The Alexandria Brief | Friday, Sept. 18

Good morning, Alexandria.

Early voting opens today at the registrar's office, and Sen. Mark Warner is there at 9 with Rep. Don Beyer. It opens under a cloud: Warner told reporters Thursday that Homeland Security agents pulled personal information about Virginians from voter files, something he said state law permits only the voter to do. Virginia's attorney general said hours later that DHS may have broken several state laws.

Also today: the police chief confirmed he cut off camera access for agencies with ICE agreements — his own decision, he said — and the department published written answers to council's questions the same evening. Twelve agencies restricted, an outside audit starting by Oct. 1, and a Flock contract that runs to April 2027.

And fall festival season starts tonight. Three Oktoberfests between now and Saturday, Chalk-A-Block returns to Old Town North, and the Yellow Line doesn't run this weekend.

Here's what you need to know for Friday, Sept. 18.

1️⃣ Early voting opens in Alexandria, with Warner and Beyer holding a rally at the registrar's office

Close-up of a "Vote Here" directional sign at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections, 132 N. Royal St., Suite 100. (Gracy Cary/Getty Images)

Early voting opens today at the registrar's office, 132 N. Royal St., and runs through 5 p.m. Oct. 31. The ballot has the U.S. Senate race, the 8th District House race and three constitutional amendments. Sen. Mark Warner casts his own ballot there at 9 a.m. alongside Rep. Don Beyer, the first of four campaign stops he has scheduled through Saturday.

It opens under a cloud. Warner told Virginia reporters Thursday that Homeland Security agents pulled personal information about Virginians from voter files — something he said state law permits only the voter to do. He called it outrageous and said lawsuits are likely, though his bigger worry is turnout: "The idea that people are going to get intimidated, the idea that you send ICE to the polls."

The state's top lawyer said much the same thing hours later. Virginia's attorney general said DHS may have violated several state laws after a whistleblower accused its employees of misrepresenting themselves on voter lookup tools to hunt for noncitizen voters.

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2️⃣ APD answers the Flock questions: 12 agencies cut off, an outside audit by Oct. 1, a contract that runs to 2027

Alexandria Police Department headquarters. (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

Two things happened Thursday. Police Chief Tarrick McGuire told the Commission on Information Technology he decided himself, after talking with City Manager James Parajon, to stop sharing license plate reader data with agencies holding 287(g) agreements with ICE. "I made that executive decision," he said. The same evening, the department published written answers to council's questions confirming it: 12 agencies restricted, including Loudoun County, whose narrower jail-based agreement puts it beyond what last weekend's removals suggested.

The answers disclosed more than that. The city contracted for Flock in 2023 through a reseller, and the term runs to April 2027. An outside audit starts by Oct. 1, with Ohio State criminologist Robin Engel adding the camera program to her review of traffic stops and use of force. And council got the camera inventory it asked for: 61 fixed readers, 628 body-worn cameras, 70 in-car, six red-light, seven school-zone and 43 public safety systems, 11 of them broken.

One question the answers don't touch: what share of searches the monthly audit actually examines. I've asked three times since Aug. 14.

And at the commission meeting, a member put Flock's contract language on screen — the city owns its data, then grants Flock an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide license to use it to improve the company's products. "Working with Flock specifically comes at a significant cost to all of us," Ben McGinnis said.

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3️⃣ Fall festival season starts tonight, and the Yellow Line doesn't run this weekend

Stein hoists at Port City Brewing Company's Wunderfest. (Photo: Port City Brewing Company)

Three Oktoberfests in two days. Port City opens with a 5K/10K at 6 tonight, then its Wunderfest celebration at 11 Saturday morning. Alexandria Oktoberfest is at John Carlyle Square Park at 11, and Gustave Boulangerie & Biergarten starts at noon. Also tonight: the city's "Where You Belong" campaign launches at William Ramsay with a new mural and a party, and the Alexandria Forum spends the day at the Lyceum on the Revolution's local roots.

Saturday fills up. Chalk-A-Block returns to Old Town North at 11 with the mayor judging, a canal history pub crawl retraces the old waterway at noon, and Cinema Del Ray is at 7:30 at Mount Vernon Recreation Center. Council holds its public hearing at 9:30, with the Russell Road address appeal on the docket. Alexandria Days runs in Old Town all weekend.

Plan around the trains. No Yellow Line Saturday or Sunday — Blue Line trains will alternate between Franconia-Springfield and Huntington so every Alexandria station keeps service, but there's no transferring at Pentagon. Same shutdown next weekend.

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In brief

Cornerstone Craftsman and the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria are among seven Virginia nonprofits sharing $50,000 from the American Water Charitable Foundation. Cornerstone also hosted Gov. Abigail Spanberger this week. (The Brief)

City Council takes up new public comment rules Tuesday, along with a $1 million shelter grant and reports on School Board election reform. Members also meet with the state delegation. (The Brief)

A judge ordered the Kennedy Center to give 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes, citing the building's sudden closure to the public Wednesday. (AP/The Brief)

Ten tech companies make up the first Accelerate ALX cohort, the city's first accelerator for tech entrepreneurs. The Alexandria Economic Development Partnership and the city ran the program with FedTech under ALX Forward. The companies: Apex Sensor Labs, Atlas Geo Technologies, Avara AI, Barding Defense, Choros, Future Energy Resources, Kymberg Consulting, Safe on Social, Seed Technologies and The Authentic Consortium. (AEDP)

Three Alexandria City High School students — Josiah Baldwin, Zoe Foster and Lucy Hunnicutt — were named 2027 National Merit Semifinalists, among more than 16,000 selected nationwide in the 72nd annual program. (ACPS)

Sports

The Mystics beat Chicago 110-80, with Kiki Iriafen putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds. At 25-16 they're tied with Dallas for sixth in the WNBA and a half-game ahead of New York. (AP/The Brief)

Alex Ovechkin said he's "for peace and love" after appearing in an ad for a Putin-aligned party. (AP/The Brief)

Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 86 degrees. North wind 5 to 8 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65 degrees. North wind around 6 mph.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 6:52 a.m., sunset at 7:11 p.m. 12 hours & 19 minutes of sun.

High tide at 1:47 a.m. & 2:34 p.m. Low tide at 8:44 a.m. & 8:08 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Crescent.

🗓️ Things To Do

All Day: Alexandria Days at participating shops in Old Town
8 a.m.: WEBA Coffee & Collaboration: A Mastermind Morning with Ironistic & TeamLogic IT at Beeliner Diner
8:30 a.m.: Alexandria Forum- Nothing But Independence at The Lyceum
6 p.m.: Port City's Oktoberfest 5k/10K at Port City Brewing Company
6 p.m.: Outside the Garden Gate opens at Principle Gallery
6:30 p.m.: Friday Night Run Club at Daniel O'Connell's
7 p.m.: Late 30s/40s Singles Happy Hour with The Shaka Club at Lost Boy Cider

🎶 Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Chris Timbers at 9 p.m.
Aslin ALX: Giggle Monster Comedy Showcase at 8 p.m.
Cuates Grill: Karaoke at 10:15 p.m.
Daniel O'Connell's: David Andrew Smith Duo at 9:30 p.m.
Del Ray Public House: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
Evening Star Cafe: Jack & The Jokers in the No. 9 Lounge at 8:30 p.m.
Galactic Panther: Unseemlier, Cuni, Fond, and Checkmate at 7 p.m.
Hops N Shine: Live music at 6 p.m.
Hummingbird: Scott acoustic at 6:30 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Live music at 7:30 p.m.
Makeda Restaurant: Mesfin & Tsehay at 10 p.m.
Mount Purrnon Cat Café & Wine Bar: Trivia Night With Cats at 6 p.m.
Murphy’s Pub: Johnny Artis Legacy Band and Pat Garvey at 9 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Framing The Tin Man at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Birchmere: The Secret Sisters with Caleb Elliott at 7:30 p.m.
The Garden Del Ray: The Painted Tune (Bryan Williams Duo) at 5 p.m.
The Little Theatre of Alexandria: Blithe Spirit at 8 p.m.
The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6:30 p.m.

🏛️ City & Schools

City Gov.: Open | Flag: Full Staff | Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste: On Time

7:30 a.m.: ACPS Governance Committee Meeting at School Board Meeting Room
8 a.m.: In-Person Early Voting Begins at Voter Registration Office
8:30 a.m.: Alexandria Forum: Nothing But Independence at Lyceum
6:30 p.m.: LARC Family Back to Rec Night — Board games and family fun at Leonard "Chick" Armstrong Recreation Center
6:30 p.m.: Where You Belong at William Ramsay Recreation Center
7 p.m.: Tavern Games Night at Gadsby's Tavern Museum

City of Alexandria calendar

📚 Alexandria Library

3 p.m.: Tai Chi at Beatley Library at Beatley Central Library

Alexandria Library calendar

⚾ Sports

ACHS Titans

7 p.m.: Football Boys Varsity vs. John Lewis HS at Lewis HS Stadium
Full schedule

D.C. Sports

8:15 p.m.: Washington Nationals at St. Louis Cardinals

On this day in Alexandria's history

Jones Point Lighthouse, 1929. Courtesy, National Archives.

Tomorrow, Sept. 19, marks 73 years since the federal government approved transferring the land at Jones Point to Alexandria and the National Park Service for public use — and the end of one of the stranger ideas anyone has had for that riverfront.

The Virginia Shipbuilding Company built warships there during World War I, then closed soon after the war ended. The site went quiet until the early 1930s, when it became a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. Then in 1933, a local author named Valerie McMahan bought the property and announced she would turn the old shipyard administration building into the Children's Toyland of America.

Her plan was to manufacture dolls, toys and books based on her book series, The Baseball Kids, and to employ toymakers by the thousands — she'd noticed that most toys of the era came from Japan or Germany while Americans went jobless in the Depression. Within a year, crews were laying water mains, gas pipes and electricity at the site. McMahan called it the future "children's capitol of the nation" and planned a dome on the roof modeled on the U.S. Capitol, plus display buildings, parkland and a boat connection to Washington.

It never happened. The Signal Corps put a communications center nearby in 1936, and in 1940 an executive order condemned the whole site for a secret government use. (Historic Alexandria)

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Ryan Belmore is an Alexandria journalist, neighbor, and the founder and publisher of The Alexandria Brief. Send tips and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.