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Good morning, Alexandria. It's Thursday, March 26 — the 85th day of 2026, with 280 days left in the year. You're one of 5,686 neighbors reading this newsletter this morning. If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up here.
Traffic Alert: A major crash is causing traffic issues on I-495 southbound near Van Dorn Street in Alexandria this morning. At 4:33 a.m., VDOT shared on X that all lanes were blocked. As of 7 a.m., traffic is still snarled.
Mostly sunny today with a high near 79 degrees. The National Park Service is expected to announce peak bloom for the cherry blossoms today.
City Council wrapped up its final budget work session last night before add-delete begins. Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley led the session in Mayor Gaskins' absence, covering city technology, human resources, communications, finance, and the city attorney's office. Add-delete proposals are due April 9. Full story coming shortly on alexandriabrief.com.
Tuesday's city council meeting also produced two major stories below: Alexandria posted the sharpest crime drop in the DMV region last year, and Visit Alexandria revealed what Croatia's World Cup base camp will — and won't — mean for residents this summer.
Here's what you need to know today.
1️⃣ Alexandria sees sharpest crime drop in the DMV region as Chief McGuire provides public safety update to city council
Alexandria's major crime numbers fell sharply in 2025, with every Part 1 offense category declining year over year — but it wasn't until Tuesday night that Police Chief Tarrick McGuire sat before City Council and explained why it's happening, how he's doing it, and where he wants to take the department next.
The presentation was built around a newly released Brookings Institution analysis of crime trends across the Washington metropolitan area — and Alexandria's position in that data was striking. While Virginia jurisdictions saw an average per capita crime reduction of 10 to 14% between November 2024 and November 2025, Alexandria's reduction came in at 57% — the largest drop of any jurisdiction tracked in the DMV Monitor report, released March 10.
2️⃣ Croatia's national soccer team is basing out of Alexandria for the World Cup. Here's what that means so far.
When Croatia's national soccer team arrives in Alexandria this summer to use the city as its base camp for the FIFA World Cup, most of what the city has planned will happen behind the scenes — at least for now.
Visit Alexandria CEO Todd O'Leary presented the city's World Cup preparations to City Council on Tuesday night, offering the most detailed public look yet at how Alexandria intends to leverage its role as host of one of the world's top soccer programs. The presentation covered team amenities, marketing strategy, a Croatian Embassy partnership, media outreach, and business community activation — but O'Leary was clear that for the general public, the confirmed opportunity to engage directly with the team is limited to one event: a "quasi-public" community training session for youth soccer players planned for June.
3️⃣ Four Mile Run Conservancy earns state's top environmental honor for kayak launch
The Four Mile Run Conservancy, a nonprofit dedicated to stewardship of the Four Mile Run stream valley, has received a Gold Medal from the state of Virginia for a project that opened a new public water access point along lower Four Mile Run, Governor Abigail Spanberger announced Wednesday.
The kayak and canoe launch, which is already open to the public, gives the community its first fully ADA-accessible route to the Potomac River. The facility features a 187-foot raised boardwalk ramp within the city's 49-acre Four Mile Run Park and is the first of its kind in the DC metro area, according to the Governor's office.
The City of Alexandria will host a grand opening celebration on Saturday, May 9 from noon to 3 p.m. at Four Mile Run Park.
📰 In brief
A nationally recognized high school rugby tournament is relocating to Alexandria this April — arriving just as city leaders are leaning harder than ever into sports tourism as an economic driver. (The Alexandria Brief)
The League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City is hosting a virtual candidate forum for the April 21 Alexandria City Council special election on Saturday, April 11. (The Alexandria Brief)
A restaurant and lounge called Yalla is seeking a liquor license at a West End address currently occupied by a temporarily closed Ethiopian restaurant. (The Alexandria Brief)
City Council unanimously approved a $4.4 million financing package Tuesday for the Sansé & Naja development in Arlandria, unlocking construction of the final building in what city officials have called Alexandria's most substantial affordable housing investment to date. (The Alexandria Brief)
City Council unanimously adopted a new Age Friendly Plan on Tuesday night, approving a five-year roadmap for senior services that city staff say was deliberately designed to flex in response to shifting federal policy. (The Alexandria Brief)
The City of Alexandria's Draft Five-Year Consolidated Plan for the period July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2031, and Draft One-Year Action Plan for the period July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 for Housing and Community Development will be available for a comment period beginning on or about Monday, March 23, 2026 and ending Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (City of Alexandria)
Virginia Tech will conduct a test of the VT Alerts emergency notification system on April 3 at university facilities and locations in the greater Washington, D.C., area. (Virginia Tech)
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum will open a new exhibit, “Women in Business: We Were Always Here,” on Thursday, March 26, at 11 a.m. (City of Alexandria)
The city will host Duke Street Land Use Plan Community Meeting #5 on April 22 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. online via Zoom. The meeting will introduce the draft framework elements of the future Plan, including proposed Building Heights, Land Use, the Mobility Network, and the Open Space Network. (City of Alexandria)
As of March 24, 3,406 residents have voted early in person for the April 21 Special Election, and 10,033 have requested mail-in ballots. Early voting continues today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 132 N Royal Street. (City of Alexandria)
Today in Alexandria
The city will host a virtual community meeting tonight to discuss design alternatives for the Taylor Run Infrastructure Stabilization Project. (The Alexandria Brief)
The city will host a pre-construction community meeting tonight for the Eisenhower Avenue Metrorail Station Pedestrian Crossing Improvements Project. (The Alexandria Brief)
ACPS will present a redistricting implementation update to the School Board during its regular meeting tonight. (The Alexandria Brief)
⛅ Weather
Mostly sunny, with a high near 79 degrees. A chance of rain tonight after 5 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53 degrees.
🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise at 7:01 a.m., sunset at 7:25 p.m. 12 hours & 24 minutes of sun. High tide at 3:02 a.m. and 3:16 p.m. Low tide at 9:19 a.m. and 10:24 p.m. The moon phase is a First Quarter Moon.
🗓️ Things To Do
- 5 p.m.: Women's History Month Event at Washington University of Science & Technology
- 6 p.m.: Link & Drink: NextGen Networking Happy Hour at Port City Brewing
- 8 p.m. Shanty Sing Along with Ship's Company Chanteymen at Tall Ship Providence
🎶 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: The Walkaways at 8:30 p.m.
- Galactic Panther: Rap is Poetry Open Mic Night at 8 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: Mantagonist and The Funicular Project at 9 p.m.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- St. Elmo's Old Town North: CatRad Bingo at 6:30 p.m.
- The Study at Morrison House: Live Piano Music at 6 p.m.
🏛️ City & Schools
- 6 a.m.: Chinquapin Open at Chinquapin
- 11 a.m.: New Exhibit Opening – Women in Business at Gadsby's Tavern
- 12 p.m.: Nourishing the Future Generation
- 6 p.m.: ACPS School Board Meeting
- 6 p.m.: Minnie Howard Open at Minnie Howard
- 6 p.m.: Eisenhower Pedestrian Crossing Community Meeting (virtual)
- 6 p.m.: Taylor Run Infrastructure Stabilization Meeting (virtual)
- 6:30 p.m.: Children, Youth & Families Collaborative Commission Executive Meeting (virtual)
📚 Alexandria Library
- 10 a.m.: English Language Learning (ELL) 1 Workshop at Beatley Central Library
- 10 a.m.: Application Assistance - One-on-One Help at Barrett Branch Library
- 11 a.m.: Line Dancing 101 at Burke Branch Library
- 11 a.m.: Preschool Story Time at Barrett Branch Library
- 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.: 250th Film Festival - "Mudbound" at Burke Branch Library
- 3 p.m.: Handcraft Crafternoon at Beatley Central Library
- 4 p.m.: Preschool Storytime at Beatley Central Library
- 5 p.m.: Spitfire - 4th and 5th Grade at Duncan Branch Library
- 5:30 p.m.: Tai Chi at Beatley Central 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 A at Barrett Branch Library
📜 On This Day in History
On this day in 1839, the Alexandria Lyceum Company and the Alexandria Library Company formally announced plans to join together in sharing a new Greek Revival-style building at 201 S. Washington Street. (Historic Alexandria)
Independent local journalism, funded by the community it serves.
The Alexandria Brief
Founder & Publisher: Ryan Belmore, an Alexandria resident and journalist.
Send news tips, story ideas, and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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