Alexandria City Council signaled support Tuesday night for spending $150,000 to study an alternative location for a controversial flood mitigation pump station. This move would pause current design work for several months.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins introduced the proposal during council member updates, explaining that the Waterfront Commission had recently requested staff examine 1 Prince Street as an alternative to the current Waterfront Park location.
Good Wednesday morning, Alexandria!
🌤️ Today’s weather: Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 71 degrees. Northeast wind 10 to 13 mph.Clear tonight, with a low around 52 degrees. Northeast wind around 5 mph, becoming calm in the evening.
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.
Alexandria officials are mobilizing resources to assist residents impacted by the federal government shutdown that began at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, with City Manager James Parajon announcing comprehensive support services during Tuesday night’s City Council meeting.
“We have created a federal government shutdown information resource page on our website for the City of Alexandria,” Parajon said during his manager’s update at the council meeting. The shutdown began just hours after his comments, following Congress’s failure to reach a funding agreement by the midnight deadline.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington is bracing for what could be a prolonged federal shutdown after lawmakers deadlocked and missed the deadline for funding the government.
Republicans supported a short-term measure to fund the government generally at current levels through Nov. 21, but Democrats blocked it, insisting the measure address their concerns on health care. They want to reverse the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s mega-bill passed this summer and extend tax credits that make health insurance premiums more affordable for millions of people who purchase through the marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act.
Join us for our second annual CatRad Halloween Eve! A night of ghoulish fun, spooky treats, and a wicked good time!
It's time for CatRads 2nd Annual Halloween Eve! Join us at St. Elmo's Old Town North for an evening of Halloween fun. Join us for:
By LISA MASCARO, MARY CLARE JALONICK and STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Plunged into a government shutdown, the U.S. is confronting a fresh cycle of uncertainty after President Donald Trump and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep government programs and services running by Wednesday’s deadline.
In the event of a government shutdown Wednesday, two Alexandria restaurants are offering impacted federal employees free food.
Pork Barrel BBQ (2312 Mount Vernon Avenue) and Sweet Fire Donna’s (510 John Carlyle Street) are offering a free pulled pork sandwich to federal employees who bring their IDs to the restaurant. The deal is limited to one sandwich per day per federal employee Monday through Friday. Both restaurants are owned by Bill Blackburn and “Mango” Mike Anderson of the Homegrown Restaurant Group.
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 30, 2025.
A 62-year-old Alexandria man who had been missing since Tuesday morning has been safely located, police announced Wednesday evening.
Fecre Desta was found safe, according to the Alexandria Police Department, which thanked the community and media for their assistance in the search.
There’s officially a new coffee shop in the Alexandria area.
The ribbon was cut at a new PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans franchise at 6220 N. Kings Highway, Alexandria (Fairfax County) on Saturday, Sept. 27. On hand at the event were owners Ron and Sofiya Parker, the family, Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk, and Chamber ALX CEO Joe Haggerty. The coffee shop officially opened in July.
