News

Data Center Tax Exemption Debate Continues for State Budget — “As lawmakers work behind closed doors to finalize the state’s $212 billion budget before the next fiscal year begins in July, negotiations hinge on whether the data center industry’s sales and use tax exemption should end, or continue with new requirements.” [Virginia Mercury]

AG Jay Jones on Supreme Court Voting Rights Decision — “I want to assure Virginians that my office will always fight to defend not only the right to vote but also equal representation under the law, and any efforts to illegally disenfranchise or impede access to the ballot box will be met with swift and aggressive legal action.” [Office of Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones]


News

Good Wednesday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Apr 29, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. Three arrested after teen stabbed in Alexandria’s West End (3180 views)
  2. Old Town’s Il Porto to celebrate rebrand with ‘Renaissance’ dinner tomorrow (2677 views)
  3. City manager proposes $135M financing deal to develop former Old Town North power plant (1531 views)
  4. Del Ray’s First Thursday dates reduced as citizens association takes over event (1308 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Thursday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

It will be mostly sunny with a high near 67°F and a northwest wind blowing at about 15 mph, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 44°F and a lighter northwest wind at 7 to 10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Success is not an accident, success is a choice.”
– Stephen Curry

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!


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News

Alexandria City Public Schools is asking the city for permission to use a temporary parking lot in Potomac Yard — once part of the former arena proposal — for school buses this summer.

ACPS filed a special use permit application with the city asking to temporarily use a 45,000-square-foot lot for three months at 3331 Exchange Avenue in the Potomac Yard neighborhood. The property was pitched in 2023 as a new $2 billion home for the Washington Wizards and Capitals before losing support in Alexandria and fizzling out with lawmakers in Richmond.


News

On Tuesday, City Manager Jim Parajon unveiled a plan to catalyze a two-phase development of the former Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town North with a $135 million city investment.

The $135 million, 30-year tax increment financing agreement would be funded by projected future tax revenues at the 19-acre mixed-use site through the creation of a Community Development Agency. Under the proposal outlined to City Council, Parajon said the $135 million investment would spark more than $2 billion in private sector investment and generate more than $770 million in tax revenues.


Around Town

A longtime Italian restaurant in Old Town is celebrating its rebranding with a special dinner tomorrow night (Thursday).

Il Porto Ristorante is working on “refreshing the brand” at 121 King Street, with plans for a new logo, revised website and updated menus “to reflect a more modern look while staying true to what Il Porto has always been,” a spokesperson told ALXnow.


News

The Pride of Baltimore II will be sailing into Alexandria Thursday for several days of tours and sails.

The Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, a drawbridge on the Capital Beltway (I-495), will open at midnight Thursday (April 30) to allow the ship to pass. Drivers should expect delays during the drawbridge opening and follow signs displayed on the bridge, according to the city government.


News

Two teenagers and an adult were arrested and charged with malicious wounding after an alleged attempted robbery that left a teenager with non-life-threatening stab wounds in Alexandria’s West End.

The victim reported the incident to police at around 3:20 p.m. Thursday, April 23 in the 2100 block of N. Early Street, which is near the intersection with W. Braddock Road. The victim told police he was approached by four Hispanic males, and that one of them — wearing a black ski mask and holding a knife — stabbed him in the face, according to Alexandria Police Department dispatches.


News

The D.C. region’s federal workforce has reached its lowest level since 1990 under cuts pursued by the Trump administration, according to a new economic analysis from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

The D.C. metropolitan area lost 62,100 federal jobs between January 2025 and January 2026, putting the region’s federal workforce — approximately 313,700 — at its lowest level since 1990, according to the COG report.


Around Town

This will be the first year the Del Ray Business Association is not hosting First Thursday block parties since it founded the event nearly 30 years ago.

Del Ray’s First Thursdays have been turned over to the Del Ray Citizens Association, which runs other neighborhood events such as last weekend’s Del Ray GardenFest and the upcoming Del Ray House and Garden Tour on Saturday, May 9.