With the start of the school year around the corner, Alexandria City Public Schools is asking for donations of backpacks and school supplies.
For the second year in a row, the school system has set a goal of filling 3,500 backpacks in its annual backpack and school supply drive between now and Aug. 10.
Ready for takeoff! The Little Theatre of Alexandria kicks off a new season with Catch Me If You Can, the high-flying musical based on the DreamWorks motion picture, running July 18 – August 8, 2026.
Thursday through Saturday evening performances at 8:00 PM. Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM. Get tickets $36.
Based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., this Tony Award-nominated musical follows a brilliant con man who — before his 19th birthday — successfully posed as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer, all while staying one step ahead of the FBI agent determined to catch him.
The production features a cast from Alexandria and across the DC Metro area and a soaring, retro-cool score inspired by 1960s swing and Vegas glamour. Book by Terrence McNally, music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Directed by Jarod Glou, with musical direction by Aimee Faulkner and Owen Posnett and choreographed by Kristina Friedgen. Produced by Kadira Coley, Rachael Hubbard and Eleanore Tapscott.
Grab your tickets before this one flies out of reach — performances run July 18 through August 8, 2026 at The Little Theatre of Alexandria located at 600 Wolfe Street in Old Town Alexandria. Street parking.
Performances are Thursday through Saturday evening at 8:00 PM and Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM. Tickets $36. Get Tickets
Alexandria’s ranking isn’t as high as last year on Travel + Leisure’s annual “Best Cities in the U.S.” list, but it has remained in the top 10.
Travel + Leisure announced the winners of the 2026 World’s Best Awards yesterday (July 7). Winners were determined by feedback from about 207,000 readers around the world.
On This Day in Alexandria History — “On July 8, 1925, the National Fruit Product Company cider vinegar plant at North Henry and Pendleton was destroyed by fire. Several fire companies responded and city officials including the mayor assisted in putting the fire out. The intense fire attracted a large crowd of spectators and left more than a dozen firefighters in need of medical treatment.” [Historic Alexandria]
City Hall, Market Square, and Slavery Documentary Study Published — “In recognition of Alexandria’s dedication and drive to saving, sharing, and studying history in Virginia, Historic Alexandria received a Commonwealth History Fund grant from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (VMHC) in February 2025 to produce an in-depth history of Alexandria’s Market Square. Dr. Greg A. Beaman conducted this major research project to better understand the history of this important and well-known space … The project’s findings will inform future efforts to interpret and share the complex history of this early urban center.” [Historic Alexandria]
July 9th, Revolutionary Fitness, Old Town Alexandria
Your bathroom scale can’t tell you if you’re losing fat or losing muscle. It can’t see the visceral fat wrapping around your organs. It can’t measure the bone density that determines whether you stay strong and independent into your 60s, 70s, and beyond.
Good Tuesday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Jul 7, 2026.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect a 30% chance of showers mainly before 8 a.m., with patchy fog until 10 a.m., and mostly cloudy skies. The high will be near 82°F with a northeast wind at 3 to 6 mph. Wednesday night, showers and thunderstorms are likely after 2 a.m. with a 70% chance of precipitation. Skies will remain mostly cloudy, with a low around 71°F and a south wind at 3 to 5 mph. Rainfall will generally be less than a tenth of an inch, except in thunderstorms where it may be higher. See more from Weather.gov.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions.”
– Dalai Lama
Thanks for reading!
Former longtime Alexandria police officer Courtney Ballantine is adjusting to a new role after being promoted to chief of police of the Georgetown University Police Department.
All the badges Ballantine wore in Alexandria, from captain on down, sit in a shadow box near his desk. Four days after retiring from the Alexandria Police Department on Aug. 1, 2025, Ballantine put on a new uniform as the deputy chief of police at Georgetown University. A few weeks later, then-chief Jay Gruber got a new job at American University and Ballantine was named interim chief.
First responders revived a resident with a medical emergency during a house fire in Alexandria’s North Ridge neighborhood this afternoon (Tuesday).
The fire was reported around 12:52 p.m. in the 2800 block of Valley Drive. Firefighters came out of the home with a resident who was inside during the fire, according to radio dispatches. An Alexandria Fire Department spokesperson told ALXnow one resident had cardiac arrest on scene and was revived with CPR. The resident was taken to MedStar Washington Hospital Center and is intubated.
After failing to secure 50% of votes from members, the top two candidates running for president of the Alexandria teachers union are headed to a runoff.
The election was overseen by the Virginia Education Association after it invalidated the results of the Education Association of Alexandria’s officer elections in May. Votes for union officers and building representatives were collected online on June 29 and 30. EAA presidential candidate David Paladin-Fernandez got 190 votes (47%), followed by 115 votes (29%) for Christina Bohringer and 96 votes for Madeline Wingate Alfonso (24%).
Alexandria will rededicate a West End street this weekend that was named after a Confederate leader more than 70 years ago.
On Saturday (July 11), Mayor Alyia Gaskins will help rededicate Stevens Street as Moses Stevens Street for a Black entrepreneur who founded Mount Jezreel Baptist Church. Since 1953, the street was named after either Confederate Brigadier Gen. Clement Hoffman Stevens or Confederate Brigadier Gen. Walter Husted Stevens, the chief engineer of the Army of Northern Virginia.
