Daily Brief | June 12

Good morning, Alexandria. It's Friday, June 12 — the 163rd day of 2026, with 202 days left in the year. This newsletter is now serving 5,960 Alexandrians, 266 of whom keep it free for the other 5,689. Thank you.

It was a brutal Thursday evening. The storms that swept through the city knocked out power to thousands of Alexandrians, and more weather is on the way today — heat, more storms, and a Heat Advisory through 8 p.m. with heat index values topping 100. Drink water, find shade, and check on anyone you know who may still be without power.

Beyond the storms: The Alexandria City School Board adopted its FY 2027 budget last night, closing one of the most difficult fiscal years in recent memory. The Croatian national team held its second Alexandria press conference, with players praising the city's hospitality. A former Alexandria dog groomer was sentenced in the death of a dog at a Del Ray boarding facility. And we have a deep-dive look at the 12-story underground pump station coming online July 1 to clean up Alexandria's waterways.

This weekend at the waterfront: Sails on the Potomac, the city's marquee America 250 celebration, opens today at noon with four tall ships, the 48th ALX Jazz Fest, history villages, and Saturday night fireworks over the Potomac. The festival runs through Sunday.

Here's what's happening in Alexandria.

1️⃣ Severe storms knock out power to nearly 11,000 Alexandria customers; most restored by Friday morning as heat looms

Dominion Energy's outage map as of 6:30 a.m. Friday.(Source: Dominion Energy)

Crews restored power to most Alexandria customers overnight after severe storms swept through Thursday evening, though about 2,757 Dominion Energy customers in the city remained without power as of 6:30 a.m. Friday — down from an overnight peak of 10,887 around 9:46 p.m. Thursday, and down 1,000 customers in just the past 90 minutes. Restoration times for affected areas remain listed as "Pending Investigation."

Another round of showers and thunderstorms is forecast for Friday afternoon and evening, some potentially severe with damaging wind gusts or large hail.

2️⃣ Alexandria school board adopts FY 2027 budget after a difficult fiscal year

The Alexandria City School Board. (Photo: Alexandria City Public Schools)

The Alexandria City School Board adopted its fiscal 2027 budget Thursday night, closing out what board members called one of the most difficult budget years in recent memory.

The board approved both the $282.3 million, 10-year Capital Improvement Program and the $371.1 million operating budget by 8-1 votes, with member Abdulahi Abdalla of District C the lone no vote on each. Abdalla did not state a reason during the meeting.

3️⃣ Croatia settles into Alexandria base camp: "We feel very welcome here"

Croatia midfielder Martin Baturina, left, and goalkeeper Dominik Livaković answer questions through a translator during a press conference Thursday at Episcopal High School, the team's World Cup base camp in Alexandria. (Credit: Ryan Belmore / Alexandria Brief)

A day after a World Cup team turned a high school field into a citywide celebration, the Croatian national side got back to work — and, at its second press conference in Alexandria, made clear the city has made a good first impression.

Goalkeeper Dominik Livaković and midfielder Martin Baturina met reporters Thursday afternoon at Episcopal High School, the campus serving as Croatia's training base for the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Speaking through the team's translator, Livaković repeatedly praised the team's setup in Alexandria, calling the conditions excellent and the atmosphere in the camp strong as the team counts down to its tournament opener.

4️⃣ Alexandria dog groomer sentenced in animal cruelty case

An Animal Welfare League of Alexandria graphic marks the conclusion of the animal cruelty investigation into Kevin Sanders, a former groomer at Your Dog's Best Friends at 2000 Richmond Highway. Sanders was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison, with three suspended, in the death of a dog named Abigail and the abuse of other dogs at the facility. (Animal Welfare League of Alexandria; booking photo via Alexandria Sheriff's Office)

A former dog groomer convicted of felony animal cruelty in the death of a dog at a Del Ray boarding facility was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison, with three years suspended, leaving two years to serve.

Kevin Sanders received the sentence on a Class 6 felony conviction tied to the death of a dog named Abigail at Your Dog's Best Friends, a boarding and grooming facility at 2000 Richmond Highway. He also was sentenced to 12 months on each of four Class 1 misdemeanor convictions, with all of that time suspended, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria said.

5️⃣ An inside look at the 12-story underground station about to clean up Alexandria's waterways

Two of the station's four wet-weather pumps ran at low speed during a commissioning test the morning of June 11. Each pump can move up to 45 million gallons of water a day at full speed. (Ryan M. Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

Sixty feet down a stairwell — with no elevator yet and the permanent stairs still under construction — two enormous pumps hummed so quietly that Paul Carbary had trouble telling which ones were running.

"They're about the quietest pumps I've ever seen," said Carbary, AlexRenew's senior operations and maintenance adviser, who first set foot on the treatment plant site in 2002. Each of the four wet-weather pumps can move 45 million gallons a day at full speed.

The pumps are among the most striking pieces of RiverRenew, the program that AlexRenew will bring online July 1 to meet a state-mandated deadline — and the reason the utility invited The Alexandria Brief underground this week for a look at what crews have built.

6️⃣ What's happening in Alexandria this weekend: June 12-14

Fireworks will light up the Potomac River Saturday night at 9 p.m. during Alexandria's Sails on the Potomac festival, celebrating America's 250th anniversary. (Visit Alexandria)

Alexandria's waterfront kicks into high gear this weekend with Sails on the Potomac, the city's marquee America 250 celebration. The free, three-day festival opens today at noon with four historic tall ships—the Kalmar Nyckel, Gazela, Sultana, and Alexandria's own Providence—lining City Marina. Timed tour tickets are claimed, but walk-up lines are available daily if you're willing to wait.

Tonight brings Crab Shack Live's 10-year anniversary bash at 6 p.m., with vocalist Sy Smith and saxophonist Langston Hughes II headlining the Del Ray creative hub's celebration.

The 48th ALX Jazz Fest runs all weekend with live music, 30-plus local museums in history villages, Alexandria Pipes and Drums, student poetry readings, and shipbuilding demonstrations.

Here's everything happening for events, live music, and entertainment this weekend.

Storms knocked out power to thousands of Alexandrians overnight, the school board adopted its budget, and Sails on the Potomac arrives at the waterfront today. If today's edition gives you what you need, send it to a neighbor — local journalism grows when readers share it.

📰 In brief

Alexandria City High School has a new leader. Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt introduced Michael Burch, a longtime ACPS administrator, as the next principal during Thursday's School Board meeting. (The Brief)

Alexandria remains under a state drought warning as officials reported little relief from a persistent dry spell. (The Brief)

The Board of Equalization and Assessment Review for the City of Alexandria will convene on June 30 and July 7 to hear complaints of inequalities wherein the property owners allege a lack of equity or uniformity in assessment, errors in fact in such real estate assessments, or that the real property assessment is not assessed at fair market value. (City)

Region

Kennedy Center board seeks pause of ruling ordering removal of Trump's name by Friday deadline (The Brief)

Warner warns of strain on Virginia families, federal workforce and power grid in wide-ranging update (The Brief)

Spanberger defends wave of vetoes as frustrated Democrats push back (Virginia Mercury)

The U.S. Military will conduct multiple Aircraft Flyovers in the NCR over The White House and National Mall through June 14. Expect low flying aircrafts, loud noises. (AlertDC)

Sports

Young Mystics have shown they can compete, but they can still expect more growing pains. (The Brief)

The Washington Nationals open a three-game home series against the Seattle Mariners tonight at 6:45 p.m. at Nationals Park, the Washington Mystics host the Toronto Tempo at 7:30 p.m., and the Alexandria Aces (4-3) travel to face the Bethesda Big Train at 7 p.m. at Shirley Povich Field. The Aces' Wednesday road game at the SS-T Thunderbolts was postponed and last night's home game against the Southern Maryland Senators was suspended due to severe storms.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup opened Thursday with Mexico beating South Africa 2-0 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. In the late match, South Korea rallied from a goal down to beat Czechia 2-1 at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. The World Cup continues today with Group B Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina at 3 p.m. at BMO Field in Toronto, followed by Team USA's tournament opener against Paraguay at 9 p.m. at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

Storm coverage, school board votes, Croatia training sessions, weekend festival previews, an underground tour of AlexRenew — covering Alexandria takes time. 266 readers fund this newsletter so every Alexandrian can read it free. Join them with a monthly, annual, or one-time contribution.

Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 5 p.m. Some of the storms could be severe. Increasing clouds and hot, with a high near 98 degrees. Heat index values as high as 107 degrees. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the morning. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8 p.m. Some of the storms could be severe. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low around 68 degrees. South wind around 5 mph, becoming northwest after midnight. The chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 5:42 a.m., sunset at 8:34 p.m. 14 hours & 51 minutes of sun. High tide at 6:03 a.m. & 6:44 p.m. Low tide at 1:11 p.m. The moon phase is a Waning Crescent.

🗓️ Things To Do

12 p.m.: Sails on the Potomac/48th ALX Jazz Fest at Waterfront Park
6 p.m.: Crab Shack Live at 211 Oxford Ave.
6 p.m.: Tarot Readings With Cats at Mount Purrnon Cat Café & Wine Bar
6 p.m.: GC Myers Solo Exhibition: “Flow” & Opening Reception at Principle Gallery
6:30 p.m.: Friday Night Run Club at Daniel O'Connell's
7 p.m.: The Friendship Series at Lost Boy Cider
8:25 p.m.: Pitches & Pints: USA vs. Paraguay with Alexandria Soccer at Piece Out

🎶 Entertainment

Alexandria Jazz Fest: Americana Roots Music Performances: Silver Tones at 1 p.m., Irish Breakfast Band at 2:30 p.m., Decades Band at 3:45 p.m., Jason Masi at 5 p.m. at Waterfront Park
219 Restaurant: Fat Chance at 9 p.m.
Cuates Grill: Karaoke at 10:15 p.m.
Daniel O'Connell's: Kenny Kohlhaas at 9:30 p.m.
Del Ray Public House: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
Epicure on King: Live music at 6:30 p.m.
Evening Star Cafe: Czars of Leisure at 8:30 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Live music at 7:30 p.m.
Lost Boy Cider: The Friendship Series at 7 p.m.
Makeda Restaurant: Mesfin & Tsehay at 10 p.m.
Murphy’s Pub: Anthony Michael at 4 p.m., and Pat Garvey at 9 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Moondaddies at 9 p.m.
Port City Brewing: Loading Dock Rock featuring No Quick Fix at 6 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
St. Elmo's Coffee Pub - Del Ray: Del Ray Poetry Reading at 7 p.m.
The Birchmere: AJ Ghest & His Singing Guitar at 7:30 p.m.
The Light Horse: About Last Night Party Band at 9:30 p.m.
The Little Theatre of Alexandria: Still We Rise: A Broadway Cabaret to Celebrate America's 250th at 8 p.m.
The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6:30 p.m.

🏛️ City of Alexandria

City Government: Open | Flag: Full Staff | Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste Collection: On Time
6 a.m.: Chinquapin Pool Open at Chinquapin Park Recreation Center & Aquatics Facility
12 p.m.: Sails on the Potomac/48th ALX Jazz Fest - Opening Ceremony at Waterfront Park
1:30 p.m.: Alexandria Electoral Board Meeting
4:30 p.m.: Warwick Pool Open at Warwick Recreation Center
4:30 p.m.: Old Town Pool Open at Old Town Recreation Center
(City of Alexandria calendar)

📚 Alexandria Library

10 a.m.: Twice Loved Plushies - Come adopt a new plushie today at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
10:15 a.m.: Baby Storytime at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
1:30 p.m.: Film Screening - "The Devil Wears Prada" at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
(Alexandria Library calendar)

🏫 Alexandria City Public Schools

End of Quarter/Last Day of School for Students
(ACPS calendar)

📜 On this day in Alexandria's history

Fifty-nine years ago today, on June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Loving v. Virginia, striking down Virginia's 1924 Racial Integrity Act and similar anti-miscegenation laws still on the books in 15 states. The case had been argued for the plaintiffs by Bernard Cohen — a 33-year-old attorney then practicing in Alexandria — and his co-counsel, fellow Virginian Philip Hirschkop, both volunteers for the American Civil Liberties Union.

The decision ended Virginia's ban on interracial marriage. Just two months later, in August 1967, Leona Eva Boyd, a white woman, and Romans Howard Johnson, a Black man, became the first mixed-race couple legally married in Virginia since the colonial era.

The Alexandria Brief

Alexandria, Va., news and information you won't find anywhere else.

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Publisher: Ryan Belmore, an Alexandria resident and journalist. Send feedback, questions, story ideas, and news tips to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.