Publisher's Note: Why I do this

Two months in, here's what I'm carrying into 2026

On November 4, I launched The Alexandria Brief with a simple goal: help you be an informed neighbor. Not outraged. Informed. So you can show up, help, and be part of building something.

I live here. These decisions affect me too. I’m a taxpayer and resident, just like you. When I cover city hall or the school board, I’m not parachuting in from somewhere else. I’m covering the city I call home.

2026 will be my 15th year in local journalism. I’ve spent my career believing that informed neighbors build stronger communities. That hasn’t changed.

Two months in to The Alexandria Brief, here’s what I’ve seen:

I’ve seen neighbors who care.

I’ve seen a community show up to fight for Jefferson-Houston. Volunteers tutoring kids to read. Parents packing school board meetings. Advocates crowding city hall. Neighbors showing up and speaking up to support a new coffee shop. People arguing about the future of this city because they love it, not because they’re looking for something to be angry about.

I’ve seen a 6th grader look in the mirror after getting her hair professionally styled for the first time. Tears streaming down her face. That wasn’t about hair. That was about dignity. Someone saying: you matter, you’re worth investing in.

As someone who experienced homelessness as a child, lived in foster care, and was adopted as a teenager, moments like that hit differently. I still remember the rare times someone made me feel like I mattered. A kind gesture. Someone taking time just for me. Those moments stayed with me forever.

They’ll stay with her, too.

More than once, someone at an event stopped me and reminded me that I’m not just a journalist, I’m also documenting history.

I was the only journalist in the room for two historic events this fall. The only photos. The only record that they happened. Sometimes it’s not the big city hall or school board stories that matter most. Sometimes it’s just being somewhere. Writing it down. Taking the picture. Making sure a moment in this city’s history doesn’t disappear.

That’s part of the job, too.

And when the news is hard—ICE activity, job loss, crime, emergencies—I’ll cover that too. With fairness. With dignity. Getting it right matters more than getting it first. The people in these stories are our neighbors.

I’ve seen readers share stories not for the rage, but because they want their neighbors to know what’s happening. People replying with “how can I help?” instead of “who can I blame?”

I’ve seen a city full of people who want to be good neighbors. They just need the information to do it.

That’s what The Alexandria Brief is for.

In 2026, I’ll keep showing up. Fair coverage. Useful information. Stories that matter. And the occasional Publisher’s Note when something needs to be said.

Here’s what I’m asking of you: Read. Share. Tell me what I’m missing. Send me tips. If you see something happening in your neighborhood that your neighbors should know about, let me know.

This works if we do it together.

See you in 2026. I’ll be the one in the room, writing it down.

— Ryan Belmore, Founder & Publisher