Introducing The Alexandria Brief
Community-focused journalism for Alexandria
Alexandria deserves journalism that serves the community.
That’s why I’m launching The Alexandria Brief—community-focused journalism, powered by the community.
A Different Approach
With nearly 15 years in local independent journalism, I’ve learned what works: when journalism is funded by the community it serves, everything aligns perfectly.
That’s why Alexandria Brief is 100% community-powered: funded by neighbors, answerable to neighbors.
This means I can focus on what matters to Alexandria — city council decisions, school board policies, development impacts, and the stories that affect your daily life. I can dig deep into accountability journalism and serve the community first.
What You’ll Get
Daily coverage delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday mornings:
City council and school board - Detailed coverage of the decisions that shape Alexandria.
Development and planning - Know what’s proposed before it’s too late to comment.
Public safety and community - What’s happening in Alexandria neighborhoods
Quality of life - Transportation, schools, parks, and local issues.
And more of the issues that matter to our community.
Original reporting. Real journalism. Free for everyone.
Free For All
All content is free. No paywall.
Alexandria residents shouldn’t have to pay to know what affects their community. Local news should be accessible to everyone, whether you can afford to pay or not.
Members who can support make it sustainable for everyone else. That’s how community-powered journalism works.
Why Become A Member?
All journalism is free. You don’t need to pay to read The Alexandria Brief.
Members make it sustainable. Community support means journalism focused on Alexandria, not pageviews—accountable to neighbors, not outside interests.
Your support keeps all content free for everyone, including neighbors who can’t afford to pay. Questions? ryan@alexandriabrief.com
Multiple Newsletters, One Subscription
Choose what you want to receive:
The Alexandria Brief - A daily newsletter that makes you smarter about Alexandria—with news, context, and analysis on what’s shaping your community. Delivered every weekday morning
City Hall Brief - Regular deep dives into Alexandria city government—city council meetings, budget decisions, policy debates, and the municipal decisions shaping our community.
Development Brief - Regular deep dives into Alexandria’s built environment—real estate projects, construction updates, planning proposals, zoning changes, and how development impacts our neighborhoods.
Education Brief - Regular deep dives into Alexandria City Public Schools—school board meetings, ACPS policies, education initiatives, budget priorities, and the issues affecting our students and teachers.
Transportation Brief - Regular deep dives into how Alexandria moves—road projects, transit updates, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, traffic issues, and transportation planning that affects your commute.
Weekend Brief - A weekly newsletter, delivered on Thursdays, that serves as your guide to all that’s happening, new, and to do for the weekend ahead in Alexandria.
Customize which newsletters and notifications you’d like to receive here.
Why Me
I’m Ryan Belmore. I live in Alexandria and cover the city I call home. These decisions affect me too. I’m a taxpayer and resident, just like you.
My wife, Jen, and I moved to Alexandria from Rhode Island in 2021. I’ve since served on the City of Alexandria’s Commission for the Arts and Board of Zoning Appeals. I contributed a column weekly to ALXnow from June 2023 to February 2025 and then served as publisher from March 2025 to October 2025.
With nearly 15 years in local independent journalism, I’ve been recognized as LION Member of the Year (2020) and am a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, Online News Association, and Local Independent Online News Publishers.
I’m committed to the codes of ethics of these organizations: accuracy, independence, accountability, and transparency.
What’s Next
The Alexandria Brief launches soon. Sign up now to get notified when we go live.
You can also follow The Alexandria Brief on social media.
Bluesky: @alexandriabrief
Facebook: alexandriabrief
Instagram: @alexandriabrief
Threads: @alexandriabrief
X (Twitter): @alexandriabrief
Thanks for reading.
Ryan Belmore