Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. The ARLnow staff byline is used for the Morning Notes and reporting done by an editor or other member of our full-time staff.
As the holiday season begins, Arlington offers a plethora of opportunities to shop local and support the community.
Here are the top choices for “Best Local Shop in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards. These shops offer unique gift options and one-of-a-kind shopping experiences. See a shop that isn’t listed? Write it in!
Voting will close two weeks from publication time. Make sure to cast your vote for your favorite local shop.
Voting for Best Restaurant for Takeout/Delivery in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on Arlington’s best lunch spot. The results are now official:
Arlington’s real estate market reflects the broader community — it’s diverse, dynamic, and never boring.
This weekend’s local open houses offer a snapshot of Arlington’s wide variety real estate offerings, from affordable condos to multi-million dollar homes. One highlight: a $2 million house with 10” thick, hand-cut granite exterior and interior walls with a custom built wine cellar for 750 bottles.
Office buildings in Crystal City (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The appointed co-heads of a new “Department of Government Efficiency” are hoping to massively cut the federal workforce.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy announced their intention to help President-elect Donald Trump nullify thousands federal regulations. That would then allow “mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy.”
Sun dog with contrails over Virginia Square (courtesy Leslie K.)
Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign — ” This Thanksgiving holiday, the Arlington County Police Department is teaming up with [NHTSA] on the high-visibility Click It or Ticket seat belt awareness campaign. From November 23 to December 1, the law enforcement community will be working together to reduce the number of fatalities that occur when vehicle passengers fail to buckle up.” [ACPD]
Thanksgiving Travel Tips — “Almost 80 million people nationwide are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, per a AAA forecast — a record that shatters last year’s traveler record. Plan ahead so your (turkey) feathers don’t get all ruffled while in the security line at DCA or on I-95.” [Axios]
DCA Expects 2025 Passenger Growth — Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority officials are projecting 13.2 million passenger “enplanements” at Reagan National next year, a record total and nearly 11% above pre-pandemic counts. “We have very, very upbeat airline forecasts,” Jack Potter, president/CEO of the authority, said Wednesday as the authority adopted a $829 million budget to cover operations at National and Dulles in 2025. –Scott McCaffrey
Marymount Gears Up for 75th — “Marymount University is preparing to kick off its 75th anniversary celebrations that will begin in January 2025 and last throughout the year. Since it was founded as Virginia’s first Catholic college… in 1950, Marymount has transformed from a two-year college for women into a nationally ranked, comprehensive university.” [Marymount University]
Strike Averted at Local Hotels — “Hotel workers at four Northern Virginia Hilton hotels voted overwhelmingly last week to ratify a new four-year contract with historic wage gains of over 19 percent… [The agreement] became official during last week’s ratification votes at each of the four hotels: Hilton National Landing, Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, Doubletree Crystal City, and Embassy Suites Crystal City.” [Press Release]
New CEO for AWLA — “The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Lauren Lipsey as its new President & CEO. Lauren will officially begin her new role on November 22, 2024, succeeding Sam Wolbert, who will be moving from the area and stepping down on December 15, 2024.” [Press Release]
AFAC’s Meng Honored — For his service as CEO of the Arlington Food Assistance Center over the past 17 years, Charlie Meng on Wednesday was presented with the Inter-Service Club Council of Arlington’s 2024 Community Leader Award. Beyond leading the AFAC staff, “Charlie gives back so much to the community,” said Jeff Englander, who presented the award. –Scott McCaffrey
Gov. Takes on Kids & Phones — “Governor Glenn Youngkin today issued Executive Order 43, Empowering and Supporting Parents to Protect Their Children from Addictive Social Media & Establishment of the Reclaiming Childhood Task Force, to tackle a critical aspect of Virginia’s youth mental health crisis, the unrestricted use of cell phones and addictive social media platforms.” [Press Release]
It’s Friday — Scattered snow showers will transition to rain and snow showers between 11am and noon, followed by likely rain showers after noon. Expect increasing clouds, a high of 44, and a west wind at 10-15 mph with gusts up to 24 mph. Precipitation chance stands at 70% with negligible snow accumulation. For Friday night, anticipate scattered showers before 10pm, and then a gradual shift to partly cloudy skies with a low of 38. West wind will persist around 14 mph with gusts up to 24 mph, while the precipitation chance decreases to 40%. [NWS]
Scattered snow showers will transition to rain and snow showers between 11am and noon, followed by likely rain showers after noon. Expect increasing clouds, a high of 44, and a west wind at 10-15 mph with gusts up to 24 mph. Precipitation chance stands at 70% with negligible snow accumulation. For Friday night, anticipate scattered showers before 10pm, and then a gradual shift to partly cloudy skies with a low of 38. West wind will persist around 14 mph with gusts up to 24 mph, while the precipitation chance decreases to 40%. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.” – Virginia Satir
Leaf vacuum truck in a North Arlington neighborhood (staff photo)
No Timeline for HQ2 Phase 2 — “Last year, Amazon.com Inc. said it would break ground on PenPlace, the Helix-anchored second phase of HQ2 in Crystal City, in 2024. That’s clearly not going to happen, and the tea leaves don’t suggest any movement on the near horizon… with the year almost out, the official word now is that the tech and e-commerce giant is in no rush.” [WBJ]
County Extends RCV Feedback — “The Arlington County Board has extended its Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) community feedback period to November 30th. ‘It has been a long and tiring election season,’ said Board Chair Libby Garvey. ‘We’d like to provide just a bit more breathing room to make sure that voters who want to weigh in, but may have been focused elsewhere, have the chance to do so.'” [Arlington County]
‘Perfect Day in Arlington, Virginia’ — “Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, has lived in Arlington’s Clarendon neighborhood for 30 years — ‘which is kind of crazy!’ she says. Though her work often sends her to Capitol Hill, her days off are usually spent away from politics. Here’s how she likes to fill the hours.” [Southbound]
‘Must-Try’ Thanksgiving Sandwich — “Earl’s Sandwiches’ turkey cranberry sandwich arrived warm and had the thickest, chunkiest turkey. There was no stuffing, but the sliced bread had nuts in it, offering flavor and texture. This also was the only sandwich that came with lettuce.” [WTOP]
Court Overturns RGGI Withdraw — “Virginia can’t withdraw from a multistate initiative designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions unless the Legislature agrees to it, a judge has ruled, dealing a blow to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to exit the compact. The ruling, issued Monday by retired Judge C. Randall Lowe in Floyd County, said Virginia’s Air Pollution Control Board exceeded its authority when it voted last year to exit the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.” [Associated Press]
It’s Thursday — Expect clouds to increase with a high temperature of around 51 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 23 mph. As Thursday night rolls in, the skies will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of 36 degrees, and the west wind persists around 10 mph, gusting as high as 28 mph. [NWS]
Expect clouds to increase with a high temperature of around 51 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 23 mph. As Thursday night rolls in, the skies will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of 36 degrees, and the west wind persists around 10 mph, gusting as high as 28 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“A truly rich man is one whose children run into his arms when his hands are empty.” – Unknown
Storms bring heavy rain, wind and flooding at night (file photo)
Get ready for a sudden blast of strong wind gusts tonight.
After weeks of relatively tranquil weather, a cold front will bring storminess to Arlington and the D.C. area tonight. That’s expected to include heavy rain and some strong, potentially damaging winds.
Holiday decorations up at The Crossing Clarendon (courtesy George Brazier)
Arlington Startup Acquisition — “AeroVironment Inc. said Tuesday it has reached an agreement to buy fellow Arlington company BlueHalo LLC in an all-stock deal with an enterprise value of roughly $4.1 billion. The deal will allow AeroVironment, which is a top supplier of small drones to the U.S. military, to expand its offerings with BlueHalo’s expertise in space technologies, electronic warfare, AI and other areas.” [WBJ, BusinessWire]
Ballston 7-Eleven Robbed — “At approximately 2:39 p.m. on November 18, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery… the male suspect entered the business and concealed merchandise during which an employee confronted him. The suspect then attempted to exit without payment when the employee confronted him a second time. The suspect then made threatening statements towards the employee before fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]
Stabbing at Bailey’s Xroads McD’s — “A man was rushed to Inova Fairfax Hospital with critical injuries Tuesday afternoon after being stabbed at the McDonald’s in Bailey’s Crossroads. Fairfax County police were dispatched to the fast food restaurant at 5603 Leesburg Pike around 2:19 p.m.” [FFXnow]
Residential Real Estate Deal — “Corcoran Group® LLC today announced its newest affiliate by welcoming Corcoran McEnearney… Formerly known as a collective of McEnearney Associates and Middleburg Real Estate/Atoka Properties, Corcoran McEnearney will offer comprehensive real estate services across the region’s urban, suburban, and rural areas.” [Corcoran]
F.C. Gift and Craft Show Returns — “Support local businesses, artisans, and merchants by shopping at the Holiday Gift and Craft Show with Children’s Holiday Shoppe at the Community Center (223 Little Falls St.) on Saturday, December 7, and Sunday, December 8. Admission to both craft show days and the Children’s Shoppe is free.” [City of Falls Church]
It’s Wednesday — Expect showers after 4pm with mostly cloudy skies and a high of 65°F. Winds will pick up from the southeast in the afternoon. Wednesday night brings a 90% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 4am with a low around 43°F. Southeast winds will shift to northwest in the evening, possibly gusting up to 31 mph. Rainfall amounts may range between a quarter and half of an inch. [NWS]
