A supper club with Latin American cuisine and an afterlife-inspired theme debuts in Clarendon later this month.
The new restaurant and nightlife spot Cielo opens Tuesday, June 16, following two years of preparations at 1137 N. Highland Street. Restaurateur Michael Sina told ARLnow he hopes to offer an upscale, “fully immersive experience” with dining and music, centered around a “heaven and hell” aesthetic.
Between the ages of 18 months and 2.5 years old, children experience enormous growth. During this stage of development, children learn how to communicate feelings, navigate transitions, develop critical thinking skills, and build friendships. More families are turning to Montessori education because it empowers children to become more independent, motivated, and capable through hands-on learning and thoughtfully prepared classroom environments.
At Children’s House Montessori School (CHMS) in Arlington and Alexandria, that development begins with classrooms intentionally designed for toddlers. Walk into a CHMS toddler classroom, and you will see children pushing in their chairs, preparing their own snack, cleaning up after themselves, watering plants, practicing language skills, and independently choosing lessons from child-sized shelves. Every material and lesson has a purpose: to help young children build coordination, concentration, and the foundation for academic and social success during one of the most important stages of development.
Throughout the school day at CHMS, toddlers naturally build meaningful friendships with one another, whether that means engaging in parallel play on the playground, working on a lesson beside a friend, or helping a classmate clean up spilled water. These small everyday moments help children develop empathy, social skills, and patience within the classroom community.
As children grow more comfortable expressing themselves, experienced and certified CHMS teachers gently guide them to learn how to communicate their needs and interact respectfully. The calm and collaborative Montessori environment gives young children opportunities to build emotional awareness alongside academic readiness from an early age. (more…)
This column is sponsored by Arlington Arts/Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
The sound of summer is here in Arlington with free outdoor concerts and a music festival!
The Lubber Run Amphitheater Free Summer Concert Series kicks off on June 6 (continuing through August 2), and the 29th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival takes place on Saturday, June 13!
Free Summer Concerts at Lubber Run Amphitheater
June 8 – August 2
Both Country music icon Reba McIntyre and crooner Michael Bublé hit the red button for DMV Blues Diva Carly Harvey’s “blind audition” for NBC’s The Voice last fall. Now you can hear Carly Harvey Sing Amy Winehouse to kick off the Free LUBBER RUN AMPHITHEATER Summer Concert Series, at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.
The concert series continues with Afrobeat band Dogo Tu Togo (Fri., June 12); Latin-jazz from Rumba Club (Sat., June 13); and the majestic Arlington Philharmonic (Sun., June 14, *6:30pm start time); The Grandsons 40th Anniversary (Sat., June 20); and the educational ensemble Mama Elena (Sun., June 21, 11:00 a.m.), continuing our tradition of Sunday morning performances for the whole family; and a Simon & Garfunkel Tribute performance (Fri., June 26).
Presented by Arlington Arts in cooperation with the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation and with the collaboration of the Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation, the Lubber Run Amphitheater Concerts take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, June 6 through August 2. Concert times are 8:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with Sunday morning family performances beginning at 11:00 a.m. (unless otherwise noted), two of which are co-presented with Arlington Public Library. (more…)
Crime in Arlington fell last year for the first time since 2018, with reported serious offenses down 10.9% — largely driven by a drop in property crimes ranging from larceny to motor vehicle theft.
The decline, detailed in the police department’s annual report published yesterday (Wednesday), reverses a yearslong climb. ARLnow flagged the drop in December using preliminary numbers.
The Virginia Court of Appeals will review some of the many charges against a convicted sex offender accused of indecent exposure in multiple girls’ locker rooms.
Richard Kenneth Cox, who is accused of entering public changing areas at Arlington Public Schools pools in order to undress and remain there while naked, has successfully challenged indictments on charges of illegal loitering near a school, WJLA reported this week. The rest of Cox’s charges are currently on hold pending an appeal of the Arlington County Circuit Court decision.
Join Jadin O’Brien, Olympic athlete, 3x NCAA pentathlon champion and 10x All-American (heptathlon) winner for this in-person and virtual 5K. This event is sponsored by The Alex Manfull Fund to raise awareness and advance research on debilitating infection-associated neuroimmune disorders (including PANS and PANDAS) that affect young people. The 5K is part of the organization’s 36 Hours for PANS and PANDAS Advocacy in Motion event. Runners will receive a Finisher’s Medal, Technical (Drifit) Event Shirt and A Chip Timed Event. The event commemorates the life of Alex Manfull, who died at age 26 due to PANDAS. Susan and William Manfull established the Fund in their daughter’s name with the vision that no life ever again be cut short—or interrupted—by these illnesses. Learn more at TheAlexManfullFund.org.
Plans for a new beer garden in Crystal City appear doubtful as the space has gone back up for lease.
The property at 556 22nd Street S. — which includes several thousand vacant square feet of indoor and outdoor patio space — had re-entered the market as of last week, despite a local chef’s previous plans to open Scapegoat Beer Garden there.
Clarendon Hotel Plan Scrapped — Mill Creek Residential wants to swap the planned hotel at the former Silver Diner site (3200 Wilson Blvd) in Clarendon for an 11-story, 168-unit residential building. The developer says it pursued hotel partners but “just came up empty.” [WBJ]
Tobacco Shop Robbery Charge — A 30-year-old Alexandria man has been charged with robbery after grabbing a display of Kratom products and shoving an employee at a tobacco shop in the 3400 block of Washington Blvd, according to a search warrant affidavit. Alexandria police are investigating whether he’s linked to a separate shop theft in the city. [ALXnow]
Arlington Legal Funder Expands — Rocade Capital, an Arlington firm that lends to the legal industry, has acquired California’s Law Finance Group, a deal it says will expand its reach in the niche sector. The combined firms have deployed roughly $2.3 billion over the past decade-plus. A price wasn’t disclosed. [WBJ]
Car Carriers Run Amok — Car carriers keep blocking the bus lane on Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City and driving the wrong way. One also recently blocked the Fashion Centre’s driveway exit, forcing drivers “to leave through the entrance,” Dave Statter reported in the latest of a series of posts and videos on the issue. He saw no ticketing. [Dave Statter/X]
Del Ray House Fire — Firefighters responded to a house fire in the 2600 block of E. Randolph Avenue in Del Ray on Wednesday afternoon. The homeowner said she, her partner and son escaped safely. She believes an ember from a backyard fire pit started it. Smoke was visible from Arlington. [ALXnow]
Inside Trump’s Arch — “For years, some enthusiasts of classical architecture have argued that Washington needs a triumphal arch… President Donald Trump took the idea, enlarged it and is now pushing to begin construction on a 250-foot-tall arch as soon as possible… Many have focused on the arch’s exterior, but The Washington Post has created the first 3D visualization of its interior.” [Washington Post]
Fare Evasion Crackdown Update — Metro Transit Police have issued 807 citations and made 51 arrests since May 24 as part of a system-wide fare evasion crackdown, with 10 of those arrested having outstanding warrants. The agency, which launched a “Fares Pay for Service” campaign, estimates bus fare evasion alone could cost it roughly $50 million this fiscal year. [DC News Now]
River Water Quality Dashboard — A coalition of local water groups has launched a public dashboard with real-time water quality data for the Anacostia, Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, drawing on nine sensor sites. “The recent catastrophic sewage spill in the Potomac taught us many lessons,” said Potomac Riverkeeper Network president Betsy Nicholas, citing the need for timely monitoring. [Press Release]
Rain Chances Stay Slim — Wednesday marked the D.C. area’s sixth straight rain-free day, and the dry streak will likely reach nine before showers return Sunday, Capital Weather reports. Even then, models project only 0.01 to 0.1 inches — bad news as the region sits under a newly declared drought watch. [Capital Weather]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies with a high near 89 and light northwest winds of 5 mph or less. Skies stay mostly clear overnight with a low around 65. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
Flickr pool photo by ksrjghkegkdhgkk
An Arlington man is facing charges after police say he accidentally fired a shot into a neighboring home while cleaning his gun.
The incident happened just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on the 1100 block of S. Highland Street, just south of Columbia Pike.
Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Jun 3, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect sunny weather with a high near 89 and a light northwest wind. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 65. Winds will be light and variable, shifting to come from the south at about 5 mph in the evening. See more from Weather.gov.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
– Confucius
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
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Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is throwing support behind legislation intended to address the impacts of data centers on rising prices of electricity for Virginia residents.
The Power for the People Act, which Warner is co-sponsoring, aims to address cost and reliability issues associated with data centers’ power needs. The legislation directs states to look into new rate classes for data centers, seeks a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rule to ensure data centers are paying for infrastructure upgrades that would not be otherwise needed, and seeks to increase accountability in local electricity infrastructure.
