Staffers at a restaurant in the Potomac Yard area recently fought off a knife-wielding attempted robber and are telling their story.
On the night of Sept. 1, manager Merve McDonald was behind the counter at Omar’s Pitas & Platters (3100 Richmond Highway) and turned his back momentarily when the commotion started.
Meeting on Historic Design Guidelines Scheduled for Wednesday — “The Board of Architectural Review (BAR) Design Guidelines Committee will hold a community meeting on the following date to discuss updated Design Guideline chapters for both the Old and Historic Alexandria and Parker-Gray Districts. This meeting is open to the public and testimony or comment will be received. Wednesday, September 23, 2026 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Oswald Durant Center, Community Meeting Room, 1605 Cameron Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.” [City of Alexandria]
Theogony Student Newspaper Earns State Award Nominations — “The student journalists of Theogony, Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper, have another reason to celebrate. The publication has been named a finalist in eight categories in the 2026 Virginia High School League (VHSL) Media Championships. Hosted in partnership with the VHSL and Virginia Association of Journalism Teachers and Advisers (VAJTA), the Media Championships recognize outstanding work by high school journalists and student media programs across Virginia.” [Alexandria City Public Schools]
When a loved one passes away, families often face difficult decisions about funeral arrangements, finances, and the distribution of property. One common question is whether having a will automatically means the estate must go through probate.
Not necessarily. Whether probate is required in Virginia depends largely on how the deceased person’s assets were owned and whether those assets have another method of transferring to heirs or beneficiaries.
Understanding when probate is required—and when it can be avoided—can help families navigate estate administration with greater confidence.
Probate is the legal process used to administer certain assets belonging to a deceased person, or decedent. In Virginia, probate generally takes place through the circuit court in the city or county where the decedent lived.
When probate is necessary, the court recognizes the will, if there is one, and appoints a personal representative to handle the estate. The personal representative is responsible for identifying and collecting assets, addressing valid debts and taxes, and distributing the remaining property according to the will or Virginia’s intestacy laws.
Importantly, having a will does not automatically mean every asset must pass through probate. A will generally controls probate assets, while certain property passes directly to another person through ownership arrangements or beneficiary designations.
Probate is generally necessary when someone dies owning assets in their individual name that do not have another method of transferring ownership.
Examples can include:
In these situations, probate may be necessary to give the personal representative authority to transfer or distribute the property.
Some assets can transfer automatically after death and therefore may not need to pass through probate.
Jointly owned property: Assets held jointly with rights of survivorship generally pass to the surviving owner.
Beneficiary-designated accounts: Life insurance policies, retirement accounts, and certain bank accounts can pass directly to the beneficiaries named on the account.
Revocable living trusts: Assets properly transferred into a revocable living trust generally avoid probate because the trust owns the property rather than the deceased individual.
Virginia also provides a simplified option for certain small estates. Under Va. Code § 64.2-601, qualifying personal property valued at $75,000 or less may be transferred using a small estate affidavit rather than a full probate proceeding, provided the statutory requirements are satisfied.
This simplified procedure applies to qualifying personal property, not real estate, and can be particularly useful when an estate consists of modest assets such as a bank account or vehicle.
When probate is necessary, the personal representative must complete several steps before the estate can be closed. These typically include identifying and valuing estate assets, filing the required inventory, addressing creditor claims and taxes, and distributing assets to beneficiaries.
Virginia also imposes deadlines for certain estate filings. The inventory generally must be filed within four months after qualification, while the first accounting is generally due within 16 months.
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 — Sep 22, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect rain in the morning before 7 a.m., with cloudy skies and a high near 65°F throughout the day. Northeast winds will be about 11 mph, gusting up to 25 mph, with a 60% chance of rain accumulating between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Wednesday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 53°F and northeast winds at 10 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
– Walt Disney
Thanks for reading!
Washington Commanders players helped pack 500 bags of food for students at Mount Vernon Community School in Del Ray on Tuesday (Sept. 22).
Hundreds of students welcomed wide receiver Jaylin Lane, cornerback Rasul Douglas and mascot Major Tuddy in a pep rally in the school auditorium. This was the Commanders’ third annual visit to MVCS in collaboration with the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack.
Event location
Woodson High School
9525 Main Street
Fairfax, Virginia 22031
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.
President Donald Trump (R) has rolled back a 2009 executive order that has guided mandates for the Chesapeake Bay’s cleanup for more than 17 years. The action took aim at localities like Alexandria with stormwater utility fees.
The White House said the 2009 executive order created a “broad mandate” for states and localities to improve the Chesapeake Bay’s health “without providing clarity on how to implement that order’s requirements.” According to the feds, Virginia — collectively with New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, D.C., Delaware and West Virginia — has met 100% of the goal for sediment reduction, 90% for phosphorus reduction, and 57% for nitrogen reduction.
An Alexandria man is being held without bond on charges of abduction, robbery and violating a protective order against a woman he was dating.
The suspect has been held without bond since his arrest on Monday, May 18. On the previous evening, Sunday, May 17, the victim told police the suspect physically assaulted her and stole $1,500, her iPhone and her car, according to a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit.
Employees at a local business fought off a knife-wielding robber at a restaurant near Potomac Yard on Sept. 1, and the 64-year-old suspect is being held without bond after police found him hiding under his mother’s bed.
Around 11:15 p.m., the suspect allegedly walked into the restaurant in the 3100 block of Richmond Highway holding a large hunting knife. Staff reported that he jumped on the front counter and demanded they open the register. Instead, the three employees threw things at the suspect and injured him with a large grill scraper, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
As rainfall continued Tuesday, Alexandria could see coastal flooding impacts along the Potomac River through most of the week.
The National Weather Service extended the Coastal Flood Advisory for Alexandria to 2 p.m. Thursday. The risk of coastal flooding on the Potomac River shoreline is greater during high tide. The next high tides will be 6:25 p.m. Tuesday and 6:38 a.m. Wednesday.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On September 22, 1897, African Americans in Alexandria commemorated the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, 34 years after it was issued, with a celebration at the Third Baptist Church. The featured speaker was John Mercer Langston, the first African American elected to Congress from Virginia.” [Historic Alexandria]
City Council Meets Again Tuesday — “The Alexandria City Council meets September 22, at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center (4850 Mark Center Dr.). There will be a work session with State Delegation beginning at 5:30 p.m. The legislative portion of the Council meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m., or shortly thereafter.” [City of Alexandria/Facebook]
