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 — Jul 29, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. Two men sentenced to combined 56 years in prison for rape and robbery at Alexandria hotel (1305 views)
  2. UPDATED: No injuries after Tuesday night house fire in Fairlington near city border (833 views)
  3. Upgrades underway for permanent 200 block of King Street pedestrian zone (788 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 86°F and a northwest wind at 11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. Thursday night will be partly cloudy with a low around 69°F and a lighter northwest wind between 3 and 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”
– Dalai Lama

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!


News

After announcing its impending closure last month, The Dog Store on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray has had its lease extended to January.

Owner Paul Haire confirmed to ALXnow that Ray Mahmood, the new owner of 2301 Mount Vernon Avenue, extended the pet shop’s lease to Jan. 6, 2027. Even though his rent is going up significantly, Haire credited former Mayor Bill Euille and locals Gayle Reuter and Bill Blackburn with convincing Mahmood to extend the lease.


Sponsored

Hi Alexandria,

My name is Drew, and I wanted to take a moment to tell you about what I’ve been working on as I try to make my way in the world.

This past year, I took a leap that honestly scared me. I challenged the comfortable path I’d been on and built something new with trusted partners and friends: a local roofing and home‑exterior company called All Team Exteriors. On paper, it’s a business. But in my heart, it’s something much more personal than that.

I don’t just want to make a living here — I want to contribute something meaningful to a place that’s helped mold me.

Why I started All Team Exteriors

I’ve worked in environments where professionalism, follow‑through, and integrity weren’t optional — they were the baseline. But when it came to home services, especially roofing, I saw how often homeowners were left frustrated, confused, or ignored. Slow responses. Vague communication. Contractors disappearing mid‑project.

And I thought:

Someone young, hungry, and honest should try to fix this.

So… I’m giving it everything I’ve got.

What I’m trying to build

All Team Exteriors isn’t a giant corporation. It’s not some out-of-state outfit with a call center. It’s me — and a small team of people committed to doing things the right way. We spent an extensive amount of time training under a perennial award-winning roofing company in Arizona this winter and learned what great looks like.

We’re bringing modern tools, photo-documented inspections, real-time updates, fast communication, and a “do what we say we’ll do” mentality. Not because it looks good in a brochure, but because that’s how I’d want someone to treat my own family.

So far we are off to an absolutely amazing start. It’s been a great first summer and we’d love to help you as well. You can give us a call anytime at 703-705-7207 for an absolutely free inspection and estimate on your roof, siding, gutters, doors, and windows. I’d love to have a chance to swing by and meet you and take a look at how we can work together to make your home safer and more secure.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I sincerely hope we can help you and your family soon.


News

After the permanent closure of the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic was approved last year, Alexandria is making upgrades to the block.

The Alexandria Department of Transportation & Environmental Services announced plans to add permanent improvements to the pedestrian block. The last city budget allocated $350,000 to make improvements to the 200 block pedestrian zone.


News

No injuries were reported after a fire Tuesday night (July 28) in the rear of a townhouse in the Fairlington neighborhood of Arlington, just outside the Alexandria border.

Alexandria firefighters were called to respond to a fire in the 4100 block of 36th Street S. around 11 p.m. The occupants of the home evacuated safely, the fire was extinguished less than 10 minutes later and damage was limited to the outside of the home, according to radio dispatches.


News

An Alexandria man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison, and a Falls Church man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after their convictions for rape and robbery at a hotel in the city’s West End in 2022.

Alexandria Circuit Court Judge Heidi E. Meinzer, on July 9, sentenced 37-year-old Ja’Real Wilkins, of Alexandria, to 40 years of active incarceration on two felony counts of rape and one felony count of forcible sodomy. Less than a week later, on July 14, Judge Kathleen Uston sentenced Wilkins’ partner in crime, 27-year-old Tysheem Boykins of Falls Church to 16 years of active incarceration on one felony count of forcible sodomy and one felony count of robbery by threat.


News

On This Day in Alexandria History — “On July 29, 1952, the witnesses reported UFO sightings across Northern Virginia. The Alexandria Gazette said, “Flying saucers circled the Northern Virginia area again this morning.” A week and a half earlier, an Alexandria man reported seeing “a red cigar-shaped object” over his house, which he estimated to be about the same size as a DC-7 airplane.” [Historic Alexandria]

Final Sprint for 8th Congressional District Candidates — “With just one week to go until the primary, the four challengers to U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) are trying to stand out from the crowd. Lorena Bruner, Michael Duffin, Adam Dunigan and Mo Seifeldein are attempting to overtake Beyer in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Beyer was first elected to Congress in 2014.” [ARLnow]


News

Good Tuesday 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 — Jul 28, 2026.

Here are today’s most-read articles:

  1. JUST IN: Trespassing at vacant home leads to police presence in Old Town (1057 views)
  2. Alexandria’s drinking water utility calls for voluntary water conservation amid drought (905 views)
  3. Man found guilty of reckless driving in 5-vehicle crash that killed woman in Alexandria (670 views)
  4. Mudhouse Specialty Coffee Roasters opens doors on King Street this week (666 views)
  5. Alexandria board OKs removing 20 Russell Road parking spaces, seeks solution for ACPS staff (608 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

It will be sunny and warm with a high of 84°F. Expect northwest winds of 10 to 13 mph, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy with a low of 68°F, and northwest winds around 11 mph, gusting up to 20 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading!


News

A 68-year-old Fredericksburg man was found guilty today (Tuesday) of reckless driving for causing a five-vehicle crash that killed a 69-year-old Massachusetts woman on Interstate 495 in Alexandria on Nov. 5, 2024.

In a two-day bench trial, Circuit Court Judge Katie Uston found Lee Allen MacKall guilty of reckless driving, and sentenced him to a year in prison, all suspended on the condition of his uniform good behavior. MacKall tearfully apologized to the family and friends of the victim, Lauren Johnson-Lavender, who died at the scene.


News

Parking changes will be coming to Russell Road near Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School after action by the Traffic and Parking Board Monday.

The Traffic and Parking Board voted 5-2 to remove 20 parking spaces in several blocks of Russell Road. Board Member Dane Lauritzen made the motion to recommend more parking space removals than city staff had proposed. Staff’s proposal would have resulted in a net loss of two parking spaces.