Two Alexandria students were recently awarded $500 prizes for their submissions to the 2026 George Washington Legacy Foundation Essay Contest.
Garrett Wagman of George Washington Middle School and David De Costa of Bishop Ireton High School won the middle school and high school contests, which were open to all students in the city. This year’s 700-to-1,000-word essay contest focused on America’s 250th anniversary and Washington’s role in uniting the colonies.
Alexandria City School Board member Kelly Carmichael Booz visited Minnesota last week as part of a project to inform educators on how to respond to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity.
Booz, who is from Minneapolis, visited the Twin Cities from Feb. 9-13, in the wake of the fatal ICE shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good and the widely reported drawdown of ICE agents there. Her project, a report for the American Federation of Teachers, aims to offer “resources and trainings” for school districts and unions on what to do when ICE enters their communities, she told ALXnow.
The Alexandria City School Board approved the school division’s 2027 budget yesterday (Thursday), but challenges surrounding city funding and employee health care costs remain before the final version is adopted in June.
The bulk of the Alexandria City Public Schools’ $406.5 million combined funds budget includes the $374.5 million operating budget, as well as school nutrition funds, grants and a special projects fund. The operating budget itself is a 3.7% increase from the last budget.
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An Alexandria office building is one of several potential measles exposure sites in Northern Virginia confirmed by state health officials last night (Thursday).
People in the office building, located at 2800 Eisenhower Avenue, could have been exposed to measles between 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, according to the Virginia Department of Health. The office was reported as an exposure site in connection with two new measles cases in the region.
Join us for a delightful Sunday afternoon at the BlackRock Center for the Arts as Cruise Planners Beth & Rod present a special travel-inspired matinee featuring the beloved film Under the Tuscan Sun.
Date & Time: Sunday, May 31 | 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Meet Drako, a one-year-old pup at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria who is ready to explore the world with a new family.
Drako “would be a lovely companion on weekend road-trips and sniffy neighborhood walks,” an AWLA volunteer wrote. He’s also confident and easygoing around other dogs, and “never passed on making a new friend,” according to his pet profile.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On February 20, 1755 General Edward Braddock arrived at Hampton, Virginia to command British forces against New France in the American colonies. Less than two months later, on April 15 he met with five colonial governors at the Congress of Alexandria, held at the home of John Carlyle. Braddock had hoped to raise funding from the colonies to finance the French and Indian War, but was rebuffed in his efforts by the governors, who demanded that the United Kingdom honor its past promises of financial support. The meeting was one of the first instances of tension over taxation between the Americans colonies and Britain.” [Historic Alexandria]
Firehouse Primary Tomorrow, Online Voting Available — “The Alexandria Democratic Committee will hold an unassembled caucus, also known as a firehouse primary, [for Alexandria City Council] on Saturday, February 21, 2026, from 8:30 AM to 7:00 PM.” Voting will be available at Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library, Leonard “Chick” Armstrong Recreation Center or online, for voters who register by 5 p.m. today (Friday). [Alexandria Democratic Committee]
Good Thursday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Feb 19, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Friday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect rain mainly before 10am, accompanied by areas of fog lasting until noon, with the day’s high temperature reaching around 57°F. The east wind, blowing at 5-8 mph, will shift to southwest in the afternoon; there is a 90% chance of precipitation, potentially amounting to less than a tenth of an inch of new rain. As for Friday night, skies will be mostly clear and the low temperature will be around 40°F, with a west wind of 6-8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
Thanks for reading!
Democratic candidates for Alexandria City Council shared their views on economic development, traffic and parking, housing growth and more during a forum last night (Wednesday).
The event was hosted by Alexandria Federation of Civic Associations at Immanuel Church on the Hill ahead of Saturday’s Democratic firehouse primary. About two dozen people turned out and several more attended via Zoom to the event, which was moderated by Bill Rossello, president of the Seminary Hill Association.
ALXnow has a new sister site for local news across the D.C. area.
Meet WSHnow, a local news hub spotlighting the latest headlines published by hard-working, dedicated newsrooms and reporters across the region.
