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.
Expect sunny skies and a high near 70 degrees, accompanied by a light northwest wind that will increase to 5-10 mph in the morning and potentially gust up to 20 mph. The clear conditions will continue into Friday night, with a low around 45 degrees. The north wind will remain around 10 mph, with gusts reaching up to 18 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop
Autumn sun shines through the trees and remaining leaves at Lacey Woods Park (staff photo)
Arlington and the D.C. area remain under a drought watch as the region faces its driest spell in at least a century and a half.
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments announced today that the watch, initially declared in July, will continue through the fall and winter months. This marks the first regional drought watch since 2010, affecting nearly 6 million residents across the D.C. metro area.
Fallen leaves in Lubber Run, in Woodlawn Park (staff photo)
Water Disruption on the Pike — From the Columbia Pike Partnership: “On Wednesday, November 6, a water service line near Columbia Pike & S Edgewood Street was damaged during construction… Affected buildings include: 1029 through 1045 S Edgewood Street, 2820 Columbia Pike, 2602 through 2704 Columbia Pike.” [Twitter]
Thanksgiving Pie Recommendations — “Thanksgiving and pie go together like turkey and gravy, and now is the time to place those orders. Find classic apple, pumpkin and cherry, as well as elaborate flavors like pumpkin dulce de leche or pecan chocolate maple, at these area bakeries.” [Arlington Magazine]
I-395 Ramp Closure Tonight — “The northbound I-395 ramp to Shirlington Circle will be closed [Thursday] night, with traffic diverted to Parkfairfax. The Virginia Department of Transportation said the closure is expected to last from 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, to 4 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 8, for rehabilitation work on the Shirlington Circle south rotary bridge.” [ALXnow]
Starbucks Holiday Drinks Return — “Starbucks rolls out its 2024 holiday menu Thursday that for the first time includes holiday refresher drinks… Seasonal beverages include the returning Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, the nondairy Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte and Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai.” [Axios]
It’s Thursday — Showers are possible, mainly before noon, followed by partly sunny skies and a high near 77. The calm wind will shift to northwest at 5 to 7 mph in the morning, with a 40% chance of precipitation. For Thursday night, there is a slight chance of showers, while the sky remains mostly clear, with temperatures around 50. [NWS]
Showers are expected mainly before noon, followed by partly sunny skies and a high near 77. The calm wind will shift to northwest at 5 to 7 mph in the morning, with a 40% chance of precipitation. For Thursday night, there is a slight chance of showers, while the sky remains mostly clear, with temperatures around 50 and a north wind at 6 mph. Precipitation chances will drop to 20%. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Police response near the Clarendon Metro station in 2023 (photo courtesy anonymous)
A Gainesville man is facing a number of charges after a wild incident in Clarendon last night.
Arlington County police say the 45-year-old suspect spat on and threw a brick at a man who was walking in the area. Police say they located the suspect along Clarendon Blvd, leading to a foot pursuit and the suspect allegedly spitting on an officer.
“Vote to avoid the apocalypse” sign among Halloween decorations (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Fake Arlington Dems Sample Ballot — “Men claiming to be volunteers for Republican 8th District candidate Jerry Torres distributed fake sample ballots with the Arlington County Democratic Committee logo at at least one Alexandria polling location today. The sample ballots — distributed outside of John Adams Elementary School — have all Democratic candidates marked except for Torres.” [ALXnow]
Local Holiday Races — “‘Tis the season for running races. From early November through the end of 2024, you can meet your step goals while honoring veterans, wearing a turkey onesie or laughing all the way. Options run the gamut—ahem—from 5K flat courses to half-marathons on, well, still pretty flat courses.” [Arlington Magazine]
La Coop Opens New D.C. Cafe — After La Coop Coffee closed in D.C. in February, its only brick-and-mortar location was here in Arlington Forest. The café’s shuttered D.C. location has since moved to 500 Kennedy Street NW and opened for business last week. [PoPville]
Rainless Record Likely — “D.C.’s rainless streak — nearing five weeks — will tie a record Tuesday. The day is set to mark the 34th day in a row without measurable rain in Washington, equal to the previous longest streak set in 2007. Weather records in Washington date to 1872. The record is poised to be broken Wednesday, assuming there’s not a stray rain shower, which is just a slight possibility.” [Capital Weather Gang]
It’s Wednesday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high around 79 degrees and southwest winds at 10 to 13 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. The night will be mostly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to around 63 degrees. The southwest wind of 6 mph will become calm after midnight. [NWS]
JD Spain, Sr. at the Arlington Democrats’ election November 2024 watch party in Crystal City (staff photo by James Jarvis)
An Arlington voter checks in at Wakefield High School to cast a ballot in the 2024 general election (staff photo by James Jarvis)
An Arlington voter checks in at Wakefield High School to cast a ballot in the 2024 general election, which featured ranked-choice voting (staff photo by James Jarvis)
An ‘I voted in Arlington’ sticker (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Election signs in Virginia Square for the 2024 general election (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Arlington voters head to the polls in Virginia Square to cast ballots in the 2024 general election (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Arlington and Falls Church residents went to the polls today to vote for president, local offices and everything in between.
As of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, the results show — unsurprisingly — strong support for Democratic candidates across the ballot.
Arlington County Board
In the big local Arlington race for County Board, JD Spain, Sr. will win the seat being vacated by three-term Democrat Libby Garvey.
With early votes now in and breaking 60% for the Democratic nominee, Spain has 58% of the vote to 16% for Republican Juan Carlos Fierro and 12% for independent Audrey Clement. Madison Granger, who is associated with the Forward Party, has 13% of the vote.
In 2020, Garvey defeated a lone challenger — Clement — with 71% of the vote.
Voting in the Arlington County Board general election is being conducted this year, for the first time, via ranked choice voting. But if a candidate gets over 50% of the “first choice” votes — as Spain appears poised to do with only mail-in ballots outstanding — they will be declared the winner and ranked choice tabulation will not be used.
Arlington School Board
In the Arlington School Board race, Democratic-endorsed candidates Kathleen Clark and Zuraya Tapia-Hadley will cruise to victory.
Clark and Tapia-Hadley have 35.6% and 32.8% of the vote, respectively, so far. James Vell Rives, endorsed by the Forward Party, has 14.2% of the vote while independent Paul Weiss has 16.0%.
Arlington Bond Referenda
All five proposed local bonds, including school and Metro bonds, will pass — currently leading by 3-to-1 or 4-to-1.
The Democratic Harris/Walz presidential ticket has a substantial lead over the Trump/Vance GOP ticket: 76.2% to 20.7% in Arlington — with all precincts reporting but mail-in ballots outstanding — and 79.5% to 17.9% in Falls Church.
By comparison, Trump received 17.1% of the vote in Arlington in 2020.
Third party candidates — including Jill Stein (G), Chase Oliver (L) and Cornel West (I) — have roughly 2% of the Arlington vote, while 1% of voters wrote someone in for president.
Statewide, Harris currently has 50.4% to 47.4% for Trump. Local political consultant Ben Tribbett, who often projects election night results in Virginia, says he believes Harris has won the Commonwealth.
8:45 PM PROJECTION: KAMALA HARRIS (D) HAS WON VIRGINIA AND 13 ELECTORAL VOTES.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine currently leads statewide with 53.1% of the vote to 46.7% for Republican challenger Hung Cao.
The Associated Press called the race for Kaine around 11:20 p.m.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine won reelection in Virginia for his third term Tuesday, beating Republican challenger Hung Cao. Kaine was widely expected to keep his role as the Commonwealth’s junior senator. Political scientists said there was only a narrow path to victory for Cao given Virginia’s moderate electorate, aversion to Trump in 2020 and Kaine’s salience with voters. Cao is a 25-year Navy veteran who had former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. But the most recent Republican to hold a Senate seat from Virginia was the late John Warner, a centrist who last won in 2002. The Associated Press declared Kaine the winner at 11:22 p.m.
U.S. Representative
Across Virginia’s 8th Congressional District — which includes Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and parts of Fairfax County — incumbent Rep. Don Beyer (D) has 70.9% of the vote to 25.6% for Republican challenger Jerry Torres and just over 3% collectively for independents David Kennedy and Bentley Hensel.
The Associated Press called the race for Beyer shortly before 8:15 p.m.
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Virginia on Tuesday. Beyer won his sixth term after defeating Republican Jerry Torres and two independent candidates. Beyer, a former lieutenant governor and ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, won each of his five previous congressional elections with at least 63% of the vote. The 8th District includes the inner suburbs of the nation’s capital, including Arlington County and Alexandria, and is one of Virginia’s most reliably Democratic districts. The Associated Press declared Beyer the winner at 8:13 p.m.
Despite significant interest in the presidential race, voting in Arlington mostly went smoothly today, with most reports suggesting minimal wait times. Among the issues reported today are some confusion about ranked choice voting and an evening fire alarm at the Crystal Plaza polling location.
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
Arlington County police are looking for a pair of suspects who robbed the 7-Eleven in Bluemont Saturday night.
The suspects went behind the store’s counter, threatened to kill an employee unless they opened the registers, and then ran off with cigarettes and cash, according to an ACPD crime report and scanner traffic.
“Vote here” sign at the Fairlington Community Center polling place (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
New Rosslyn Development Proposal — “D.C. developer Penzance Cos. has filed fresh redevelopment plans for Rosslyn Gateway, a two-tower office complex fronting Gateway Park it bought late last year from JBG Smith Properties for $52 million. One Rosslyn, as it’s been rebranded… will combine roughly 860 residential units and ground-floor, neighborhood-serving retail.” [WBJ]
Voting Reminder — It’s Election Day and polling locations in Arlington will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voters must cast their ballot at their assigned polling place. Learn more about the local candidates. [Arlington County]
Most Walkable Local Neighborhoods — “Here’s a look at Arlington’s 10 most-walkable neighborhoods, according to Walk Score. For each neighborhood, we’ve also included Transit and Bike Scores.” [Arlington Magazine]
Arlington Rents Among Highest in U.S. — Arlington’s median apartment-rental rate in October was $2,593, up 4.1% year-over-year and fifth highest of the 100 largest urban areas nationally tracked by Apartment List. Nationally, median rents ranged from $1,000 in Wichita (Kan.) to $3,084 in Irvine (Calif.). [Apartment List]
ACPD Donation Drive Update — From Arlington County police: “Thank you, Arlington! This weekend, public safety personnel and Paul Davis Restoration transported your generous donations from our Hurricane Relief Donation Drive to North Carolina to support those affected by Hurricane Helene.” [Facebook, Twitter]
Arlington NAACP Presents Annual Awards — Craig Syphax was honored with the Henry L. Holmes Meritorious Service Award and Joan Trumpauer Mulholland with the Esther Georgia Irving Cooper Civil Rights Activist of the Year Award at the Arlington NAACP’s annual Freedom Fund banquet. Also honored were Hilary Chapman and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Devanshi Patel, and Nadia Conyers. [Arlington NAACP]
Falls Church Unemployment Rate Steady — The unemployment rate for Falls Church residents in September was 2.5%, unchanged from xa year before. There were 8,541 city residents employed in the civilian workforce and 259 looking for work in newly released data. [VEC]
N. Va. Clergy Election Message — “On the eve of the close national election, a wide variety of clergy from various faiths, including Christian, Jewish, and Muslim, today released a video emphasizing that Americans have much more in common than what divides them.” [Press Release]
Va. AG Condemns Political Violence — “Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares has joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 other attorneys general calling for law and order and condemning political violence ahead of tomorrow’s presidential election.” [Press Release]
It’s Tuesday — The weather will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny, reaching a high of about 73°F. There will be south winds ranging from 5 to 13 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. As for Tuesday night, expect partly cloudy skies with lows around 60°F and a consistent south wind at approximately 9 mph. [NWS]
The weather will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny, reaching a high of about 73°F. There will be south winds ranging from 5 to 13 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. As for Tuesday night, expect partly cloudy skies with lows around 60°F and a consistent south wind at approximately 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
