Arlington unions and state representatives are doubling down on calls for more labor protections in the construction of the new Arlington Career Center.

A $132 million construction contract is up for consideration at an Arlington School Board meeting on Thursday. At least a year of delays would likely result if the School Board seeks a prevailing wage agreement for the project, guaranteeing that workers get paid wages comparable to market rates, Arlington Public Schools staff said at a meeting last month.


For the second day in a row, there’s a fire in a large Rosslyn condominium building.

After a vehicle fire in the parking garage of the Atrium Condominium at 1530 Key Blvd on Monday morning, there’s now a reported electrical fire in the garage area. A second alarm has been called in to help extinguish the fire and ventilate smoke from the building.


Alpacas outside of Peruvian Brothers in Pentagon City on Friday (courtesy Logan M.)

Drag Event Draws Several Hundred — “Between 200 and 250 people, including parents and their children, turned out on Saturday, May 4, for a ‘Love Fest‘ Drag Story Hour brunch hosted by the Arlington, Va., LGBTQ establishment Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. Local drag performer Tara Hoot, who read children’s stories and handed out coloring books to the kids attending the event, was joined by members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington.” [Washington Blade]

Crash on George Mason Drive — “A crash at N. George Mason Dr and 4th Street in Buckingham is being cleared after blocking traffic earlier. It was reported as a single-vehicle crash into a pole with a driver potentially suffering a medical emergency.” [Twitter]

Repeat Peeper Arrested — “At approximately 2:03 a.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were inside their home when they observed the male suspect, who they recognized from a previous peeping incident on March 27 (2024-03274019), outside their residence and called police. Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspect and located an individual matching the description.” [ACPD]

Shorter Shredding Hours — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Starting in July, free monthly paper shredding at the Trades Center will have reduced hours, 8am to noon.” [Twitter]

Apartment Rent Remains High — “Median apartment-rental costs in Arlington last month were the fifth highest among the nation’s 100 largest urban areas, as tracked by ApartmentList. The county’s overall median monthly rental price of $2,512 was up 1.4 percent from a month before, up 3.6 percent year-to-date (second highest in the survey) and up 5.4 percent year-over-year.” [Gazette Leader]

Grants for Fridges and Freezers — “More cold storage means more access to healthy food. That’s why we’ve just awarded more than $700,000 to 22 food businesses and nonprofits in the D.C. area. — including four in Arlington and Fairfax County.” [Capital Impact Partners]

Fair Housing ‘Tag Team’ — “Details and procedural hurdles remain to be worked through, but there may be a meeting of the minds, collaboration-wise, between two of the Arlington government’s advisory commissions. The Housing Commission and Human Rights Commission are attempting to work out kinks in the creation of a joint subcommittee that would focus on fair-housing issues.” [Gazette Leader]

Street Smart Campaign Underway — “A pedestrian and bicyclist safety campaign continues in Arlington County as police hold enforcement activities Monday. The effort is part of the Street Smart campaign, a public education and enforcement program across the D.C. area, designed to reduce pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and deaths.” [Fox 5]

It’s Tuesday — Showers and possible thunderstorms after 11am, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 78. Light winds becoming southeast at 6 mph in the afternoon, and a 50% chance of precipitation. Tuesday night: cloudy with a low near 65, and southeast wind around 6 mph, with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. [NWS]


A 90-year-old Tiffany stained glass window has a new home in Arlington.

Christ in Blessing was salvaged from a bankrupt mausoleum by Arlington County. The private mausoleum, built in the 1920s near Arlington National Cemetery, was torn down by the Navy about 20 years ago.


Firefighters battled a blaze at a large condominium building in the Rosslyn area Monday morning.

Smoke was reported around 10 a.m. at the Atrium Condominium at 1530 Key Blvd. Initial reports suggest that some sort of fire in the parking garage spread smoke to parts of the building.


Four Virginia men are facing drug and other charges after a verbal dispute between one of the men and a woman in Arlington.

The incident happened Thursday evening in the Green Valley neighborhood. Police were called after the man “allegedly lifted his shirt, exposing what appeared to be a firearm and made threatening statements.”


Raindrops on flowers in Virginia Square (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Flyover Planned Today — “The US Military will be conducting a flyover at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 11:15AM.”

DCA Adding Summer Flights — “On May 15, JetBlue will start its daily service to Nantucket, Massachusetts, via an Embraer 190 aircraft, which is expected to last until October… And then on May 24, JetBlue will begin its flight offering to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts — also via an Embraer 190 aircraft — which will last until September and start out at three days per week until ramping up to daily service by mid-June.” [Washington Business Journal]

Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas — “From foie gras to delectable doughnuts, Northern Virginia has something for everyone come brunchtime. How many meals has Mom made for you? Whether she’s a veritable Julia Child or can barely slap together a PB&J, she deserves to eat like the queen she is on Mother’s Day. Treat her to a day off—and something tasty—at local these eateries.” [Arlington Magazine]

Police Tase Man in Ballston — From Dave Statter: “Man was tased by @ArlingtonVaPD near the Ballston Metro around 6:30 p.m. Witnesses told police the man threatened people with three knives at the 7-11 across the street on Fairfax Drive. @ArlingtonVaFD took the man to the hospital to be checked out.” [Twitter]

YHS Baseball Is Top in District — “With four straight victories, the Yorktown Patriots baseball team took over sole possession of first place in the Liberty District with an 8-3 victory. Yorktown (13-5 overall) defeated the Wakefield Warriors, 14-5.” [Gazette Leader]

DJO Softball Is Undefeated — “The Bishop O’Connell Knights (17-0) finished their regular season with a 17-0 overall record and a 12-0 mark in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference… The Knights are the top seed in the upcoming WCAC tournament, where the team is the two-time defending champion and has won the competition 25 times in program history. O’Connell also is ranked No. 1 in the Division I private-school state poll.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Monday — Showers and thunderstorms are possible after 2pm, with patchy fog clearing by 10am. Expect mostly cloudy conditions with a high near 80 and a westerly breeze at 6 mph. On Monday night, the chance of rain and thunderstorms continues, mainly before 11pm, then again after 2am, with a low around 65 and light winds. Precipitation chances are 40% for the day and 50% for the night. [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.


Virginia’s senators are stepping up efforts to nix a proposal to add five more round-trip flights to Reagan National Airport.

Sen. Tim Kaine — with the support of fellow Virginia Sen. Mark Warner and five other Democratic senators from Maryland, Colorado and Illinois — has proposed to strike the extra flights from a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).


A pedestrian bridge in the Shirlington area is back open after a mini rehabilitation project.

The S. Nelson Street bridge — which spans Four Mile Run, connecting Shirlington with Jennie Dean Park and the Green Valley neighborhood — closed over the winter.


Apartment building near the intersection of S. Hayes Street and 15th Street S. (Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar)

Dog Dies After Prescription Mix-up — “An Arlington, Virginia, woman says her 10-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel died after a veterinarian prescribed one medication but a CVS pharmacy dispensed a different drug.” [WTOP]

Suspicious Person Call Leads to Drug Arrest — “Two individuals gained entry to a hotel room and subsequently departed the property after being detected by an employee. A lookout for the suspects was broadcast and officers located one of the suspects walking in the area. He was detained and provided false identifying information to law enforcement. During the course of the investigation, suspected narcotics and credit cards not belonging to the suspect were recovered.” [ACPD, Twitter]

GOP Expects to Have Board Candidate — “Arlington Republicans have a candidate for County Board this year. After all my cajoling, a Republican has stepped forward to carry our banner to voters across Arlington. On housing, on crime, on education, and on quality of life issues — you and I will have someone to represent our principles on the ballot this year.” [Arlington GOP]

Commission Mulls Gaza Statement — “There might be another jurisdictional battle shaping up when it comes to the county’s appointed Human Rights Commission. Commission members on May 9 are expected to consider their options in weighing in on the current Mideast situation, having been asked by pro-Palestinian activists to support a resolution calling for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas forces that govern Gaza. If the commission does move forward aggressively, it could bring further tension with Arlington elected officials.” [Gazette Leader]

Sierra Club Endorsements — From a press release: “Sierra Club’s Virginia Chapter announces its endorsement of Julius ‘JD’ Spain Sr. (First) and Tenley Peterson (Second) in the ranked-choice Democratic Primary for a single County Board seat. The Sierra Club’s endorsement process included a detailed questionnaire and in-person interviews, followed by discussion and voting at the local and state level.”

Local Baker Profiled — “Flowers are a wonderful gift, but Jamaliyyih Perez offers something just as pretty that’s tasty, too. Her jumbo cupcakes with buttercream frosting are decorated to resemble gorgeous blossoms, such as roses, hydrangeas, sunflowers, tulips, peonies and chrysanthemums.” [Arlington Magazine]

Report Details Abuse at F.C. Church — “The report is filled with documentation of alleged sexual abuse perpetrated on many Falls Church teenage boys by youth minister Jeffrey T. Taylor for much of the 1990s. Taylor had founded and led the youth group known as Cornerstone, which gained wide popularity among teens in Falls Church for a good portion of that decade.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Alexandria Is Getting a Tax Hike, Too — “The operating budget totals $926.4 million — a 4.8% increase over last year’s budget. That budget included a 2.5-cent increase in the real estate tax, meaning the average single-family homeowner will pay $483 more than last year.” [ALXnow]

It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with highs around 79 degrees and an east wind of 9 to 11 mph. Moving into Friday night, there is a 30% chance of showers as clouds increase. Overnight lows will be near 54 degrees with east winds around 8 to 11 mph. [NWS]


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