ALXnow, we’re looking back at this year one last time before turning the page to 2026.
This New Year’s Eve, we’ve prepared a roundup of our most-read stories of the year. In 2025, readers stayed up-to-date on breaking news and public safety, city government and schools, the local business scene and more.
This recurring Most and Least Expensive Home feature is sponsored by 
