Dan Egitto | ARLnow

New traffic light goes live at crash-prone crossing near Lubber Run Community Center

Published April 24, 2025 at 3:45PM

The new traffic lights at N. George Mason Drive and N. Park Drive (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A new four-way traffic signal has been installed at a high-crash intersection near Lubber Run Community Center, capping off years of efforts to improve safety.

As of this week, the intersection of N. George Mason Drive and N. Park Drive also has curb extensions on all corners, more street lighting and marked crosswalks at all crossings, according to a county webpage. These replace the interim safety measures previously installed to guide vehicles through the intersection.

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Agency envisions bus rapid transit along Columbia Pike and across the Potomac

By Dan Egitto and Scott McCaffrey

Published April 24, 2025 at 2:30PM

A proposed network of bus rapid transit lines across Northern Virginia (via NVTA)

A new long-term “blueprint” to dramatically expand Northern Virginia’s bus rapid transit lines calls for significant investment along core Arlington routes.

A draft Bus Rapid Transit Action Plan, unveiled yesterday (Wednesday) is meant to guide agencies throughout the region as they consider future transit investments. A proposed map of possible BRT lines envisions two routes connecting Columbia Pike to Crystal City and D.C., and another route running east from Falls Church into Rosslyn, across the Potomac River and into Georgetown.

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Regional ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ finalists include three Arlington residents

By Dan Egitto

Published April 24, 2025 at 8:15AM

Felix Brandon Lloyd of Zoobean, alongside co-founder Jordan Lloyd Bookey (file photo)

Three Arlington County residents are among the finalists for the 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Mid-Atlantic region.

Qu CEO Amir Hudda, Symplicity CEO Matt Small and Zoobean CEO Felix Lloyd have all been recognized by the program that “honors entrepreneurs whose innovations shape the future and pave the way for a thriving economy and hopeful tomorrow.”

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JUST IN: Driver in fatal Ballston crash suffered ‘medical emergency,’ will face no charges

By Dan Egitto

Published April 23, 2025 at 3:53PM

A crash at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Glebe Road in Ballston (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

The driver in a Ballston crash in January that killed a 32-year-old woman will not face any criminal charges, police have announced.

Investigators determined that the driver of the pickup truck that struck and killed a car driven by Xuewei He of McLean “experienced a medical emergency prior to the crash,” the Arlington County Police Department announced in a press release today (Wednesday).

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Retired County Board member leads daily ‘rush hour resistance’ at Fairlington’s I-395 overpass

By Dan Egitto

Published April 23, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated April 23, 2025 at 4:29PM

Protesters over I-395 in Fairlington (courtesy of Libby Garvey)

Every weekday for the past seven weeks, a small but determined crew of anti-Trump protesters has gathered on a Fairlington overpass to greet rush hour commuters.

With signs, a banner reading “No Kings!” and flags of the United States, Ukraine and the European Union, the demonstrators on the S. Abingdon Street bridge wave at the crowded lanes of vehicles driving south on I-395.

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Developer announces plans for 302-unit tower to replace Ballston office building

By Dan Egitto

Published April 23, 2025 at 2:30PM

Renderings of a planned residential tower at 4420 Fairfax Drive (courtesy of Aria)

Another developer is setting its sights on redeveloping a Ballston office building as a residential high-rise.

Aria Development Group filed plans last week to replace a five-story structure at 4420 Fairfax Drive with a 22-story tower. The new building would have 302 residential units, 5,017 square feet of retail and 86 parking spaces.

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New county retirement options worsen ACPD’s staffing shortage

By Dan Egitto

Published April 22, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated April 23, 2025 at 8:16AM

Police officers gather at the intersection of Wilson and Clarendon Blvd for ACPD's November 2023 Street Smart campaign (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Over a dozen officers are leaving the Arlington County Police Department under a new program incentivizing county employees to retire.

The Voluntary Retirement Incentive program, included in the newly adopted Fiscal Year 2026 budget, encourages retirement for late-career county employees. So far, 32 employees have opted into the program, which is billed as a money-saving strategy.

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Arlington Catholics honor Pope Francis as peacemaker who fought for human dignity

By Dan Egitto

Published April 21, 2025 at 3:50PM

A 2024 ceremony at St. Thomas More Cathedral in Arlington (courtesy Diocese of Arlington)

Arlington Catholics are honoring the late Pope Francis as a bridge builder who sought to care for society’s most vulnerable people.

Hours after the pontiff died at the age of 88 this morning (Monday) in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta, Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge issued a statement remembering the pope’s commitment to “the infinite dignity of every human person.”

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State police chase ends in collision with Metrobus near Fairlington

By Dan Egitto

Published April 21, 2025 at 11:15AM

A Virginia State Police cruiser (staff photo)

A Virginia State Police chase through Fairfax County ended in a fleeing vehicle striking a Metrobus and a minivan near Fairlington on Saturday.

No passengers were on board the bus and the driver was uninjured, while the minivan driver was hospitalized for injuries that were not life-threatening, according to a press release.

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New Rosslyn Hilton starts taking reservations ahead of November opening

By Dan Egitto

Published April 18, 2025 at 9:00AM | Updated April 18, 2025 at 10:00AM

Hilton at 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

A new high-rise Hilton hotel in Rosslyn has begun accepting reservations for this fall.

The 36-story building at 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive will receive its first guests on Nov. 15, according to its website. Two on-site restaurants, Locket and Scott’s Coffee Shop, are expected to open then as well, a Hilton spokesperson told ARLnow.

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With Missing Middle up in the air, developers turn to single-family homes

By Dan Egitto

Published April 17, 2025 at 9:00AM

An approved EHO project at 5041 25th Street S. in the Claremont neighborhood in October 2024 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

In the months since a circuit court judge struck down Arlington’s Missing Middle zoning changes, one of the initiative’s core goals appears to have backfired.

Beyond increasing the county’s overall housing stock, one of the main stated intentions of Missing Middle was to address a trend of developers tearing down existing single-family homes to replace them with larger, more expensive single-family homes.

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Gov. Youngkin maintains support for federal cuts and tariffs despite ‘near term’ pain in Virginia

By Dan Egitto

Published April 16, 2025 at 11:15AM | Updated April 16, 2025 at 12:43PM

Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) continues to throw his support behind federal job cuts and heightened tariffs, despite many Virginia officials’ and economists’ warnings of economic fallout.

In a CNBC interview yesterday (Monday), Youngkin acknowledged the pain that President Donald Trump’s economic decisions have already caused many Virginia residents. However, he argued that the layoffs are in the United States’ long-term interests and argued that tariffs will accelerate investments across the United States, including in Virginia.