Alexandria City Public Schools will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the beloved football film “Remember the Titans” with a special celebration at Alexandria City High School on Sept. 19.
The ticketed evening event promises “special guests, fun surprises, and a whole lot of Titan pride,” according to a school district announcement. Activities will include a student pep rally, Titan tailgate, and a tribute to the 1971 Titans team that inspired the Disney film.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins hosted her third annual back-to-school salon event on Tuesday, Aug. 12, providing free professional hairstyling, backpacks, and food to girls living in Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties across the city.
The event, held at Iye’s Beauty Salon, located at 4600 Duke Street, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., served between 15 and 20 girls, ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade, as well as one young man.
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.
Alexandria is seeking feedback on its 15-year plan to address affordable housing issues. Once approved, the Housing 2040 Master Plan will provide City Council and staff with clear goals, strategies, and direction on the city’s housing plans. The city is hosting an open house this Monday (Sept. 8) to get feedback on Housing 2040 draft recommendations for landlord-tenant rights and resources, and homeownership programs in the city. The event will be held at the Minnie Howard Campus of Alexandria City High School (3775 W. Braddock Road) from 6 to 7 p.m., and registration is encouraged.
The current master plan is set to expire in 2025. The new plan will require a 2024 housing needs assessment from the city, and input from residents to “establish new housing affordability goals and examine housing policies, programs, and tools to support all Alexandria residents and workers,” according to the city.
A 35-year-old Dumfries man faces multiple charges related to a shooting last month at Ben Brenman Park (4800 Brenman Park Drive) in Alexandria’s West End.
The July 10 shooting was the result of an argument in a TikTok livestream between Aria and the male victim, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit. Samir Ahmad Aria was charged with reckless handling of a firearm, shooting in a public place without injury, and pointing/brandishing a firearm — all Class 1 misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $2,500 fine.
Event location
Woodson High School
9525 Main Street
Fairfax, Virginia 22031
Northern Virginia Fairfax Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS) cordially invites you to attend and support our upcoming World Day of Remembrance (WDoR) for Road Traffic Victims.
World Day of Remembrance is an annual event where we honor those whose lives were prematurely ended after being struck by a person driving. This year is particularly painful and sad as we think about the recent death of a 13-year-old Frost middle school student who was struck and killed by a person driving a truck on Pickett Road. We will also honor the nearly 30 other people (as of today’s date) who have been killed on Northern Virginia streets while, walking, biking, or rolling since last year’s day of remembrance.
A man being held without bond in the Alexandria jail faces robbery charges for allegedly walking into convenience stores in Alexandria and Fairfax County with a hammer or tire iron and stealing cigarettes from behind the counters.
Anthony Nyreki Edwards, of no fixed address, goes to court Friday, Aug. 15 on two counts of felony robbery with a weapon. He was arrested on April 30 and has been linked to numerous incidents, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit:
Construction crews will install a tower crane on Monday, Aug. 18, at The Heritage at Old Town redevelopment project, marking another significant milestone in the multiphase apartment complex that broke ground in June.
Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners announced the crane installation will take place Aug. 18 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with extended hours possible under permit if needed. The work will affect parking and traffic along the 500-534 block of South Alfred Street.
Good Tuesday, Alexandria! 👋 Today is Tuesday, Aug. 12, the 224th day of 2025. There are 141 days left in the year.
🌤️ Today’s weather: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 90 degrees. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 30%.
Four women arrested and charged with shoplifting in Maryland have been linked to the theft of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from a Lululemon store in Old Town.
On Feb. 19, the Gaithersburg Police Department arrested Precious Spivey, 18, Mone Herndon, 27, Shawn Stewart, 27, and Tanaysia Stewart, 18, all of Washington, D.C., for stealing more than $10,000 in merchandise from Bath & Body Works in Germantown and a LensCrafters and Lululemon store in Gaithersburg. The department said the group was engaged in an “organized retail theft ring.”
Alexandria’s congressional delegation joined a chorus of regional lawmakers Monday condemning President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize Washington D.C.’s police department and deploy National Guard troops, with U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine calling the move a “waste of taxpayer dollars” designed to distract from other issues.
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who represents Alexandria, joined eight other members of the National Capital Region delegation in a statement released hours after Trump’s announcement that he would temporarily take control of the Metropolitan Police Department through Attorney General Pam Bondi.
