Alexandria City Council and School Board members agreed Monday during a joint work session to update the city’s long-range school facilities plan as middle schools operate at more than 120% capacity and some elementary buildings approach 90 years old.
The decision to revise the decade-old planning document comes as officials confront both immediate overcrowding and long-term infrastructure decay that officials say redistricting alone cannot solve.
Alexandria City Council and School Board officials attempted to repair what they openly called a “dysfunctional” relationship on Monday night, with one councilman acknowledging that the tension had persisted for 12 years.
“We are five minutes into our meeting, five minutes into it, and already we’ve taken a tone of not being productive,” School Board Vice Chair Christopher Harris said. “Whether we like it or not, we have to communicate. We have to engage. We have to work together. This is dysfunction.”
Good morning, Alexandria! Today is Monday, Sept. 29, the 272nd day of 2025. There are 93 days left in the year.
🌥️ Today’s weather: Increasing clouds, with a high near 79°F. Calm wind becoming northeast around 6 mph in the morning.
Alexandria residents will have the opportunity to directly engage with their elected officials at a City Council town hall scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Recreation Center.
The upcoming session will be the city’s third town hall of the year, following gatherings in March and June that drew dozens of residents and addressed topics ranging from ward redistricting to Old Town train tracks.
The Alexandria City Council will consider a new framework for distributing human services grants and finalize agreements tied to a major defense contractor’s expansion when it meets Tuesday for its monthly legislative session.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m. following a 5:30 p.m. executive session at City Hall, 301 King St. The session will also be available via Zoom and broadcast on government Channel 70.
UPDATE (Sept. 24, 2025): Following this reporting, DASH has placed both registered sex offenders on administrative leave. The transit agency said it is now assessing “the rigor of our recruitment standards” and confirmed that one of the employees is a bus driver, contradicting its initial statement Tuesday that no drivers were on the registry. DASH places 2 registered sex offenders on leave following ALXnow reporting
Following a discussion on the Alexandria School Board’s safety concerns about the proposal to transport Alexandria City High School students on DASH buses, ALXnow investigated the transit agency’s background check policies and discovered that it does not “expressly prohibit” sex offenders from employment.
The City of Alexandria unveiled a Virginia State Historic marker Saturday commemorating Colored Rosemont, a thriving African American neighborhood that existed from 1926 until it was dismantled in the mid-20th century through discriminatory housing policies.
The ceremony took place at the intersection of Wythe and West streets, near where the community once stood, bounded by Pendleton, Fayette, Madison, and N. West streets. Mayor Alyia Gaskins, descendants of former residents, and representatives from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources gathered for the dedication.
Twenty-one Alexandria residents signed up to speak during the public discussion period at Saturday’s City Council meeting, addressing issues ranging from housing authority conditions to international divestment and waterfront development.
The large turnout required the council to extend its usual public comment format, with 15 speakers addressing the council at the beginning of the meeting and six additional speakers heard after regular business concluded.
The Alexandria City Council unanimously voted Saturday to permanently close the 200 block of King Street to vehicular traffic, extending the city’s pedestrian zone after a successful pilot program.
The 7-0 vote on second reading makes the closure effective immediately, eliminating 16 metered parking spaces and one short-term visitor space in front of the Alexandria Visitor Center.
Good Friday morning, Alexandria!
☀️ Today’s weather: Sunny, with a high near 82 degrees. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Mostly clear tonight, with a low around 59 degrees. East wind around 6 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
Alexandria leaders commemorated the 24th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on Thursday, Sept. 11, and reflected on the personal and societal impacts that followed.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins was joined by Sheriff Sean Casey, Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez, Jr., and Police Chief Tarrick McGuire onstage at Market Square in front of City Hall (301 King Street). Gaskins urged the audience to “remember the lives lost on 9/11 and to look forward with hope and a call to action for peace and a better world.”
