Sunday’s UFC cage match at the White House featured a military band, flyovers, notable spectators, bloody bouts, fireworks — and a pair of uniformed Arlington County police officers.
The officers escorted one of the fighters to the Octagon, as noted by UFC in a social media post (below) and captured in a Getty Images photo.
The Trump administration’s Justice Department is challenging several state laws passed by Virginia Democrats targeting the work of federal immigration enforcement officers.
The complaint, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia’s Richmond Division, challenges state laws that seek to ban federal law enforcement officers from wearing masks and restrict 287(g) agreements between federal immigration enforcement and state and local law enforcement agencies.
County Board members have authorized the submission of three transportation improvement projects worth a combined $46 million for possible state funding.
The three proposals will now vie in the next round of “Smart Scale” funding, with winning projects receiving funding starting in 2029. They concern Arlington Blvd ramps, pedestrian facilities along N. Glebe Road and an intersection with an I-66 off-ramp.
Arlington-Backed Gun Bills Signed — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed four bills closing loopholes that allowed domestic abusers to keep firearms, including the “boyfriend loophole” covering unmarried partners. The laws, effective July 1, were championed by Arlington’s Sen. Barbara Favola (D) and Del. Adele McClure (D) and praised by Doorways, the county’s sole shelter for abuse survivors. [Press Release]
ACPD Adds 18 Officers — Arlington County’s 18 newest police officers graduated from Session 154 of the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy. The class of 12 men and six women, from 10 states, will now complete a 12-week field training program before starting solo patrol. [Arlington County]
River Place’s 2052 Deadline — Owners at River Place, the four brick towers in Rosslyn, don’t own the ground beneath them. A 99-year ground lease signed in 1953 runs out in 2052, when the land and buildings revert to the land owner — the quirk that lets a Potomac-view condo in the roughly 1,720-unit complex sell for under $200,000. [Ghosts of DC]
Arlington Classics Make the List — Two Arlington mainstays made Washingtonian’s roundup of 25 D.C.-area restaurants still thriving after a quarter-century or more: Carlyle in Shirlington and Nam-Viet in Clarendon. Carlyle, the Great American Restaurants flagship, opened with the Village at Shirlington 40 years ago, while Nam-Viet has served Vietnamese fare since 1986 and is still known for its spring rolls. [Washingtonian]
Historical Society President Re-Elected — Peter Vaselopulos was reelected president of the Arlington Historical Society at the organization’s June 11 annual meeting. Sean Denniston was re-elected vice president, while Richard Samp will serve as treasurer and Harry Evans as secretary. —Scott McCaffrey
Parkway Speed Cameras Cleared — A new state law taking effect July 1 clears the way for speed cameras and added police enforcement on the George Washington Memorial Parkway, where a National Park Service study found speeding is a major crash factor. The cameras still need federal sign-off; the law lets Virginia State Police and Fairfax County police help U.S. Park Police, who now patrol the federally owned road alone. [Fox 5]
Squash Lanternflies Now — The invasive spotted lanternflies are back in their young “nymph” stage, and Fairfax County is urging residents to kill them before they mature into winged adults in July. “Vacuuming or squashing nymphs are the easiest ways to reduce the population,” the county said. Soapy water also works. [FFXnow]
Retail Weed Deal Reached — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) and legislators announced a compromise to open Virginia’s recreational marijuana market on July 1, 2027, reviving a plan she had vetoed. Sales would carry a 6% state tax, rising to 8% in 2029, with up to 350 retailers licensed in a phased rollout. The deal hinges on a state budget lawmakers must pass by June 30 to avert a first-ever shutdown. [NBC 4, WTOP, Virginia Mercury]
Microsoft Backpedals on Clean Energy — As the data center boom strains Virginia’s power grid, Microsoft is considering abandoning its goal of running on carbon-free electricity around the clock by 2030. The reversal collides with the state’s own climate targets. Virginia, the world’s data center capital, hosts Microsoft facilities in Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax counties. [Inside Climate News]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies today with a high near 88 and a light southwest wind. Skies turn partly cloudy overnight with a low around 69. [NWS]
Support local journalism. Join the ARLnow Press Club to boost our reporting and to get upgraded newsletters.
The runways at Reagan National Airport will be closed for much of July 3 and 4 to accommodate celebrations in D.C.
Ambitious plans for a record-breaking fireworks display, coupled with aerial performances and rehearsals, mean that no flights will be scheduled at the airport after noon on the Fourth of July. Additionally, the airspace will be closed for several hours in the early afternoon on July 3.
Just weeks after Arlington’s new outdoor pickleball complex at Walter Reed Community Center opened for play, a battle over operating hours is underway.
With some pickleball supporters circulating a petition to expand the schedule, a representative of the Columbia Heights Civic Association went to Saturday’s County Board meeting to denounce the idea.
Some local parks boosters say they are eager to work with county officials to upgrade an exhibit on Arlington’s Native American history.
Representatives of Friends of Gulf Branch Nature Center recently met with officials from the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to discuss ways to move forward at the nature center. The meeting came after two refurbished exhibits recently reopened following a multi-year restoration effort.
Neighbors are pressing county leaders to deliver tangible safety improvements to S. Carlin Springs Road by the time students return to school in August.
“This is an immediate emergency — an urgency that we cannot look beyond,” Glencarlyn resident Dixie Duncan said at the Board’s public-comment period on Saturday.
A group of Northern Virginia state lawmakers is urging the National Park Service to reject President Trump’s planned 250-foot “triumphal arch” near Arlington National Cemetery and Memorial Bridge.
In a letter sent Monday, 25 Democratic senators and delegates asked the agency to find that the arch would harm historic sites and to “decline to approve it.” Their districts cover Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax and other parts of Northern Virginia — the communities, they wrote, “most directly affected by this project.”
A mix of familiar faces and new names will serve in Arlington County Civic Federation leadership for 2026-27.
Federation delegates on June 9 reelected Nicholas Giacobbe (Aurora Highlands) for a second one-year term as president, and also re-elected Jean Henceroth (Leeway Overlee) as vice president.
Spatula Attack — An Arlington man, 27, is charged with malicious wounding after police say he struck a woman with a spatula during a verbal dispute on the 1800 block of N. Scott Street Saturday, causing a laceration. The victim suffered minor injuries and was treated on scene. The man briefly fled before officers took him into custody. [ACPD]
Arlington’s Private Jet Brokers — Advanced Aviation Team, an Arlington brokerage founded by a former White House Travel Office staffer, arranges private jets for political figures, executives and security-sensitive travelers, securing aircraft and crew without owning planes. Demand is growing, but founder Gregg Brunson-Pitts said he’s keeping the firm small, hoping to be “the best at what we do for the most discerning client.” [WBJ]
Hardy Returns to FCCPS — The Falls Church City School Board approved Valerie Hardy as the division’s new executive principal, effective July 1. Hardy previously led Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School and the district’s secondary schools before leaving for Prince William County. “Valerie knows our students, our families, and our IB mission,” Superintendent Terry Dade said. [Falls Church News-Press]
Neighbors Save Barber Shop — Chesterbrook Barber Shop, a McLean fixture since 1967, reopened Sunday at 6262-F Old Dominion Drive after the new owner of its longtime shopping center declined to renew its lease. More than 200 customers rallied behind owner Peggy Ngo, signing a letter and helping her find the new space. “When one window closes, the other one would be open,” Ngo said. [FFXnow]
Local Police on GW Parkway — Starting July 1, state and local police can cite drivers for speeding and other traffic violations on the federally managed George Washington Memorial Parkway, under a law signed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger. The U.S. Park Police remain the primary agency. Sen. Scott Surovell (D) sponsored the measure over speeding concerns south of Alexandria. [FFXnow]
Power Plant Site Greenlit — Alexandria City Council unanimously approved plans and a $135 million financing deal to redevelop the shuttered Potomac River Generating Station in Old Town North. Owner HRP Group says the project will draw more than $2 billion in private investment, with mixed-use buildings and more than 10 acres of public open space. Deconstruction could begin next year. [ALXnow]
FCPS Device Opt-Out — After a contentious debate, the Fairfax County School Board will let parents of preschool and elementary students opt out of take-home laptops and tablets next school year, and will study tighter screen restrictions. [FFXnow]
Va. Budget Standoff — Six months into her term, Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) is navigating a budget impasse and unrest within her own party over a string of vetoes. Lawmakers face a June 30 deadline to pass a spending plan or risk an unprecedented state government shutdown, with the fight centered on data center tax incentives. “I think it’s outrageous that we are where we are,” she said. [Virginia Mercury]
Urgent Sewer Line Repairs — DC Water began emergency repairs Monday on a corroding section of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line in Potomac, Maryland, before it could fail and leak wastewater into the river. The pipe carries about 6 million gallons of wastewater daily and sits upstream of major regional drinking water intakes. [WJLA]
It’s Tuesday — Sunny, basically perfect weather today with a high near 80 and light northeast winds. Skies turn partly cloudy overnight with a low around 63. [NWS]
Want more local news from around the region? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow.
County Board members have voted to consider a transition period of between 18 and 36 months to potentially phase out gas-powered leaf blowers.
On a 5-0 vote, Board members advertised a July public hearing for final action. The proposal features a potential implementation timetable that is longer than some environmental activists want but shorter than some industry leaders say is feasible.
