The Alexandria Brief: Wednesday, April 1

Good morning, Alexandria. It's Wednesday, April 1 — the 91st day of 2026, with 274 days left in the year.

Happy April. No fooling here — just your regular Wednesday newsletter.

National Poetry Month kicks off today. Watch for new DASHing Words in Motion poetry appearing on DASH buses and trolleys this month. Coming up: a Creative Pathways poetry panel at NOVA-Alexandria on April 8, a welcome reception for new Poet Laureate Cristi Donoso at Beatley Central Library on April 12, and Poem in Your Pocket Day at the Athenaeum on April 23. At the library, you can add your own poem to the Great American PoeTREEs display all month long.

Spring break continues — no school for students through Friday. Sunny and 87 today, but storms arrive after 4 p.m.

Here's what you need to know.

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1️⃣ Spanberger signs Bennett-Parker bill giving permanently disabled veterans free license plates

Senator Elizabeth Bennett-Parker shared this image on social media on Tuesday, celebrating Governor Spanberger singing HB94 into law. (@ebpforva.bsky.social)

Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday signed legislation that will allow permanently and totally disabled veterans to receive a free standard vehicle license plate in Virginia, a measure introduced by then-Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker of Alexandria.

Under the new law, permanently and totally disabled veterans with a service-connected disability certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs are exempt from annual vehicle registration fees. The measure expands existing benefits by allowing qualifying veterans to use the state's standard passenger plate to access the exemption, rather than requiring them to display a special DV plate. Unremarried surviving spouses of eligible veterans are also covered.

The bill passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support.

2️⃣ Alexandria issues stop work order on Gustave Boulangerie's outdoor structure

Stop Work order on a structure at Gustave Boulangerie's outdoor beer garden (Ryan Belmore/The Alexandria Brief)

Alexandria's Department of Code Administration has issued a Stop Work order against a structure at Gustave Boulangerie's outdoor beer garden, Le Jardin, citing construction of a covered bar without required building, electrical, or plumbing permits, according to the posted notice and city records.

The order, dated March 27, 2026, was posted at 2207 Mount Vernon Avenue. It prohibits occupancy of the cited structures until permits are obtained and inspections are passed. On the same day, the city's Fire Marshal opened a separate investigation into the property, listed as "In Progress" in Alexandria's public permit portal, APEX.

The bakery and Le Jardin remain open. The stop work order applies specifically to the pergola and covered bar structures, one portion of the larger property.

3️⃣ Alexandria woman pleads guilty to using House member's bank account to pay her own credit card bills

“Albert V Bryan Federal District Courthouse - Alexandria Va - 0019 - 2012-03-10” by Tim Evanson, CC BY-SA 2.0

An Alexandria woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud after using a U.S. House member's personal bank account information to pay her own credit card bills, federal prosecutors announced.

Courtney Melissa Hruska, 40, worked on the unnamed member's congressional staff from August 2015 to January 2022. As part of her official duties, the member entrusted Hruska with personal credit card and bank account information. When Hruska left the office Jan. 30, 2022, for a position with a federal agency, she retained that information without authorization.

In total, Hruska caused a loss of at least $22,865.07.

4️⃣ Friends of Duncan Library to hold spring book sale April 23-26

Friends of Duncan Library Spring Books Sale is set for April 23- 26, 2026 (Friends of Duncan Library)

The Friends of Duncan Library will host its spring book sale April 23-26 at Duncan Library, offering thousands of books across genres and age groups, with proceeds benefiting library programs and materials.

Hardcover titles will be priced at $4 and paperbacks at $2, unless otherwise marked.

The sale opens Thursday, April 23, from 4 to 8 p.m. with a members-only preview, giving Friends of Duncan Library members first access to the collection. The general public sale runs Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a 50% discount available to educators both days. The sale concludes Sunday, April 26, from 1 to 5 p.m. with a $10 bag sale.

Proceeds go directly to Duncan Library to fund book purchases, programming, community events, equipment, and materials.

5️⃣ Alexandria to mark 37th annual Holocaust remembrance ceremony April 14

Cantor Jason Kaufman leads a Memorial Prayer during Days of Remembrance for Victims of the Holocaust on April 24, 2025 (Ryan Belmore)

The City of Alexandria will host its 37th annual Days of Remembrance ceremony on Tuesday, April 14, honoring the six million Jews and millions of others killed in the Holocaust, with a retired U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum historian set to address attendees.

The free, public ceremony begins at noon in the Frank and Betty Wright Reading Gardens at Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library, 5005 Duke Street. In the event of inclement weather, the event will move indoors to the Beatley Central Large Meeting Room.

Alexandria holds the distinction of being the first municipality in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region to formally observe Holocaust remembrance.

📰 In brief

DASH is inviting community members to share their input as part of the FY 2027 Alexandria Transit Strategic Plan Update. (DASH)

Three athletes from Alexandria - Samuel Ekpolegyene, Royce Drewniak, and Austin Murray - are among 80 players invited to participate in the U.S. U-14 Boys Talent ID Mini-Camp in Georgia this week. (Soccer Wire)

Top-notch ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?’ at Little Theatre of Alexandria (DC Theater Arts)

The City of Alexandria invites the public to celebrate Building Safety Month with them in May. The City’s Building Safety Month Kick-Off Event is May 1, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., at Waterfront Park. (City of Alexandria)

April 21 Special Election: As of March 30, 4,549 residents have voted early in person, and 4,856 have voted by mail-in ballot (10,121 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 and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 87 degrees. Showers and possibly a thunderstorm tonight before 2 a.m., then scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Patchy dense fog after 1 a.m. Low around 62 degrees.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 6:52 a.m., sunset at 7:31 p.m. 12 hours & 39 minutes of sun. High tide at 8:42 a.m. and 9:08 p.m. Low tide at 2:47 a.m. and 3:19 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Gibbous.

🗓️ Things To Do

6 p.m.: Trivia Night at Historic Sites-Wrong Answers Only at Carlyle House
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.
Evening Star Cafe: The What Have You Open Mic at 8:30 p.m.
Hops N Shine: Trivia at 6:30 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Pete Chauvette at 6 p.m.
Lost Boy Cider: Line Dancing at 6:30 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Kenny Kohlhaas at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Karaoke at 9 p.m.
Port City Brewing: Bluegrass Jam Night at 7 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Light Horse: Trivia at 7 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
Noon: Commission on Employment - Executive Meeting
6 p.m.: Independent Community Policing Review Board
6 p.m.: Tax Time is Here! File for Free! — free tax prep for eligible residents

📚 Alexandria Library

All day: A Commonwealth of Cultures Exhibit at Local History/Special Collections
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 — National Poetry Month kicks off
All day: Footsteps of History - Virtual Walking Challenge (virtual)
10:30 a.m.: Stitcher's Space at Burke Branch Library
10:30 a.m.: 1s and 2s Time at Beatley Central Library
11 a.m.: Just Babies at Barrett Branch Library
11:30 a.m.: 1s and 2s Time at Beatley Central Library
2 p.m.: Film Screening - "Hamnet" at Burke Branch Library
5 p.m.: Paws to Read at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: Knit Nite! at Beatley Central Library
6 p.m.: Digital Skills For Life (En español) at Duncan Branch Library
6:30 p.m.: English Language Learning at Duncan Branch Library
7 p.m.: Monthly Meditation (virtual)

📜 On This Day in History

General McClellan's Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment Ready to Embark at Alexandria for Old Point Comfort, by Winslow Homer. Courtesy, Smithsonian Institution (Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum and National Portrait Gallery).

On April 1, 1862, the noted American landscape painter Winslow Homer was in Alexandria, sketching Union soldiers leaving the city for Fort Monroe as part of Major General George McClellan’s “Peninsula Campaign.” The drawing depicts “General McClellan's Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment Ready to Embark at Alexandria for Old Point Comfort.” (Historic Alexandria)