News

ALXnow Daily Debrief for Oct 20, 2025

By ALXnow.com

Good Monday 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 — Oct 20, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.

☀️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect sunny skies and a high of 71 degrees, accompanied by a south wind ranging from 5 to 11 mph and gusts reaching 22 mph. Tonight, there is a 40% chance of showers before 2 am; however, the mostly cloudy skies will gradually clear with a low of around 49 degrees. The west wind will be around 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!

News

Del Ray, Old Town indecent exposure suspect to face jury trial in January

By James Cullum
Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

More details have been released on the alleged arrest of a Washington, D.C. man facing multiple charges of simulated masturbation and indecent exposure in Del Ray and Old Town.

Marc Christopher Westbrooks, 40, has been held without bond since his August arrest on four misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and six counts of simulated masturbation with the intent to be seen. He’s being represented by the public defender and goes to court for a jury trial starting on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. More on the incidents from a recently unsealed search warrant affidavit are below.

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Sponsored

USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation honors local leaders at Tennis Creates Gala

By Sponsor
Image from USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation honors local leaders at Tennis Creates Gala
Malika Andrews, 2026 Tennis Creates Gala Host
Gabrielle Berg, Northern Virginia Tennis for Fun Chapter Founder, 2026 Youth Leader of the Year Awardee
Khoi Truong, Lake Braddock Boys Tennis Coach, 2026 Coach of the Year Awardee
Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (ret.), 2026 Tennis Creates Impact Honoree
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Game, set, Gala! On Saturday, Nov. 14, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s annual Tennis Creates Gala, presented by QTS, comes to The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, celebrating the transformative power of tennis.

The evening raises critical funds to make the sport accessible to all across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and eastern/southern West Virginia.

Every dollar goes back into local communities through programs like Girls Rule the Court™, which has served more than 2,000 girls, along with Junior Player Scholarships and Tennis in Schools. Gala funds also help restore public courts. Over the last three years, the Foundation has invested $505,000 across 17 public facilities.

Emceeing the evening is Emmy Award-winning ESPN journalist Malika Andrews, host of NBA Today and NBA Countdown, who joined ESPN’s tennis coverage this year for the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Andrews has pointed to the electric moment American tennis is having, with stars like the DMV’s own Frances Tiafoe reaching the 2026 US Open men’s semifinals, and says she’s grateful for the chance to support the sport at the local level.

Joining the celebration is new USTA CEO Craig Tiley, who took the helm of the national governing body in July after over 20 years at Tennis Australia. As he leads the USTA toward its goal of 35 million players by 2035, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation drives the grassroots work to grow the sport right here in the region.

The Foundation will present its Tennis Creates Impact Award to Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (ret.), 63rd Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, recognizing his leadership in fostering character, community, and well-being through tennis.

The heart of the night is the 2026 Tennis Creates Awards, honoring local changemakers. Alexandria’s Leigh Ann Jackson receives the Adult Leader Award for coaching Girls Rule the Court at Groveton Elementary, where she has served 130 students over five seasons and championed the program’s expansion to Hybla Valley.

Arlington’s Gabrielle Berg earns the Youth Leader Award for founding a Northern Virginia chapter of Tennis For Fun, which runs free year-round clinics for people with special needs in partnership with the Arlington YMCA. Burke’s Khoi Truong, head coach at Lake Braddock Secondary School, is the 2026 Coach of the Year.

They’ll be joined by fellow honorees Dr. Ellen Markowitz (Community Champion), James Skinner (Provider Champion), and Janelle Nichols (Tennis in the Classroom Awardee).

Tickets and tables are now available. Can’t make it? Make a gift to USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation or bid in the silent auction to help put a racquet in the hands of the next generation of players.

The Tennis Creates Gala takes place Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA 22102.

For more information, visit TennisCreatesGala.com.

News

Gaskins joins new pro-housing caucus at rally of nearly 1,000

By Ryan Belmore
Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins speaks at the VOICE Homes for All Assembly on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, at Floris United Methodist Church in Herndon. Nearly 1,000 people attended the rally launching a statewide pro-housing movement. (Courtesy VOICE)

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins joined hundreds of people Sunday at a major rally in Herndon launching a statewide push for affordable housing legislation, part of a growing coalition effort that drew nearly 1,000 participants.

Gaskins was among several Alexandria officials at the assembly organized by VOICE (Virginians Organized for Interfaith and Community Engagement) and the Commonwealth Housing Coalition. Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley also attended.

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News

Alexandria City High School faces Robinson at Friday’s homecoming game

By James Cullum
The home crowd at an ACHS Titans varsity football game, Sept. 19, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

One of the biggest games of the Alexandria City High School varsity football season is around the corner.

The 5-2 Titans will host the 2-5 James W. Robinson Secondary School Rams this Friday (Oct. 24) at the ACHS homecoming game. General admission tickets cost $8 and $6 for ACHS students.

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Event

11th Annual Walk to Bust Cancer

Promotional banner for Walk to Bust Cancer with smiling diverse women walking; includes date and location details at the bottom left and a pink theme.

Event location

Fort Hunt Park

8999 Fort Hunt Rd

Alexandria, Virginia 22308

Add to Calendar

Join Breast Cancer Collective for the 2026 Walk to Bust Cancer on Sunday, October 18, at Fort Hunt Park in Alexandria.
Walk alongside survivors, caregivers, friends, families, and neighbors for an uplifting community event supporting access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV.
Walk to Bust Cancer brings our community together to turn hope into action and help expand access to timely breast health care. Register to walk, gather your team, and join us at Fort Hunt Park.

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News

Mount Vernon Community School to be recognized for sudden cardiac arrest emergency plan

By James Cullum
Mount Vernon Community School at 2601 Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray (via Google Maps)

Mount Vernon Community School will be recognized this week for being one of the first jurisdictions in Northern Virginia to implement a sudden cardiac arrest emergency plan.

On Wednesday, a banner will be unfurled at MVCS recognizing it as a Project ADAM (Automated Defibrillation in Adam’s Memory) Heart Safe School. Starting on July 1, all elementary and secondary schools in Virginia must have emergency cardiac response plans, per legislation from the general assembly. Eventually all ACPS elementary and secondary schools will have the designation, will have training and equipment at the ready in the event of a sudden cardiac emergency.

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News

Spanberger to make Alexandria stop on 11-day statewide bus tour

By Ryan Belmore
Spanberger announced 11-day "Virginia Votes Blue Bus Tour" (via Abigail Spanberger for Virginia Governor)

Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger will bring her “Virginia Votes Bus Tour” to Alexandria on Thursday, Oct. 30, as part of an 11-day, 40-plus-stop campaign swing across Virginia ahead of Election Day.

The Democratic gubernatorial candidate announced the tour Monday, saying she will visit all 11 of Virginia’s congressional districts between Oct. 25 and Election Day on Nov. 4.

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News

Free Halloween Lyft rides offered in Alexandria to prevent drunk driving

By Ryan Belmore
Lyft. Credit: Lyft

Alexandria residents will have access to free rides during Halloween weekend as part of a regional effort to combat drunk driving during a holiday when more than one-third of U.S. traffic deaths involve impaired drivers.

The Washington Regional Alcohol Program announced Monday that its 2025 Halloween SoberRide program will operate from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. on both Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, throughout the Washington metropolitan area, including Alexandria.

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News

Police find no explosives after bomb threat at Alexandria City High School

By Ryan Belmore
Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria police found no explosive devices after conducting a thorough search of Alexandria City High School following a bomb threat Monday morning, according to the department.

The threat was reported while the school was already closed to students in observance of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Staff members who were present at the building were sent home as a precautionary measure, police said.

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Around Town

Alexandria library program connects local students with Seoul peers

By Ryan Belmore
International partnership with South Korea for a new Library program (Credit: Alexandria Library)

The Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library is launching a four-week cultural exchange program that will culminate in a virtual meeting between Alexandria students and their counterparts in Seoul, South Korea.

“Stories without Borders: Hello, Seoul!” begins Monday at 6 p.m. at the library’s Story Room and runs through Nov. 10. The program, designed for students in grades 3-5, features weekly sessions exploring Korean culture through stories, crafts, and games.

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