DASH has submitted plans to the city to build a new electric bus charging station at a city impound lot next to the transit company’s headquarters at 3000 Business Center Drive.
The open canopy structure is part of DASH’s goal to have a fully electric bus fleet by 2035. The garage would allow for parking, maintenance, and storage for 24 electric buses, according to the special use permit filed with the city. The Planning Commission will review the submission at its meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4.
The Old Town North Alliance will transform the sidewalks and parking lots of Alexandria’s Arts & Cultural District into outdoor canvases during the second annual Chalk-A-Block festival on Sunday, Sept. 7.
The free, family-friendly event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature chalk artists creating temporary masterpieces throughout Old Town North. Attendees can follow Old Town North Tern footprints from site to site across eight locations, including Hotel AKA, West Elm, and the Sheraton Suites.
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, Aug. 5, the 217th day of 2025. There are 148 days left in the year.
🌥️ Today’s weather: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82 degrees. Calm wind becoming southeast around five mph in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy tonight, with a low around 68 degrees. Light east wind.
Fans of Van Leeuwen Ice Cream won’t have to travel to Arlington anymore to get their fix. The company recently filed an administrative special use permit (DSUP) application with the city to open a location in Old Town.
The New York City ice cream shop wants to open at 400 King Street, next door to the Alexandrian Old Town Hotel and Southern restaurant King & Rye. Proposed hours would be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, and the business expects between 150 and 250 daily customers, according to the SUP. The last day for public comments on the proposal is Aug. 21.
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.
There’s good news for Old Town coffee enthusiasts, as a new coffee shop and wine bar is asking the city for expanded hours and extra outdoor seating.
LaPluma Coffee & Wine Bar opened in May at 1000 Cameron Street in Old Town, and now its owners are asking the city to expand their operating hours only on Sundays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. and add 12 more seats and two tables to the outdoor patio, for a total of 40 seats.
The Alexandria Police Department has temporarily shut down the northbound right lane of Richmond Highway at the Monroe Avenue Bridge after a crash between a vehicle and a tractor-trailer.
No emergency crews were on-scene and the vehicles are pulled over on the side of the road. The crash was reported at around 12:30 p.m., and the roadway was still partially shut down as of 1 p.m.
An Alexandria man charged with felony animal abuse was granted bail on July 24 (Thursday), despite objections from the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Kevin Malik Sanders was granted a $10,000 bail on personal recognizance and goes to court for a three-day jury trial starting Feb. 2, 2026, according to the Alexandria Clerk of Court. The 29-year-old was arrested on July 21, 2025, after the death of a three-year-old Golden Retriever named Abigail at Your Dog’s Best Friends (2000 Richmond Highway) on July 12, 2024. He was charged with four Class 1 misdemeanors and one count of felony animal abuse. The Commonwealth’s Attorney released allegations of abuse in an effort to keep him behind bars (see below).
Sometimes getting all wet can be exactly what you need.
On Friday (Aug. 29), Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Activities is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Minnie Howard Aquatics Facility. The family friendly event will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and includes free activities, live music and giveaways.
No injuries were reported in a commercial building fire in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County on Friday morning (Aug. 1).
The Alexandria Fire Department assisted the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department extinguish the blaze in a small building, which was reported at around 6 a.m.
