Through their investigation, detectives were able to obtain a picture of the Mercedes involved in the initial crash. (Credit: Fairfax County Police Department)
An Alexandria woman died Tuesday night after being struck by a hit-and-run driver and then by a responding police officer in Hybla Valley, the Fairfax County Police Department announced.
Trina Jones, 62, of Alexandria, was crossing Richmond Highway at Belford Drive, just outside the Mount Vernon Crossroads shopping center, when a southbound driver hit her around 8:39 p.m., according to a police news release. One of the officers responding to the scene then struck Jones while driving a marked police cruiser, the Fairfax County Police Department said.
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.
Following Tuesday’s story about DASH hiring policies not prohibiting sex offenders, the transit agency has placed two employees on the Virginia State Police registry on administrative leave to “assess the rigor of our recruitment standards and ensure we meet the highest standards in providing safe, fair, and accessible transit to our community.”
ALXnow looked into DASH’s hiring practices after the Alexandria School Board discussed safety concerns about a proposal to transport Alexandria City High School students on DASH buses starting next school year.
The Garden at 1503 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (staff photo by James Cullum)
The Alexandria General District Court held a preliminary hearing on Wednesday on the eviction lawsuit against the owners of a popular Beer Garden in Del Ray.
In late August, Jeremy Barber and Justus Frank, the owners of The Garden (1503 Mount Vernon Avenue) filed a lawsuit in the Alexandria Circuit Court against their landlord, who listed the property available for rent on Sept. 1. The landlord, Twenty-Third Street Corridor LLC, then filed an eviction lawsuit in General District Court. Barber and Frank want both cases heard simultaneously and contend that their case was filed before their landlord. The pair is trying to get their landlord’s case dismissed, and all parties will go back to General District Court on Friday, Oct. 10, Barber told ALXnow.
Drinks at Aslin in Alexandria (photo via Aslin Beer Company - Alexandria/Facebook)
Alexandria-based Aslin Beer Co. announced on Monday that it is merging with New York City’s Torch & Crown Brewing Company to form Driven Collective, a move that positions the 10-year-old local brewery as the production hub for an expanded East Coast operation.
The merger comes as the craft beer industry faces widespread closures and consolidation, with Aslin and Torch taking what they call a “contrarian approach” focused on controlled growth and vertical integration, according to Brewbound and DCBeer.com.
ACHS Interim Principal Lance Harrell speaks at Alexandria City High School's 25th anniversary celebration of the film Remember The Titans, Sept. 19, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Lance Harrell has a big job, overseeing Alexandria City High School, the largest high school in Virginia.
Harrell says he’s working 10- to 16-hour days, with the longest days being Fridays, when there are football games. “I think the biggest change is just the added hours that I’ve been working,” Harrell told ALXnow in an interview on Wednesday.
City of Alexandria (Photo credit Hover Solutions for Visit Alexandria)
Alexandria is among the Virginia suburbs experiencing the biggest increases in unemployment since the Trump administration began dramatic federal downsizing in January, according to a Brookings Institution report released Wednesday.
The report, “Early warning signs for the DC region’s economy amid federal downsizing,” identifies Alexandria alongside Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Loudoun County as jurisdictions where unemployment has risen most sharply. The pattern reflects that while higher concentrations of federal jobs are located in Washington, D.C., the vast majority of the region’s federal workers live in Virginia and Maryland suburbs, according to the researchers.
School Zone Speed Camera Program to Expand in 2025-26 School Year (Credit: City of Alexandria)
Alexandria will add three new school zone speed camera locations this fall, bringing the total number of monitored zones to six as the city works toward its Vision Zero goal of eliminating fatal and severe crashes by 2028.
The new cameras were installed at Alexandria City High School’s King Street campus on King Street between Quaker Lane and Scroggins Road, the school’s Minnie Howard campus on Braddock Road between Marlee Way and Marlboro Drive, and William Ramsay Elementary School on North Beauregard Street between North Morgan Street and Roanoke Avenue.
