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.
Firefighters respond to an apartment fire apparently sparked by a lithium-ion battery (staff photo by Josie Sellers)
A smoky apartment fire sparked by an e-scooter could have been much worse if not for a sprinkler system.
The fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. on the first floor of The Jordan, a four-story apartment building at 801 N. Wakefield Street, in the Bluemont neighborhood near Ballston. Arriving firefighters reported encountering smoke, an electrical fire, and residents evacuating the building.
Business damaged in burglary spree (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
Eight businesses in the Rosslyn and Courthouse areas are cleaning up after a series of early morning burglaries.
The break-ins happened early Thursday morning. Police say a group of 2-3 male suspects wearing all black, with their faces covered, smashed glass doors and windows in order to access the businesses and steal safes and cash drawers.
A homeless encampment on the outskirts of Rosslyn (courtesy George Brazier)
Fiery Crash on GW Parkway — “Looks bad but initial reports are that everyone made it out okay. No word of serious injuries. Park Police and ACFD handled.” [ARLnow/X]
Arrest After Auto Theft Attempt — “The male suspect entered the parking lot of the business and engaged an employee in conversation. The suspect then allegedly entered an unoccupied, running vehicle and attempted to flee the scene in the vehicle. Employees confronted the suspect who subsequently exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot…. officers located an individual matching the description of the suspect in the 2300 block of S. Eads Street and detained him.” [ACPD]
Composting Bins Highlighted — “Introducing Bigbelly Bins, the latest high-tech heroes in the green movement. These sleek, solar-powered compost bins are popping up around Arlington, and they’re not just here to look pretty. They’re smart, they’re efficient and they’re making it easier than ever for residents to go green without getting their hands dirty.” [WUSA 9]
Drew Day in Green Valley — “Join us on Saturday, May 31, from 9:45 AM to 1 PM for our end-of-year celebration, as we honor Dr. Charles R. Drew’s birthday (June 3)… Enjoy a fun-filled day with games, activities, and opportunities to get involved.” [Drew Elementary/IG]
‘Single Payer Health Fair’ — “Join DSA NoVA’s Medicare For All Working Group for a fun-filled afternoon of games and activities in Alcova Heights Park as part of the nationwide Day of Action for Single Payer! This event is free and open to the public.” [Action Network]
WHS Soccer Advances in Tourney — “Un a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory last night in the VHSL Liberty District’s Northern Regional Tournament, the Wakefield Warriors stunned the #2-seeded Chantilly Chargers.” [Bryson Dawson/X]
F.C. Apartment Project in Doubt — “In a surprise move, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) decided against selling an EDA parcel for the Maple and Annandale mixed-use project, as originally agreed to by the late EDA Chair Robert Young. The City Manager said that selling the land for this project would limit the redevelopment potential of the Burke & Herbert Bank lot adjacent to it.” [Falls Church Pulse]
Rep Wants WMATA Renamed — “WMATA takes $150M a year in federal funds and delivers nothing but delays, dysfunction, and decay. My bill blocks funding until WMATA is renamed WMAGA and the Metrorail becomes the TRUMP TRAIN.” [Axios, Rep. Greg Steube/X]
Drought Over — “Drought? What drought? Thanks to a soggy May, the entire D.C. Beltway area is now drought-free, per the US Drought Monitor. With even more rain on the way, this could end up a top 10 wettest May ever.” [CWG/Bluesky, CWG]
It’s Friday — After patchy fog gives way to sunshine in the morning, shower and thunderstorm chances increase throughout the afternoon, with a high near 79. Friday night will bring more showers and possible thunderstorms, with some producing heavy rainfall. Lows will be around 59, with north winds at 7-14 mph shifting to northwest after midnight and gusting up to 21 mph. Precipitation chances are at 90%, with 1 to 2 inches of rainfall possible. [NWS]
Storms bring heavy rain, wind and flooding at night (file photo)
Slow-moving downpours could cause flooding in Arlington and the D.C. area Friday night.
That’s according to the National Weather Service, which just issued a Flood Watch for much of the region, nearly 24 hours in advance. In addition to the potential flooding, there could also be severe storms tomorrow evening, forecasters say.
Expect a slight chance of showers before 2pm, followed by showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, and potentially a thunderstorm after 5pm. Patchy fog may appear before 9am with a high near 79. Winds will be northwest at 3-6 mph, and the chance of precipitation is 80%, with a quarter to half an inch of rainfall expected. Friday night will bring more showers and possible thunderstorms, with some producing heavy rainfall. Lows will be around 59, with north winds at 7-14 mph shifting to northwest after midnight and gusting up to 21 mph. Precipitation chances are at 90%, with 1 to 2 inches of rainfall possible. 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
Address:4610-17th Street, N. Neighborhood: Waverly Hills/Willett Heights Type: 5 BR, 5 (+2 half) BA single-family detached – 5000 sq. ft. Listed: $2,875,000
Noteworthy: Meet the Builder to Explore New Ways to Live in Arlington
Sneak preview to meet builder, Dave Springberg, who introduces a new home with a one bedroom Accessory Dwelling Unit in part of the lower level. Well-sited on an 8,000 square foot level lot, this home offers the flexibility, style, and quality of a Springstreet home. The kitchen features an island with waterfall quartz top, Cubitac cabinets, SubZero refrigerator, Wolf gas range, wall oven, and wall microwave and opens to the breakfast nook and family room.
The focal point of the family room is a gas fireplace with stacked stone surround, and tall doors open to the screen porch, grilling deck and lush rear yard. Windows on the porch can be easily raised to convert the porch to a three season room with wall heaters and a ceiling fan. The main level den has an adjoining bath and can be used as a guest room. Upstairs, the primary bedroom has views of sunrise and sunset, double fitted closets, and a bath with heated floor and separate soaking tub.
Three more bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a laundry room complete the level. Downstairs, the rec room has a wet bar, built-ins, tall windows, and a convenient powder room. The ADU features separate heating and cooling, kitchen with breakfast bar, living area, large bedroom and space for a desk. With its separate entrance it is an ideal rental property to reduce monthly housing costs, or for an in-law or au pair. Between Ballston and Westover Village and convenient and commutable to all.
About 1,000 homes and businesses are without power in parts of Falls Church and western Arlington County.
The outage was reported after 4 p.m. Thursday, affecting neighborhoods in the Seven Corners area — including along Route 7, Route 50 and Roosevelt Blvd.
Onyx (photo courtesy Animal Welfare League of Arlington)
Onyx is a loyal, loveable pup whose owner recently passed and she’s looking for a new home.
Onyx is a five-year-old mixed breed available for adoption at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. She’s house-trained, affectionate, and in need of a new, loving home.
A fire in a small apartment building near Columbia Pike might have been intentionally set.
The fire broke out around 5 a.m. on Thursday, May 15. Firefighters rescued several people using ladders as the fire burned in a stairwell of the garden apartment building.
A tree-filled park in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Car Into Water Along GW Parkway — “2003hrs: Single vehicle from… GW Parkway partially submerged into the river, under the TR Bridge. 1 occupant safely extracted, no injuries. @ARLnowDOTcom has documented this problematic stretch on GWPW which has seen numerous crashes especially when wet and at night.” [Matthew Young/X]
Beyer on Tariff Ruling — “This ruling is a major victory for the American people, who have spent months under threat of a stupid, self-imposed economic disaster thanks to Donald Trump’s trade war. Trump’s tariffs have already raised costs on Americans, strained our alliances, hurt our credibility, and threatened the global economy. They’ve driven uncertainty to a peak, hurt our small businesses, and greatly raised the danger of a recession.” [Press Release]
Arlington Among ‘Best Places to Live’ — “Three of the best places to live in the country can be found in Fairfax County, according to one recently released ranking. U.S. News and World Report included Burke, Reston and Centreville on its 2025-2026 list of the Top 250 Best Places to Live in the U.S., with the first two taking first and second place, respectively, among Virginia localities.” Arlington is No. 3 in Virginia and No. 129 nationally. [FFXnow, USNWR]
New Electric ART Bus — “ART’s new Battery Electric Bus had a special demo today! Vice Chair Matt de Ferranti and Member Maureen Coffey rode from Courthouse to the new AOMF and back, becoming the first non-ART employees to experience this clean ride.” [County Board/X]
Driver Strikes Pedestrian — “Pedestrian struck in Ballston, near the intersection of N. Glebe Road and 11th Street N. Initial reports suggests female pedestrian was struck and might have been briefly unconscious. PD and FD on scene.” [ARLnow/X]
Inner Ear Tribute — “During a visit on Tuesday, what used to be Inner Ear Studios and another building, with a street address of 2700 S. Nelson Street, all that remains is a few dozen white cinder blocks. “That’s the wall, where the drum riser was, to mark as a memorial Inner Ear, and how important this was in our community,” said Connolly. Josh Stoltzfus, deputy director of cultural affairs for the county, said music will return to this site.” [WTOP]
F.C. Ditching Brick — “Staff is updating the sidewalk and crosswalk design standards in the City Streetscape Design Standards for commercial streets. The current all-brick standards was found to be costly to maintain and tripping hazards over time. The new sidewalk standards will be concrete with brick bands. The new crosswalk standards will be high-visibility continental crosswalks (zebra crossing) and red stamped asphalt on less busy streets.” [Falls Church Pulse]
Pride in the Pool — Numerous LGBTQ+ swimming competitions will be coming to Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center starting this week. As part of WorldPride celebrations, a large portion of the 2025 World LGBTQIA+ Aquatics Championship will take place at the facility between this Saturday and Thursday, June 5. A recent infrastructure issue at the aquatics center’s competition pool will not affect the schedule, a county spokesperson told ARLnow. –Dan Egitto
New Eatery Near Potomac Yard — “The owner of a popular local home improvement business is getting into the restaurant game. Michael & Son owner Basim Mansour is asking the city for approval to replace a 1940s-era convenience store with a 1,700-square-foot “fast casual restaurant with Asian foods with a Spanish and American influence.” That’s according to Mansour’s development special use permit request for the 6,600-square-foot property at 3314 Richmond Highway — across the street from Potomac Yard.” [ALXnow]
It’s Thursday — Patchy fog will dissipate by 9am, giving way to mostly cloudy skies and a high near 78. Expect the northwest wind of 6 mph to shift southwest later in the day. For Thursday night, there’s a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 2am, followed by mostly cloudy skies, a low of 64, and some patchy fog after 4am. Winds will be light from the south. [NWS]
