Daily Brief | April 28

Good morning, Alexandria. It's Tuesday, April 28 — the 118th day of 2026, with 247 days left in the year.

The numbers are in, and they're not good.

The metro division that includes Alexandria lost more jobs over the past year than any other in Virginia — down 22,700 positions, or 1.4%, from a year ago. A separate analysis from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments shows the broader D.C. region is bearing a disproportionate share of the nation's federal workforce contraction. The data lands just as the City Council prepares to adopt its FY2027 budget.

Tonight at 7 p.m., the City Council holds a legislative meeting to discuss tall ships festival funding, a $20 million senior housing bond deal for Ladrey, to receive an update from the City Manager on the Potomac River Generating Station site, and more. Tomorrow at 6 p.m., they will adopt the $977.3 million budget and set the tax rate.

Also tonight at 7 p.m.: a community meeting at Patrick Henry Rec Center on substandard lot zoning — rules that have been on the books for more than 50 years.

It's National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. Thank a driver if you see one.

Here's what you need to know today.

~ Ryan Belmore

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1️⃣ Alexandria area leads Virginia in job losses as federal cuts deepen

Aerial view of King Street in Old Town. (Ben Schumin, CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons)

The metropolitan division that includes Alexandria lost more jobs over the past year than any other metro area in Virginia, according to data released last week by Virginia Works — and a separate analysis released Monday by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments shows the broader Washington region is bearing a disproportionate share of the nation's federal-workforce contraction. The numbers land just days before the City Council adopts its fiscal 2027 budget.

Total nonfarm employment in the Arlington-Alexandria-Reston Metropolitan Division fell to 1,617,500 in January, down 22,700 jobs, or 1.4%, from a year earlier and down 4,700 from December alone, the state's Department of Workforce Development and Advancement reported April 22. Both figures led all 10 Virginia metro areas tracked. The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk region was a distant second, losing 2,300 jobs over the year.

2️⃣ Alexandria City Council to take up tall ships, $20M housing bonds Tuesday, formalize FY 2027 budget Wednesday

Tall-ships festival funding, $20M Ladrey bond deal headline Tuesday's agenda as council prepares to formalize FY 2027 budget the next night (City of Alexandria)

The Alexandria City Council will meet on consecutive nights this week, taking up a three-day tall-ships festival and a $20 million senior housing bond deal tonight during their regularly scheduled legislative meeting before formally adopting a fiscal 2027 operating budget and setting the city's real estate tax rate Wednesday.

The legislative meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 28 in the council chamber at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center, 4850 Mark Center Drive. Budget and tax rate adoption follows at 6 p.m. on April 29 in the first-floor community conference room at the same address.

3️⃣ Bailey honored with 2026 Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award at Del Ray GardenFest

AlexRenew and the City of Alexandria’s Environmental Policy Commission (EPC) presented the 2026 Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award to Russell Bailey on Sunday afternoon during the Del Ray GardenFest. Pictured (L-R), Yanique Revers, John Hill, Russell Bailley, and Councilman John Taylor Chapman. (AlexRenew)

Russell Bailey, a longtime volunteer whose conservation work has reshaped parks, neighborhoods and city policy across Alexandria, was named the 2026 recipient of the Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award on Sunday afternoon during the Del Ray GardenFest.

AlexRenew and the city's Environmental Policy Commission jointly present the annual honor. AlexRenew Board Member John Hill presented the award on behalf of the selection committee, which also included Yanique Revers of the Environmental Policy Commission and Frances Pickering, representing the family of Ellen Pickering.

4️⃣ Sister Cities Committee pours five Scotches at the Lyceum on May 2

Raise a glass to culture and camaraderie at the 2026 whisky tasting event. (City of Alexandria)

The Alexandria Sister Cities Committee will host its annual whisky tasting fundraiser May 2 at the Lyceum, with proceeds supporting the city's cultural and educational exchanges with Dundee, Scotland, and Helsingborg, Sweden.

The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Alexandria History Museum at the Lyceum, 201 S. Washington St. Guests will sample five whiskies from across Scotland's regions during a guided tasting that walks through the craft and culture behind each pour. Hors d'oeuvres are included, and wine and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for non-whisky drinkers. Every attendee takes home a Glencairn glass.

5️⃣ Alexandria to host community meeting on substandard lot zoning review

A polygon feature representing zoning within the City of Alexandria, Virginia. (City of Alexandria)

City staff will hold a community meeting tonight to discuss a potential overhaul of zoning rules that govern the development of substandard lots and outlots, regulations that have been in place in some form for more than half a century.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Patrick Henry Recreation Center, 4653 Taney Ave. Staff from the Department of Planning and Zoning will provide background on the current regulations, explain what prompted the review and discuss potential policy changes with attendees.

📰 In brief

The city's Department of Community and Human Services will host a free, virtual suicide prevention training this afternoon, part of an ongoing series of community workshops aimed at building a regional network of people equipped to recognize and respond to a crisis. (Read more)

The city will host a pre-construction community meeting on May 11 to brief residents on upcoming roadway and sidewalk work along South Patrick Street, ahead of a construction start scheduled for June 1. (Read more)

The city's annual RecFest returns to the Patrick Henry Recreation Center this Saturday for its 10th anniversary, offering Alexandria families a free, four-hour preview of the recreation, parks, and cultural programs available across the city — and a chance to register for summer camps on-site. (Read more)

Mayor Alyia Gaskins will host a resident roundtable on Saturday at the Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library. (Read more)

The City of Alexandria is officially seeking qualified food vendors to bring high-quality culinary experiences to their live, in-person events throughout 2026. (City of Alexandria)

Two Alexandria residents are among four arrested in Fairfax County motel drug ring bust. (WJLA)

🗞️ Region

Two and a half centuries after the American colonies declared independence from Britain under King George III, his descendant King Charles III arrived at the White House on Monday with trans-Atlantic ties under strain and security in the spotlight. (Read more)

King Charles III will embrace some of Washington's most formal ceremonial trappings on Tuesday as he tries to emphasize a bond between the United Kingdom and the United States that is so strong it can withstand the political turmoil of the moment. (Read more)

The man who authorities say tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with guns and knives was charged Monday with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump as federal authorities suggested an attack that disrupted one of Washington's glitziest events had been planned for at least several weeks. (Read more)

Virginia Supreme Court justices on Monday questioned whether the state's Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the U.S. House. (Read more)

Gov. Abigail Spanberger celebrated her first 100 days in office Monday in Richmond by touting her administration’s progress on healthcare, housing, and energy affordability measures. (Virginia Mercury)

🏀 Sports

Acing the Season: Girls Tennis remains undefeated in district play. (Theogony)

Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

A slight chance of showers after 10 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66 degrees. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the morning. The chance of precipitation is 20%.

Partly cloudy tonight, with a low around 52 degrees. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 6:13 a.m., sunset at 7:57 p.m. 13 hours & 43 minutes of sun. High tide at 6:45 a.m. & 7:11 p.m. Low tide at 12:42 a.m. & 1:18 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Gibbous.

🗓️ Things To Do

7 p.m.: Beer Yoga at Port City Brewing Company

🎶 Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Justin Gillen at 9 p.m.
Atlas Brew Works ALX: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Commodore Old Town: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Cooper Mill: Music Bingo at 6 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Antonio James at 6 p.m.
Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap: Combo Indigo at 6 p.m.
Lost Dog Cafe: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Pete Baker at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Trivia at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Commodore: Trivia at 7 p.m.
The Garden Del Ray: Trivia at 7 p.m.

🏛️ City of Alexandria

6 a.m.: Chinquapin Open at Chinquapin
11 a.m.: Public Health Advisory Commission Chair Planning Meeting (virtual)
1 p.m.: Question, Persuade, and Refer - Suicide Prevention training
6 p.m.: Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop
6 p.m.: Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest Recognition — followed by Alcohol Awareness Month proclamation
6 p.m.: Minnie Howard Open at Minnie Howard
7 p.m.: City Council Legislative Meeting
7 p.m.: Personal Finance and Career Building Workshops (virtual)
7 p.m.: Community Meeting for Substandard Lot Zoning Text Amendment
(City of Alexandria calendar)

📚 Alexandria Library

10 a.m.: English Language Learning (ELL) 1 Workshop at Beatley Central Library
10:15 a.m.: Family Storytime at Burke Branch Library
10:30 a.m.: Bilingual Storytime at Barrett Branch Library
11 a.m.: Playtime! at Beatley Central Library
11 a.m.: Baby and Toddler Time at Barrett Branch Library
2 p.m.: Baby and Toddler Play Date at Burke Branch Library
4 p.m.: Passport to American History with Felicity Merriman at Beatley Central Library
4:30 p.m.: Crafting for Teens: Bookmark Weaving at Duncan Branch Library
4:30 p.m.: Financial Literacy for Teens at Burke Branch Library
5 p.m.: Duncan and Dragons - Arkipeligo at Duncan Branch Library
6 p.m.: Build Your Own Rain Barrel Workshop at Beatley Central Library
6:45 p.m.: Eco:mmunion - Conversations to Sustain People and Planet at Barrett Branch Library
7 p.m.: Handcraft Tuesday - Evening Edition (virtual)
(Alexandria Library calendar)

🏫 Alexandria City Public Schools

6:30 p.m.: School Health Advisory Board at ACHS Rotunda
(ACPS calendar) (ACHS Titans sports calendar)

📜 On this day in Alexandria history

via Historic Alexandria

On April 28, 1861, soldiers attended Sunday religious services with their companies across the city. Mount Vernon Guards attended Methodist Protestant Church, Old Dominion Rifles attended Christ Church, Warren Rifles attended Grace Church, Fairfax Calvary attended Second Presbyterian, Alexandria Artillery attended First Presbyterian, Emmett Guards and Irish Volunteers attended St. Mary's, and Washington Home Guards attended Methodist Episcopal Church.

On April 28, 1898, the Sharps and Flats — Alexandria's own operatic troupe — performed Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera "Patience" at 500-508 King Street. Proceeds benefited the Alexandria kindergarten.