Chris Leibig, a longtime criminal defense attorney and former public defender from Del Ray, is running for delegate in Tuesday’s Democratic firehouse primary.
Leibig served in the Alexandria Public Defender’s Office from 1996-2002 and practices law from his Old Town office. He is the third candidate to enter Tuesday’s race to replace outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, joining City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.
Good Friday 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 — Jan 16, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Scattered snow showers will transition to rain showers between 10am and noon before the skies gradually clear up and become mostly sunny with a high of 47°F. A south wind of 8 to 10 mph and gusts up to 21 mph accompany a 50% chance of precipitation. On Saturday night, expect a chance of rain after 1am, mixing with snow after 4am, and a mostly cloudy sky with a low around 31°F. Light and variable winds will become northwest around 5 mph after midnight, with a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine
We hope you have a great weekend, Alexandria!
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Restaurants in Alexandria will face off later this month to determine which eateries have the best cherry-oriented appetizers, entrees, drinks and desserts.
It’s all part of the “Cherry Challenge” culinary contest starting Sunday, Jan. 25, hosted in tandem with other festivities to commemorate George Washington’s birthday by the president’s Birthday Celebration Committee.
The League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City, in partnership with Arlington County Public Library, invites you to an open discussion on managing local government in a changing environment.
Join Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz and Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon for a conversation about how local governments are adapting to shifts in federal funding and changes at the state level. The discussion will explore how these evolving conditions may impact local priorities, services, and decision-making in our communities.
Outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin doesn’t have many regrets as he prepares to leave office. But he named the inability to get an Alexandria arena deal done in 2024 as one lost opportunity.
The Washington Capitals and Wizards arena would have gone in Potomac Yard as part of an entertainment district. But in March 2024, the City of Alexandria announced that the proposal wouldn’t be moving forward.
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The Virginia Department of Health has confirmed the state’s first flu-related pediatric death this season, as public health officials across Virginia continue to monitor increased flu activity.
Health officials yesterday (Thursday) said a preschool-aged child — between newborn age and 4 years old — died from flu-related complications. The child was from Virginia’s Eastern Region, which largely covers the Tidewater and Eastern Shore areas. The health department is not releasing additional information about the child to protect the family’s privacy.
Alexandria Democrats are in for deja vu as this month’s second Democratic firehouse primary will take place Tuesday to fulfill outgoing Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s seat, after her resignation announcement.
The firehouse primary is happening this Tuesday, Jan. 20, according to the Alexandria Democratic Committee. So far, two candidates have entered the race vying for Bennett-Parker’s 5th District seat: City Councilmember R. Kirk McPike and former Alexandria City School Board member Eileen Cassidy Rivera.
Alexandria honored the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with song, dance and poetry, as well as a thorough rebuke of political violence and societal divisions under the Trump administration last night (Thursday).
The 53rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Program began with an impassioned invocation from the Rev. Quardricos Bernard Driskell of Beulah Baptist Church, who said King is remembered as “a prophet who named America’s sins and paid his life for it.” Driskell denounced current approaches to immigration enforcement, military spending and “taking over sovereign nations for profit, power and greed.”
Soccer fans in Alexandria are in for a treat, as the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has announced it will be staying in Alexandria during the FIFA World Cup this summer.
The team’s base camp will be in Alexandria, where players will stay at the AKA Hotel at 625 First Street in Old Town and train at Episcopal High School as they participate in the World Cup. Games will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Jun. 11 through July 19.
Fresh from her firehouse Democratic primary win for a State Senate seat, Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) has announced her resignation from the House of Delegates.
The resignation will go into effect Feb. 18, Bennett-Parker said in an email yesterday (Thursday). The delegate won the firehouse primary for the 39th District State Senate in the early morning hours on Wednesday. Now, another firehouse primary to fill her 5th District seat has been scheduled for next Tuesday, as of late Friday morning.
