🌱 Want a vendor table at Alexandria’s youth-powered anime festival?

Hi there, Alexandria! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• Want a vendor table at Alexandria’s youth-powered anime festival?
• Why an Arlington man now faces federal charges in Alexandria court
• How an Alexandria student is coping after a deadly Brown shooting

Today's riddle: My brother swallowed a box of firecrackers. - Is he all right now? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Some sun, then turning cloudy, with a high of 53 and low of 45 degrees.
• Friday: Increasingly windy, temps: high: 62, low: 25.
• Saturday: Partly sunny and cooler, with a high of 45 and low of 36 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Alexandria anime convention ‘PatCon' opens vendor applications for February celebration (alxnow.com) — Alexandria is recruiting artists, makers, and small businesses now for vendor spots at PatCon 2026, the city’s free grassroots anime festival at Patrick Henry Recreation Center on Feb. 7. Applications are open through Jan. 23, with discounted early-bird fees for those who apply by Jan. 9.
   

• Arlington Man Indicted For Re-Entering U.S. Following 2012 Removal (patch.com) — A federal grand jury in Alexandria has indicted an Arlington man for illegally reentering the U.S. after a prior removal, following his arrest in Fairfax County on assault-related charges. He remains in federal custody and is scheduled for arraignment in an Alexandria courtroom, where prosecutors must prove he reentered the country without authorization after a 2012 deportation.
   

• Alexandria Brown University student returns home after deadly shooting (wric.com) — An Alexandria Brown University student has returned home to Northern Virginia after surviving a deadly campus shooting that killed two classmates. He describes the tense shelter-in-place, the emotional impact of losing peers, and his renewed commitment to activism against gun violence while the suspect remains at large.
   

📸 Around Alexandria

Show off your photography skills and the sights around Alexandria! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Alexandria

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Thursday December 18

• Orange Holiday Gathering at Blackwall Hitch, Alexandria VA - Dec. 18, 2025
  Blackwall Hitch, 5 Cameron St, Alexandria
  6:00 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Thursday December 18

• DIY Wreath Making Workshop
  James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library , Beth Patridge Meeting Room , Arlington
  6:00 pm
• U.S. Citizenship Class
  Central Library , Glebe Room , Arlington
  6:30 pm
• Spanish Conversation at Central
  Central Library , Quincy Room , Arlington
  6:30 pm

Friday December 19

• Preschool STEAM Play at Courthouse
  Courthouse Library , Children's Area , Arlington
  10:00 am
• Family Storytime at Central
  Central Library , Barbara M. Donnellan Auditorium , Arlington
  10:15 am
• English Conversation at Aurora Hills
  Aurora Hills Library , Eads Room , Arlington
  10:30 am
• Family Storytime at Westover
  Westover Library , Children's Area , Arlington
  10:30 am

📣 Alexandria Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM!

🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday December 18

• Arts and Humanities Council of Falls Church Meeting
  Falls Church, VA Calendar
  9:30 am
• Book a Librarian
  Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library -
  10:00 am
• Baby Lapsit Storytime at Central
  Central Library Quincy Room,
  10:15 am
• Thursday Morning with Friends Book Club: "West With Giraffes"
  Central Library Bluemont Room,
  10:30 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• UPDATED: Found kitty a home!
  I found someone who will take him in and get him the vet care he needs. He will go to a good home. Thank you everyone for the help and advice! … (Nextdoor Southeastern Old Town)
• Please share & repost to help reunite this stray cat!
  FOUND on December 15, 2025 in Alexandria, VA 22303 near Huntington Club cndmniums across from Huntington metro Sharing for a neighbor. For the… (Nextdoor Seminary Hill)

• McDonald's posted a job opening for Shift Manager (DC,VA,MD, DE) in Alexandria. Apply here.
• The Cleaning Authority posted a job opening for House Cleaner in Alexandria. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Alexandria here.

🗞 Nearby News

Del Ray

• Morning Notes for December 16, 2025 (alxnow.com)
• Alexandria police investigating November hit-and-run after driver ran over student's foot (alxnow.com)

Arlington

• Arts Focus: Arlington's bounty of arts and culture for the holiday season! (arlnow.com)
• Infectious intensity of new head coach has Arlington Catholic girls basketball off to strong start (masslive.com)
• VA Community Ranked Best Place To Live For Older Adults (patch.com)

Ok Alexandria! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don’t know. I haven’t heard the last report.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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