During a critical June membership drive, ALXnow is aiming to reach 200 total members in its new Press Club by the end of the month to sustain its recent expansion of in-depth local news coverage. ALXnow is seeking the community’s help to bridge a gap created by a challenging economic climate and a decline in advertising revenue.
Over the past three months, our team has produced more than 730 stories—the vast majority of which are original, in-depth reports you won’t find anywhere else. We are digging deep into city government and budgets, providing regular updates on Alexandria City Public Schools, and diligently covering key beats such as criminal justice and local business. By attending nearly every notable local meeting and reporting on daily events, we ensure you stay connected to what’s happening across Alexandria.
'I voted' stickers on Election Day in Alexandria, Nov. 5, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Good Tuesday morning, Alexandria!
⛈️ Today’s weather: A chance of rain before noon, then a slight chance of showers between noon and 2 p.m., then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Patchy fog between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 82 degrees. Light and variable wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the morning. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Hazardous Weather Outlook
Among the movers serving Alexandria, VA, 495 Movers stands out for a simple reason: its local hourly rate includes packing materials, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and protection for floors, walls, and elevators. The company has been in business since 2009 and has completed more than 20,000 moves, a number that keeps climbing.
Anyone who has hired movers in the DC area knows the familiar pattern. A low hourly rate wins the call. Then the invoice arrives with a charge for boxes, a charge for taking the bed apart, a fee for the stairs, and another for the elevator. By the end, the number on the bill has little to do with the number in the ad. 495 Movers was built to avoid that.
495 Movers at a glance
In business since: 2009 (17 years)
Moves completed: more than 20,000, local and long-distance
Licensed in: Virginia
Serves: Alexandria and the rest of the DMV
Local hourly rate includes: packing materials, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and home protection on every move
No separate fees for: stairs or elevators
Also offers: junk removal, custom crating, and self-storage
Reputation: 4.7 stars across nearly 1,000 Google reviews
Who is 495 Movers?
495 Movers is a full-service moving company serving Alexandria and the rest of the DMV, founded in 2009 by people who had worked as movers for several other companies first. They wanted to do it differently.
“We wanted to take a different approach, offering a simple, honest, and transparent approach for the customer,” said Moti Kachlon, co-owner at 495 Movers. For local moves, that meant building the most common extras into the hourly rate. Seventeen years and more than 20,000 moves later, the company is still growing.
What makes moving in Alexandria different?
Alexandria is a hard place to move. A truck on an Old Town block gets watched by neighbors, property managers, and a family wondering whether the sofa will make the turn on a staircase built long before sofas got this big.
Old Town’s rowhouses have narrow staircases and tight turns, which is why large furniture often has to come apart to get out. Del Ray’s bungalows and rowhouses have basements that hold more than anyone remembers. And condo and apartment buildings in Carlyle, Potomac Yard, and the West End often require movers to carry a certificate of insurance and book the elevator, with building managers who care a great deal about scuffed hallways. The street adds its own complications, from cobblestones to limited curb space.
That’s the context for how 495 Movers prices its work.
What does 495 Movers include in its hourly rate?
For local moves, the rate covers four things that many movers bill separately:
Packing materials. Boxes, tape, paper, and wrap are provided at no additional cost, whether a move needs a few or a few hundred.
Furniture disassembly and reassembly. Beds, tables, desks, sectionals, and wardrobes are taken apart, moved, and put back together at the new home. In an Old Town rowhouse, that’s often the only way a dresser gets down the stairs.
Flooding in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)
A flood watch will be in effect for Alexandria and nearby areas from 11 a.m. through 10 p.m. on Tuesday (June 17). The National Weather Service warns that heavy rainfall could lead to flooding in parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, including Northern Virginia.
Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening, with some storms bringing intense downpours. Alexandria could see 1 to 2 inches of rain in just an hour or two, and some areas might get up to 5 inches if storms linger.
FILE - Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, left, gestures as Richmond interim Police Chief Rick Edwards listens during a news conference in Richmond, Va, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Democrats are set on Tuesday to pick their nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, rounding out the statewide ticket and setting the stage for a bellwether election later this year.
Most of the nominees slated to be at the top of the November ticket have already been picked, and Republicans aren’t even having a statewide primary.
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.
Skin of a patient after three days with measles rash (via CDC)
The Alexandria Health Department (AHD) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) are warning residents about potential exposures to measles in Northern Virginia.
According to AHD, VDH has been notified of a confirmed case of measles in an individual. Health officials are coordinating an effort to identify people who might have been exposed.
Eugene Simpson Stadium Park - Illustrative Rendering
Alexandria is set to break ground on improvements to Eugene Simpson Stadium Park.
Construction will result in a phased reopening of the park, with a full reopening scheduled for August 2026. The groundbreaking will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 21, according to the city.
A paper calendar (Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash)
Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) made changes to its 2025-26 school calendars, adding more instructional days and improving flexibility for weather-related closures.
The Alexandria City School Board approved updates to both the traditional and Tucker/Modified calendars during its School Board meeting on Thursday (June 12).
There’s only three community cookouts left this summer in Alexandria, and the next one is around the corner.
With free food, games and more, the annual series of cookouts started in late April with the intention of connecting residents to their city government and leaders. The next cookout is Wednesday, June 18, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Patrick Henry Recreation Center (5653 Taney Avenue).
