Around Town

Good Friday 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 — Sep 4, 2026.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. UPDATED: Widespread power outages still reported, hours after severe storm (20146 views)
  2. Restaurant and bar ‘legend’ Bobby Lee dies, bringing final end to Mister Days (19405 views)
  3. WEATHER ALERT: Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Arlington and D.C. area (10586 views)
  4. ACPD: Woman carjacked near Rosslyn (8185 views)
  5. Arlington native is crowned Miss USA, the first mother to win pageant (6367 views)
  6. UPDATE: Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for Arlington and parts of D.C. area (6281 views)
  7. Fatal crash on S. Glebe Road, other recent collisions under Vision Zero review (5388 views)
  8. Xi’an Famous Foods opens to big crowds in Clarendon (5316 views)
  9. JUST IN: D.C. woman charged in carjacking near Rosslyn (5217 views)
  10. Almost 4,000 still without power in Arlington after severe ’25-year’ storm (5709 views)
  11. WEATHER ALERT: Another Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for Arlington and the D.C. area (4935 views)
  12. Cellphones and laptops are now allowed inside Arlington courthouse (3809 views)
  13. Libertarian takes on Rep. Beyer, pledging to cut government waste, support civil liberties (3727 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌦️ Saturday’s forecast

Expect a 30% chance of showers today before 2pm and again after 4pm, with partly sunny skies and a high near 84°F. Winds will be from the north at about 6 mph. On Saturday night, there is a 40% chance of showers mainly before 9pm, with mostly cloudy conditions and a low around 66°F. Winds will remain light from the north. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
– Walt Disney

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! 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. 👋


News

Thousands of Arlington residents remain without power this afternoon (Friday) after a storm swept through the county last night, pummeling trees and power lines.

Almost 4,000 Dominion Energy customers remained without power as of 3:30 p.m., some of whom may not see power restored until around midnight or later, spokesperson Aisha Khan told ARLnow.


Sponsored

This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.

This complaint about the quality of copper ingots has been rejected, because it was submitted on the a tablet of improper diameter. On on after 1750 BC, complainants must use the new tablet... Image is free for public use. Attribution here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ea-nir
This complaint about the quality of copper ingots has been rejected, because it was submitted on the a tablet of improper diameter. On on after 1750 BC, complainants must use the new tablet… Image is free for public use. Attribution here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ea-n%C4%81%E1%B9%A3ir

USCIS administers immigration benefits. In the time-honored tradition of government agencies since the days of Ur and Uruk, USCIS uses forms to collect, store, and interpret information. Immigrants complete these forms in order to obtain benefits. Most U.S. citizens have no idea what reams of paperwork these forms require. An ordinary green card application is comprised of ninety-seven pages of bare forms, which typically are supported by several hundred pages of supporting documents.

In better times, forms are a necessary evil. In the times we actually live in, forms are just another weapon with which to thwack your political opponents.

In the second iteration of the Trump Administration, USCIS has discovered a new, extremely petty way to make immigrants’ lives more difficult – by releasing new form versions which make utterly minute changes, and then decrees that yesterday’s official version is obsolete as of today.

The Office of Management and Budget, by the way, requires that all government forms have an ‘edition date’ and an ‘expiration date.’ USCIS evades this neatly by making the expiration date purely notional – the form can be valid after the expiration date, and it can be decreed obsolete at any time before or after the expiration date. (The edition date is notional, too – in the first months of the Trump Administration, USCIS persistently released forms backdated to January 20, 2025, seemingly just for the inaugural vibes.) The forms altered in the last two weeks are highlighted below.

  1. Form G-28. Four pages, stating that a lawyer represents you.
  2. Form G-28. Four more pages, stating that the same lawyer represents your spouse.
  3. Form I-130. A twelve-page biographical survey of you, the U.S. citizen.
  4. Form I-130A. A six-page biographical survey of your spouse.
  5. Form I-131. A fourteen-page request for permission to travel while the government thinks about whether to grant the green card application.
  6. Form I-485. A twenty-four pager. This is the green card application itself. It repeats all of the biographical detail from Forms I-130 and I-130A.
  7. Form I-693. A fourteen-page list of certifications concerning your health and fitness. (No, your family doctor can’t do it for you – you have to go to someone called a Designated Civil Surgeon.)
  8. Form I-765. A seven-page request for a work permit while the government thinks about whether to grant your green card application.
  9. Form I-864. A twelve-page contract in which you (the U.S. citizen) promise to repay the government for welfare benefits, if your spouse draws on them, and in which you further promise to keep your spouse above the poverty line. (more…)

News

Arlington police have opened an investigation into an immigration arrest on Columbia Pike that reportedly left a man with serious injuries.

Detectives met with the man, José Mejía Hernandez, last week, NBC4 reported. This prompted a swift response from Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Reps. Don Beyer, Suhas Subramanyam and James Walkinshaw today (Friday).


Announcement

Looking for a fall activity that gets you moving and builds real confidence? EvolveAll Martial Arts and Training Studio is offer free classes for youth and adults during it’s upcoming Intro Week, September 14-19.

EvolveAll, Arlington’s martial arts and fitness community off Columbia Pike, is once again opening its doors for a full week of free trial classes — and youth classes are one of the highlights. Kids ages 5-15 will get to try hands-on martial arts instruction designed to build discipline, focus, and self-defense skills in a supportive, age-appropriate environment.


Weather

Get ready for more storms.

While thousands of people are still without power in Arlington and Falls Church, another round of stormy and potentially damaging weather is on the way.


Event

Join us for the LLT 5K Run/Walk, a community-powered fundraiser supporting Empower Latina and our mission to uplift, empower, and create opportunities for Latina women and girls. Whether you run, walk, or cheer from the sidelines, your participation helps make a meaningful impact. Lace up, show up, and empower Latina!


News

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters saluted Del. Alfonso Lopez this week for his legislative work on water quality this year.

Lopez (D-3) was honored alongside Sen. Richard Stuart, a Westmoreland County Republican, on Sept. 1 for joint efforts on legislation requiring testing for PFAS on biosolids applied to farmland.


Events

Roughly 1,500 shoppers are expected at the I-66 parking garage tomorrow (Saturday) for Arlington’s monthly flea market.

More than 150 vendors will set up across multiple levels of the covered garage, next to Washington-Liberty High School at 15th Street N. and N. Stafford Street, according to the Arlington Civitan Club. The market runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and admission and parking are free.


Opinion

A fresh array of new restaurants opened across Arlington over the past year, offering dishes from culinary traditions from around the world.

Here are the nominees for “Best New Restaurant in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.

Did we miss your favorite new spot? Write it in!

Voting will close in two weeks.

Voting for Best Mechanic in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.

Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Orthodontist in Arlington. The results are now official:

  1. Iverson & Wahab Orthodontics
  2. VCO Orthodontics
  3. TBraces Orthodontics

Around Town

Six sculptures made from thousands of canned goods are about to go up at the Pentagon City mall.

Next Friday, Sept. 11, a half dozen architecture firms with a can-do attitude will set up shop at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in a charity event to combat food insecurity.


News

Many local government facilities in Arlington and Falls Church will be closed on Monday in honor of Labor Day.

In Arlington, closures include all Arlington Public Library branches, the Cultural Affairs building, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office and all community centers except for the Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center.


Announcement

We love fall at Art House 7 and can’t wait for you to explore all our offerings. Painting, drawing, ceramics, and sewing/crocheting are our perennials, along with less traditional mediums. Kawaii Style Drawing and Digital Art are among our new classes for kids. We offer an excellent 6-week program for high schoolers preparing their college portfolios. Want something shorter? We have 3-week classes, including linocut notecards. Love ceramics? We have a dedicated studio that comfortably accommodates wheel and hand-building classes. 

Fall 1 Session begins Tue. Sep. 8.