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Good morning, Alexandria.
Alexandria appears to have been spared from the severe storms that circled the region Tuesday afternoon and evening. While parts of Northern Virginia, D.C., and Maryland saw damaging winds and heavy rain, the city came through largely unscathed.
Seventy-four years ago today, the Alexandria Gazette splashed a memorable headline across its front page: "Eye-witness Story of 'Flying Saucers' Seen Along Alexandria-Clarendon Axis." The summer of 1952 was one of the most documented periods of UFO activity in American history, centered almost entirely on the Washington region.
City Council convenes a special meeting at 7 p.m. at the Del Pepper Community Resource Center — and via Zoom — to vote on whether to allow the Independent Community Policing Review Board to reopen its investigation into the in-custody death of Allan F. Tucker II.
I've got the latest on next week's record-setting National Night Out, including details on Del Ray's Dog Walker Watch dog walk.
Here's what you need to know for Wednesday, July 29.
1️⃣ Alexandria breaks its National Night Out record ahead of Aug. 4
Alexandria has broken its National Night Out record a week before the event, with 54 registered gatherings citywide, the Alexandria Police Department said Tuesday.
The count tops the 52 community neighborhood and civic association gatherings the department reported in its 2025 annual report — a figure that represented a 44% increase over the prior year and helped earn Alexandria a spot among the nation's top 15 National Night Out communities.
Police Chief Tarrick McGuire set the target at City Council's July 1 legislative meeting, telling members he wanted to beat last year's mark.
2️⃣ Two men sentenced to 40 and 16 years in 2022 Alexandria hotel sexual assault
Two men have been sentenced to a combined 56 years of active incarceration for a sexual assault at an Alexandria hotel nearly four years ago, the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
Ja'Real Wilkins, 37, of Alexandria, was sentenced July 9 to 40 years of active incarceration on two felony counts of rape and one felony count of forcible sodomy. Tysheem Boykins, 27, of Falls Church, was sentenced July 14 to 16 years on one felony count of forcible sodomy and one felony count of robbery by threat.
Both were convicted in trials by jury. Circuit Court Judge Heidi E. Meinzer sentenced Wilkins; Judge Kathleen M. Uston sentenced Boykins.
3️⃣ City Council votes tonight on whether to reopen Tucker investigation
City Council members were scheduled to be on summer recess this week. Instead, they'll return to the Del Pepper Community Resource Center tonight for a special legislative meeting with a single substantive item on the docket: a vote on whether to allow Alexandria's civilian police oversight board to reopen its investigation into the in-custody death of Allan F. Tucker II.
The special session was called after the Independent Community Policing Review Board voted unanimously on July 1 to declare Independent Policing Auditor Ameratu Kamara's investigation incomplete — finding that her June 22 report left critical questions unanswered. Under city code, the board can recommend additional investigation, but the auditor cannot reopen a closed investigation without city council's approval.
The meeting begins at 7 p.m.
In brief
Virginia is on track to become the sixth and final early-voting state in the 2028 Democratic presidential nominating calendar under a proposal unveiled last week, a move that could bring presidential candidates, campaign spending and national attention to the commonwealth in the weeks before Super Tuesday. (Virginia Mercury/The Brief)
Nonprofit organizations and places of worship are now eligible to apply for Plug In Alexandria, a city program that helps property owners install electric vehicle chargers, the Office of Climate Action announced Tuesday. (The Brief)
Del Ray dog mural inspires art display in Georgia. (Dalton Daily Citizen)
Twosome Coffee & Cake signage is up in the 400 block of King Street. The name matches A Twosome Place, a major South Korean coffee-and-dessert chain with about 1,700 stores. I've reached out for details on the opening.
⚽ Sports
The Nationals drew six walks against former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber in a four-run first inning, and Washington beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-6 on Tuesday night. (AP/The Brief)
Sonia Citron scored 22 points and Kiki Iriafen added 20 points and 10 rebounds to help the Washington Mystics beat the Connecticut Sun 92-84 on Tuesday night. (AP/The Brief)
Today's Schedule
- 1:05 p.m.: Toronto Blue Jays at Washington Nationals
- 9 p.m.: Washington Spirit at Utah Royals FC
Follow The Alexandria Brief on Instagram and Bluesky for even more news and information!
Today in Alexandria
⛅ Weather
Today: Sunny, with a high near 86 degrees. Northwest wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 68 degrees. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise at 6:07 a.m., sunset at 8:21 p.m. 14 hours & 14 minutes of sun.
High tide at 9 a.m. & 9:31 p.m. Low tide at 2:52 a.m. & 3:41 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Gibbous.
🚇 Getting Around
Check here for the latest service alerts: Metro, DASH, VRE, Amtrak, and DCA
🗓️ Things To Do
- 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.: In-person early voting open at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections (132 N. Royal Street)
- 10 a.m.: FPC Inova Blood Drive at 3846 King Street
- 7 p.m.: Author Event – James Renner at Old Town Books
- 7 p.m.: Murphy’s Run Club at Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub
🎶 Entertainment
- 219 Restaurant: Bill Pappas Project at 9 p.m.
- Atlas Brew Works: Bingo at 7 p.m.
- Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
- Laporta’s Restaurant: Pete Chauvette at 6 p.m.
- Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Kenny Kohlhaas at 8:30 p.m.
- O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- Southside 815: Rook Richards at 9:30 p.m.
🏛️ City & Schools
City Government: Open · Flag: Half Staff · Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste Collection: On Time
- 6 a.m.: Chinquapin Pool open
- 7 a.m.: Minnie Howard Pool open
- 9 a.m.: Alexandria Police Department Walk-In Wednesday hiring event at Police Headquarters
- 10 a.m.: Memorial Pool open
- 11 a.m.: Warwick Pool open
- 6 p.m.: Natural Resources Meet & Greet — meet Alexandria's Natural Resource Managers (virtual)
- 7 p.m.: City Council Special Meeting at Del Pepper Community Resource Center
📚 Alexandria Library
- All day: PINGO! — Plastic Free Bingo at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 10 a.m.: Artificial Intelligence for Beginners at Beatley Central Library
- 10:30 a.m.: Stitcher's Space — Sew, quilt, knit, crochet, embroider! at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 10:30 a.m.: Paleontology Playtime at Beatley Reading Garden
- 11 a.m.: Just Babies — Solo Los Bebés at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 2 p.m.: Prehistoric Painting — Make and Paint Your Own Dino! at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
- 3 p.m.: Painternoon — monthly painting club at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 3 p.m.: Bar C Ranch — Out of This World! at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 3:30 p.m.: Page Turners: Burke's Book Club — "Intermezzo" by Sally Rooney (virtual)
- 5 p.m.: BenAnna Band at Beatley Central Library
- 6:30 p.m.: From Art to Advocacy at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
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On this day in Alexandria history
On the morning of July 29, 1952, Alexandrians opened their newspaper to a front-page headline that has aged remarkably well: "Eye-witness Story of 'Flying Saucers' Seen Along Alexandria-Clarendon Axis." The Alexandria Gazette reported that "flying saucers circled the Northern Virginia area again this morning" — the word "again" doing a lot of work in that sentence.
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