The Alexandria Brief: Thursday, April 2

Good morning, Alexandria. It's Thursday, April 2 — the 92nd day of 2026, with 273 days left in the year.

In today's newsletter: Vice Mayor Bagley reflects on her year leading VRE through a historic ridership milestone and a major groundbreaking. DCANTER officially opened in Old Town last night. And Metro is proposing more frequent bus service on Route A76 — good news for Mark Center and Southern Towers commuters.

Reminder - Monday is a Teacher Work Day, so no school for students. Students returns from spring break on Tuesday.

Here's what you need to know.

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1️⃣ Vice Mayor Bagley completes landmark year as VRE chair, transitions to immediate past chair role

Alexandria Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley, who served as Chair of the Virginia Railway Express board, discussed bridge improvements at a November ceremony that broke ground on a suite of Alexandria rail projects designed to eliminate a critical bottleneck where multiple rail lines converge south of Washington, D.C.. (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

Alexandria Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley has completed her term as chair of the Virginia Railway Express Operations Board after leading the organization through one of its most consequential years — one that included a historic ridership milestone, a major groundbreaking in Old Town, a new CEO hire and the advancement of a long-term plan to transform VRE from a peak-hour commuter service into a full regional rail network.

"I was honored to pass the gavel to Chair Bailey, who shares my understanding that a strong transit system, that includes regional rail service, is vital to the region economically and to meet its sustainability goals," Bagley told The Alexandria Brief. "My year as Chair in 2025 was consequential for VRE in our selection of a new Chief Executive Officer and Chief Legal Officer."

On Oct. 6, 2025, VRE recorded its 100 millionth rider since launching service in 1992, a milestone that arrived as the system was experiencing accelerating ridership growth — more than 100,000 additional passengers rode in July 2025 compared to the same month the prior year.

2️⃣ DCANTER wine shop uncorks grand opening in Old Town

DCANTER is now open at 1101 King Street. (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

DCANTER, a boutique wine retailer based on Capitol Hill, opened Tuesday at 1101 King Street, Suite 112, with a preview event attended by dozens of guests, including representatives from the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce, and Councilman Canek Aguirre.

Founders Michelle Lim Warner and Michael Warner addressed the crowd, reflecting on more than a decade of building the business before bringing it to Alexandria.

"Thirteen years ago, when we had our first store on Capitol Hill, we envisioned a place where community can gather — a space where people can really come and get to know each other and share in their curiosity and perhaps love of wine," Michelle said.

3️⃣ Alexandria Symphony bids farewell to Music Director James Ross with two final concerts

The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra (ASO) concludes its 2025-2026 season with James Ross’ Finale – Bruch & Sibelius, a powerful and celebratory program marking the final concerts of Music Director James Ross’ tenure with the orchestra. (ASO)

The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra will celebrate and bid farewell to Music Director James Ross this month, as he takes the podium for the final time in a tenure that began in 2018 and reshaped the orchestra's artistic identity.

The two-concert finale features a program that reflects both Ross's adventurous programming instincts and his deep connection to the symphonic repertoire. The first performance is Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center. A second and final performance follows Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m. at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. Seating for the Sunday show is very limited, and early ticket purchases are strongly encouraged.

4️⃣ Metro proposes more frequent bus service on Alexandria-area route as part of revised fiscal year 2027 budget

Metro at Potomac Yard Station (City of Alexandria)

Alexandria-area commuters would see more frequent Metrobus service on a key local route under a revised fiscal year 2027 budget proposed last week by WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke.

Route A76, which connects the Mark Center in Alexandria to Ballston-MU and Virginia Square-GMU stations and continues to Rosslyn Station via Fairfax Drive, 10th Street North and Arlington Boulevard, would see its weekday peak frequency cut from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes, effective on or around July 1, 2026. The route also serves Southern Towers and the Northern Virginia Community College-Alexandria campus on Fillmore Avenue. It largely replaced the former 25B route when Metro launched its Better Bus network redesign in June 2025, extending service north to Rosslyn — a connection the 25B did not provide.

The budget document also highlights a mid-year improvement already in place: new commuter peak service launched earlier this fiscal year on Route A29, which improved access from Alexandria and Arlington to downtown Washington.

5️⃣ Alexandria marks 56th Earth Day anniversary with month of green events

2025 Earth Day student artwork (Peyton B./City of Alexandria)

Alexandria is celebrating the 56th anniversary of Earth Day with a month-long series of events, volunteer opportunities and educational programming throughout April under the theme "Lights, Camera, Action: Spotlighting Steps to a Greener Alexandria."

The city's Eco-City Alexandria initiative is organizing the programming, which centers on the city's vision of residents, businesses and local government working together toward environmental sustainability. Sustainability-themed student artwork from kindergarten through eighth grade created in partnership with Alexandria City Public Schools will be on display at the Jerome "Buddie" Ford Nature Center lobby from April 17 through May 22, and at City Hall throughout the month.

📰 In brief

Mill Rd. and Eisenhower Ave. had been blocked due to a vehicle/pedestrian crash overnight. As of 1:17 a.m., the road had reopened. (APD/X)

The Office of Historic Alexandria has joined a newly launched statewide museum network designed to strengthen history organizations across Virginia. (The Alexandria Brief)

Four Alexandria-area players are among 80 selected for U.S. Soccer's 2026 Under-14 Boys' Central and Northeast Region Talent Identification Mini-Camp, set for April 2-6 at McCurry Park in Fayetteville, Ga. (The Alexandria Brief)

Justice for Democracy PAC faces backlash over mailers invoking the Jim Crow era and misrepresenting Obama’s stance ahead of the April 21 vote. (Virginia Mercury)

Discover the hidden histories and enduring legacies woven into Alexandria’s architectural treasures. (Visit Alexandria)

April 21 Special Election: As of March 31, 4,887 residents have voted early in person, and 4,881 have voted by mail-in ballot (10,184 ballots have been sent). The ballot includes a contest for City Council as well as a proposed statewide constitutional amendment on redistricting. Early voting continues today at 132 N Royal Street. (City of Alexandria)

Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

Scattered showers after 5 p.m. Patchy fog between 7 a.m. and noon. Otherwise, mostly sunny through mid-morning, then becoming cloudy, with a high near 64 degrees.

Scattered showers tonight before 8 p.m. Patchy fog. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 50 degrees.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 6:50 a.m., sunset at 7:32 p.m. 12 hours & 41 minutes of sun. High tide at 9:24 a.m. and 9:52 p.m. Low tide at 3:28 a.m. and 4:05 p.m. The moon phase is a Full Moon.

🗓️ Things To Do

6 p.m.: Full Moon Art Exhibit at Wine Gallery 108

🎶 Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Mike Kelley & Friends at 9 p.m.
Aslin ALX: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Atlas Brew Works: Bingo at 7 p.m.
Evening Star Cafe: Patchwork at 8:30 p.m.
Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Ken Kilpatrick Trio at 6 p.m.
Lena’s: Gigi MacLaughlin at 6 p.m.
Lost Boy Cider: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Rook Richards at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Practically Einstein at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Little Theatre of Alexandria: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at 8 p.m.
The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6 p.m.

🏛️ City & Schools

City Government: Open | Schools: Spring Break - No school for students | Flag: Full Staff | Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste Collection: On Time

6 a.m.: Chinquapin Open at Chinquapin
7 a.m.: Minnie Howard Open at Minnie Howard
10 a.m.: APD Virtual Hiring Brief
4:30 p.m.: Commission on Aging Civic Engagement and Economic (virtual)
6:30 p.m.: CSB Board Meeting at 4850 Mark Center Drive
7 p.m.: ACSCC D-Day Subcommittee Meeting (virtual)

📚 Alexandria Library

All day: America 250 Community Mini Art Show Canvas Pick-Up at Burke Branch Library
All day: The Great American PoeTREEs at Beatley Central Library
All day: Footsteps of History - Virtual Walking Challenge (virtual)
10 a.m.: Application Assistance - One-on-One Help 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
11:15 a.m.: Stories and Songs at Duncan Branch Library
1:15 p.m.: Baby Bounce at Beatley Central Library
1:30 p.m.: Thursday Afternoon Book Discussion - "Midnight on the Potomac" at Duncan Branch Library
2 p.m.: On a Mission: The History of U.S. Women Astronauts with Smithsonian Curator Emerita Valerie Neal (virtual)
3 p.m.: Carefull Knit & Crochet at Barrett Branch Library
4 p.m.: Preschool Storytime at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: Dungeons and Dragons: Teen Group at Barrett Branch Library
6 p.m.: Coding Game Night at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: Nerdy Knotters at Duncan Branch Library
6 p.m.: Dungeons and Dragons Adult Group: Group B at Barrett Branch Library

📜 On This Day in History

Nothing to share today.