Abdel Elnoubi | ALXnow

Despite School Board protest, City Council votes to change ACPS appropriation process

Published March 12, 2026 at 1:00PM

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins in Council Chambers, April 8, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

City Council ignored a plea from the School Board Tuesday night, unanimously approving a resolution to change how the city appropriates funding to Alexandria City Public Schools.

City Council’s resolution directs ACPS, in preparation for the Fiscal Year 2028 budget, to submit estimates for funds needed through major classifications instead of a lump sum. The School Board asked that the move, which was introduced at a March 4 joint work session with City Council, be postponed as it restricts the school system from redirecting budgeted funds to pay for programs and services.

News

Buddhist monks share message of peace in Old Town during 2,300-mile pilgrimage

By James Cullum and Katie Taranto

Published February 9, 2026 at 3:45PM

Lead monk Bhikkhu Pannakara talks to hundreds of people outside Christ Church in Old Town, on the final stretch of a 2,300-mile peace march, Feb. 9, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Hundreds gathered to see the group of Buddhist monks on a 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace” as they passed through Alexandria today (Monday).

Joined onstage by city officials, the group’s leader, the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, gave an address outside Christ Church, touching on themes of mindfulness and reflection in today’s heavily digital — and often divided — world.

News

Councilmembers lobby for housing, school funding and gun safety laws in Richmond

By Emily Leayman

Published January 30, 2026 at 2:45PM

Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley testifies in support of a gun safety bill in the House Firearms Subcommittee (via Virginia General Assembly)

Members of City Council traveled to Richmond yesterday (Thursday) to advocate for more authority to expand housing options and increase state funding for school construction, among other goals.

Mayor Alyia Gaskins, Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, Councilmembers John Taylor Chapman, R. Kirk McPike, Abdel Elnoubi and Canek Aguirre visited the state Capitol for a lobby day to advocate for their legislative priorities, which were set in December. They met with several lawmakers and members of Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s administration.

News

Advocates support proposal for new ACPS subcommittee focused on capacity challenges

By James Cullum

Published December 15, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated December 15, 2025 at 7:41PM

Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School at 1501 Cameron Street (via Jefferson-Houston/Facebook)

A proposal to create a new City Council/School Board subcommittee focused on Alexandria City Public Schools’ capacity challenges has won the support of a local advocacy group.

Save Jefferson-Houston (Save JH), which opposes the Alexandria City School Board’s plans to convert two K-8 schools into a middle school and elementary school, has voiced support for the proposal, which was offered by ACSB members Ryan Reyna and Kelly Carmichael Booz during a Capital Improvement Program work session last week.

News

PHOTOS: Thousands gather for Alexandria’s 276th Birthday Bash at Oronoco Bay

By James Cullum

Published July 13, 2025 at 6:15AM | Updated July 14, 2025 at 10:29AM

The grand finale of Alexandria's birthday celebration at Oronoco Bay Park, July 12, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria celebrated its 276th and the U.S.’s 249th birthday in style along the Potomac River at Oronoco Bay Park on Saturday (July 12).

Thousands attended the annual event. For about four hours, the park was turned into a maze of beach blankets, lawn chairs, and barefoot kids with lightsabers and bubble guns. Flanked onstage by City Council and city staff, Mayor Alyia Gaskins and Poet Laureate Maria Cristina Donoso made brief remarks before the program was turned over to the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, which wrapped up in time for a spectacular fireworks show (see video below).

News

ARHA asks city to back loan for ‘Silver Fox’ senior housing complex

By James Cullum

Published June 11, 2025 at 7:45PM

Erik C. Johnson, former CEO of ARHA, asks City Council to back the Silver Fox plan, June 10, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria City Council has mixed feelings about serving as a cosigner for the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s plan to keep its senior residents in the city.

Faced with a $40 million budget shortfall, ARHA abandoned plans to replace the aging 11-story, 170-unit Ladrey Senior High-Rise with a six-to-seven-story 270-unit L-shaped building. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development subsequently ended its operating support for building management and maintenance, issuing vouchers for the relocation of Ladrey’s residents by the end of the year.

News

City Council recognizes Emergency Medical Services Week, honors Alexandria’s EMS heroes

By Ryan Belmore

Published May 13, 2025 at 8:00PM

City Council Recognizes Alexandria's EMS Heroes with Official Proclamation (Staff photo by Ryan Belmore)

Alexandria City Council honored its emergency medical services (EMS) providers at its Legislative Meeting on Tuesday (May 13) with a special proclamation for Emergency Medical Services Week, which runs from May 18 to 24, 2025.

During the meeting, Mayor Alyia Gaskins and the Alexandria City Council declared the week “Emergency Medical Services Week.”

News

ACPS ‘censorship’ of Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper Theogony ignites firestorm of criticism

By James Cullum

Published May 2, 2025 at 3:55PM | Updated May 5, 2025 at 2:13AM

Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Jarvis)

After a firestorm of criticism from city leaders and student journalists over proposed oversight changes to Alexandria City High School’s student newspaper, Theogony, this morning (May 2), the Alexandria School Board’s Governance Committee returned to the drawing board.

From reporting on a transportation controversy to investigations into the School Board, transgender policies, or even lampooning metal detectors in cartoons, Theogony student journalists take their roles seriously. Now, with City Council members warning of potential “censorship” and “authoritarian” behavior from the school system, student journalists are alleging a concerted effort from the administration of Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt to suppress touchy or controversial stories from appearing in the monthly publication.

News

Alexandria City Council passes $956.5 million FY 2026 Budget amid ‘time of great uncertainty’

By James Cullum

Published April 30, 2025 at 9:05PM

Alexandria City Council approves the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, April 30, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Against a backdrop of political and economic uncertainty, Alexandria’s City Council unanimously adopted its $956.5 million operating budget.

City Manager Jim Parajon said it was challenging crafting a budget that keeps city services without increasing real estate or property taxes. The city’s budget grew 3.2% over the current fiscal year, with its largest line item being a fully-funded Alexandria City Public Schools, as well as significant stormwater management funding for the city’s $2.1 billion FY 2026 – 2035 Capital Improvement Program.

News

Don’t miss ALXnow’s photos of Alexandria’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By James Cullum

Published March 1, 2025 at 5:17PM | Updated March 1, 2025 at 6:47PM

St. Patrick waves at Alexandria's St. Patrick's Day Parade in Old Town, March 1, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

It was a picturesque day in Old Town for Alexandria’s 42nd annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Temperatures were crisp in the 60s, as King Street near City Hall was awash in orange, green and white.

News

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and City Council sworn into office amid ‘backdrop of deep uncertainty’

By James Cullum

Published January 3, 2025 at 11:20AM

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins, with her family, takes the oath of office, Jan. 2, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and the new City Council were sworn into office on Thursday (Jan. 2), ushering in a new era of city governance with the new year.

Gaskins is the first Black woman to be elected mayor of the city. She stood alongside her husband and two children and took the oath of office from Clerk of the Court Greg Parks onstage at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center (4915 E. Campus Drive) at Northern Virginia Community College’s Alexandria campus.