Sign in

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

PostsRepliesMedia
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 5h
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.
000
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 5h
I have additional questions out to police.
000
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 5h
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.
1101
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 7h
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.
010
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 18h
*for good over there, finally
050
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 18h
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.
1240
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 19h
ha. Appreciate it. Which has more layers — the cake or the plan?
120
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 19h
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...
070
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 19h
Expecting a first-hand report on how good that cake is.
230
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 19h
There's great additional context coming out from the presentation and q&a. I'll do my best to summarize both under 5,000 words.
060
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 19h
I’m watching virtually, because I’m balancing two things tonight. I heard them mention Councilman Chapman was present.
111
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 20h
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 ...
2100
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23h
From Sept. 1 - www.alexandriabrief.com/unexpected-a... From Sept. 23 - www.alexandriabrief.com/asbestos-has...
alexandriabrief.com
Unexpected asbestos pushes City Hall renovation back 10 weeks
Crews found it in the 1960s south façade and two interior courtyards. Completion is now expected in fall 2028, and the visible demolition starts this month.
040
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23h
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.
1101
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.
140
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.
031
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 28/09/2026
For those interested, more information and maps of project area are here www.alexandriava.gov/capital-proj...
alexandriava.gov
Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project: Del Ray East
The City of Alexandria is rehabilitating sanitary sewer mainlines and manholes in Del Ray East.
0122
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 27/09/2026
That makes sense. Though you can say a lot without naming anyone — volunteer-run, no funding, members work in privacy, consumer protection and tech, speaking for themselves. Any kind of transparency helps when you're asking for it.
260
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 27/09/2026
One suggestion: put that on your site. Who's behind the group, what fields you come from, and how you're funded. You're asking people to trust your read on a technical subject — the credentials help, and so does knowing there's no money shaping it.
150
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
Ideally, AlertDC would put it out like they do for flyovers for the NCR.
110
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
No minimums stated, though there's a practical floor — the statute requires images be available for inspection if someone contests, and gives them 30 days to look. So the data has to outlast that window.
000
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
Maximums, all three. Speed cameras "within 60 days," red-light "within two business days," LPR after 21 — and the LPR statute specifically says the vendor has to be able to purge earlier if the agency asks. Virginia Tech uses that to run 15 days.
010
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
Both numbers are set in state code, not by the city — § 15.2-968.1 for red-light, § 46.2-882.1 for speed cameras, written separately. So the inconsistency is Richmond's.
120
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
Same cameras. Per APD's answer to council, school-zone speed camera data is purged within 60 days if no summons issued within 30. www.alexandriava.gov/police-depar...
210
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
Close — the two-day purge is for red-light cameras. Speed camera data is kept for 60 days if no summonses are issued within 30 days, per APD's answer to council, citing § 46.2-882.1. Your broader point stands.
120
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
I think it's tough when it spans multiple jurisdictions and happens so often. For example, National Harbor is planning fireworks every Saturday evening in November and December.
220
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
I made a note last night to include fireworks in newsletter going forward.
110
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.
1160
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
Thought about this last night when looking at a notification from my doorbell camera.
110
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 26/09/2026
Important to remember that there are other public and private entities that have Flock cameras. Took a trip to Home Depot last weekend and they are capturing everything.
240
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.
010
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.
090
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 24/09/2026
Tougher to travel with, but their Affogato is so darn good. Dare I say, their desserts don’t get enough credit.
5101
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
0110
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.
3370
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.
0140
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
Thank you. A free account is the least friction possible that I can come up with. The reality is that original local reporting takes real time and real work. When that work gets lifted and republished without attribution, it undermines the entire model that keeps it free for everyone.
050
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
A free account protects the work at no cost to readers. If you already get the newsletter, you're already in. Just sign in. Independent local journalism is worth protecting. This is how I'm doing it.
0110
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.
2231
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.
050
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.
030
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.
271
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.
090
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
Thanks for the support
020
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
*Try my hardest to catch things like this. I need sleep.
130
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
www.ftc.gov/business-gui...
ftc.gov
Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers
Do you work with brands to recommend or endorse products? If so, you need to comply with the law when making these recommendations. One key is to make a good disclosure of your relationship to the bra...
010
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
Thanks again for catching this. It drives me nuts that my journalist, editor, and publisher missed it. But in all seriousness, I try my hardest not to catch things like this. Appreciate it.
220
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
Thanks
000
Ryan Belmore @ryanbelmore.com · 23/09/2026
There was a ground stop for “other” according to FAA earlier this evening.
000
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.
040