The Alexandria Brief

Good morning, Alexandria.

School's back, and Alexandria turned out for it. A marching band played outside the King Street campus while the mayor, the police chief, a new School Board chair and a first-year principal waited on the sidewalk. Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor was there too, 12 days into the job and already hours into her morning — she'd started at the bus depot, watching more than 100 buses roll out across the city.

And somewhere in all of it, Alexandria's kindergartners walked in for the first time. They're the class of 2039.

Also today: Amtrak will close the junction south of Washington Union Station for nine days in October, making Alexandria the last stop for most trains out of Virginia. And DHS says two people were arrested here during a two-week ICE operation — though for one of them, the charges the department cited were dismissed in Virginia court two years ago.

Here's what you need to know for Tuesday, Aug. 25.

1️⃣ 'The best school year yet': Alexandria students return to a citywide welcome

City and school leaders join the Alexandria City High School marching band outside the King Street campus on the first day of the 2026-27 school year, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

The buses emptied, the marching band started up, and waiting on the sidewalk was just about everybody: the mayor, the police chief, a new School Board chair, a new principal and an acting superintendent 12 days into the job.

Michael Burch, in his first year running Alexandria City High School, admitted he was nervous. Seventeen years in that building and he still felt like a freshman walking in. Then he handed it to Acting Superintendent Grace Taylor, who graduated from the school herself. "This is going to be the best school year yet," she said. She'd already been up for hours — she started at the bus depot, watching more than 100 buses head out, and she called the arriving kindergartners the class of 2039.

Chief Tarrick McGuire spent his morning crossing kids at Douglas MacArthur Elementary. He came away encouraged by the crossing guards and the patient drivers, and less encouraged by the ones parking in bike lanes.

Read the full story

2️⃣ Amtrak trains from Virginia will end at Alexandria for nine days in October

Alexandria Union Station becomes the northern terminus for nine days in October. (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

For nine days in October, the last stop for most trains heading north out of Virginia will be right here. Amtrak is closing A-Interlocking — the track junction in the tunnel just south of Washington Union Station — from the end of service Friday, Oct. 16, until Monday morning, Oct. 26.

That junction handles every Amtrak and VRE movement between Union Station and Virginia, and it's worn out. Trains crawl through at 10 mph because of it. Crews will replace the switches and crossovers, rebuild the track base and put in modern electric switches. Amtrak says doing it all at once beats phased work in a tunnel that cramped, and it's cheaper than waiting for something to break on its own.

So Alexandria Union Station becomes the end of the line. Amtrak Virginia will run one round trip from Norfolk and one from Roanoke, with three buses timed to meet them and carry passengers the rest of the way into Washington. What happens to VRE is still unclear — both lines run through Alexandria, the outage covers one workweek, and as of Monday VRE's schedule showed business as usual. I've asked.

Read the full story

3️⃣ At least two people arrested in Alexandria during two-week ICE operation, DHS says

FILE PHOTO - An ICE agent at the Northern Virginia Field Office (ICE)

At least two people were arrested in Alexandria this month during an immigration operation that produced 1,328 arrests across Virginia and Maryland, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday. The operation ran Aug. 1 to Aug. 14 — the same two weeks Alexandria residents and Rep. Don Beyer described a sharp increase in enforcement activity across Northern Virginia.

DHS named 10 of the 1,328. Two were arrested in Alexandria. The department said almost 400 of those arrested have been convicted of or charged with crimes in the U.S., and did not describe criminal histories for the remaining 930 or so. A separate DHS release on Aug. 7 put the national figure at nearly 70%.

For one of the two Alexandria arrests, the charges DHS listed can be checked. Virginia court records show three felony counts filed in Alexandria Circuit Court in October 2023 against a defendant of that name — and all three were dismissed on March 7, 2024. The court system doesn't display full dates of birth, so I could not independently confirm it is the same person, though the listed city and ZIP code are in Alexandria. I've asked ICE and DHS whether those are the cases they meant and whether they knew the charges had been dismissed. Neither had responded as of publication.

Read the full story

In brief

The Alexandria Police Department's Criminal Investigations Section executed a search warrant early this morning in the 100 block of Fort Williams Parkway as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, the department said on X. Officers remained on scene to inform residents of their presence. (APD)

Three artists are in the running to design the banners that will mark Old Town North as an arts district, and the neighborhood gets to pick. (The Brief)

The joint committee studying changes to how Alexandria elects its School Board holds its first meeting today, roughly a month later than the resolution creating it directed and one day after students return to class. (The Brief)

Rep. Don Beyer denounced Monday President Donald Trump's "idiotic trade attack" on Canada. (Beyer)

Crooked Run Fermentation has confirmed that they will open at 2003 Mount Vernon Avenue at 11:30 a.m. on Friday. (The Brief)

Sports

The Washington Nationals defeated Colorado 13-3 on Monday night to send the Rockies to their season-worst seventh consecutive loss. (The Brief)

After being blunt about where the Washington Commanders stand at center after their preseason loss at Detroit over the weekend, coach Dan Quinn expressed more confidence Monday about the position that has been hampered by injuries and inconsistent play. (The Brief)

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Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

Today: Sunny, with a high near 86 degrees. Calm wind becoming northwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.

Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65 degrees. Light north wind.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 6:31 a.m., sunset at 7:49 p.m. 13 hours & 18 minutes of sun.

High tide at 7:11 a.m. & 7:42 p.m. Low tide at 12:49 a.m. & 1:45 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Gibbous.

🗓️ Things To Do

6 p.m.: Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace at Carlyle House
7 p.m.: Beer Yoga at Port City Brewing Company

🎶 Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Holly Montgomery at 9 p.m.
Atlas Brew Works ALX: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Cooper Mill: Music Bingo at 6 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Antonio James at 6 p.m.
Lena's: Combo Indigo on the patio at 6 p.m.
Lost Dog Cafe: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Pete Baker at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Trivia at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Birchmere: Robert Glasper at 7:30 p.m.
The Commodore: Trivia at 7 p.m.
The Garden Del Ray: Trivia at 7 p.m.

🏛️ City & Schools

City Government: Open
Flag: Full Staff
Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste Collection: On Time
6 a.m.: Chinquapin Pool open
9 a.m.: Board of Equalization hearing at Banker's Square
4:30 p.m.: Old Town Pool open
6 p.m.: City-ACPS ad hoc committee on School Board elections at Patrick Henry Recreation Center
7 p.m.: ACPS Budget Advisory Committee Meeting at Alexandria City High School

City of Alexandria calendar

📚 Alexandria Library

All day: Alexandria Library: A Legacy of Service Since 1937 at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
10:15 a.m.: Family Storytime / Martes de niños at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
2 p.m.: Baby and Toddler Play Date at Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library
2 p.m.: When Trees Testify with biologist Beronda Montgomery at Virtual
3 p.m.: Kids and Family Yoga with ARISE Educational Services at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
5 p.m.: Duncan and Dragons — The Kingdoms of Living Giants at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
6:45 p.m.: Eco:mmunion at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library

Alexandria Library calendar