The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is taking aim at the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office following a recent immigration arrest in Courthouse.
David Cabrera, an undocumented immigrant who pleaded guilty to the attempted rape of Arlington teenager in 2014, was detained by ICE agents outside the Arlington County magistrate’s office earlier this month.
A gun-toting cyclist and a trio of package thieves are being sought by Arlington County police after a pair of weekend incidents.
The first happened just before 3 a.m. this past Saturday, in the Lyon Village neighborhood near Clarendon.
New conversion projects on three aging, mostly empty office buildings in Arlington have caused the county’s office vacancy rate to drop by more than a full percentage point.
County leaders hope that these adaptive reuse projects, combined with newly approved standards for signage on commercial buildings, contribute to making Arlington a more enticing place for developers and corporate tenants alike.
An Arlington County commission is throwing its weight behind a proposal to have the state government take over operation of Virginia’s national parks during federal shutdowns.
The Park and Recreation Commission agreed last week to include that recommendation as part of its 2026 package of state legislative priorities. The advisory body’s list will be forwarded to County Board members for final consideration.
Members of the Falls Church250 Committee are getting down to the nuts and bolts of preparing for the nation’s 2026 birthday bash.
At a meeting last week, committee members wordsmithed their way to reach a final version of the body’s mission statement.
Proposal for Fmr. Verizon Building — “Quadrangle Development Corp. has proposed converting a mostly vacant office building in Courthouse to apartments. The D.C.-based developer filed an adaptive reuse application July 15 with Arlington County, outlining a proposal to transform the 12-story office at 1320 N. Courthouse Road into 295 multifamily units.” [WBJ]
Big Blow for Shirlington-Based WETA — “Of Greater Washington’s stations, WETA, D.C’s primary Public Broadcasting Service member station and producer of “PBS News Hour,” has the most on the chopping block, according to annual financial reports required by the CPB. In 2024, WETA-TV received more than $34 million in funding from the CPB and nearly $11 million from PBS. That represents to 27.5% of its budget.” [WBJ]
Vehicle Break-Ins on S. Glebe Road — “During the overnight hours, approximately 8 vehicles inside a parking garage were broken into, including some by force. The vehicles were rummaged through and personal property, including sporting equipment and a firearm, were stolen from two of the vehicles.” [ACPD]
Fight at Columbia Pike Bar — “A fight a short time ago at the Pike Cornerstone restaurant in Arlington. It was still going on when @ArlingtonVaPD officers arrived at Columbia Pike and Walter Reed. They arrested a man the restaurant’s staff appeared to be trying to get out of the building.” [Dave Statter/X]
Van Driver Saves Man — “Shout out to the driver of a work van early Friday morning who stepped in to prevent a man, apparently in crisis, from being killed. The man was on foot, walking down the lane markings in the middle of I-395S north of the Pentagon. The van driver knew this was likely to end very poorly. They put their own safety at risk, positioning the van so that other drivers going at speed didn’t hit the pedestrian.” [Dave Statter/X]
Police Escort for ‘Thank You’ Walk — “ACPD assisted @PFPAOfficial in escorting Jordan Ramirez from @ArlingtonVaFD Station 5 to the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon as he spreads his message of gratitude to first responders and military personnel during his Thank You for Your Service tour.” [ACPD/X, Jordan Ramirez/IG]
HQ2 Jazz Band Performs — “A group of Amazon engineers, legal, and sustainability professionals entertained their fellow workers with the sweet sounds of smooth jazz at the tech company’s HQ2 campus in Arlington on Friday. The eight-piece jazz combo called HQBlue has been rehearsing in the evenings and during lunch in preparation for Friday’s performance in the lounge space adjacent to the second floor cafe in the Met 2 building.” [Patch]
It’s Monday — Expect a mostly sunny day with highs around 85°F and a northward wind at about 6 mph. In the evening, there will be clear skies, and temperatures will drop to around 66°F with a gentle northeastward breeze between 3 and 5 mph. [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.
A teenager was stabbed inside the Pentagon City mall Friday evening.
The stabbing happened around 5:45 p.m. amid a reported fight among a large group of people, including males and females, in the food court. Initial reports suggest that the boy was stabbed in the back during the melee.
With summertime parking at a premium at Reagan National Airport, more travelers are arriving with reservations in hand.
The number of drivers with advance parking reservations rose 36% year-over-year during both the Memorial Day and Juneteenth travel periods, Chryssa Westerlund, chief revenue officer for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), said at a Wednesday board of directors meeting.
Arlington County is collecting feedback on possible improvements to a Wilson Blvd intersection near the Dominion Hills Centre strip mall, possibly including a new traffic signal.
Respondents have until Sunday to submit feedback on existing pedestrian crossings, a bus stop and travel lanes at Wilson Blvd’s intersection with N. Livingston Street, as well as the pedestrian signal between Powhatan Springs Park and the strip mall.
Child Drowning Warning — “Arlington County Public Health urges parents and caregivers to be extra careful around water this summer. Eight children under the age of five have accidentally drowned in Virginia pools since Memorial Day – that’s more than the total number of child drowning deaths in each of the last three years (three in 2024, two in 2023, and four in 2022). In Arlington, there have been two reports of near drownings in the past two weeks.” [Arlington County]
ICE in Arlington — “Guatemala national David Cabrera was collared by ICE last week after being set free by sanctuary-aligned jurisdiction Arlington County, who refused to honor a federal detainer and released him without notifying ICE… Cabrera entered the U.S. illegally in 2014 and was convicted of felony rape in 2015. He was sentenced to more than seven years in prison, although a portion of it was suspended.” [Fox News]
Crash on I-395 — “Two views as a single car crash takes out a sign and a pole on I-395S at Boundary Channel on Tuesday afternoon. The car drifted over three lanes and narrowly missed hitting other cars. I don’t know if this was from a medical problem or some other issue.” [Dave Statter/X]
Robbery in Arlington View — “The male victim was inside his parked vehicle when the male suspect drove up… and subsequently made threatening statements before stealing a personal item from the victim’s hands. The victim then exited his vehicle and was running away from the scene when the suspect chased the victim, began to assault him and attempted to steal the victim’s phone. When unsuccessful, the suspect fled the scene. The victim sustained minor injuries.” [ACPD]
Community Police Meetings — “The Arlington County Police Department’s (ACPD) Community Engagement Division invites the public to the summer quarterly community meetings covering community issues, crime prevention tips and quality of life concerns. All are welcome to attend.” [ACPD]
Roosevelt Bridge Work — “For the next 3½ years, the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge will be undergoing a major $128 million rehabilitation that will involve lane closures that increase over time. The work threatens to snarl commuter traffic… On Monday, that fourth eastbound lane was removed entirely, so there are only three lanes in each direction.” [Washington Post]
It’s Friday — Expect showers and thunderstorms after 5pm today, with otherwise partly sunny skies and a high near 87. The north wind of 6 mph will shift to the northwest in the afternoon, with a 30% chance of precipitation. Tonight, the showers and thunderstorms will most likely occur after 8pm, leading to mostly cloudy skies and a low around 73. A light southeast wind will accompany the 40% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
Many Arlington residents are getting their first glimpse of the spotted lanternfly within the county’s borders this month.
The quickly propagating invasive insect has recently been spotted in various parts of Arlington, including in Ballston and along Langston Blvd, after several years of anticipation. That follows a few sightings late last summer.
More relaxed rules for business signage and lower speed limits on five roads are on the agenda for an upcoming Arlington County Board meeting.
Other items up for consideration at the Saturday meeting include the purchase of two homes to reduce flood risks, funding for an East Falls Church road project and grants to support seniors experiencing cognitive decline.
