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ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Professional employees who work for the City of Alexandria, Va., voted overwhelmingly to unionize with AFSCME District Council 20. The historic vote — 155 to one — ensures these essential workers have a collective voice on critical workplace issues such as wages, benefits and working conditions.

With this resounding victory, all eligible Alexandria employees are now unionized, marking a significant milestone for public employees in the region.

"Winning this is not just a victory for one person, it's a victory for every worker who believes in fairness and respect,” said Tia Littlejohn-Adams, an accountant for the city. “Together, we didn't just campaign, we built unity among members and colleagues."

This victory means that five out of five eligible bargaining units in Alexandria have filed and won their union representation elections since 2021, three of which are AFSCME-represented units.

They include workers in labor and trade, administrative and technical roles, and, now, professionals. These new members look forward to building on the successes their fellow AFSCME members in the city have achieved since organizing.

Jared Alves, an urban planner for the city, said his colleagues are ready to utilize the collective voice of their union.

“This resounding vote for our union signals that Alexandria professionals know that we are stronger together,” he said. “Now let's turn this victory into action!”

Alexandria labor and trade employees reached a historic first contract with the city in 2023 that guaranteed raises and established a step-and-grade pay schedule, among other victories. The administrative and technical employees won real, tangible gains in contract negotiations for them and their families. They ratified their contract in 2025 with 100% of employees voting in favor.

Steve Frutos, a senior therapist in the Department of Community & Human Services, underscores the victory as an opportunity to not just build a better workplace but a stronger city.

“It's long overdue to have a real voice in how we do our vital work for the residents of Alexandria,” Frutos said. “Our ultimate goal is to create a more effective workplace in order to do our best for them. The more we can achieve as a union, the more our city stands to gain.”

With this vote, Alexandria’s professional workers will now prepare to negotiate their first union contract, focusing on fair wages, improved benefits and a more transparent workplace.

More than 400 hospitals in 40 states met the criteria for the 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award. See which VA hospitals made the list.

Seventeen hospitals in Virginia were among hundreds across the country recognized for safety and patient experience in a new report.

Healthgrades, an online platform that helps people find and compare doctors, specialists and hospitals, announced Tuesday that 438 hospitals in 40 states met the criteria for its 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award. They represent the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide for patient safety.

The hospitals in Virginia receiving Patient Safety Excellence Awards include 11 hospitals in the top 5 percent nationally:

Meanwhile, Virginia hospitals in the top 10 percent nationally include the following:

The Patient Safety Excellence Award is based on an analysis of federal hospital data that evaluates how well hospitals protect patients from serious complications during inpatient care. Healthgrades looked at 13 measures of patient safety, such as infections, surgical complications and other preventable problems.

To qualify for the award, hospitals must meet strict quality standards and show strong performance on most of those safety measures. They also cannot have any reported cases of a foreign object, such as a sponge or surgical tool, being left inside a patient during a procedure. In addition, hospitals must report data on most of the key safety indicators used to evaluate performance.

If all hospitals performed as well as the award winners, 100,819 patient safety events could have been avoided between 2022 and 2024, Healthgrades said in a news release. Patients treated in award-winning facilities were significantly less likely to experience the four most common patient safety accidents and medical errors, which represent a serious, preventable complication and account for 78 percent of all safety events.

In the award-winning hospitals:

View the full Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient list and methodology on healthgrades.com.

Federal health officials are urging Virginia tourists to exercise caution in places where the virus is circulating.

Federal health officials are warning tourists from Virginia and others across the country that global travel carries an increased risk for polio, which is circulating in about 30 countries.

Polio vaccines are universally required for public and private school students, including in Virginia; however, policies allow for medical exemptions and, in many states, religious or personal belief exemptions.

In Virginia, while the polio vaccine is required, it can be waived for religious exemptions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s advisory is a Level 2 warning that encourages travelers to “practice enhanced precautions,” especially in the following destinations:

Polio, a highly contagious, crippling and potentially deadly disease primarily affecting children under 5, can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis. According to the World Health Organization, it is usually spread through fecal matter, contaminated water or food, or failure to wash hands after using the bathroom.

The CDC says 95 percent of people infected with polio show no symptoms, and that when symptoms do occur, they often mimic the flu, including fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, and neck stiffness. Symptoms last two to 10 days, and most people fully recover.

Fewer than 1 percent of cases are severe illnesses that can cause paralysis, often in the legs, or be fatal if it infects the brain or paralyzes the breathing muscles.

There is no known cure for polio, but vaccinations can prevent it. The CDC is advising people who travel to any of the named countries to make sure they’re up-to-date on polio vaccines.

Most adults born in the United States can assume they are vaccinated, according to the CDC. Adult travelers may get a booster if they are going to a destination with circulating poliovirus, have completed their routine polio vaccine series, and have not already received one adult booster dose.

Cold temperatures and a wintry mix of snow and rain early this week will give way for what could be a spring-like warmup heading into the weekend, when high temperatures will push into the 70s and flirt with 80 degrees across the Washington, D.C. region.

A burst of snow is likely Monday afternoon, mainly from just south of Baltimore to the Washington DC metro, according to the National Weather Service.

A winter weather advisory for a wintry mix of precipitation is in effect from 10 p.m. Monday until 10 a.m. Tuesday for portions of Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park.

"Total snow accumulations up to one inch and ice accumulations up to one tenth of an inch. Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning commute," the Weather Service said. "Some locations may see up to an inch of snow between late morning and late afternoon (Monday), but roadway impacts should be limited. The primary threat to travel will be overnight from a wintry mix, which could briefly be snow or sleet but primarily fall as freezing rain. Precipitation will change to plain rain by mid-morning Tuesday."

The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang predicts temperatures mainly in the mid-30s during the day, but drivers should watch for slushy roads if there are any heavier bursts of snow.

"Wet snow tapers off this evening. After midnight, freezing rain, possibly starting as snow and sleet, develops," the Post forecast. "Freezing rain changes to plain rain by sunrise Tuesday near and east of Interstate 95 and midmorning or so elsewhere. Then a big warmup Wednesday into the weekend but with showers at times."

Here's the latest Northern Virginia forecast from the National Weather Service:

Monday: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 35. Southeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Monday Night: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 33. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Tuesday: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 49. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 44. South wind 6 to 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 60. Southwest wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Wednesday Night: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Thursday: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Thursday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Friday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Shelu Patel, Alexandria Beautification Commission

Alexandria, VA – We know many of you are still recovering from January’s Winter Storm Fern, which brought ice, snow, and temperatures well below freezing. February brings us hope that winter is almost over and spring will soon follow. It is the perfect month to begin thinking, planning, and starting your edible garden filled with plants, bushes, and trees, with a native focus. The Alexandria Beautification Commission (ABC) encourages residents to start indoor seedlings, order bare root fruit trees, and explore native edibles from our region.

First and foremost, edible gardening is the art of growing food-producing plants, including vegetables, fruits, herbs, and edible flowers. You may choose your front yard, back yard, balcony, raised beds, containers, rooftop, or community garden space, while focusing on sustainability, yield, and the sheer joy of eating something you grew.

Next, start planning with seeds! There are many seed companies that mail catalogs in the winter months for you to begin envisioning your vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers garden. They provide incredible information, and you can choose from a vast variety of heirloom and organic seeds without genetically modified organisms. It is still not too late to reach out to some of these companies or stop by local seed libraries found in front of residents’ homes and several Alexandria City libraries. Here are some seed catalog companies to explore online or request mail catalogs:

Each year we typically choose a couple of interesting varieties for each vegetable and herb, though all the possibilities seem daunting. Do not fret if you quickly pick too many seeds. Narrow down your seed list by the number of days to harvest, your garden space, and watering requirements. Just be mindful of any summer vacation dates. We recommend that you try to grow something different and new in your edible garden for 2026! Will it be leeks, potatoes, or watermelon radishes?

Onto dreaming about bountiful gardens filled with fruits and nuts. Mature fruit and nut trees in large pots can be very expensive; however, February is a great time to consider less expensive alternatives. One such option is bare root fruit trees, which are young, dormant trees or bushes without soil around their roots. They are shipped from providers in winter or early spring. They are typically dormant but require planting quickly after arrival to prevent the roots from drying out, because they are often packed with moist material like sawdust or woodchips. As part of your planning, think about your space and each variety’s growth size. You can purchase dwarf sized trees, for smaller settings, and natives that thrive in our region. Alexandria City falls under 8A – U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Hardiness Zone Map. Consider native fruit and nuts, including pawpaw trees, hazelnut bushes, persimmon trees, or crab apple trees. Explore the following resources to learn more about these wonderful trees and bushes that will serve as a source of food for generations:

ABC encourages residents to create landscapes that are both beautiful and beneficial to the environment. We hope you feel excited to start thinking, planning, and starting your edible garden with seedlings soon after reading this article. Please share your edible garden photos later this spring/summer 2026 with ABC via social media.