Daily Brief | April 22

Good morning, Alexandria. It's Wednesday, April 22 — Earth Day, Spring2ACTion, and the morning after. It's the 112th day of 2026, with 253 days left in the year.

Sandy Marks will soon be Alexandria's newest City Council member. She won Tuesday's special election decisively, defeating independents Frank Fannon and Alison Virginia O'Connell. Virginia voters also approved the redistricting referendum by a wide margin — including 78% in Alexandria — giving the General Assembly power to redraw the state's congressional map ahead of November.

Meanwhile, City Council reached consensus on the FY2027 budget on Tuesday night. The proposal regarding Sunday parking meters is dead. The $200,000 Sheriff's Office cut — the most contested item of the season — passed, funding a jail operations study. Final adoption is April 29.

Spring2ACTion is underway. As of this morning, Alexandria's 16th annual giving day had already topped $912,000 from nearly 3,000 donors. The goal is $2.5 million by midnight. If you've got a favorite local nonprofit, today's the day: spring2action.org.

It's also Earth Day. Check out the Prevent Food Waste Workshop at Burke Branch Library this afternoon, or just take a walk — thunderstorms this morning, but clearing to mostly sunny by afternoon. High near 76 degrees.

Here's what you need to know today.

~ Ryan

1️⃣ Sandy Marks wins Alexandria City Council special election

Sandy Marks won the April 21 Alexandria City Council special election on Tuesday, defeating independents Frank Fannon and Alison Virginia O'Connell to fill the seat vacated when Kirk McPike resigned in January to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates. She will serve through December 31, 2027.

Alexandria voters also weighed in Tuesday on the proposed statewide constitutional amendment, voting overwhelmingly in favor.

Virginia voters approved the mid-decade redistricting plan Tuesday that could boost Democrats’ chances of winning four additional U.S. House seats in November’s midterm elections that will decide control of the closely divided Congress.

2️⃣ City Council reaches budget consensus, drops Sunday parking meters, and approves jail study

Alexandria City Council during an add/delete budget work session on April 21 (Screenshot/City of Alexandria)

Alexandria City Council reached majority support on all of its fiscal year 2027 add/delete budget proposals Tuesday night, dropping a plan to extend metered parking to Sundays, approving a $200,000 delete from the Sheriff's Office budget to fund a jail operational efficiency study, and advancing a package of spending additions funded in part by a business license tax increase.

The session was held at Del Pepper Community Resource Center. No public comment was permitted during the work session, but Sheriff Sean Casey and members of ICE Out of Alexandria were among those seated in the audience. With majority support reached on all items, Mayor Alyia Gaskins announced the April 27 follow-up work session has been taken off the calendar. Final budget adoption is April 29.

3️⃣ Spring2ACTion tops $912,000 by sunrise as Alexandria's 16th giving day gets underway

Spring2ACTion 2026 will take place on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (ACT for Alexandria)

Alexandria's 16th annual Spring2ACTion had already pulled in $912,810 from 2,925 donors by dawn Wednesday, putting ACT for Alexandria's 24-hour giving day more than a third of the way to its $2.5 million goal with most of the scheduled window still ahead.

As of roughly 5:30 a.m., the campaign's public dashboard showed 4,119 individual donations spread across 165 of the 196 participating nonprofits. The total includes gifts made during the early giving period that opened April 8 at spring2action.org.

4️⃣ Duke Street Land Use Plan holds fifth community meeting tonight

Duke Street Land Use Plan Virtual Community Meeting #5 will be held on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (City of Alexandria)

The city's Duke Street Land Use Plan process reaches a key milestone tonight with a virtual community meeting introducing the draft framework — including proposed building heights, land use, mobility network, and open space network. The meeting runs from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. via Zoom, with interpretation available in Spanish and Amharic.

After tonight's meeting, a digital version of the framework plan will be posted for public comment through May 28. Two more community meetings are scheduled: May 28 on housing and health, and June 17 on parks, transportation, and sustainability.

The virtual meeting can be accessed through the following:

Zoom: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Wz51bX8vSviI7lbJGv6fAg
Webinar ID: 990 6603 1607
Password: 397068
Dial-in: +1 305 224 1968

📰 In brief

City Council is looking for residents willing to weigh in on everything from zoning appeals to the George Washington Birthday parade, opening applications this month for more than 70 seats across roughly 30 boards, commissions, and committees. (Read more)

The Alexandria Police Department is asking residents for help finding a 34-year-old woman who has been classified as a critical missing adult. (Read more)

The city's Beautification Commission is now accepting nominations for the 2026 Beautification Awards, and this year's program comes with a patriotic twist: a new category created to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. (Read more)

Alexandria City School Board Chair Dr. Michelle Rief said Tuesday that the board is disappointed it does not expect additional funding for Alexandria City Public Schools in the city's fiscal year 2027 budget, and that the division is already working to identify solutions within its existing allocation. (Read more)

The person who was struck and killed on Monday night at the intersection of N. St. Asaph Street and Montgomery Street was a 62-year-old woman. (Read more)

Hi-Tide Lounge at Vola's Dockside is launching a Tiki Pop-Up Bar. It will debut on Thursday. (Vola's Dockside/Instagram)

The City of Alexandria’s Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities will celebrate the grand opening of a new ADA-compliant kayak launch at Four Mile Run Park on Saturday, May 9. (City of Alexandria)

Artists, food vendors, entrepreneurs, and community organizations are invited to apply for a chance to participate in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Month Celebration on May 30 at the Patrick Henry Recreation Center. (City of Alexandria)

🗞️ Region

Secrecy surrounding White House security makes details hard to come by, but President Donald Trump's court fight over his $400 million ballroom casts some light on an underground bunker at the site that has had a role in history. (Read more)

The battlefield is narrowing and the timeline is tightening in a congressional redistricting contest among states seeking a partisan advantage ahead of the November midterm elections. (Read more)

🏀 Sports

James Wood homered, Luis García Jr. had four hits and the Washington Nationals snapped the Atlanta Braves' six-game winning streak with an 11-4 victory on Tuesday night. (Read more)

🙏

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Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

Showers and thunderstorms are likely before 2 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., and then there is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 76 degrees. South wind 7 to 9 mph becoming west in the afternoon. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Mostly clear tonight, with a low around 55 degrees. Light northwest wind.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 6:21 a.m., sunset at 7:51 p.m. 13 hours & 30 minutes of sun. High tide at 12:45 a.m. & 12:52 p.m. Low tide at 7:05 a.m. & 8:07 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Crescent.

🗓️ Things To Do

All Day: Spring2ACTion, Alexandria's Giving Day
5 p.m.: Banned Book Speakeasy at The Study at Morrison House
5:30 p.m.: Del Ray Business Association Cocktails & Connections at Gustave Le Jardin
6:30 p.m.: Sushi Night at Lost Boy Cider
7 p.m.: Murphy’s Run Club at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub

🎶 Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Bill Pappas Project at 9 p.m.
Atlas Brew Works: Bingo at 7 p.m.
Augie's: Mackenzie Ryan at 5 p.m.
Evening Star Cafe: Mich Hargreaves at 8:30 p.m.
Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Pete Chauvette at 6 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Kenny Kohlhaas at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
Southside 815: Rook Richards at 9:30 p.m.

🏛️ City of Alexandria

9:30 a.m.: Alexandria Electoral Board — Canvass of April 21 Special Election, including Provisional Ballot Hearing
10 a.m.: Everyone's an Asset Builder — youth development workshop
11 a.m.: Spring to Action: Tour the Friendship Firehouse Museum
2 p.m.: Alexandria Community Policy & Management Team
5:30 p.m.: Public Health Advisory Commission (virtual)
6 p.m.: Tax Time is Here! File for Free! — free tax prep for eligible residents
6 p.m.: Spring to Action: Power Hour Happy Hour at Friendship Firehouse
6:30 p.m.: America250 Poster Contest Unveiling at Torpedo Factory Art Center
6:30 p.m.: Duke Street Land Use Plan Community Meeting #5 (virtual)
7 p.m.: Board of Architectural Review Public Hearing
(Full details and calendar)

📚 Alexandria Library

9 a.m.: Exhibit: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka at Local History/Special Collections
10:30 a.m.: 1s and 2s Time at Beatley Central Library
10:30 a.m.: Stitcher's Space at Burke Branch Library
11 a.m.: Just Babies at Barrett Branch Library
11:30 a.m.: 1s and 2s Time at Beatley Central Library
2 p.m.: Prevent Food Waste Workshop at Burke Branch Library — Earth Day event
2 p.m.: Lush Lyricism and Intimate Confessions with Miranda Cowley Heller (virtual)
3 p.m.: Painternoon at Barrett Branch Library
3:30 p.m.: Burke Book Club - "America, América" by Greg Grandin (virtual)
5 p.m.: Spitfire Club at Duncan Branch Library
5:30 p.m.: English Language Learning (ELL) 2 Workshop at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: AAR Tween Book Party at Barrett Branch Library
6 p.m.: Knit Nite! at Beatley Central Library
6:30 p.m.: English Language Learning at Duncan Branch Library
(Full details and calendar)

🏫 Alexandria City Public Schools

No meetings are scheduled.
(Full details and calendar)

ACHS Titans Sports

5 p.m.: Boys Varsity Rugby vs. Gonzaga at ACHS
5:45 p.m. & 7:15 p.m.: Boys Lacrosse vs. Lake Braddock at Minnie Howard (JV at 5:45, Varsity at 7:15)
6 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.: Girls Lacrosse vs. Lake Braddock at Lake Braddock (JV at 6, Varsity at 7:30)
6:30 p.m.: JV Baseball vs. Washington-Liberty at Washington-Liberty
6:30 p.m.: Varsity Softball vs. George Marshall at Witter Field
(Full details and calendar)

📜 On this day in Alexandria history

Alexandria Brick Co. wagon. Souvenir Virginia Tercentennial 1607-1907 of Historic Alexandria, Virginia, by Andrew J. Wedderburn (Alexandria, 1907).

"On April 22, 1890, the Alexandria Brick Company opened a new brick kiln off South Washington Street, in the area where the street ended at Hunting Creek, before the construction of the George Washington Memorial Parkway extended the roadway southward in the early 1930’s." (Read more at Historic Alexandria)