A police standoff inside a Columbia Pike 7-Eleven has ended with gunfire.
Around 9 p.m. several ambulances were dispatched to the standoff on the 3600 block of Columbia Pike, after reports of shots being fired. One person — the wanted man who barricaded himself in the store — was reported to be shot multiple times by police and critically wounded. Medics were also sent to treat at least several officers for unspecified injuries.
A threat that turned out to not be credible prompted a lockdown at two Arlington schools Friday morning.
It happened shortly before noon at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and nearby Alice West Fleet Elementary, after a caller threatened imminent violence, according to scanner traffic.
A Falls Church burial ground nearly as old as the nation itself will soon have its history explored in a new tour series throughout the coming year.
A series of monthly walking tours will explore Oakwood Cemetery and the lives of some of those interred there. The first tour will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 24, followed by a series of monthly tours planned through November.
Efforts to fund the $181 million west entrance to the Ballston-MU Metro station took another step forward last night (Thursday).
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) voted to include $20 million in funding for the project as part of a new request to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). Final CTB action is slated for next month.
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan, delivering another major setback to the party in a nationwide battle against Republicans for an edge in this year’s midterm elections.
The court ruled 4-3 that the state’s Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements when it placed the constitutional amendment on the ballot to authorize mid-decade redistricting. Voters narrowly approved the amendment on April 21, but the court’s ruling renders the vote’s result meaningless.
The latest Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) says the incumbent deserves credit for a storied political career, but should now exit the political stage to let others step up.
Jason Knapp is one of several challengers taking on the six-term incumbent in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. A retired U.S. Navy pilot, Knapp kicked off his campaign at Wednesday’s Arlington Democratic Committee meeting, where he said it’s time for Beyer’s long-held congressional seat to change hands.
College Degrees Galore — A viral social post ranked U.S. counties by share of white adults age 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree, putting Arlington (88%), Falls Church (86%) and Alexandria (83%) in the top five nationally, behind only Washington, D.C. (93%) and New York (86%). [Siddharth Khurana/X]
Police Memorial Today — The Arlington County Police Department and Sheriff’s Office will hold a ceremony this morning at 8 a.m. honoring the seven Arlington law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. The event will take place at the Justice Center Plaza (1425 N. Courthouse Road), with a road closure on N. Courthouse Road between 14th Street N. and 15th Street N. from 7–9 a.m. [Arlington County]
New 7th District Contender — Adam Dunigan, a former Marine and CIA case officer, has submitted more than 1,400 petition signatures to compete in the primary for Virginia’s newly redrawn 7th Congressional District. Dunigan’s campaign says it has raised $144,676 from individual donors without accepting money from corporate PACs, special interests or party committees. [Press Release]
Highway Shopping Cart — “Quite the scene on I-395N around 3:00 this morning. A woman pushed a shopping cart right in the middle of the highway from Route 1 up to Boundary Channel. Others driving by tried to intervene until @VSPPIO arrived. A trooper quickly disrupted her journey.” [Dave Statter/X]
Good Company Wins SBA Award — The U.S. Small Business Administration will recognize Ballston-based Good Company Doughnuts & Café as the 2026 Small Business Person of the Year for N. Va. during a ceremony today. The award recognizes co-founders Charles Kachadoorian and Kate Murphy, whose company has expanded from a single Arlington café in 2019 to multiple locations across D.C. and N. Va. [Press Release]
Arlington Foster Parents Honored — Arlington’s Sara Kirwin and Joseph Calizo were named among the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ 2026 Foster Parents of the Year. The couple has fostered 15 children in 10 years and currently cares for two teens. [MWCOG]
Falls Church Tax Cut Likely — The Falls Church City Council reached a consensus at Monday’s work session to drop the real estate tax rate by a half-penny, slightly below the recommendation of City Manager Wyatt Shields, who advocated for no change. The largely symbolic reduction will save taxpayers just over $50 on average. The Council is expected to formally adopt the budget Monday night. [Falls Church News-Press]
Spanberger Open to Service Taxes — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) said she’ll consider taxing everyday services in the state, including gym memberships, dog walking and streaming services, to raise “revenue that’s necessary.” Proposals to tax such services failed to pass the General Assembly this year, but Spanberger told Richmond’s ABC News affiliate she might sign similar measures in the future. [Washington Times]
Va. Resident on Virus Ship — “The Virginia Department of Health says one Virginia traveler who was aboard a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has returned home and is under public health monitoring… The traveler “is currently in good health, not showing any signs of infection,” the department said.” [Fox 5]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies today with a high near 71 and west winds of 2–10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Overnight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 54. [NWS]
More Quick Polls? — How would you feel about ARLnow conducting more quick polls in articles or the Morning Notes? Let us know in the poll below.
Nearly 48,000 Arlington vehicles will not be charged any car tax this year, an increase of 32% from 2025, based on tax changes made by County Board members during the fiscal 2027 budget process.
For those that will be taxed, some owners will pay less while others — particularly those owning clean-energy vehicles — will pay more.
A man who last month entered pleas in connection with a series of assaults in Reston is facing new charges after an abduction attempt in Pentagon City last night.
The latest incident happened just before 8 p.m. Wednesday on the 1400 block of S. Hayes Street.
A teen boy is facing charges after police say he robbed a tow truck driver of his phone during a fight.
The incident happened early Wednesday morning on 12th Street S. at S. Courthouse Road, near Columbia Pike. Police say a verbal dispute led to an physical alternation and, ultimately, the robbery.
Arlington’s third and final Democratic contender for County Board launched her campaign May 6 with criticism of county political leadership.
“I’m a serious person, and this is a serious job. I’m not just challenging an incumbent — I’m challenging a system,” Julie Farnam said during kickoff remarks Wednesday night (May 6) in front of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.
A new court filing alleges that federal investigators may have violated a court order shielding records from the cellphone of an activist who distributed flyers about Stephen Miller in his Arlington neighborhood last year.
The filing was submitted Tuesday by Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti. At more than 80 pages, it formally closes her office’s investigation of activist Barbara Wien without charges.
