The ribbon cutting for the RiverRenew Plaza at 501 N. Union Street will be held on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 (via AlexRenew)
AlexRenew will cut the ribbon on the new promenade at RiverRenew Plaza on Oct. 18 at Pendleton and N. Union Streets in Old Town.
The new plaza at 501 N. Union Street sits atop AlexRenew’s RiverRenew project, which will divert millions of gallons of raw sewage from the Potomac River via a 2.2-mile-long underground tunnel that’s been under construction for four years. Speakers at the ribbon-cutting ceremony include Mayor Alyia Gaskins, AlexRenew Board Chair John Hill, AlexRenew CEO Justin Carl, and Waterfront Commission Chair Louise Roseman.
Gustave Boulangerie and Brasserie at 2213 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (via Facebook)
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a report that an employee at a popular Del Ray bistro recorded customers using the bathroom on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Karim Mashmour, the owner of Gustave Boulangerie & Brasserie (2213 Mount Vernon Avenue), states that the employee has been suspended pending the outcome of the APD’s investigation, while police indicate that it is an ongoing investigation and that no charges have been filed.
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.
Pets at Paws in the Park (photo by Martyn Griffen/Animal Welfare League of Alexandria)
Alexandria’s beloved fall festival celebrating animals returns to Oronoco Bay Park on Sunday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering pet adoptions, live music, shopping, and family entertainment — all free to attend.
Paws in the Park, which benefits the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, will feature local artisans, nonprofits, and animal-focused businesses, along with food and beverage vendors including local cideries, breweries, wineries, bakeries, and food trucks.
Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)
An Alexandria woman lost nearly $7,600 in a phone scam last month, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
On August 12, the victim received a phone call from multiple suspects claiming to be representatives of Wells Fargo, stating that the victim’s account information had been leaked. The victim was told she needed to transfer her money to a different account, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Shifting Waters Leadership Institute (SWLI) is bringing a new kind of leadership experience to Old Town Alexandria and DMV area this fall. On November 19 and 20, 2026, the organization will host its inaugural November Leadership Incubator Weekend at COWO & Crèche, a two-day, application-based program built for leaders who are ready to do more than perform their roles well. They are ready to be formed.
The incubator is led by Grace Adofoli, Founder and CEO of SWLI, a leadership development practitioner, executive coach, and 2026 Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 honoree who has worked across leaders in more than thirty countries over the past decade. Her background spans global public health, disaster relief, and community development, including field work in the Philippines, Ethiopia, and Cambodia, alongside service with AmeriCorps and in underserved communities across the United States. She holds an ACC credential through the International Coaching Federation and degrees in public health and social work from the University of Michigan.
Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)
Alexandria City High School’s King Street campus was placed on “secure the building” status and the ACHS Minnie Howard Campus was placed on “hold” status briefly this afternoon after an anonymous report was issued that someone was outside of the school with a gun, according to a letter sent to parents.
“Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) Safety and Security staff and the Alexandria Police Department (APD) investigated the anonymous external threat reported to the ACPS Anonymous Reporting System that someone was outside of the school with a gun,” ACHS Interim Executive Principal Lance Harrell wrote. “It was determined by APD this was an unsubstantiated threat.”
ALIVE! representatives join festival organizers to accept a $15,000 donation from the Old Town Festival of Speed & Style at Market Square on Friday. (Courtesy Photo)
Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)
An 18-year-old Alexandria man has been arrested in connection with an assault by a mob and robbery in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
Multiple people assaulted the male victim as he walked in the parking lot of the Food Star International (206 W. Glebe Road). He reported to police that a gray Honda Accord pulled up and that the suspects got out of the car, assaulted him, and stole his shoes, wallet, cash, backpack, and phone, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
Suspected fare evaders captured chasing a man, who tried to elude them by jumping onto the tracks of the Potomac Yard Metro station before being struck by a train (via MTPD)
The man who was struck by a train at the Potomac Yard Metro station on Sept. 22 succumbed to his injuries that evening at George Washington University Hospital, according to the Alexandria Police Department.
Metro Transit Police said at the time that the man trespassed onto the tracks, and an investigation has found that he was being chased by two alleged fare evaders, a 17-year-old female and an 18-year-old female, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.
George Washington Middle School (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Alexandria City Council and School Board members agreed Monday during a joint work session to update the city’s long-range school facilities plan as middle schools operate at more than 120% capacity and some elementary buildings approach 90 years old.
The decision to revise the decade-old planning document comes as officials confront both immediate overcrowding and long-term infrastructure decay that officials say redistricting alone cannot solve.
