Heather Bruen Mapes Hurlock died on April 12, 2026, in Virginia Hospital Center. She was born in Manhattan, New York City, on March 1, 1938. She was a tenth-generation New Yorker, a direct descendant of Thomas Mapes, one of the founders (about 1647) of Southold, Long Island, NY. She was the daughter of the late Col. Douglas Stewart Mapes of New York City and Cathleen Hourigan Mapes of Buffalo, New York.
Heather first came to Alexandria, VA, in 1946, when her father was stationed here at the Pentagon as a staff officer of the Military District of Washington. After her father’s untimely death in June 1947, her mother took her and her sister, Rosemary, to Europe for schooling. Heather attended high schools in Geneva, Beirut, and Munich. Her freshman year of college was at the University of Maryland (now Global Campus) in Munich.
There is a 30% chance of showers in the afternoon, with cloudy skies transitioning to mostly sunny and a high near 65°F. Expect a north wind at 5 to 8 mph. Thursday night will see mostly cloudy conditions clearing to a low around 48°F, with light and variable winds shifting northwest at 5 to 7 mph after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
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Arlington’s Four Mile Run corridor is home to an inspiring new happening. The new art market called SPARK! launches on Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and continues every first Sunday of the month through November.
A fun inclusive outdoor market with handpicked art and food vendors and programming including poetry, music and art making, it’s the kickoff activity for the new outdoor venue 2700 Art Space, located at 2700 S. Nelson St., Arlington, Virginia 22206. Meet your neighbors, build community and be inspired.
At the first event, “Spark” your creativity with a smooth jolt of coffee from Rossana Coffee. Browse the stacks at the mobile bookstore Wandering Shelf. Get a massage from the licensed therapists from Zen27 Healing and Body Works. Peruse artwork by artists David Amoroso, Kate Rosendale or the printmakers and ceramicists from The Studios at Arlington Arts. Have a poem composed especially for you at The Poet is IN booth. Stop by Tigerflight and put the squeeze on a plush animal made from repurposed wool sweaters. Enjoy a Thai-inspired dessert from Mango Mama while listening to tropical sounds from the DJ’s of Leon City Sounds! Every month will offer something new and unusual. Visit the website for the full list!
Artist Roxana Alger Geffen will be the interactive artist at the first SPARK! bringing her popular Arlington Art Truck project “Patch or Swap: A Textile Rescue Lab” to the market! Fans of the Art Truck, which brought artists-in-residence to every corner of the County from 2018 through 2025, will be glad to know that SPARK! is curated with a similar vision by Arlington Arts’ programming team including Special Projects Curator, Cynthia Connolly.
Located adjacent to Jennie Dean Park, busy auto repair shops, a food assistance outlet and one of the region’s most popular “destination” dog parks, it is only a four-minute walk across Four Mile Run to the Tony Award-winning Signature Theater. The area is bustling all day.
Anchored by SPARK!, the venue now known as 2700 Art Space is at the nexus of several communities. It’s directly opposite Arlington Arts’ headquarters featuring Theatre On the Run, an 90-seat black box theater, rehearsal rooms, dance studios, and new printmaking and ceramics studios for the resident artists of The Studios at Arlington Arts (formerly LAC Arts Center on Langston Boulevard), which will hold its Spring Show and Sale on Saturday, May 2.
Music and merch aren’t the only types of art that will surround you at SPARK! As shown in this reel, even the tables and benches are fun! Film nights and other activities are in the making for the fall, and two works of temporary public art are currently being installed. Artist Adam Henry is creating a 10-foot tall sculpture of a golden retriever replete with a QR-code dog collar inviting you to upload selfies and stories about your pets. Directly adjacent to the outdoor space (on three sides of the Arlington Arts headquarters at 3700 S. Four Mile Run Dr.) will be a sweeping new mural by nationally acclaimed artist MasPaz. Both works grew out of a special Artist In Residence (AIR) Grant from Arlington Arts, made possible by a top-tier award from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Visit our website for more information about SPARK!
Map showing areas of D.C. and Virginia after retrocession vote of 1846 (via Library of Congress)
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Arlington is set to reach a historic milestone in September — the 180th anniversary of its return from the District of Columbia to Virginia sovereignty.
If you’re a college student spending the summer in Arlington — whether you’re interning, working, or just home for a few months — EvolveAll is the place to stay fit, sharpen skills, and be in community.
For just $295, college students get full access to all of EvolveAll’s adult programs from May through August. That means Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, self-defense, yoga, Pilates, and more — a whole community of people who show up, put in the work, and look out for each other.
Rendering of the proposed new Cavalier Club apartment building (via Hord Coplan Macht Fairfax County)
A major development project straddling the Arlington-Fairfax county line on Wilson Blvd took another procedural step forward this week.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (May 5) gave the owner of a key Seven Corners residential parcel the ability to more than double units on the site while also adding retail space.
The Women’s Crawl is coming to Falls Church on May 9, 2026!
Hosted by the team behind the Shrinks on Tap Podcast and presented by Expand Psychology, this one-of-a-kind event is more than a night out—it’s a movement.
Maman's new cafe in Pentagon City (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
Arlington’s third Maman cafe is opening in Pentagon City tomorrow with giveaways for its first customers.
The French-inspired bakery and cafe is hosting a grand opening on the ground floor of Amazon HQ2 (1450 S. Eads Street), where Mae’s Market and Cafe closed last year. Starting at 8 a.m, the first 100 customers will receive a free tote bag and cookie with purchase.
Safeway at 3713 Langston Blvd (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
The Safeway in Cherrydale is getting a facelift this year.
The longtime grocer at 3713 Langston Blvd is preparing for a store remodel, Dana Ward, director of communications and public affairs for Albertsons’ Mid-Atlantic Division, told ARLnow. Contractors are receiving work permits as the store has begun selling off some soon-to-be discontinued products.
Composite image showing what man whose remains were found might have looked like (via ACPD)
Police have released composite sketches of a man whose remains were found in a vacant Ballston home more than two years ago, hoping the public can help identify him.
The remains were discovered on Feb. 26, 2024 by the new owners of an abandoned property on the 1300 block of N. Taylor Street. The owners came across the remains in the basement during a walkthrough of the recently purchased home. Police were dispatched just before 5 p.m. and immediately launched a death investigation.
An LGBTQ+-inspired art installation at 23rd Street S. and S. Fern Road (courtesy of Tracy Sayegh Gabriel)
Arlington’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee is in full organizing mode for a June block party in Crystal City honoring Pride Month.
Organizers are hoping for upwards of 500 attendees at next month’s first Arlington Pride 23rd Street Block Party. Sponsored by Equality Arlington in collaboration with several other community organizations, the event is slated for Saturday, June 6 from 3-7 p.m. in the Restaurant Row area of 23rd Street S.
A school bus stop sign (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Two LGBTQ+ advocacy groups are calling on Arlington Public Schools to address the disproportionate mental health and safety outcomes negatively affecting its LGBTQ+ student population.
In a new joint letter to APS leaders, the groups, Equality Arlington and the Arlington Gender Identity Alliance (AGIA), are asking the school system to implement a more targeted response to the mental health challenges, violence, discrimination and bullying that its LGBTQ+ students experience at elevated rates when compared to fellow students.
