After many of the D.C. region’s fireworks shows have come and gone, Alexandrians will have another to look forward to this weekend.
The Alexandria and USA Birthday Celebration is set for Saturday, July 11 at Oronoco Bay Park (100 Madison Street). This year’s event celebrates Alexandria’s 277th birthday and America’s 250th.
Alexandria City Council voted yesterday (Wednesday) to deny an extension of Virginia Paving Company’s operations in the West End.
The asphalt production plant, which has been at an 11-acre site at 5601 Courtney Avenue since 1960, had been given Jan. 1, 2027 as a date to clear out operations. The special use permit extension would have allowed it to continue to Jan. 1, 2032.
Alexandria leaders cut the ribbon today (Wednesday) on RiverRenew, the city’s largest infrastructure project in history.
The project replaces Old Town’s 19th-century combined sewer system with a 12-foot-wide, two-mile-long waterfront tunnel system and sewer infrastructure to divert approximately 120 million gallons of raw sewage from flowing into the Potomac River every year.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins announced her new initiative Art In Every Space, piloted yesterday (Monday), to bring art to more businesses in Alexandria.
The initiative places original artwork by Alexandria-area artists in local businesses at no cost to either the artists or businesses. According to the mayor, the initiative supports the work of Alexandria’s art organizations by providing additional locations for artists to display their work.
Alexandria City Council voted Tuesday to create an ad hoc committee to discuss possible Alexandria City School Board election reforms such as terms and the size of the nine-member board.
City Council’s approval allows the committee to discuss term lengths, staggered term elections and overall board size and composition. The action comes after School Board Chair Michelle Rief requested the joint committee to seek city charter amendments on School Board terms. Specifically, the School Board is requesting moving members from three-year terms to four-year staggered terms, with one member from each of the three School Board districts being elected each year.
After multiple failed attempts over the past decade to bring a Business Improvement District to Old Town, Alexandria City Council is asking for other strategies to give the corridor an economic boost.
On Tuesday (June 23), City Council endorsed a memo from Council Members Sandy Marks and John Taylor Chapman directing the city manager to assess “how we can address the needs of the Old Town business corridor a little more intentionally.” City staff will review existing research on services and financial investments the city is making in Old Town and alternative options to boost tax revenue.
Morale and staffing are improving at the Alexandria Fire Department after a 49-hour work week was implemented, according to an annual presentation to City Council by Fire Chief Felipe Hernandez Jr. yesterday (Tuesday).
AFD implemented the 49-hour work week in October 2025, reducing weekly hours from 56 as a strategy to improve retention and recruitment. The department achieves the 49 hours with a fourth-shift schedule and “debit day” system. That means firefighters work a 42-hour work week and work an extra day every 24 days to average 49 hours weekly.
On Saturday (June 13), Alexandria City Council unanimously approved the Housing 2040 Plan, which will set the city’s housing goals over the next 15 years.
The Housing 2040 Plan will guide city policies on expanding housing supply and affordable homeownership, preserving existing affordable housing, seeking landlord-tenant protections, strengthening condominium communities, expanding resources for seniors and people with disabilities, and supporting safe and healthy housing. It will also guide the city’s legislative policies on housing, land use planning, small area plans, housing programs and development of new financial and regulatory tools.
After a health scare and visit to the emergency room, Mayor Alyia Gaskins shared some advice for residents: “take care of yourself.”
Gaskins ended up in the emergency room due to severe dehydration during Sails on the Potomac‘s opening ceremony on Friday (June 12). City leaders were giving remarks to kick off the weekend-long festival.
Alexandria welcomed the Croatia National Football Team on Wednesday as the FIFA World Cup begins.
The team is staying at Hotel AKA in Old Town North for the duration of the World Cup and will train at Episcopal High School. At Episcopal, Mayor Alyia Gaskins welcomed the team to town and City Council presented them with a commemorative ceramic bowl and a coin with the seal of the city. In turn, the team’s technical director gave the city a commemorative jersey, and then a crowd of hundreds watched as the players took to the field to practice.
On Tuesday night, Police Chief Tarrick McGuire unveiled blueprints for the creation of the Alexandria Police Department’s new public safety plan.
McGuire told City Council the plan will be developed over the next year, and it includes the deployment of officers to crime hotspots identified by the city’s crime data. He said the plan is organized around five pillars — geographical policing and accountability, building relationships in the community, evidence-based strategies and enforcement, assessing crime data and using technology to reduce and enforce crime.
