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Good morning, Alexandria. It's Thursday, April 23 — the 113th day of 2026, with 252 days left in the year.
Five stories in today's newsletter. You won't find any of them, or much of the information shared in this newsletter, anywhere else this morning.
A pedestrian was struck in a hit-and-run on King Street early this morning — the fifth pedestrian incident Alexandria police have posted about this month. Spring2ACTion shattered its goal, raising $3.4 million from more than 7,000 donors. Sandy Marks will be sworn in on May 12, missing the budget vote but arriving in time for the Braddock Road appeal. I've got the 79-page write-in file from Tuesday's election — 1,026 ballots, ranging from former mayors to Mickey Mouse to Joseph Stalin. And last night, Matt Liptak's bold red poster won the America 250 contest and will represent Alexandria at a national mayors' conference this summer.
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Here's what you need to know today.
~ Ryan
1️⃣ Pedestrian hit-and-run closes section of King Street; fifth pedestrian incident Alexandria police have posted about this month
A section of King Street was closed early Thursday after a pedestrian was struck in a hit-and-run, the Alexandria Police Department said. It is the fifth pedestrian-involved incident the department has posted about on its social media accounts this month.
APD posted on its official account at 2:39 a.m. that the 2200–2300 block of King Street was closed while officers investigated, and asked drivers to avoid the area.
As of publication, APD had not released the victim's age, sex, or condition, or a description of the vehicle or driver. The Alexandria Brief has asked the department for additional information about this incident.
In the three weeks before Thursday's closure, APD used its social media accounts to announce four other crashes involving pedestrians.
2️⃣ Spring2ACTion shatters goal, raising $3.4 million from more than 7,000 donors for Alexandria nonprofits
Alexandria's 16th annual Spring2ACTion closed Wednesday at midnight, having raised $3.4 million from more than 7,000 donors for 198 local nonprofits — blowing past ACT for Alexandria's $2.5 million goal and eclipsing last year's record of $3.1 million.
Donations climbed from $912,810 at dawn to $1.3 million by late morning and $2.77 million by 7:50 p.m., before a stretch-run push carried the campaign past the $3 million mark that organizers had publicly targeted in the closing hours.
Heather Peeler, president and CEO of ACT for Alexandria, said the campaign reflected Alexandria's character as much as its generosity.
3️⃣ Sandy Marks to be sworn in May 12 as Alexandria's newest city council member
Sandy Marks will be sworn in as Alexandria's newest city council member on May 12, the city confirmed Wednesday — nearly three weeks after her victory in Tuesday's special election and two weeks after the Alexandria City Council is scheduled to adopt its FY 2027 budget.
Marks won Tuesday's special election with 53.37% of the vote, defeating independents Frank Fannon and Alison Virginia O'Connell for the seat vacated when Kirk McPike resigned in January to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates.
Marks will be seated in time for two significant council actions in the days that follow. The council has a legislative meeting scheduled for May 12 — the same day as her swearing-in — and a public hearing on May 16 that will include the Braddock Road Improvements appeal.
Read more: Sandy Marks to be sworn in May 12 as Alexandria's newest city council member
4️⃣ Inside Alexandria's 1,026 write-in ballots: Primary rivals, former mayors, Mickey Mouse, and Joseph Stalin
The Office of Voter Registration and Elections provided its 79-page write-in assignment file for Tuesday's City Council special election to The Alexandria Brief on Wednesday afternoon. It contains 1,026 ballots — each one a voter who rejected all three candidates on the ballot in favor of someone, or something, else.
They range from earnest choices to cartoon characters, from sitting politicians to Soviet dictators. The most-written-in identifiable Alexandria political figure was not an Alexandrian at all, but a candidate who hadn't been on the ballot in two months. The most-written-in name overall was Mickey Mouse.
All 1,026 remained "Unresolved" in the file's 4:15 p.m. run, awaiting formal adjudication by the city's electoral board. Given Sandy Marks's 11,167-vote margin of victory, no plausible tally will change the outcome.
5️⃣ Alexandria resident's colorful ode to city wins America 250 poster contest
A bold red poster crowded with Alexandria icons — George Washington's bust, a trolley, colorful row houses, sailboats on the Potomac and a tall ship — will represent the city at a national mayors conference this summer after Mayor Alyia Gaskins named it the winner of the America 250 City Art Poster Contest Wednesday night.
Matt Liptak, an Alexandria resident of about 15 years, took the top prize at a reception at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, where some of the more than 200 entries from artists across the city covered the walls of a third-floor gallery. His poster, rendered in paint pen and dense with Alexandria street life — dog walkers, scooter riders, cyclists and shoppers weaving between landmarks — carries the words "extraordinary, inclusive, beautiful" above the city's name, and "historical, magical, revolutionary" below.
Read more: Alexandria resident's colorful ode to city wins America 250 poster contest
📰 In brief
Drivers and pedestrians near Alexandria Union Station should prepare for a string of weekend closures in May as Virginia Railway Express moves forward with replacing two aging rail bridges over King Street and Commonwealth Avenue — the latest visible phase of a sweeping, multi-year rehabilitation of the station at 110 Callahan Drive. (Read more)
Hotel AKA Alexandria served as the backdrop this week for the country's top gathering of state broadband officials, as the National Governors Association convened its 2026 Broadband Leaders Workshop Tuesday and Wednesday at the Old Town property. (Read more)
The WMATA Board of Directors is expected to vote this morning on their final fiscal year 2027 budget. Alexandria-area commuters could see more frequent Metrobus service on a key local route under a revised fiscal year 2027 budget. (Read more)
The ACPS School Board has a meeting tonight at 6 p.m. Here's a look at what's on the docket. (ACPS)
The Friends of Duncan Library will host its spring book sale beginning today at Duncan Library, offering thousands of books across genres and age groups, with proceeds benefiting library programs and materials. (Read more)
The city will gather tonight to remember Joseph McCoy, an Alexandria native who was lynched in the early morning hours of that date in 1897, at a free evening program hosted by the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project. (Read more)
The City of Alexandria invites the public to join them in celebrating the 10th Anniversary of RecFest on May 2. (City of Alexandria)
Backstage compiled a list of projects casting right now in Virginia and nationwide, and which roles they're looking to fill. There are four opportunities in Alexandria. (Stacker)
🗞️ Region
After losing Tuesday’s closely watched redistricting referendum, Virginia Republicans are now shifting their focus to the courts, arguing the legal fight — not the ballot box — will ultimately determine whether the measure stands. (Virginia Mercury)
Mark Moran, the former reality TV contestant waging an independent bid for Virginia's U.S. Senate seat, was fined more than $6,200 and suspended for five years from the prediction market Kalshi on Wednesday after wagering on the outcome of his own race, the company said. (Read more)
The hottest new celebrity in Washington, D.C., is Asian elephant calf Linh Mai, who made her public debut Wednesday at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. She is the first elephant calf born at the zoo in 25 years. (Read more)
Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center’s new executive director and chief operating officer, guided a group of journalists through the Kennedy Center on Wednesday as it prepares for a 2-year renovation. (Read more)
Democrats on Wednesday celebrated an election win in Virginia that could put them slightly ahead in the national redistricting competition that President Donald Trump triggered in an attempt to preserve his party's House majority in this year's midterms, but it will not be the final round. (Read more)
🏀 Sports
Michael Harris II homered twice, Drake Baldwin and Matt Olson also went deep and the Atlanta Braves rallied from a three-run deficit to beat the Washington Nationals 8-6 on Wednesday night for their seventh win in eight games. (Read more)
Today in Alexandria
⛅ Weather
Sunny, with a high near 81 degrees. Calm wind becoming northwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. Mostly clear tonight, with a low around 58 degrees. Calm wind.
🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise at 6:20 a.m., sunset at 7:52 p.m. 13 hours & 32 minutes of sun. High tide at 1:47 a.m. & 1:58 p.m. Low tide at 8:08 a.m. & 9:04 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Crescent.
🗓️ Things To Do
- 5 p.m.: Banned Book Speakeasy at The Study at Morrison House
- 7 p.m.: ACRP Joseph McCoy Remembrance Event at Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church
- 8 p.m.: Shanty Sing Along with Ship's Company Chanteymen at Tall Ship Providence
🎶 Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant: Mike Kelley & Friends at 9 p.m.
- Aslin ALX: Game Night Live at 7 p.m.
- Atlas Brew Works: Bingo at 7 p.m.
- Evening Star Cafe: Grits & Greens at 8:30 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Ken Kilpatrick Trio at 6 p.m.
- Lena’s: Gigi MacLaughlin at 6 p.m.
- Lost Boy Cider: Trivia at 7 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Luke James Shaffer & Rook Richards at 8:30 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Deadset, Holtfaction, and Mad Pranksters at 9 p.m.
- Port City Brewing: Music Bingo at 6 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere: Going to Extremes: A John Waters 80th Birthday Celebration at 7:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6 p.m.
🏛️ City of Alexandria
- 5 p.m.: ARHA Board Finance, Audit and Administration Committee
- 6:30 p.m.: Joseph McCoy Remembrance at Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church
- 6:30 p.m.: Children, Youth & Families Collaborative Commission Executive Meeting (virtual)
- 6:30 p.m.: Poem in Your Pocket Celebration at The Athenaeum
- (Full details and calendar)
📚 Alexandria Library
- 9 a.m.: Exhibit: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka at Local History/Special Collections
- 10 a.m.: English Language Learning (ELL) 1 Workshop at Beatley Central Library
- 11 a.m.: Preschool Story Time at Barrett Branch Library
- 11 a.m.: Line Dancing 101 at Burke Branch Library
- 12 p.m.: Line Dancing 201 at Burke Branch Library
- 1 p.m.: Trans-Atlantic Book Club: Alexandria & Dundee at Burke Branch Library (virtual)
- 1:15 p.m.: Baby Bounce at Beatley Central Library
- 2 p.m.: 250th Film Festival - "Train Dreams" at Burke Branch Library
- 2 p.m.: American Style Mahjong at Barrett Branch Library
- 3 p.m.: Handcraft Crafternoon at Beatley Central Library
- 4 p.m.: Book Sale - Friends of Duncan Library at Duncan Branch Library
- 4 p.m.: Preschool Storytime at Beatley Central Library
- 5 p.m.: Spitfire - 4th and 5th Grade at Duncan Branch Library
- 5:30 p.m.: Tai Chi at Beatley Central Library
- 6 p.m.: Blast Off! Straw Rocket Craft at Burke Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Dungeons and Dragons Adult Group: Group A at Barrett Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Nerdy Knotters at Duncan Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Coding Game Night at Beatley Central Library
- (Full details and calendar)
🏫 Alexandria City Public Schools
- 6 p.m.: School Board Meeting at School Board Meeting Room
- (Full details and calendar)
ACHS Titans Sports
- 4 p.m.: Tennis vs. Lake Braddock — Girls Varsity at ACHS, Boys Varsity at Lake Braddock
- 5:45 p.m. & 7:15 p.m.: Girls Soccer vs. Lake Braddock at Lake Braddock (JV at 5:45, Varsity at 7:15)
- 5:45 p.m. & 7:15 p.m.: Boys Soccer vs. Lake Braddock at ACHS (JV at 5:45, Varsity at 7:15)
- (Full details and calendar)
The Alexandria Brief
Alexandria news and information you won't find anywhere else.
Publisher: Ryan Belmore, an Alexandria resident | E: ryan@alexandriabrief.com
If you appreciate The Alexandria Brief, please consider supporting my work with a monthly, annual, or one-time contribution.
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