Alexandria’s ranking isn’t as high as last year on Travel + Leisure’s annual “Best Cities in the U.S.” list, but it has remained in the top 10.
Travel + Leisure announced the winners of the 2026 World’s Best Awards yesterday (July 7). Winners were determined by feedback from about 207,000 readers around the world.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On July 8, 1925, the National Fruit Product Company cider vinegar plant at North Henry and Pendleton was destroyed by fire. Several fire companies responded and city officials including the mayor assisted in putting the fire out. The intense fire attracted a large crowd of spectators and left more than a dozen firefighters in need of medical treatment.” [Historic Alexandria]
City Hall, Market Square, and Slavery Documentary Study Published — “In recognition of Alexandria’s dedication and drive to saving, sharing, and studying history in Virginia, Historic Alexandria received a Commonwealth History Fund grant from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) in February 2025 to produce an in-depth history of Alexandria’s Market Square. Dr. Greg A. Beaman conducted this major research project to better understand the history of this important and well-known space … The project’s findings will inform future efforts to interpret and share the complex history of this early urban center.” [Historic Alexandria]
Good Tuesday 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 — Jul 7, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect a 30% chance of showers mainly before 8 a.m., with patchy fog until 10 a.m., and mostly cloudy skies. The high will be near 82°F with a northeast wind at 3 to 6 mph. Wednesday night, showers and thunderstorms are likely after 2 a.m. with a 70% chance of precipitation. Skies will remain mostly cloudy, with a low around 71°F and a south wind at 3 to 5 mph. Rainfall will generally be less than a tenth of an inch, except in thunderstorms where it may be higher. See more from Weather.gov.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”
– Dalai Lama
Thanks for reading!
Former longtime Alexandria police officer Courtney Ballantine is adjusting to a new role after being promoted to chief of police of the Georgetown University Police Department.
All the badges Ballantine wore in Alexandria, from captain on down, sit in a shadow box near his desk. Four days after retiring from the Alexandria Police Department on Aug. 1, 2025, Ballantine put on a new uniform as the deputy chief of police at Georgetown University. A few weeks later, then-chief Jay Gruber got a new job at American University and Ballantine was named interim chief.
Online event (see link)
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First responders revived a resident with a medical emergency during a house fire in Alexandria’s North Ridge neighborhood this afternoon (Tuesday).
The fire was reported around 12:52 p.m. in the 2800 block of Valley Drive. Firefighters came out of the home with a resident who was inside during the fire, according to radio dispatches. An Alexandria Fire Department spokesperson told ALXnow one resident had cardiac arrest on scene and was revived with CPR. The resident was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center and is intubated.
After failing to secure 50% of votes from members, the top two candidates running for president of the Alexandria teachers union are headed to a runoff.
The election was overseen by the Virginia Education Association after it invalidated the results of the Education Association of Alexandria’s officer elections in May. Votes for union officers and building representatives were collected online on June 29 and 30. EAA presidential candidate David Paladin-Fernandez got 190 votes (47%), followed by 115 votes (29%) for Christina Bohringer and 96 votes for Madeline Wingate Alfonso (24%).
Alexandria will rededicate a West End street this weekend that was named after a Confederate leader more than 70 years ago.
On Saturday (July 11), Mayor Alyia Gaskins will help rededicate Stevens Street as Moses Stevens Street for a Black entrepreneur who founded Mount Jezreel Baptist Church. Since 1953, the street was named after either Confederate Brigadier Gen. Clement Hoffman Stevens or Confederate Brigadier Gen. Walter Husted Stevens, the chief engineer of the Army of Northern Virginia.
An innovation lab based in Alexandria will be launched through state grants for the new National Innovation Quarter.
The innovation district, launched in February in the area of Arlington and Alexandria called National Landing, received $3.93 million in Go Virginia grants to start up programming. Nearly $2 million in local matching grants will also support the innovation district.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “In July 1865, with the American Civil War officially over, Union troops began withdrawing from Alexandria, ending their four-year occupation of the city. On July 7 the War department abolished the position of military governor, as Gov. John Slough requested to be relieved so that he could leave Virginia to assume command of a territorial governorship in Colorado. With his departure, the Military District of Alexandria was dismantled, and city management returned to civilian control. Although the city witnessed no major battles during the Civil War, its strategic location made it a transportation, warehouse, medical and troop center throughout the war. and it was the longest occupied city in the nation. When the war over, the city was in tatters, its once prosperous economy in ruins, and population vastly diminished from pre-war levels.” [Historic Alexandria]
City Council Meetings on Pause Until Fall — “While we’re on recess for July and August, it means that the legislative meetings and public hearings that we have in order to pass laws and keep our city moving forward, those are on pause, but the day-to-day operations of departments like fire, parks and rec, police, Department of Community and Human Services, all of that still keeps moving as if it’s business as usual. The other thing you should know about recess is that many of our boards and commissions also take a recess.” [Mayor Alyia Gaskins/Bluesky]
