Alexandria City Public Schools faces a $17 million shortfall as it starts its 2028 fiscal year budget deliberations.
Dominic Turner, the school system’s chief financial officer, laid out a stark reality with rapidly rising expenditures on Wednesday night at Alexandria City High School’s Minnie Howard Campus.
Alexandria is one of 15 cities across the country chosen to receive between $450,000 and $750,000 each in grant funding to increase its housing stock.
Today (Oct. 15), Bloomberg Philanthropies announced that Alexandria is among the first 15 cities to get the grant funding, and that 30 nationwide will be chosen to combat a national shortage of homes. Alexandria was awarded the funds, along with Albuquerque, N.M., Charleston, S.C., Chattanooga, Tenn., Cleveland, Columbia, S.C., Durham, N.C., Louisville, Ky., Miami, Nashville, Tenn., Omaha, Neb., Pittsburgh, Portland, Maine, Providence, R.I. and San Jose, Calif.
Game, set, Gala! On Saturday, Nov. 14, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s annual Tennis Creates Gala, presented by QTS, comes to The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, celebrating the transformative power of tennis.
The evening raises critical funds to make the sport accessible to all across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and eastern/southern West Virginia.
Every dollar goes back into local communities through programs like Girls Rule the Court™, which has served more than 2,000 girls, along with Junior Player Scholarships and Tennis in Schools. Gala funds also help restore public courts. Over the last three years, the Foundation has invested $505,000 across 17 public facilities.
Emceeing the evening is Emmy Award-winning ESPN journalist Malika Andrews, host of NBA Today and NBA Countdown, who joined ESPN’s tennis coverage this year for the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Andrews has pointed to the electric moment American tennis is having, with stars like the DMV’s own Frances Tiafoe reaching the 2026 US Open men’s semifinals, and says she’s grateful for the chance to support the sport at the local level.
Joining the celebration is new USTA CEO Craig Tiley, who took the helm of the national governing body in July after over 20 years at Tennis Australia. As he leads the USTA toward its goal of 35 million players by 2035, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation drives the grassroots work to grow the sport right here in the region.
The Foundation will present its Tennis Creates Impact Award to Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (ret.), 63rd Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, recognizing his leadership in fostering character, community, and well-being through tennis.
The heart of the night is the 2026 Tennis Creates Awards, honoring local changemakers. Alexandria’s Leigh Ann Jackson receives the Adult Leader Award for coaching Girls Rule the Court at Groveton Elementary, where she has served 130 students over five seasons and championed the program’s expansion to Hybla Valley.
Arlington’s Gabrielle Berg earns the Youth Leader Award for founding a Northern Virginia chapter of Tennis For Fun, which runs free year-round clinics for people with special needs in partnership with the Arlington YMCA. Burke’s Khoi Truong, head coach at Lake Braddock Secondary School, is the 2026 Coach of the Year.
They’ll be joined by fellow honorees Dr. Ellen Markowitz (Community Champion), James Skinner (Provider Champion), and Janelle Nichols (Tennis in the Classroom Awardee).
Tickets and tables are now available. Can’t make it? Make a gift to USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation or bid in the silent auction to help put a racquet in the hands of the next generation of players.
The Tennis Creates Gala takes place Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA 22102.
For more information, visit TennisCreatesGala.com.
Even as Alexandria’s office vacancies improve, city officials learned about a missed opportunity with Potomac Yard’s 0% vacancy rate.
During City Council’s Tuesday (Oct. 13) legislative meeting, Alexandria Economic Development Partnership staff briefed officials on economic progress since City Council in January approved ALX Forward, a framework for the city’s economic future.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested a man that had been sentenced for unlawful recordings in a Del Ray restaurant bathroom.
ICE said in a release on its “worst of the worst” arrests, Joshua Gabriel Car Hombrebueno, 21, of Oxon Hill, Md. was arrested earlier this week. In August, he had been sentenced to serve 179 days in jail after being found guilty of making hidden camera recordings inside the employee restroom of Gustave Boulangerie & Brasserie (2213 Mount Vernon Avenue) in September 2025. ICE said Hombrebueno is from the Philippines and is not legally in the U.S.
"The Thirteen sings with striking color and richness" – The Washington Post
The critically acclaimed professional choir performs Brahms' genre-defying masterpiece, "Ein deutsches Requiem," in the composers own version for piano four hands with world-renowned pianist Brian Ganz and Eric Conway, paired with Margaret Bonds' Credo, set to a text by W.E.B. Du Bois and also accompanied by piano.
Affordability issues and higher interest rates led to a rough month in real estate across Alexandria in September.
Sales for the month totaled 143, down from 167 a year before and below the five-year average of 150 for the month, according to data reported Oct. 12 by MarketStats by ShowingTime.
Despite being recognized by the City Council and the city manager on Tuesday night, Renee Gordon didn’t seem surprised.
It’s not easy to rattle the city’s director of Emergency and Customer Communications. After 11 years leading the city’s communications center that handles 911, 311, emergency communications and non-emergency communications in the city, Gordon is retiring at the beginning of November.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On October 15, 1862, with deaths from Civil War battles in Virginia increasing drastically, the City of Alexandria formally leased land at the west end of Wilkes Street to the Federal government for creation of the Alexandria National Cemetery, the nation’s first military cemetery. Within a year, the cemetery was filled almost to capacity nearing 4,000 graves, most of which contained the remains of soldiers brought to Alexandria for medical care. Running out of burial ground in Alexandria, Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs seized on the idea of burying war dead on the lawns surrounding ‘Arlington House,’ the vacated Custis homestead owned by the wife of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, which was then occupied by Union troops just north of the city.” [Historic Alexandria]
Old Town Eyed as Stop for Ferry Study — “Old Town is one of six sites recommended for further study as a terminal for a hydrofoil ferry pilot that its backers say could reach Navy Yard in 20 minutes, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments board heard Wednesday.” [Alexandria Brief]
Good Wednesday evening, Alexandria. Here’s a look back at today’s most-read stories and a look ahead to tomorrow.
Everything else we published today, Oct 14, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
👻 Spooky Trivia Night
Oct 16: Spooky Trivia Night at Cherry On Top [Event]
🎶 The Thirteen Presents BRAHMS & BONDS
Oct 16: The critically acclaimed professional choir opens their season at Schlesinger Concert Hall with Brahms’ Requiem and Bonds’ Credo. [Event]
11th Annual Walk to Bust Cancer
Oct 18: Walk with us at Fort Hunt Park to support access to breast cancer screening and care across the DMV. [Event]
Big, Bold, Rich Red Wine Super Tasting at Arrowine
Oct 18: Big, Bold, Rich Red Wine, Cheese and Charcuterie Tasting! [Event]
🎵 Capital Force Youth Chorus
Oct 18: The Alexandria A Cappella Collective opens registration for the 2026-27 season of its Capital Force Youth Chorus. [Event]
🎭 Halloween Improv Comedy Show with the Auxiliary
Oct 24: Join the Auxiliary Improv for a night of Halloween-themed comedy in Old Town, Alexandria VA! [Event]
Submit events, announcements, or home listings to ALXnow.
Today: Alexandria saw a high of 90° at 3:15 p.m., a low of 64° at 4:05 a.m. and no rain.
Tonight: A chance of rain showers between 8pm and 2am. Mostly cloudy. Low around 61, with temperatures rising to around 68 overnight. Northwest wind 3 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Thursday: Rain showers after 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. Northeast wind 5 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
The photo above is from the City of Alexandria’s marina webcam.
Thanks for reading!
A grand opening for the U.S. debut of South Korean café Twosome Place is set for this weekend in Old Town.
The grand opening will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 at 404 King Street. Guests will enjoy free coffee and cake samples from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., a gashapon capsule giveaway with prizes and surprises from 10 a.m. to noon, and more. The first 100 guests in line will receive a free tote bag.
