Good morning, Alexandria.
The joint committee looking at how Alexandria elects its School Board meets at 6 tonight, and this is the harder half. Members agreed in August that four-year terms make sense. Staggered elections and board size were pushed to tonight — and two of the four voting members have already signaled they're not sold. Councilwoman Sandy Marks said she doesn't want to take a power away from voters. Councilman Canek Aguirre said he's not a proponent but will discuss it because the board asked. The committee's report is due Nov. 10.
Also today: ACPS named four areas it's reviewing for walk zone appeals, with decisions due Sept. 30 — the first time the division has said publicly where it's looking. Student gatherings at Bradlee took up a third of Monday's subcommittee meeting, and a councilman said the city keeps reacting to a problem it can see coming. And 73 runners from the Old Town Run Club covered 485 miles from Shanksville to ground zero, arriving on the 25th anniversary.
Here's what you need to know for Tuesday, Sept. 15.
1️⃣ ACPS names four of the areas under review for bus service, with decisions due Sept. 30
For the first time, ACPS has named locations it's reviewing for walk zone appeals. Four came up in a presentation Monday to a joint City Council and School Board subcommittee: Mount Vernon Avenue and Glebe Road for Mount Vernon Community School, Duke Street and Seminary Road for Douglas MacArthur, Alabama and Kentucky avenues for Charles Barrett, and Sanger Avenue and Beauregard Street for Ramsay. Staff called those examples, not a full list.
The schedule is set. City and ACPS staff meet Sept. 23, leadership decides Sept. 25, and families hear through ParentSquare by Sept. 30. About 7% of students are still waiting. Chief Operating Officer Anthony Peña said everyone eligible who asked for transportation by Sept. 10 has been routed — but he warned against assuming approval means a bus on Oct. 1. The division is down to 16 driver vacancies from 18 and running some double routes. Asked whether the shortage was shaping the decisions, he said no.
The rubric staff built to keep the decisions consistent stays internal until the letters go out. Mayor Alyia Gaskins, who chaired the meeting, asked whether any of it could be shared — she said that as a parent who gets the division's messages, she wouldn't have known what "hazardous" meant without watching a board presentation. She also raised a timing problem: if the review turns up an intersection that needs fixing, and the fix needs Traffic and Parking Board approval, it might not be heard until November or December.
2️⃣ Officials discuss ongoing issue of students gathering at Bradlee Shopping Center
It wasn't on the agenda, but student gatherings at Bradlee took up about a third of Monday's joint subcommittee meeting. Councilman John Taylor Chapman said anyone who's been here a few years could have bet money there'd be trouble after the first football game and won. "That's not the way this should be able to happen," he said. Police dispersed a large crowd there after the Aug. 28 home opener, and an officer was assaulted.
One practice has stopped. Mayor Alyia Gaskins asked whether ACPS still sends staff to walk Bradlee in the mornings and steer students to campus. Pierrette Finney, who oversees teaching and learning, said it isn't continuing — the high school is focused on getting students into the building, and administrators aren't at Bradlee during the day either. City Manager James Parajon said that leaves the wrong people handling it: officers patrol 15 square miles, and a student recognizes an administrator differently than a police officer. Finney said pulling administrators off campus creates a safety gap inside.
Gaskins said something officers told her stayed with her — they couldn't get relief until administrators arrived and could call students by name. "I don't know that we want the answer to be every time young people gather, we send more police," she said. Chapman wants the planning to happen in June rather than September: "It's like a wave coming down and hitting us in the face, and we're watching the wave every single year." Staff meet again Friday. Homecoming is Sept. 25.
3️⃣ Old Town Run Club finishes third 9/11 relay at ground zero on the 25th anniversary
Seventy-three runners covered 485 miles from the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to ground zero, arriving on the morning of Sept. 11. Thirty ran the first 200 miles to the Pentagon across 25 legs; 43 ran the remaining 285 to New York across 45. About 70% had some Defense Department connection — active duty, reservists, veterans, two firefighters, several EMS personnel. One runner, an Australian who served alongside U.S. forces in Iraq, carried both flags.
"The weight of it," co-founder Ono Margioni said when asked what set this year apart. The club dedicated a wreath at the Flight 93 memorial. At the Pentagon, Maj. Gen. Stephanie Howard met the group and then ran the first nine miles of that day's route. In New York, NYPD officers escorted them, and they stopped for a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. and again at 9:03.
The Pentagon stop is why the relay exists. Co-founder Eric Danesi started it out of frustration that the Pentagon's annual reading of victims' names is closed to everyone but families, and he wanted a way for the rest of the region to pay respects. The run has raised $21,831 for Tunnel to Towers this year against a $50,000 goal, and the donation page stays open through December.
In brief
Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election opens Friday at the Office of Voter Registration and Elections, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On the ballot: Sen. Mark Warner against Republican Bert Mizusawa, four candidates in the 8th District, and three constitutional amendments. The deadlines to register and to request a mail ballot both fall Oct. 23, and four precincts have new polling places. (The Brief)
Hispanic Heritage Month begins today and runs through Oct. 15. Alexandria's city events are in October: a community dance Oct. 9 at the Armstrong Recreation Center, then a library fiesta with Andean folk music and a closing celebration at Patrick Henry on Oct. 10. (The Brief)
The draft Duke Street land use plan comes out Sept. 29, the corridor's first since 1992. It would set a 10% affordable housing standard in growth areas, cap building lengths and discourage surface parking. A 30-day comment period opens with the release, and City Council takes it up in early 2027. (The Brief)
Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner introduced a bill to curb overcrowding at Reagan National, including hourly arrival caps and measures aimed at preventing future aviation tragedies. (Virginia Mercury/The Brief)
NextEra and Dominion said they would extend bill credits for Virginia residents and add jobs, a set of commitments the companies described as a response to feedback from policymakers. The State Corporation Commission has ordered three in-person hearings on the $67 billion merger, and Alexandria is an intervenor. (AP/The Brief)
Alexandria Days returns to Old Town this weekend. (The Brief)
Old Town Run Club finished its third 9/11 relay at ground zero on the 25th anniversary. (The Brief)
Wizards guard Trae Young hosts a party at Barca Pier & Wine Bar on Friday. (The Brief)
Fox 5 went to Mount Vernon Avenue and Glebe Road, one of the four intersections ACPS named Monday, and talked to neighbors who say elementary students as young as 5 and 6 are crossing it alone. (Fox 5 DC)
Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine called for accountability after a New York Times report that DHS employees were told to falsely attest they were specific Virginians in order to access voter registration records. Virginia's elections site requires users to certify they're checking their own registration; accessing another voter's record is punishable as computer fraud under state law. (Kaine's office)
MVP Chess holds its second annual K-12 championship Oct. 11 at The Link. The free, US Chess-rated tournament filled all 24 spots and registration is closed. The Alexandria nonprofit runs affordable tournaments, school clubs and instruction out of The Link, and founder Tom Shupe tells The Brief that he's working toward a dedicated chess space in Old Town. (MVP Chess)
Sports
Pass protection and chunk plays hurt the Commanders in Sunday's 24-22 loss at Philadelphia, though they came close to an upset. (AP/The Brief)
Today in Alexandria
⛅ Weather
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80 degrees. Light and variable wind becoming east around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 59 degrees. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide
Sunrise at 6:49 a.m., sunset at 7:16 p.m. 12 hours & 26 minutes of sun.
High tide at 12:02 p.m. Low tide at 6:21 a.m. & 6:06 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Crescent.
🗓️ Things To Do
- 6 p.m.: “Night Shift” with Guest Bartender Greg Long at Hotel Heron
- 7 p.m.: Beer Yoga at Port City Brewing Company
- 7 p.m.: Sweet & Salty Book Club Meeting at Hotel Heron
🎶 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: Round About 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.
- Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
- The Birchmere: The Robert Cray Band at 7:30 p.m.
- The Commodore: Trivia at 7 p.m.
🏛️ City & Schools
City Gov.: Open | Flag: Full Staff | Trash, Recycling, & Yard Waste: On Time
- 7:30 a.m.: Waterfront Commission regular meeting at Lee Center
- 9 a.m.: Board of Equalization hearing at Bankers Square
- 5:30 p.m.: Historic Alexandria Resources Commission at the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex
- 6 p.m.: AlexRenew board of directors meeting at the Ed Semonian Boardroom
- 6 p.m.: City-ACPS ad hoc committee on School Board elections at Charles Houston Recreation Center
- 6 p.m.: Planning and Zoning virtual community update (virtual)
- 6:30 p.m.: Budget and Fiscal Affairs Advisory Committee monthly meeting at Lee Center
- 7 p.m.: Commission for the Arts monthly meeting at Lee Center
📚 Alexandria Library
- 10 a.m.: English Language Learning 1 Workshop — Beginner Conversation at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 11 a.m.: Baby and Toddler Time at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 4 p.m.: Bead Buddies at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 4 p.m.: The Art of Fighting, an author talk with Priya Parker (virtual)
- 5 p.m.: Duncan and Dragons — The Kingdoms of Living Giants at James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library
- 6 p.m.: Banned Book Club at Charles E. Beatley Jr. Central Library
- 6 p.m.: Death Café at Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library
- 7 p.m.: Handcraft Tuesday — Evening Edition (virtual)
⚾ Sports
D.C. Sports
- 6:45 p.m.: Philadelphia Phillies at Washington Nationals
ACHS Titans
- 6:30 p.m.: Volleyball (girls) at Robinson
- 6:30 p.m.: Volleyball (boys) vs. Robinson at Minnie Howard
- Varsity only. Full schedule, including JV and freshman.
On this day in Alexandria's history
On Sept. 15, 1905, Alexandria Union Station opened at 110 Callahan Drive, at a cost of $62,000. New iron bridges over King Street and Commonwealth Avenue had gone up a couple of years earlier to serve it. (Historic Alexandria)
The Alexandria Brief
Alexandria news and information you won't find anywhere else
Publisher: Ryan Belmore, an Alexandria resident and journalist. Send news, tips, and feedback to ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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