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Ryan Belmore

@ryanbelmore.com
848 followers 1.2K following 2.9K posts

Independent local journalist and publisher. @alexandriabrief.com + @whatsupnewp.com 📍Alexandria, Va. | Previously: Newport, RI

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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 4h
Technical.ly talks to National IQ's first CEO about the innovation district that runs from Arlington into Alexandria — 350 jobs, $100M in startup funding, 32 businesses by 2028. technical.ly/civics/micha...
technical.ly
How a former FBI specialist plans to juice tech and startups in Northern Virginia
National IQ's first CEO is targeting 350 new jobs, $100 million in startup funding, and 30+ new businesses across Arlington and Alexandria by 2028.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 4h
Spent this morning with both pursuit policies. Alexandria's permits a chase only for six violent felonies — murder, rape, abduction, armed robbery, felonious assault, arson causing death. Auto theft isn't one, and APD didn't pursue. State Police policy has no offense threshold, and troopers did.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 6h
Story's up: the full draft Duke Street Land Use Plan is out. A 20-year plan that caps most redevelopment at 85 ft, adds height only where it buys affordable housing, and expects 1–2 new buildings a year. Council could vote in December. Comment through Nov. 13.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 17h
X now charges 20 cents per post with a tappable link via API, and shows those posts to fewer people. For a one-person newsroom, that's a bill to reach a shrinking audience. Likely winding down for over there, finally.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 18h
Got beat on this one. Worked on it most of the day. It happens... I've got the petition, the management correspondence and Metropolis's written answers to residents, plus questions out to both companies. If the answers add anything, I'll report it. www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/n...
nbcwashington.com
Residents concerned over AI parking cameras in Alexandria aprtment community
“We actually don’t want convenience at the cost of our privacy, safety and wellness,” one resident said. “And so we responded, and we have about 109 residents who have said, ‘No, we don’t want this co...
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 19h
The full draft Duke Street Land Use Plan is out — 253 pages, first rewrite since 1992. Heights up to 150 ft near transit, 10% affordable tied to new density, 12 districts. Comment through Nov. 13, hearings in December. Story coming. www.alexandriava.gov/DukeStreetPlan
alexandriava.gov
Duke Street Land Use Plan
On June 9 2025, the City launched an 18-month community planning process that will update the comprehensive land use plan for the Duke Street Corridor from Alexandria Union Station to Van Dorn Street ...
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 22h
Calling a city press release from Sept. 1 an exclusive on live tv on Sept. 29 is a choice. Also, the mayor's name is Alyia.
fox5dc.com
Alexandria City Hall renovation project remains on schedule despite unexpected asbestos cleanup
The City Hall renovation project in Alexandria is still on schedule despite the discovery of additional asbestos.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 29/09/2026
Phil Vassar first walked into the Birchmere as a college kid to watch Gordon Lightfoot. On Oct. 22 he plays it the same way — acoustic, no full band. We talked about the last three years, the covers, and George Jones's bus.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 29/09/2026
Hard story. Three teens dead after a pursuit through Alexandria. I sent State Police a series of questions to understand more about how it unfolded. Here's what they said.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
Early look: The Alexandria Brief now has a community events calendar at alexandriabrief.com/events Still building it out — more features and events coming next week. But if you have an event happening in Alexandria, you can add it directly to the calendar right now.
alexandriabrief.com
Events in Alexandria
What's happening in Alexandria — updated daily.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 25/09/2026
Why did Alexandria land the national Faith & Blue kickoff? Rev. Markel Hutchins told me today it came down to the region and to Chief McGuire — specifically a 54-mile walk from Selma to Montgomery the chief made in 2020. Details and RSVP info in the story.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 25/09/2026
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Four nights, four meetings. Tonight it was the chief and about 30 residents on license plate readers.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 24/09/2026
As a member of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), I fully support this condemnation. www.spj.org/spj-condemns...
spj.org
SPJ condemns White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico
Society of Professional Journalists, improving and protecting journalism since 1909
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 24/09/2026
Feeling a little chippy after a long day at the desk. So here's the backstory on the changes I made today... I quietly embedded hidden text in every Brief story. That's how I found out competitor sites were scraping my original reporting and dropping it into AI platforms—without attribution.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 24/09/2026
Nearly 2.5 hours on DASH's $3.7M overrun at tonight's council work session. How the error happened, what DASH is cutting, and what could change for riders. Story coming on The Alexandria Brief.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
Here's why I had to do it: My original reporting — stories I spend hours on — is being scraped, copied, and republished by competitors and AI platforms without credit or compensation. Every day.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
The city gave the goats up to 10 days. They finished in six. Total cost: $9,500. Now humans have to clean up after them.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
Alexandria's red-light camera data gets destroyed within two business days if no ticket is issued. Flock license plate data is kept 21 days regardless. Different cameras, different laws, very different rules — and APD spelled out the difference this week. www.alexandriabrief.com/alexandria-p...
alexandriabrief.com
Alexandria police will publish a map of their license plate reader locations by Oct. 1
The Police Department told The Alexandria Brief on Sept. 6 that it would not release camera locations. City Council directed otherwise, and the commitment appeared on the city's website Tuesday.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
City staff walked City Council through some of what they've found (so far) during demolition at City Hall, including a playbill dated to about the 1870s, legible enough to read the actors' names and the admission prices: 10 and 20 cents. Story - www.alexandriabrief.com/asbestos-has...
The most striking find was a playbill dated to about the 1870s, legible enough to read the actors' names and the admission prices, 10 and 20 cents. Staff believes it advertises an adaptation of Jack Sheppard, a play that traveled the East Coast, featuring a teenage actress billed as Minnie Palmer. Kotob said a worker on the Kluse Building likely attended the show and tucked the bill into the wall.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
Backyard rain gauge has registered just about 3.5 inches of rain so far this week.
A rain gauge in Alexandria showing almost 90 mm. Rain measured from Sunday, Sept.20 - Wednesday, Sept.23.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
Alexandria City Council wraps up Legislative at 9:56 p.m., moves into Closed/Executive Session. Coverage to come.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
This is exactly why reader-funded, newsletter-first journalism matters more than ever. The link economy is breaking. Direct-to-reader journalism has never mattered more. Axios: Link economy breaks as AI reshapes web traffic www.axios.com/2026/09/19/a...
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 19/09/2026
Alexandria City Council kicked off its public hearing by saying the applicant has requested to defer this item. The request was approved unanimously. www.alexandriabrief.com/city-council...
alexandriabrief.com
City Council to hear appeal of Russell Road address change on Sept. 19
Staff recommend renumbering 3600 and 3600½ after nine years of misdeliveries. The owners of 3600 say their number dates to 1939.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 19/09/2026
Grab a cup of coffee and join me in catching up on the week (so far).
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 18/09/2026
Tried to narrow it down to 5, ended up posting 7. Truth be told, there were like 12. Thanks to everyone for reading and supporting!
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 18/09/2026
Someone at an event this morning said they'd love to see my workflow — they "don't know how I can keep up with everything." Thought about it on the ride home — maybe I should pull the curtain back more often.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 18/09/2026
Was able to log on in time for tonight’s meeting of the Commission on Informational Technology. APD Chief Tarrick McGuire had a discussion with the group about the role of technology, ALPR’s, Flock, and more in the city. Meeting still going. Story to come once I confirm a few things.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 17/09/2026
Keeping me on my toes.... Gostov → Gustave → Gustave Boulangerie & Brasserie → Gustave Boulangerie & Jardin → Gustave Boulangerie & Biergarten. www.eventbrite.com/e/gustave-ok...
eventbrite.com
Gustave Oktoberfest
Celebrate Oktoberfest on Saturday, September 19, 12:00 - 6:30 pm at Gustave Boulangerie & Biergarten in the heart of Del Ray!
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 17/09/2026
Hard-hitting local news update: Visit Alexandria's speakers had 1996 walk-up songs last night. Music trivia isn't my jam and I couldn't name them all, so I've requested the playlist so we can all judge their choices.
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Reposted by Ryan Belmore
The Alexandria Brief @alexandriabrief.com · 17/09/2026
Tonight, 7 p.m.: Police Chief Tarrick McGuire and APD representatives are on the Commission on Information Technology docket for a 30-minute "Public Safety Technology Discussion & Advisory Review." Lee Center, Conference Room 4, or by Zoom. www.alexandriava.gov/sites/defaul...
alexandriava.gov
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 17/09/2026
No docket posted for tonight's Parks & Rec meeting, so I emailed the contact listed on the city's website. Auto-reply: they no longer work for the city. Working on getting it.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 16/09/2026
Follow along: one group is asking Alexandria to install one kind of camera. Another is asking the city to remove a different kind. Two stories, same week, no overlap (yet) in the conversation.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 16/09/2026
Nothing in today's story came from a source. It came from saving screenshots of a government website for four weeks like a lunatic. 🤷
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 15/09/2026
🙏 Thanks to everyone who continues to read and support!
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 13/09/2026
The AP wire just sent me an alert about Trinity Rodman making it from her soccer game to watch boyfriend Ben Shelton in the US Open final. I won't be running that. This is what editorial judgment looks like at The Alexandria Brief. 😂
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 13/09/2026
Just hit publish on story No. 2,236 at @alexandriabrief.com. 2,236 stories in 10 months. Seven days a week. All hours of the day. At the rate I pay contributors at my Rhode Island publication, that's $223,600 worth of journalism for Alexandria. Readers have contributed $38,531. The rest is on me.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 11/09/2026
I sent Alexandria police seven questions on Aug. 14 about their Flock cameras. Three were answered Sept. 6. The rest came back today. The biggest: City Council — not the chief, not the city manager — will decide how long the city keeps your license plate data.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 11/09/2026
Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire stood at the podium this morning and read 12 names, Alexandrians killed at the Pentagon 25 years ago. "I think it is important that we say people's names." My story and photos from the city's 9/11 ceremony...
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 11/09/2026
Thinking out loud: A podcast has been on my list since I co-hosted convos around the special election earlier this year — and those felt like something worth building on. Real conversations with the people shaping Alexandria. Is there an appetite for it? Would you listen? Reply and let me know.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 08/09/2026
Outages have dropped to fewer than 100 across the city. I've followed up with Dominion Energy on a couple of things from today. www.alexandriabrief.com/more-than-10...
alexandriabrief.com
Alexandria outages return in the afternoon after more than 10,000 customers lost power Tuesday morning
Dominion said crews were returning a circuit to its normal feed. Most customers were back by evening, but one Del Ray outage is now estimated to run past midnight
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 08/09/2026
Award of some first responder activity near the Braddock Metro station. I've reached out to AFD and APD for more information. Will report on it when I confirm anything.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 08/09/2026
Lost power twice today myself — I live here too. Still trying to find out what happened. I've reached out to Dominion several times and haven't gotten answers yet. Working on a story from my phone.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 08/09/2026
Missing my first Independent News Sustainability Summit since 2015. Was supposed to fly to San Diego today and backed out — missing the next five days of news and events in Alexandria wouldn't have been sustainable. Weird to break the streak. Right call.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 08/09/2026
Spent the last few days wandering the South with my wife. Charleston, Beaufort, Bluffton, Savannah, Mount Pleasant, Tybee Island, Wilmington, and everywhere in between. No plan past the next morning's coffee, when we'd pick where to go. Highly recommend a follow-the-wind trip. Best one we've taken.
Old Sheldon Church Ruins near Beaufort, South Carolina.The Beaufort waterfront at sunset.French Huguenot Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 01/09/2026
In my ongoing attempt to help people understand how I operate, I published an FAQ today answering the questions I get most often about @alexandriabrief.com. Are you biased? How do you make money? Do you use AI? How do you choose stories? Do you publish press releases? All answered, honestly, below
alexandriabrief.com
FAQ
Have a question not answered here? Email ryan@alexandriabrief.com.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 29/08/2026
I thank everyone for the emails and texts this morning. Still waiting on any kind of official word here, will report on it when and if I can confirm.
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Reposted by Ryan Belmore
The Alexandria Brief @alexandriabrief.com · 29/08/2026
Belmore's Notebook: a new Saturday column on what didn't make it into the story
dlvr.it
Belmore's Notebook: a new Saturday column on what didn't make it into the story
This week: DHS won't answer my questions about its Alexandria arrests, three agencies quietly leave the city's Flock list, and ACPS has a good week and a bad one at the same time
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 29/08/2026
Aware of reports of a police response near Minnie Howard and Bradlee Shopping Center tonight after the football game. APD had asked people to avoid the area. I've reached out to APD and ACPS and will report what I can confirm.
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 28/08/2026
For those wondering, here is what’s on Crooked Run’s menu
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Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 28/08/2026
New 8-seat bar has debuted at Stracci. First-come, first-serve.
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