Around Town

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Aug 31, 2026

By ARLnow.com
ARL Now branding with the headline 'Daily Debrief for Aug 31, 2026' over a dark, stormy sky scene with silhouetted trees.

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Aug 31, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☀️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures peaking near 96 degrees, and the heat index reaching up to 100. Winds will be calm, shifting to a northwest breeze at 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. On Tuesday night, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2 a.m., with a slight chance of rain between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. The night will be partly cloudy with a low of about 77 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to discuss it on our new Disqus-powered community message board.

Obituary

Obituary: William F. Sullivan

By ARLnow.com
Smiling older man with gray hair in a dark suit and striped tie, outdoors at night with greenery in the background.

William F. Sullivan, 87, passed away on July 25, 2026, at Goodwin House Alexandria in Virginia.

Bill was born to Helene O’Neill Sullivan and Joseph David Sullivan and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut, where he graduated from the Fairfield College Preparatory School. His college years were spent at Duquesne University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English, History and Education.

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Around Town

Arlington native is crowned Miss USA, the first mother to win pageant

By Dan Egitto
Justus Kelley becomes Miss USA 2026 (via Miss USA/Instagram)

A native of Arlington made history at this year’s Miss USA pageant, becoming the first married woman and mother to win the title.

Justus Kelley, senior philanthropic advisor at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and founder of the nonprofit Foster Footprints, claimed the crown last week in Miami and will compete in the Miss Universe pageant in November.

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News

Five displaced after fire in basement of Green Valley home

By ARLnow.com
Night scene of a white two-story house at night with a fire truck ladder extending to the roof and pink emergency lighting on the facade; a few people stand near the entrance.
Basement fire at a home in Green Valley (courtesy ACFD)

A significant fire in the basement of a large home in Green Valley left five residents searching for a place to stay.

The fire was reported just after 11 p.m. last Thursday, Aug. 27, on the 3100 block of 17th Street N., near the intersection with S. Glebe Road.

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Event

Presentation – The Marvels of the Cosmos – Seen Through NASA’s Eyes

Poster advertising a planetarium lecture: 'The Marvels of the Cosmos Seen through NASA's Eyes' with date, time, and venue at David M. Brown Planetarium (Sept 12, 7:30 p.m.).

David M. Brown Planetarium

1426 N Quincy St

Arlington, Virginia 22207

Website Contact Social

For over 400 years, humans have studied the cosmos through telescopes anchored to the ground. That changed with the rise of spaceflight; only in the last 50 years have telescopes escaped the Earth's atmosphere entirely and opened a new window on the universe.

Join us for a talk from two NASA astrophysicists on the space telescopes of yesterday, today, and tomorrow—from Hubble's nearly four decades of discovery to James Webb, Nancy Grace Roman, and more. Learn about some of their most striking discoveries and what the future holds.

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Around Town

Xi’an Famous Foods opens to big crowds in Clarendon

By Dan Egitto
Crowd of people waiting in line at a bright cafe counter, staff using tablets at the front. balloons on the wall suggest a celebration or event.
Xi'an Famous Foods in Clarendon (photo courtesy of Jason Wang)

A new restaurant featuring cuisine from central China has been off to a successful start in Clarendon.

Xi’an Famous Foods has been attracting big crowds since it opened earlier this month. The location at 2800 Clarendon Blvd has been even busier than the chain’s bustling storefronts in New York City, CEO Jason Wang told ARLnow.

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Sports

W-L defeats rival O’Connell in football season opener

By Dave Facinoli
Two football players sprint near the sideline; a white-jersey runner holds the ball while a black-jersey defender reaches in to tackle him.
Receiver Colby Arenson tries to make a catch for Washington-Liberty as O'Connell's Timothy Robertson defends (photo by Dave Facinoli)

The Washington-Liberty Generals defeated the Bishop O’Connell Knights for the second straight season in an all-Arlington high-school football showdown.

Visiting W-L won the Aug. 28 non-conference contest, 35-21, in the fall opener for both squads. Because there is no field lighting at O’Connell, football games are played in the afternoon.

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News

Town hall on voting rights and safety happening next month in Arlington

By Dan Egitto
Voters fill out ballots at a polling place on April 21, 2026 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A town hall on Arlington voters’ rights and responsibilities in the upcoming election is taking place next month.

A “voter safety community town hall,” hosted by Arlington’s Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and Office of Voter Registration and Elections, will happen on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (4444 Arlington Blvd).

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Schools

Arlington Community High School moves into permanent home at HQ2

By Scott McCaffrey
Group of diverse adults on a stage cutting a blue ribbon at a ceremony, with a blue backdrop and building illustrations behind them.
Ceremonial ribbon-cutting for new Arlington Community High School (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington Community High School celebrated its arrival at a new, permanent location in Pentagon City on Friday.

Hundreds turned out for the celebration at 1450 S. Eads Street, a more than 30,000-square-foot space donated by Amazon at its HQ2 campus.

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News

AFAC seeks more county funding amid growing demand for food distribution

By Scott McCaffrey
Volunteer passes out food at the Arlington Food Assistance Center (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Visits to distribution sites at the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) have continued to grow, driving pleas for more county support.

During the safety-net organization’s 2026 fiscal year, visits to AFAC food-distribution sites were up 3.3%, to more than 206,000 from nearly 8,400 families.

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