West End | ALXnow

City Council OKs field lights and athletic expansion at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School

Published October 22, 2026 at 2:45PM

Construction of this pavilion has been approved at St. Stephens and St. Agnes School (via City of Alexandria)

The Alexandria City Council unanimously and without discussion approved a sweeping plan to expand athletic facilities and field lighting to St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School in the city’s West End.

Council approved the plan on Saturday (Oct. 17) to add a new 1,500-square-foot concessions building with bathrooms, bleachers, a 715-square-foot, open-air covered pavilion, a new 770-square-foot storage shed and press box as well as eight, 85-foot-tall field lights at the school’s Kelleher and Moss fields.

News

D.C. man charged after alleged West End car theft spree, pepper spray attack

By James Cullum

Published October 21, 2026 at 1:45PM | Updated October 21, 2026 at 6:32PM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A 24-year-old D.C. man faces felony theft and attempted malicious wounding charges after allegedly breaking into and stealing multiple vehicles in residential parking lots in Alexandria’s West End.

In one case, he allegedly unleashed pepper spray at a vehicle owner.

News

Alexandria man arrested with airsoft gun after alleged Safeway robbery

By James Cullum

Published October 20, 2026 at 2:45PM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A 33-year-old Alexandria man is being held without bond after allegedly robbing a West End grocery store with an air gun.

On Sunday, Sept. 20, the manager of the Safeway at 299 S. Van Dorn Street reported that two men walked into the store and waited at the customer service counter, where cigarettes are sold. The manager said that one of the men seemed drunk and displayed a firearm, assaulted him, and then stole a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of beer from the store, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

Around Town

‘Thriller’ flash mob, Spooky Mad Science Expo take over Alexandria this weekend

By Emily Leayman

Published October 16, 2026 at 9:15AM

Three pumpkins on a wall at Halloween on Lee Street in Old Town, Oct. 31, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Halloween festivities are starting to ramp up in Alexandria as October continues on.

This weekend, the “Thriller” Zombie Flash Mob descends upon Old Town, retailers will host the new Sticker Treat sticker crawl, and the Spooky Mad Science Expo returns for an 11th year at Patrick Henry Recreation Center. The Ethiopian Fall Festival has also been rescheduled for this weekend.

News

Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Co., Mieza Blendery win top awards at Great American Beer Fest

By James Cullum

Published October 14, 2026 at 2:45PM

Alexandria’s Bill Butcher, owner of the Port City Brewing Co., took home a gold medal in the Vienna lager category at the 2026 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado (via Bill Butcher/Facebook)

Port City Brewing Co. has done it again.

Fresh off their bronze medal-winning performance at the 2026 Virginia Craft Brewers Cup in August, the Alexandria-based brewery at 3950 Wheeler Avenue won gold for their Oktoberfest Vienna Lager at the 2026 Great American Beer Festival. The festival was held Oct. 10-11 and featured distinct beers from 1,300 breweries from across the country. Port City won gold in the Vienna-Style Lager category over silver medalist DC Brau Brewing Co and bronze medalist Almanac Beer Co.

News

UPDATED: Most outages restored after over 2,200 lose power in West End

By Emily Leayman

Published October 12, 2026 at 3:15PM | Updated October 12, 2026 at 4:17PM

Power outages in the West End on Oct. 12, 2026 (via Dominion Energy)

Dominion Energy customers in Alexandria’s West End were experiencing outages Monday afternoon.

According to Dominion Energy’s outage map, more than 2,200 customers lost power in the city as of 3 p.m. Most outages were concentrated in neighborhoods along Duke Street, Edsall Road and Interstate 395, extending into Fairfax County. The majority were resolved by 4:15 p.m.

News

AFD improvises to free child pinned under SUV within six minutes

By James Cullum

Published October 12, 2026 at 11:45AM

Alexandria Fire Department (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A juvenile is expected to make a full recovery after getting struck and pinned under an SUV in Alexandria’s West End.

The girl was struck and pinned under the front axle of the vehicle in the 600 block of N. Ripley Street, near Holmes Run Parkway on the night of Tuesday, Oct. 6. Multiple people called in the incident around 7:10 p.m.

News

Red light cameras, bike lanes among proposals for West End intersections

By Emily Leayman

Published October 12, 2026 at 9:15AM

Seminary Road and Mark Center Avenue intersection (via Google Maps)

Red light cameras, bike lanes, new sidewalks and pedestrian islands are some of the changes proposed for several West End high-crash intersections the city identified.

The city identified the seven high-crash intersections during a 2022 crash analysis and received federal funding to perform safety audits and develop concept designs.

News

Goodwin Living breaks ground on new 257-unit senior housing development in Alexandria

By Emily Leayman

Published October 9, 2026 at 3:45PM | Updated October 14, 2026 at 10:40AM

Rendering of Goodwin House Seminary Road (courtesy of Goodwin Living)

Additional senior living units from a locally-based operator are coming to Alexandria’s West End.

Goodwin Living broke ground Wednesday (Oct. 7) on the $360 million Goodwin House Seminary Road at N. Beauregard Street and Seminary Road. Mayor Alyia Gaskins and City Council Members Sandy Marks and Abdel Elnoubi joined Goodwin Living and Clark Construction leaders for the groundbreaking.

Around Town

Old Town Oyster Week, Paws in the Park lead packed weekend of Alexandria events

By Emily Leayman

Published October 9, 2026 at 9:15AM | Updated October 11, 2026 at 4:45PM

Paws in the Park (via Duane Rogers for AWLA)

It’s shaping up to be another busy October weekend in Alexandria.

There are plenty of festivals going on, including the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria’s Paws in the Park with its largest Rescue Row yet. For those looking for a shucking good time, Old Town Oyster Week returns starting with an oyster shucking competition.

News

Thieves target Inova at Landmark construction site for copper wire

By James Cullum

Published October 8, 2026 at 2:45PM

Inova Alexandria Hospital at Landmark, April 13, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

The Alexandria Police Department is investigating the theft of copper and security wire from the Inova Alexandria Hospital at Landmark construction site.

No arrests have been made, but around 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 30, the senior superintendent of Clark Construction reported a burglary to APD. Just 10 minutes before, at 4:05 p.m., surveillance footage showed a white U-Haul cargo van drive into the construction site and two male suspects enter one of the hospital buildings under construction, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.