DCHS is conducting youth-focused mental health first-aid training on Oct. 15, 2025, at 4850 mark Center Drive (via City of Alexandria)
Alexandria is conducting an eight-hour mental health training session for adults on identifying warning signs and symptoms of mental health and substance abuse disorders, the effects of illness, and treatment options.
The free session, hosted by the city’s Department of Community and Human Services, will take place on Wednesday, October 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4850 Mark Center Drive. Registration is required. The session is open to “parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers and other caring residents,” according to DCHS.
Alexandria’s unemployment rate rose to 3.8% in August, up from 2.8% a year earlier, as the number of jobless residents increased by 35% to 3,793, according to state data released on Wednesday.
The figures from the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement show 3,793 Alexandria residents were seeking jobs in August, compared to 2,807 unemployed residents in August 2024. Total employment in the city stood at 96,898, down from 99,070 the previous year.
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
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.
Alexandria is looking for volunteers for a stream cleanup event at the Holmes Run Channel later this month.
The cleanup is being led by the Department of Transportation and Environmental Services Stormwater Management Division, and will be held on Oct. 11, from 9 to 11 a.m. behind the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library (5005 Duke Street). Volunteers are recommended to wear covered shoes, long pants, and bring their own drinking water. The city will provide them with gloves, bags, and first-aid kits.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)
By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department fired a top national security prosecutor amid criticism from a right-wing commentator over his work during the Biden administration, further roiling the prominent U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia after the ousting of other senior attorneys in recent weeks, according to people familiar with the matter.
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.
Children listen to Paralympic gold medalist Trevon Jenifer at the Dunbar Alexandria-Olympic Boys & Girls Club at 401 N. Payne Street in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)
Alexandria leaders will discuss the early childhood initiatives across the city in a first-ever series of conversations.
The Kids’ First Years (KFY) State of Early Childhood 2025 event will be held at First Baptist Church (2922 King Street) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Mayor Alyia Gaskins will kick off the free event with opening remarks, along with KFY CEO Michelle Smith Howard. The event is intended to bring together city leaders, educators, and advocates to “build a thriving early childhood system that fuels the city’s economy, strengthens the workforce and supports every family,” according to the nonprofit.
A Playa Bowls franchise has submitted paperwork to open at 1229 King Street in Old Town (via Facebook)
A Playa Bowls franchise just submitted paperwork with the city to open at 1229 King Street in Old Town.
The quick-service restaurant will sell “fruit bowls, oatmeal bowls, smoothies, and juices for takeout and pickup,” according to the special use permit (SUP) filed with the city. The chain was founded in New Jersey in 2014, and there are now more than 300 Playa Bowls locations nationwide, with the nearest one in Arlington, located at 2055 15th Street.
Dorothy Edwards is working on opening Friends of Dorothy, a neighborhood queer cafe, in Alexandria (courtesy image)
Are you a friend of Dorothy?
Since World War II, the coded question has been used to determine whether someone is queer. Now, Dorothy Edwards is using the phrase as the name for the first-ever LGBTQ+ focused cafe in Alexandria. For the last several months, Edwards has been raising money to cover six months of operating expenses at a yet-to-be-determined space, build-out of the space, and equipment. She says that once the cafe is up and running, it’s all she wants to do for the rest of her life.
The Sweetside Coffee and Creamery opened this week next to Northside 10 restaurant at 10 E. Glebe Road in Alexandria's Del Ray neighborhood. (Photo via @thesweetsideva Instagram)
The ribbon will be cut at Sweetside Café and Creamery (10 E. Glebe Road) at 10:30 a.m., and specials and giveaways will be offered at the event, according to the Del Ray Business Association (DRBA). The shop is owned by Teresa Keefer, who also owns Northside 10, which is directly next door, and Southside 815 in Old Town.
