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.
Two men allegedly tried to rob a mail carrier in Arlington this past Friday afternoon.
Arlington County police were dispatched to N. Columbus Street just north of Route 50 — in the Arlington Forest neighborhood — around 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 5, for reports of an attempted robbery by two men, one of whom implied having a gun.
Entering Arlington on I-395 from D.C. (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
Acquisition for Ballston Company — “Safran Defense and Space Inc., the Arlington-based unit of French aerospace manufacturing giant Safran SA, is beefing up its ties to the U.S. defense sector with its first-ever acquisition. The company, whose U.S. headquarters is in Ballston, has acquired Attollo Engineering, a Camarillo, California, company.” [WBJ]
Results from Local Tech Fund — “A county-backed fund in Arlington is seeing some return on investment as it enters its third year. The Arlington Innovation Fund… granted funding to startups in early 2024: Nine firms received non-dilutive funding ranging from $25,000 to $50,000. Since then, companies have collectively raised $25 million after participating in what’s called the Catalyst Grant Program.” [Technically]
Arlington Then and Now — ” I can remember walking on the North Scott Street bridge over I-66, on my way to the Metro, and wondering why there was no traffic on the highway (I-66 in Arlington had not yet been opened). At that time the Ballston Metro was the end of the line.” [FCNP]
Substance Abuse in N. Va. — “Inova Health on Wednesday released new data finding nearly half of adults in Northern Virginia are either personally impacted by substance use or know someone who is, with even higher numbers among millennials.” [FFXnow]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 76 degrees with a northeast wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph. By Tuesday night, the sky will be mostly cloudy with a low temperature near 59 degrees. [NWS]
Expect sunny skies and a high of around 76 degrees with a northeast wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph. By Tuesday night, the sky will be mostly cloudy with a low temperature near 59 degrees, and the northeast wind will continue at approximately 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Man is by nature a political animal.” – Aristotle
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
A 25-year-old Arlington man and a teen boy are facing charges after a man was stabbed several times Friday night along S. Arlington Mill Drive.
A motive for the attack, which prompted a large police response, was not given. The victim was hospitalized “with injuries considered non-life-threatening.”
Gourds and pumpkins for sale at the Trader Joe’s in Clarendon (courtesy George Brazier)
Worst Costco for Parking? — “POV: Look on the bright side…life could always be worse…like this Costco parking lot we found in Arlington, Va.” [Costco Twins/IG]
Indecent Exposure in Va. Square — “On September 2 at approximately 3:40 p.m., one adult victim and two juvenile victims were in the area when the unknown male suspect approached and exposed himself. The victims left the area and went a nearby business. The suspect followed them, and the three victims left the business to get away from the suspect. The suspect is described as a male in his 60s, approximately 5’5” tall, wearing jeans and a football jersey.” [ACPD]
Alleged Armed Drunk Driver — “Last night, an officer conducted a traffic stop resulting in the recovery of a loaded firearm and the arrest of the driver for DUI and a firearm violation. These proactive efforts demonstrate ACPD’s commitment to keeping our community safe in accordance with our key initiatives.” [ACPD/X]
Feds Seen in Arlandria — “Federal agents were spotted in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood on Friday, Sept. 5. There were no reports of arrests. Footage taken by ALXnow at around 9:30 a.m. shows multiple vehicles with Texas license plates in the parking lot of The Birchmere at 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue. A photo submitted to ALXnow also shows federal officers speaking to people at Four Mile Run Park.” [ALXnow]
Celebrating Commanders Victory — “Washington Commanders fans left the Crystal City Sports Pub feeling good following their team’s season-opening win at home Sunday against NFC division rival, the New York Giants.” [DC News Now]
Student Science Project in Space — “On Aug. 24, 5,000 lbs. of cargo were sent to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Included in that cargo was an experiment created by Yorktown senior Ryan Sullivan, Arlington Tech freshman Asher Greene, and Washington-Liberty freshman Grayson Talbot.” [APS]
Food Hall in Potomac Yard — “Wonder has inked a sublease for its first Alexandria restaurant, with the fast-growing concept sharing a 7,000-square-foot building currently half occupied by Chase Bank. The quasi-food hall, where recipes from a host of celebrity chefs and high-profile restaurants are prepared for dine-in or takeout, has subleased 3,458 square feet at 3625 Richmond Highway in Potomac Yard.” [WBJ]
Spotted Lantern Fly Spotted — “These spotted lanternflies from Asia are getting awfully big. Hope the War Department has the resources to handle this invader that came over our borders.” [Dave Statter/X]
Rain Helps But Dry Streak Continues — “Washington’s two-week dry spell came to a close Thursday during hit-or-miss showers and storms. It probably wasn’t enough to have a major impact on the return of dry conditions over recent weeks… National Weather Service outlooks for the next two weeks favor drier-than-average weather continuing.” [CWG]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 75 with a gentle northeast breeze at 7 mph. Overnight, the skies will remain mostly clear as the temperature drops to around 54, and the east wind at 5 mph will calm down by evening. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Expect showers and potential thunderstorms with a high near 89°F and southwest winds of 5-8 mph; there’s an 80% chance of precipitation. Rainfall may measure between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, with higher amounts possible during storms. On Saturday night, anticipate showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, followed by likely showers and a low around 62°F. A north wind of around 7 mph will accompany an 80% chance of precipitation, with rainfall mirroring daytime figures. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” – Elon Musk
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 post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum. 👋
The weekend is here and so is a new episode of the ARLnow podcast.
In the latest episode, Vernon, Dan and Lene — and two special guests, Simon Rathle and David Guas from Bayou Bakery — discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:
Screenshot of ARLnow's "Letter to the Editor" forum
Several years ago, ARLnow stopped publishing letters to the editor and opinion columns.
Whereas opinion content in print newspapers was largely confined to its own section, clearly separate from the news, the internet flattens content and makes every post “headline news” somewhere, from social feeds to search results to email newsletters. We heard from many readers who voiced concerns less at the ideas expressed in opinion articles and more so in ARLnow’s decision to “highlight” them.
Given that our primary focus is reporting the news, it wasn’t too hard of a decision to pull back on publishing opinion content. After all, those who want to voice their thoughts on local issues can always do so in our comment section.
But the comment section itself has not been immune to the broader deterioration of online engagement, which has over time resulted it in becoming more of a battleground for political takes than the forum for purely local insights and discourse that many would prefer.
So in an attempt to bring back more longer-form local opinion and analysis, we’re bringing back letters to the editor. But with a twist.
We’ve created our own Letter to the Editor forum, where anyone can submit letters for all to read, upvote and comment on, and for ARLnow to consider for publication. We’ve yet to decide if and how we will publish letters to the editor on the site — that will depend on the volume and quality of the submissions we receive.
We’d appreciate any feedback on this new offering, including bug reports (this is a beta version, after all). Please email us with your thoughts.
Dozens of new restaurants have landed in Arlington over the past few months, adding to the county’s diverse dining scene. New offerings this year range from French-American and Nepalese cuisine to sushi and Italian subs.
Rainbow over football practice at Washington-Liberty High School (courtesy Sophie Collins)
Cuts at Crystal City-Based PBS — “PBS is cutting 100 positions, or roughly 15 percent of its staff, as a result of the major federal funding cuts to public broadcasting. Paula Kerger, the chief executive of PBS, said in an email to station managers on Thursday that the staff reductions were a last resort. The organization had already frozen hiring, restricted travel and paused pay increases.” [NYT]
Weekend Road Closures for D.C. Event — “The course also runs over the Potomac River Freeway, Whitehurst Freeway and the 14th Street Bridge HOV lanes, which will all be closed during the ride. Ramp closures on I-395 near Pentagon City, Maine Avenue SW and the 12th Street Expressway will also be in effect through the morning.” [WTOP]
Vivid Rainbow After Storm — “A low hanging rainbow fading right now over I-395, Boeing Fields at Long Bridge Park, and Gravelly Point in Arlington.” [Dave Statter/X, MyRadar/X]
New CivFed Panel — The Arlington County Civic Federation has established a new Well-Being Subcommittee that will first meet online on Monday, Sept. 29. The subcommittee will serve as “an avenue to sponsor conversation and advocacy,” said its chair, Allan Gajadhar. —Scott McCaffrey
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 88 today, with light southwest winds picking up to 5-10 mph in the morning. Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low around 71 and south winds around 6 mph. [NWS]
Expect sunny skies and a high of 88 today, with light southwest winds picking up to 5-10 mph in the morning. Tonight will be mostly clear, with a low around 71 and south winds at around 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” – Albert Schweitzer
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
Top of the Washington-Liberty High School annex building (Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra)
APS Goes to Court — “Arlington and Fairfax County Public Schools urged a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Education from placing restrictions on millions of dollars in federal funding, amid an escalating legal battle over the districts’ transgender-inclusive policies. The hearing, held Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, is the latest development in a lawsuit filed in July by the two Northern Virginia school systems.” [WUSA 9, NBC 4]
More Funding for Local Startup — “Arlington cybersecurity startup Shift5 Inc. has landed $75 million in new funding to fuel R&D and marketing for products that monitor and protect transportation and defense systems. Hedosophia — a London-based venture capital firm that was an early backer of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, streaming provider Spotify Technology S.A. and ride-sharing platform Uber Technologies Inc. — led the Series C funding round.” [WBJ]
ACFD Called to Oxon Hill Crash — “The video below shows @ArlingtonVaFD Rescue Squad 109 from S. Walter Reed Drive fighting traffic into DC to get to a crash in Oxon Hill, MD this evening. It’s a 13 mile slow trip during rush hour to the Beltway and I-295… the initial response to this crash had no PGFD units. It was an engine from Alexandria, an ambulance from Fairfax County, and Arlington’s rescue.” [Dave Statter/X]
Lowering Childcare Costs — “William Gormley, university professor emeritus at the McCourt School of Public Policy, said he was surprised but not shocked at the cost of child care in Arlington… We asked Gormley the reasons behind rising daycare costs and what policies would help make child care more affordable for families.” [Georgetown University]
Local Teens Helping the Hungry — “Two teenagers are working to put a dent in food scarcity for county residents and this week donated just under 2,000 pounds of cereal to Loudoun Hunger Relief. Fiona Bensten and Arden Peale… decided to start a nonprofit, naming it the Feeding Hope Project, to do even more food drives… Although the two girls live in Arlington, they said they had a connection with Loudoun Hunger Relief through the organization’s President and CEO.” [Loudoun Now]
It’s Thursday — Thunderstorms are possible after 5pm, with increasing clouds and a high near 86. South winds will range from 8-14 mph, gusting up to 26 mph, and a 30% chance of precipitation. On Thursday night, expect showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, followed by a chance of showers until 2am. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low of 65, southwest winds of 6-10 mph, and a 30% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
