Roberto Gomez, executive director of nonprofit Cornerstone Craftsman, will soon launch a special election campaign for an open seat on City Council.
Gomez plans to formally announce his candidacy at the Alexandria Democratic Committee’s meeting on Monday, he told ALXnow. The 38-year-old longtime West End resident said he is prepared to outwork opponents and can relate to the city’s underserved constituencies.
The annual Empty Bowls Alexandria event is returning next month as host ALIVE! says demands for food, housing and emergency financial assistance are on the rise.
In its ninth year, the historically sold-out event brings local restaurants and artisans together to fundraise for the nonprofit’s efforts to address food and housing insecurity. The event comes as ALIVE! has weathered the region’s economic losses over the past year, with requests for support up roughly 30% since the fall, spokesperson Grace Terlinden told ALXnow.
Girl Scout cookie season is back, and it’s coming soon to Alexandria.
In-person cookie booth sales with Girl Scouts of Nation’s Capital return next week on Friday, Feb. 6. Shoppers will be able to snag the classics like Thin Mints and Trefoils, as well as a new rocky road ice cream-flavored cookie, Exploremores.
Rosie Allen-Herring has been tapped as interim president and CEO of Alexandria-based United Way Worldwide, after several years leading the nonprofit’s National Capital Area branch.
Allen-Herring, who has directed United Way NCA since 2013, will succeed former UWW President and CEO Angela Williams next Monday, Feb. 2. Williams announced her retirement in December after four years leading the nonprofit, which is headquartered in Old Town at 701 N. Fairfax Street.
Volunteers in Alexandria filled 2,300 backpacks with school supplies for distribution across the region today (Wednesday), in memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The backpacks will be sent to seven Title I middle schools in the area, including Francis C. Hammond Middle School. It’s all part of United Way National Capital Area’s Stuff the Bus campaign, which distributes the donated supplies in an effort to support local schools.
An Alexandria-based nonprofit is planning a concert to raise funds for local child abuse prevention programs.
The Center for Alexandria’s Children has announced its annual “Banding Together: A Benefit Concert to End Child Abuse,” which is planned from 7-10:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the Oswald Durant Center (1605 Cameron Street). This year’s lineup includes local performers from School of Rock Alexandria and Guilty Ghost, led by Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.
A new report on traffic safety in Northern Virginia is raising concerns about the number of “near miss” incidents in Alexandria, especially those involving children.
A total of 155 near miss incidents involving children were reported in Alexandria from January 2024 to December 2025 — more than in any other Northern Virginia locality, according to the report from Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets (NoVA FSS). Of those incidents, 53 of them occurred at a single intersection in Potomac West.
SoberRide, the initiative that has been offering free Lyft rides home in the D.C. area this holiday season, will continue to operate for New Year’s Eve.
Rides will become available starting at 10 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) and lasting until 4 a.m. tomorrow. During that period, residents 21 and older can enter a promotional code into Lyft’s “Payment” tab to receive a ride home. Tonight’s promotional code will be posted at 9 p.m. on www.SoberRide.com.
Friends of Guest House residents will have a comfy new year, as more than 75 sets of new pajamas and cozy socks were donated to the nonprofit and handed out on Christmas Eve.
The donations are enough to keep the residents outfitted with pajamas for an entire year, and were made possible by Maureen Clyne, a local realtor, who started the holiday effort seven years ago.
After being closed for nearly six months, UpCycle Creative Reuse Center has reopened in an industrial area just south of the Carlyle neighborhood.
The shop has sold all manner of “upcycled” materials, including paper goods, fabrics, craft and party supplies, office goods, containers, jewelry and more since its founding in 2013 by Susan Miranda and Kelley Organek.
In a room packed with toys and books, the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office gathered more than 50 gift bags for kids today (Tuesday), hoping to spread cheer to children of inmates this holiday season.
Since last month, the office has collected gifts for the families of 55 inmates, with kids receiving five gifts each. It’s all part of Operation Elf, the office’s annual holiday toy drive.
