GoFundMe for Jaylin Theodore Hartless (Screenshot)
The sister of Jaylin Theodore Hartless says the family is struggling to process the sudden loss of the 21-year-old Alexandria man who was fatally shot Friday morning in Fairfax County’s Woodlawn area.
“Friday, 9/19, our beloved Jaylin Theodore Hartless was taken from us way before his time, at 21 years young,” Brianna Hartless wrote on a GoFundMe page established to help cover funeral expenses. “We just overcame a family battle with our sister, and now having to bury our brother is the most shocking and sad thing my family has ever faced.”
Rosenthal Landmark Honda at 5125 Duke Street (via Google Maps)
Waldorf-based Kody Imports recently filed paperwork with the city to officially change ownership of Rosenthal Landmark Honda (5125 Duke Street), a longtime car dealership in Alexandria’s West End.
Waldorf-based Kody Holdings, which owns a dozen auto dealerships in Maryland, bought the dealership near Cameron Station for an undisclosed sum, according to the change of ownership filing. City property records haven’t yet listed the sale, but the property was last assessed at $7.3 million in value by the city in January. Rosenthal Landmark Honda bought the 120,000-square-foot property for $3.85 million in 2005.
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.
Sign at the Mount Vernon Avenue entrance to the Four Mile Run Park Trail (Staff photo by Vernon Miles)
Alexandria faith leaders will gather Tuesday evening for a prayer vigil expressing solidarity with the city’s immigrant community amid what organizers describe as increased federal immigration enforcement activity in the area.
The interfaith vigil is scheduled for 6:00-7:00 p.m. at Four Mile Run Park Plaza, located at 4121 Mt. Vernon Avenue. The event is being organized by Tenants and Workers United, Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement (VOICE), and Community Lodgings.
Alexandria School Board meeting in 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
The Alexandria School Board will hold a budget planning session Thursday evening to begin crafting the fiscal 2027 spending plan amid uncertainty over potential federal funding cuts.
The meeting, scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m., will feature ACPS Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt launching the budget process with the School Board. The session will lay the groundwork for releasing her proposed 2027-2036 Capital Improvement Program budget in November, the draft Combined Funds Budget in January, and final budget adoption in June.
High school students from across the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region are invited to participate in Dialogue for Democracy at George Mason University!
Hosted by the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution, this event offers high school students an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations about democracy, civic engagement, and the importance of understanding different perspectives.
Lance Collins, vice president of the greater Washington, D.C., area. Photo by Craig Newcomb for Virginia Tech.
Lance Collins, who has led Virginia Tech’s Innovation Campus in Alexandria since 2020, has been promoted to vice president of the greater Washington, D.C., area, the university announced Wednesday.
In his expanded role, Collins will oversee Virginia Tech’s growing regional presence beyond just the Alexandria campus, taking responsibility for administration, operations, and strategic direction of all university activities in the D.C. area.
The annual used book sale at the James M. Duncan Branch library at 2701 Commonwealth Avenue in Del Ray is from Sept. 25 to 28, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Book lovers of all ages can get a chance to find some deals at two upcoming used book sales from the Alexandria libraries.
The first sale goes from Thursday, Sept. 25, to Sunday, Sept. 28, at the James M. Duncan Library (2501 Commonwealth Avenue) in Del Ray. Books will be priced at $4 for hardcovers and $2 for paperbacks, unless otherwise marked. Puzzles and games will also be on sale.
Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Fairfax County police are offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for killing a 21-year-old Alexandria man in what investigators believe was not a random act of violence, according to WJLA.
Jaylin Hartless, 21, of Alexandria, was found fatally shot in the early morning hours of Friday in the Woodlawn area of Fairfax County. Officers responded to the 3400 block of Buckman Road around 4:45 a.m. for reports of vehicle tampering and discovered Hartless on the ground beside his vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds to the upper body.
Dominion Energy Power Outage Map on Monday, Sept. 22 (Screenshot)
Multiple traffic signals in Old Town Alexandria went dark Monday morning following equipment fires that left nearly 700 Dominion Energy customers without power, according to Alexandria Police Department and utility outage maps.
The department issued a traffic alert at 8:46 a.m. warning drivers that many signals were out of service after what police initially described as a “manhole incident” at the intersection of Cameron and Fayette streets. Transportation and Environmental Services is deploying generators to restore power to the affected intersections.
