Pak Soii Izakaya and Bar is set to open in Del Ray, and will finalize its menu with a popup at their sister restaurant, Gin Ramen & Asian Tapas (500 John Carlyle Street), on Oct. 4 and 5.
“We need to get feedback from our customers,” owner Jay Chainam told ALXnow, and said that the offerings will include sushi, yakitori, highballs, and sake.
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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.
Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Tuesday, Sept. 23, the 266th day of 2025. There are 99 days left in the year.
⛈️ Today’s weather: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86°F. South wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight before 10 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65°F. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Several members of Virginia’s Democratic congressional delegation met virtually Monday morning to discuss their efforts to extend special tax credits that help people purchase health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. The credits will expire at the end of the year unless Congress renews them.
About 400,000 Virginians purchase health insurance through the state’s exchange, and some of those people qualify for Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, which were established in 2021, extended in 2022 and apply to people that earn between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level. About 100,000 Virginians are expected to lose marketplace coverage, the state exchange’s director said.
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:
Starting in January 2026, Virginia Railway Express will adjust its rail service due to the Long Bridge Project, with some trains operating from Alexandria instead of Union Station. The company is also welcoming the return of the Amtrak Step-Up Program, offering additional travel options.
The Long Bridge Project, once completed by 2030, will enable more freight and passenger rail service by separating the lines between Washington, D.C. and Virginia. The current two-track system, widely regarded as a bottleneck, has negatively impacted travel times.
Alexandria City Public Schools escalated its legal battle against the Trump administration Monday, filing a motion to intervene in Fairfax County’s appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and requesting emergency injunctive relief to halt federal funding restrictions tied to the district’s transgender student policies.
The development was first reported by Josh Gerstein, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico, who shared the 101-page court filing on social media Monday evening.
Metro train service has been restored between National Airport and King Street as of 4:08 p.m. after a “trespasser” was struck by a train outside Potomac Yard, according to Metro officials.
Service on track 1 and track 2 was shut down for approximately 30 minutes. During the disruption, Metro established shuttle bus service and offered route A1X as an alternative for travel between Braddock Road, Potomac Yard and Pentagon.
Alexandria native Kara Lawson was named head coach of the USA Basketball Women’s National Team through 2028, the organization announced Monday.
Lawson, who was born on February 14, 1981, in Alexandria, Virginia, will lead the team at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin and the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028.
Alexandria’s Clerk of Court Greg Parks will officiate “Halloweddings” on Friday, Oct. 31, in Old Town.
For the first time, Parks and his staff will perform the weddings in 18th-century costumes in the ballroom of Gadsby’s Tavern Museum (138 N. Royal Street). He wants the happy couples to dress up however they want — as Lydia Deets and Beetlejuice, Gomez and Morticia Addams, even Ken and Barbie. The ceremonies take about 20 minutes to perform, and reservations are available between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
