Two major road construction projects will begin early next week, affecting traffic on Duke Street and the Mt. Vernon Avenue Bridge, city officials announced Friday.
Nighttime milling and paving work on Duke Street between Roth Street and Wheeler Avenue is scheduled to begin Sunday, weather permitting. The roadwork will occur Sunday through Thursday from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to minimize traffic impacts. No work is planned Sunday, Aug. 31, and Monday, Sept. 2, due to the Labor Day holiday.
Health officials issued a rabies alert Friday after a fox in Alexandria’s Del Ray/Rosemont neighborhood tested positive for the virus following contact with a domestic cat.
The Alexandria Health Department said the fox encountered the cat on Monday near a home in the area. The fox died, and officials are working with the cat’s owner on safety measures.
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.
It’s been an intense week in Alexandria. Here’s a look at our top stories.
Our most-read story is on a woman found dead outside her apartment during an eviction process on Wednesday, Aug. 19. The Alexandria Sheriff’s Office reported on social media that deputies were conducting an eviction at an apartment at 400 Madison Street at around 9 a.m., when they found the adult woman dead outside the building. The woman’s identity and the circumstances surrounding her death have not been released.
The city of Alexandria has not received a federal letter that transportation officials say could be used to pressure jurisdictions to remove rainbow crosswalks, a city spokesman said Friday.
Acting Communications Director Justin Thompson told ALXnow that Alexandria has not received the July 1 letter from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launching a nationwide roadway safety initiative.
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:
A social media influencer and food enthusiast recently visited a West End eatery, and the video has garnered over 16,000 views.
In July, Clive Ibuzugbe (known as Big Groove) visited Zaytoun Halal Grill at 5418 Duke Street in Alexandria’s West End and posted a video of himself receiving a large order of fried chicken, dancing, and then combining the chicken breast with a double-decker cheeseburger. Ibuzugbe then leans back and shouts, “Shark bite!” and takes a large bite. See the video below.
How much is Grandma’s old brooch worth? You can find out next month, as antique appraisals are coming to Del Ray.
On Thursday, Sept. 4, experts in American furniture, rare books, autographs, and clothing will be on hand from 6 to 8 p.m. in the parking lot of Del Ray Psych and Wellness (1900 Mount Vernon Avenue).
The owner of the former Vulcan Materials property near the Van Dorn Metro station is looking to sell, as a new hotel, retail, hundreds of new homes, and a park are being built on the site.
Last year, the city approved a plan to redevelop the site into an 11-story, 256-room hotel with 4,500 square feet of retail space, 323 new townhomes and condos, and a 4.4-acre park. The development promised to be “the most vibrant, new residential development that this area has seen in several years,” according to marketing materials released by Maryland-based Cohn Property Group (CPG) and first reported by the Washington Business Journal.
The U.S. Army has partnered with Alexandria to establish a Community Prevention Leadership Academy aimed at strengthening the military’s efforts to combat suicide and other harmful behaviors among service members, the Army announced Wednesday.
The Directorate of Prevention, Resilience and Readiness and Alexandria signed an Intergovernmental Support Agreement this week to create the academy, which will provide professional development to Prevention Integrators who assist with the Army’s Ready and Resilient Council governance process.
The Alexandria History Museum at The Lyceum will host two standout performances this fall as part of its ongoing Traditional Music Series, bringing world-class folk artists to the historic stage once known as “Lyceum Hall.”
Canadian Folk Music Award winners Jocelyn Pettit & Ellen Gira will kick off the fall lineup on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The dynamic fiddle and cello duo earned the 2024 Traditional Album of the Year award and are known for fusing traditional and contemporary styles into soulful performances. Their shows weave together lively tunes and step-dancing with music from Scotland, Ireland, North America and Scandinavia.
