A new perfume boutique with an emphasis on niche fragrances is opening on Cameron Street in Old Town next week.
Arielle Shoshana will officially open its doors at 313 Cameron Street next Wednesday, Jan. 14, with a ribbon cutting scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Alyia Gaskins will be in attendance, the business announced this morning (Thursday).
It’s been 17 years since Alexandria’s sister city of Dundee, Scotland, creamed the city in the first-ever Mayors’ Cup rugby match.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins says it’s time for a rematch. On Dec. 6, Alexandria Select XV team tryouts were held at the George Washington Middle School athletic fields.
An Alexandria nonprofit that teaches trades to underserved youth received 100 refurbished laptops and $10,000 from AT&T and Human I-T today (Thursday).
Apprentices at Cornerstone Craftsman will each receive one of the laptops after they graduate from high school. The donations were made by AT&T after Garrett McGuire, the company’s regional director of external and legislative affairs, spoke with Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins about workforce development.
The Alexandria City Council ended the collective bargaining impasse regarding three outstanding issues between the Alexandria Police Department’s union and the city late last night (Tuesday).
In a meeting at City Hall that lasted until 11:30 p.m., Council decided in favor of the Alexandria chapter of the Southern States Police Benevolent Association’s request for $10.2 million in increased salaries for APD officers, sergeants and lieutenants over the next three years, while backing the city’s positions on pay parity and an annual $1,200 longevity bonus for those sworn staffers.
Updated at 1 p.m., Dec. 9: An earlier version of this story included a previous offer from the city on pay compensation in its collective bargaining negotiations with the Alexandria Police Department. The city’s most recent offer increases starting pay for police officers 17.21% from $63,988 a year to an annual salary of $75,000; a 21% increase for sergeants from $72,300 to $87,500 and police lieutenants 15% from $89,800 to $106,900.
With collective bargaining at a standstill, the Alexandria Police Department’s union is calling for increased salaries as the department’s pay has fallen behind other Northern Virginia localities.
A team of professionals in Alexandria has received a top statewide award for its work responding to allegations of child abuse.
Earlier this month, the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) from the Center for Alexandria’s Children received the 2025 MDT of the Year recognition by the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Virginia (CACVA) at the Virginia Crimes Against Children Conference in Virginia Beach.
Hundreds of Alexandria residents gathered on Saturday to celebrate Alexandria’s annual Christmas tree lighting in Market Square.
Mayor Alyia Gaskins announced the magical arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus, who got into town on a Christmas-themed King Street Trolley. They helped city leaders count down the lighting of the 40-foot-tall plastic tree, which is adorned with some 38,000 lights.
City and public housing leaders joined developers today (Wednesday) to break ground on the Samuel Madden Homes affordable housing apartment complex in Old Town.
The project will replace the former 66-unit public housing apartment complex with 532 new affordable homes across two phases. The first phase, costing $120 million, will redevelop the site into 207 units of affordable and mixed-income housing, with an estimated completion date of fall 2027.
Faced with uncertainty from the government shutdown and federal layoffs, Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon says the city is facing a relatively flat Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
Parajon is asking all city departments for a 1% budget cut and 1.5% in growth for Alexandria City Public Schools. During Saturday’s annual City Council budget retreat, he said the city is “not in a negative situation” — but rather, aiming to adjust its sails in turbulent economic times.
An audience of thousands held signs and cheered as Alexandria leaders decried the Trump administration at the second No Kings rally outside City Hall on Saturday.
The first No Kings rally was held in June, albeit against a different backdrop of issues. Today’s event was held amid a shuttered federal government, increased crackdowns from U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, and federal troops occupying cities across the country. The speakers today in Alexandria included U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8th), Mayor Alyia Gaskins, retired general Randy Mannor and Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3rd), all of whom railed against the administration, joining more than 2,700 similar demonstrations around the country.
Alexandria leaders will discuss the early childhood initiatives across the city in a first-ever series of conversations.
The Kids’ First Years (KFY) State of Early Childhood 2025 event will be held at First Baptist Church (2922 King Street) from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Mayor Alyia Gaskins will kick off the free event with opening remarks, along with KFY CEO Michelle Smith Howard. The event is intended to bring together city leaders, educators, and advocates to “build a thriving early childhood system that fuels the city’s economy, strengthens the workforce and supports every family,” according to the nonprofit.
