The Alexandria Brief: Thursday, January 22

Winter storm watch issued for this weekend, school board to receive FY 2027 budget tonight, and join us live at noon with Senate candidate Julie Lineberry.

Jan 22, 2026

Good morning, Alexandria.

A major winter storm is heading our way this weekend, with 5 to 10 inches of snow possible. Tonight, the school board kicks off budget season amid a projected $15 million shortfall. And at noon, we’re live with Republican Senate candidate Julie Lineberry ahead of the Feb. 10 special election.

Here’s what you need to know.

1️⃣ Major winter storm bearing down on Alexandria this weekend

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch, warning that 5 to 10 inches of snow could fall from Saturday evening through Monday morning. Snow may fall at 1 to 2 inches per hour Saturday night, possibly mixing with sleet or freezing rain Sunday. Visibility could drop to a quarter-mile.

Dangerously cold temperatures accompany the storm. Wind chills in the teens and single digits begin Friday evening and last through midweek, with sub-zero readings possible. If accumulation tops 8 inches, the city classifies it as a Level 2 storm—roads are considered hazardous and may take five days to clear.

Stock up on groceries and medications, fuel your car, and check on elderly neighbors. Property owners must clear sidewalks within 24 to 72 hours after snowfall ends. Those needing help can contact Volunteer Alexandria’s Snow Buddy program. Track plowing at alexandriava.gov/SnowReport.

2️⃣ Herring raises $133K ahead of legislative session, including $100K from Dominion

Alexandria’s four state legislators reported raising $147,000 in pre-session contributions ahead of the 2026 General Assembly—with House Majority Leader Charniele Herring accounting for $133,000 of that total. Her largest check: $100,000 from Dominion Energy, consistent with a fundraising relationship that has netted $1.17 million over her career, including four six-figure donations since July.

Other delegation members reported more modest hauls. Sen. Adam Ebbin, who is resigning to join Gov. Spanberger’s Virginia Cannabis Control Authority, raised $4,000 in pre-session funds. Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, who won the Democratic primary for Ebbin’s Senate seat Jan. 13, reported $10,000. Del. Alfonso Lopez reported no pre-session donations of $1,000 or more.

3️⃣ GoFundMe raises $23K for teen in coma after North Van Dorn Street crash

The family of a 15-year-old struck by a driver on North Van Dorn Street has launched a GoFundMe that has raised more than $23,000. Subhan was walking with friends near Holmes Run Parkway around 6 p.m. when a driver struck him, according to the fundraiser organized by his cousin. He was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The family, who immigrated from Afghanistan in 2024, says Subhan remains in a medically induced coma after suffering injuries to his head, leg, and spine. He underwent surgery for bleeding in the brain. The fundraiser alleges the driver was intoxicated and speeding; Alexandria police have not confirmed those details and say the investigation remains active.

Subhan’s parents and older brother have been out of work since the crash. Donations will support medical bills, rent, rehabilitation, and lost wages.

4️⃣ School board to receive superintendent’s FY 2027 budget proposal tonight

Superintendent Melanie Kay-Wyatt will present her proposed FY 2027 Combined Funds Budget to the Alexandria School Board tonight at 6 p.m., kicking off a budget season that will include work sessions and public hearings before the board adopts a final spending plan. A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27.

The proposal comes as ACPS faces a projected $15.1 million shortfall. School officials told City Council in November they need $19.3 million to maintain current services but can expect only a $4.2 million increase from the city—a gap equivalent to roughly 120 positions across the system.

The budget also arrives amid ongoing concerns about how Virginia funds public education. In an explainer published this week, board members Michelle Rief and Ashley Simpson Baird noted that Alexandria has the state’s maximum Local Composite Index, meaning the state assumes the city can cover roughly 80% of school costs locally. As a result, ACPS received just $3,731 per student in state funding in FY 2025—the lowest of any school division in Virginia, compared to a statewide average of $6,978. That’s despite more than half of ACPS students coming from low-income families and 37% being English learners, the third-highest rate in the commonwealth.

The meeting will be held at the School Board Meeting Room, 1340 Braddock Place, and broadcast on cable channel 71.

Read more:

School Board Meeting - Presentation of the Superintendent’s Proposed CF Budget (ACPS)
Why Virginia’s School Funding Formula Matters for Alexandria (ACPS School Board Corner)
Alexandria schools face $15 million gap as city offers limited funding increase (The Alexandria Brief)

5️⃣ Republican Senate candidate Julie Lineberry joins us live at noon

The Alexandria Brief is hosting a live conversation with Julie Robbens Lineberry, the Republican nominee for Senate District 39, today at noon. Lineberry will discuss her campaign ahead of the Feb. 10 special election to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Adam Ebbin.

Lineberry, a longtime Alexandria realtor with McEnearney Associates, became the GOP nominee after she was the sole applicant and the party canceled its planned canvass. She has framed her campaign around affordability and serving as “an independent check on one-party rule in Richmond.” She faces Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, who won the Democratic primary Jan. 13 with 70.6% of the vote.

Watch live at thealexandriabrief.com, YouTube, Facebook or X. Viewers can submit questions during the broadcast. Can’t make it? The conversation will be available afterward on all channels and as a podcast. Early voting begins Jan. 31.

6️⃣ Rosemont group to vote on expanding Braddock Road bike lane opposition

The Rosemont Citizens Association will vote tonight on expanding its opposition to the city’s Braddock Road bike lane project. The vote would broaden a November resolution—which opposed removing parking on one segment based on a vote by 59 of the neighborhood’s 4,136 residents—to cover the full length of the corridor through Rosemont.

The original vote raised questions about representation. The RCA’s website states everyone who resides or owns property in Rosemont is automatically a member, yet only 59 people voted on the November resolution. The RCA’s formal letter to the city’s Traffic and Parking Board did not disclose attendance, stating instead that “the RCA promotes the interests and welfare of its members, which include approximately 1,800 households.”

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 100 West Luray Ave. The agenda also includes a discussion with Mayor Alyia Gaskins.

7️⃣ More from The Alexandria Brief

The Traffic and Parking Board will consider creating a new overnight parking district in the Beverley Hills neighborhood and approving parking modifications along the Old Town Circulator bus route at its virtual meeting on Monday. Read more

In a conversation days before his primary win, City Councilman Kirk McPike discussed protecting federal workers, housing, labor, and what sets him apart. Here’s what he told us about his plans for Richmond. Read more

Commuting in the Washington region is shifting back toward pre-pandemic patterns, with telework declining from its pandemic peak and more workers returning to roads and transit lines, according to a new survey released Wednesday. Read more

The Alexandria PTA Council and Alexandria City Public Schools are inviting families to a budget education forum on February 3 at Douglas MacArthur Elementary School. As of Jan. 8, 180 people had rsvp’d on the website. Read more

The final season of Netflix’s Emmy-winning series “Queer Eye” premiered yesterday, and Alexandria is playing a starring role. Read more

🗓️ Today in Alexandria

Mostly sunny today, with a high near 51 degrees. Southwest wind 7 to 13 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Partly cloudy tonight, with a low around 29. Northwest wind around 5 mph, becoming calm after midnight.

Sunrise at 7:21 a.m., sunset at 5:18 p.m. There will be 9 hours & 56 minutes of sun.

Events & Things To Do

All Day: Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week throughout Alexandria
12 p.m.: A conversation with Julie Lineberry, Senate District 39 candidate (virtual)
6 p.m.: Alexandria Arts Alliance Second Annual New Year’s Gathering at Elaine’s

Live Music & Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Mike Kelley & Friends at 9 p.m.
Alexandria Bier Garden: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Aslin ALX: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Ken Kilpatrick Trio at 6 p.m.
Lena’s: Dave Manley and Mauricio Miranda at 6 p.m.
Lost Boy Cider: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Rook Richards & Pat Garvey at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6 p.m.
Vola’s Dockside Grill: Comedy Night Series at 6 p.m.

City of Alexandria

Government: Open | Flag: Full Staff | Trash & Waste Collection: 1-day slide

6 a.m.: Chinquapin open at Chinquapin Park Recreation Center
6 p.m.: Minnie Howard open at Minnie Howard
6:30 p.m.: Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission executive meeting, virtual
6:30 p.m.: Duke Street land use plan community workshop at Charles Houston Recreation Center

Alexandria City Public Schools

6 p.m.: School Board Meeting - Presentation of the Superintendent's Proposed CF Budget at School Board Meeting Room

ACHS Sports

4 p.m.: Indoor track invitational, boys and girls varsity and JV at Episcopal
6 p.m.: Girls varsity wrestling jamboree at Fairfax

Alexandria Library

All day: Winter Lego building contest, virtual
10 a.m.: English language learning workshop at Beatley Central Library
10 a.m.: One-on-one application assistance at Barrett Branch Library
10:15 a.m.: Stories and songs at Duncan Branch Library
11 a.m.: Preschool story time at Barrett Branch Library
11 a.m.: Line dancing 101 at Burke Branch Library
11:15 a.m.: Stories and songs at Duncan Branch Library
12 p.m.: Street by Street, Block by Block: How Urban Renewal Uprooted Black Roanoke, virtual
Noon: Line dancing 201 at Burke Branch Library
1:15 p.m.: Baby bounce at Beatley Central Library
2 p.m.: American style mahjong at Barrett Branch Library
2 p.m.: Managing debt workshop at Burke Branch Library
4 p.m.: Preschool storytime at Beatley Central Library
5:30 p.m.: Tai chi at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: Coding game night at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: Air-dry clay snails at Barrett Branch Library, teens only
6 p.m.: Nerdy Knotters knitting and crochet group at Duncan Branch Library

📰 Extra! Extra!

A 35-year-old Alexandria man was killed when he lost control of his vehicle exiting I-66 in Fairfax County Wednesday morning, Virginia State Police say. (WUSA9)

Alexandria Health Department is advising residents about potential measles exposures in northern Virginia. Full details are available in a news release from the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) titled, “Virginia Health Officials Investigating a Confirmed Measles Case in Northern Region.”

The Alexandria Brief

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