Daily Brief: Monday, November 17
Man wounded in stabbing on Mt. Vernon Avenue, suspect arrested; City Council approves development projects, restaurant expansion; What's happening in Alexandria today.
Good morning, Alexandria. I’m Ryan Belmore, founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief.
Here’s what you need to know for Monday, November 17.
Essentials
Sunny, with a high near 51 degrees. Northwest wind 9 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly clear tonight, with a low around 32 degrees. Northwest wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm after midnight.
The sun will rise at 6:53 a.m. and set at 4:53 p.m. High tides at 6:11 a.m. and 6:31 p.m. Low tides at 12:17 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. There will be 9 hours and 59 minutes of sun.
On Tap Today: Joggers & Lagers, Ice & Lights, live music, entertainment, and more. Get the full rundown below.
1️⃣ Stabbing on Mt. Vernon Avenue leaves man injured
A man suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a stabbing incident Sunday evening in the 3900 block of Mt. Vernon Avenue, according to the Alexandria Police Department. Officers responded to the scene at approximately 7:13 p.m. in the Arlandria neighborhood, near MOM’s Organic Market and the Arlandria Shopping Center.
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the stabbing. Communications manager Tracy Walker confirmed the victim’s injuries were not life-threatening. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not yet released additional details about the circumstances surrounding the incident.
2️⃣ City council approves development projects, restaurant expansion
The Alexandria City Council unanimously approved multiple development projects during its Saturday public hearing on Nov. 15, including office-to-residential conversions and a restaurant expansion.
Among the approved projects were a three-year extension for the Braddock West Extension at 727 Northwest St., featuring 180 transit-oriented residential units with 14 committed affordable units, and an office-to-residential conversion at 2051 Jamieson Ave. in the Carlyle area. The council also approved a special use permit amendment for La Pluma Coffee and Wine at 1000 Cameron St., allowing the restaurant to add 12 outdoor dining seats and extend Sunday hours until 10 p.m. The application drew approximately 400 letters of support from community members.
3️⃣ Titans’ season ends with playoff loss to Fairfax
Alexandria City’s football season ended Friday night with an 18-13 loss to Fairfax in the first round of the Region 6C playoffs. The fifth-seeded Titans turned the ball over on downs with three minutes remaining, allowing fourth-seeded Fairfax to run out the clock and secure the victory.
Sophomore quarterback Alpha Jalloh accounted for both Alexandria City touchdowns — a 62-yard pass to Kevin Coates on the opening play of the third quarter and a 1-yard run late in the second quarter. The loss was Alexandria City’s second to Fairfax this season, following a 14-7 defeat on Oct. 17. The Titans opened the season 5-0 before losing five of their final six games to finish with a 5-6 record.
4️⃣ Gaskins, Aguirre named to Spanberger transition team
Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger announced her transition committee Friday, tapping Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins and City Councilman Canek Aguirre to help lay the groundwork for her incoming administration. The two Alexandria officials are among more than 100 Virginians from across the state named to the “United for Virginia’s Future” transition committee, which will prepare Spanberger’s administration ahead of her inauguration.
The committee will focus on lowering costs, expanding economic opportunity, increasing business investment in Virginia’s economy and creating a safer commonwealth. Both Gaskins and Aguirre expressed enthusiasm about joining the transition team on social media Friday night.
5️⃣ Alexandria to hold annual holiday tree lighting
The city will host its annual holiday tree lighting ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Market Square at 301 King St. The free event will feature the arrival of Santa Claus via the King Street Trolley, with the tree lighting scheduled between 6:40 and 6:55 p.m. The mayor will join community members for the ceremony.
This year’s celebration will be the last tree lighting in Market Square before a temporary closure for City Hall and Market Square renovations. The city is asking residents to share photos from past tree lighting ceremonies using the hashtag #CityHallMemories. Following the lighting, Santa and Mrs. Claus will walk Market Square and visit with families until 8 p.m., with music and other holiday entertainment beginning after 7 p.m. The event will take place rain or shine.
Extra Extra!
The National Science Foundation is staying in Alexandria. (The Alexandria Brief)
An Alexandria defense contractor has landed a $90 million Army contract for nuclear facility support. (The Alexandria Brief)
The former Philadelphia Cheesesteak Factory building on Duke Street has been sold. (The Alexandria Brief)
Alexandria voters chose to write in thousands of names in the November 4 General Election. I went through the lists to see what was common (and uncommon).
From ‘ICE Out’ to ‘Wyatt Earp’: What Alexandria voters wrote in for sheriff
From ‘Shannon Taylor’ to ‘Mickey Mouse’: What 627 Alexandria voters wrote in for attorney general
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) Board of Directors and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors will hold a joint meeting at 12 p.m. today to consider recommendations from the DMVMoves task force. The recommendations include $460 million in new capital funding for Metro starting in fiscal year 2028 to replace aging infrastructure, upgrade stations and railcars, and improve reliability across the system. The task force is also calling for actions to enhance coordination among the region’s 14 different transit operators to create a more seamless, integrated network for all transit riders. Meeting materials are available here, and a live stream of the meeting can be found here.