Author: Katie Taranto

Katie Taranto is a reporter at Local News Now, primarily covering business, public safety and the city of Falls Church. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2024, where she previously covered K-12 education at The Columbia Missourian. She is originally from Macungie, Pennsylvania.

Around Town

Nicecream to close next weekend after 11 years in Clarendon

By Katie Taranto
Former Nicecream in Clarendon (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A longtime family-owned ice cream shop is preparing to close in Clarendon.

Nicecream is shuttering later this month at 2831 Clarendon Blvd, co-owner Gil Welsford confirmed. Welsford, who founded the business 11 years ago with his wife, Sandra Tran, expressed gratitude for his customers — saying, “the Arlington community has just been amazing to be a part of.”

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Around Town

Renovated hotel with new restaurant re-opens in Crystal City after 10 months

By Katie Taranto
Local leaders help cut the ribbon of the new AC Hotel Arlington National Landing in August 2025 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A freshly renovated hotel with 355 rooms and a new restaurant and patio hosted a ribbon cutting in Crystal City today (Friday).

The new AC Hotel Arlington National Landing, formerly the Crystal City Marriott, is the largest location in North America for AC Hotels, the European-inspired hospitality group owned by Marriott.

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News

Arlington is the most expensive county in the nation for child care, report finds

By Katie Taranto
Children at a daycare (via BBC Creative/Unsplash)

Arlington County is the most expensive place in the United States for child care, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.

It costs about $147,000 to foot the bill for five years of day care in Arlington — more than triple the country’s median cost of $44,000, according to the WSJ. The report highlights an everyday economic struggle for many Arlington households, local leaders say.

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Events

New season of free GMU events kicks off in Va. Square next week

By Katie Taranto
The Plaza at Mason Square (courtesy of GMU)

A new season of free activities is coming to George Mason University’s campus in Virginia Square when the fall semester starts next week.

The lineup of weekly programming includes chess, yoga, dancing and more from Mondays through Saturdays. The events, which are open to the public, kick off on Monday and will run through Nov. 1.

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News

Local church and artist memorialize Arlington ICE arrests with ‘stumbling stickers’

By Katie Taranto
Sushmita Mazumdar and the Rev. Ashley Goff place a stumbling sticker on the sidewalk along S. Buchanan Street (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A new collaboration between a South Arlington church and a local artist is seeking to memorialize places where immigration enforcement has arrested people in Arlington.

Led by the Rev. Ashley Goff, members of Arlington Presbyterian Church, artist Sushmita Mazumdar and other “trusted neighbors” set out yesterday (Tuesday) to locations where residents have documented recent detainments by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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Around Town

Whole Foods makes progress on new ‘Daily Shop’ market in Crystal City

By Katie Taranto
New exterior signage for Whole Foods Market at 1550 Crystal Drive (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

Whole Foods seems to be getting closer to opening a new location in Crystal City, though the store has yet to announce a date.

New exterior signage is up, and public records suggest that the smaller-format store at 1550 Crystal Drive — referred to as a Whole Foods Market Daily Shop — is making progress. The supermarket, which declined to comment on the status of the new store, confirmed its Crystal City plans back in January.

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Around Town

‘Paradise Juice’ looks to replace shuttered pizza restaurant Ballston

By Katie Taranto
Paradise Juice's future spot in Ballston (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A new juice shop is coming to Pizza Roma’s former space near the Ballston Metro station, after Scolapasta backed out of plans there this spring.

Paradise Juice has signed a lease and is preparing to open at 4219 Fairfax Drive, owner Sal Salim told ARLnow. He hopes to differentiate the shop from competitors by preparing juices in-house.

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News

Raids on D.C. homeless encampments come amid growing demand for services in Arlington

By Dan Egitto and Katie Taranto
A Rosslyn-area homeless encampment (courtesy George Brazier)

President Donald Trump’s crackdown on homeless encampments in D.C. comes during a period of increasing need for homelessness resources in Arlington.

The number of people without homes in Arlington has been steadily rising for the past four years — growing from a 10-year low of 171 in 2021 to 271 as of this January. Those numbers come hand-in-hand with increased demands on a local network of related services, including emergency housing.

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Around Town

‘Withered Fig’ menswear store plans first brick-and-mortar location in Falls Church

By Katie Taranto
The West Falls development in Falls Church, as seen at Haycock Road and Leesburg Pike (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

After eight years in business online, a Northern Virginia-based men’s clothing shop is preparing to open its first physical location in Falls Church.

Withered Fig is a small business retailer specializing in “premium menswear” and imported garments. It’s currently only an e-commerce site, but owner Richard Lin told ARLnow he hopes to open the new shop early next year at 255 W. Falls Station Blvd, on the ground floor of The Oak condominiums.

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Events

Fall in Arlington: Rosslyn Fall Fest, Clarendon Day and more to look forward to

By Katie Taranto
Jazz Fest in Rosslyn (courtesy Josh Brick Photography)

As the first leaves start to turn yellow, a full slate of community activities and entertainment is planned in Arlington this fall.

Upcoming events include the annual Clarendon Day and Rosslyn Jazz Fest, as well as cultural celebrations like the Festival Latinamericano this October. Here’s a preview of some of the local happenings planned next season.

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Around Town

Mahjong group ‘Talk Tiles to Me’ plans new studio in Falls Church

By Katie Taranto
Tori Rittinger leads a game of mahjong (courtesy of Tori Rittinger)

A studio for all things mahjong is coming to Falls Church.

The Arlington-founded mahjong business Talk Tiles to Me is opening a new events space and shop at 113 Rowell Court. Founder Tori Rittinger hopes to debut the new studio sometime next month, offering a new home base for her group’s growing audience.

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News

New 422-unit pair of apartment towers receives its final beam in Rosslyn

By Katie Taranto
A crew raises the final beam for the J Rivelle development in Rosslyn (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

After three years of construction, workers have placed the final beam on the J Rivelle, a pair of new apartment buildings in Rosslyn.

County officials and project leaders gathered yesterday (Thursday) to sign the steel beam at the project’s topping out ceremony. The finished product by Jefferson Apartment Group and CBG Building Company encompasses 422 housing units across two 27-story towers at 1901 N. Moore Street.

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