One of Arlington’s largest neighborhoods is seeking to update its look.
The Douglas Park Civic Association has asked its residents to submit ideas for a new neighborhood logo by the end of July. A final selection is expected later in the year.
News
Suspicious Truck Closes Street — “N. Utah Street north of Ballston is back open after the earlier suspicious vehicle investigation, for a large rental truck parked on the bridge over I-66. The investigation coincided with a presidential motorcade back from the Trump golf club in Loudoun County.” [ARLnow/X]
Amtrak Tours Long Bridge Site — “Several Amtrak representatives recently toured… the Long Bridge Project site, which by the end of 2030 will create a new two-track rail bridge, along with two new bicycle and pedestrian bridges. The project will increase capacity and reliability along a corridor that currently operates at 98% capacity during peak hours.” [Amtrak/X]
Cyber Startup Valued at $1.2B — “Twenty, an Arlington-based startup focused on cyber warfare, announced that it has received an additional investment of $30 million from Khosla Ventures at a valuation of $1.2 billion. The company has now raised a total of $168 million.” [Potomac Tech Wire]
So Many Arlingtons — “Genuinely why does every major city have a suburb named Arlington. DC, Boston, Dallas, Chicago… like what’s up with that,” an X user said in a post that has drawn more than 300,000 views. [@crocsinwinter/X]
National Guard Housing Deal — “Placemakr Inc.… has inked a $292 million deal with the National Guard Bureau to supply as many as 2,000 units for troops mobilized as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia.” The company operates a building on N. Glebe Road and has proposed converting 125 units in a new Rosslyn tower. [WBJ]
Alexandria Crime Spike — “Over the last couple weeks, we have seen a significant spike in crime… that is felonious assaults, where we have had persons with knives, and none of them have been connected,” Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire told ALXnow. Overall crime is down 13% year-to-date, he said. [ALXnow]
Data Centers Flicker the Grid — “Just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, electricity flickered on and off for about 10 minutes. An engineer’s data says it happened throughout the Eastern half of the U.S., from Chicago to Boston and Miami.” Dominion Energy said equipment on a line serving Loudoun County data centers failed, switching them to backup power. [NBC 4]
Beyer Blasts New Tariffs — “His tariffs, like his foolish war with Iran, are an illegal and ill-advised usurpation of congressional authority that will do lasting damage to our country,” Rep. Don Beyer (D) said after President Trump announced new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on dozens of countries, including key U.S. trading partners. [Press Release]
DEQ Seeks Public Input — Virginia environmental regulators are gathering public feedback on how to engage environmental justice communities during project permitting, under a new law from Del. Kathy Tran (D). The agency must issue updated guidance by the end of the year. A second town hall is set for July 29 in Virginia Beach. [Virginia Mercury]
Three-Year Degrees Explored — “Virginia higher education leaders are exploring a three-year bachelor’s degree, joining a growing national push to shorten college.” So far, 11 of the state’s 16 public universities and four private colleges have expressed preliminary interest. Officials hope to launch two 90-credit programs in spring 2028. [Axios]
Boys Falling Behind — “By 5th grade boys are already starting to show a disinterest… Our boys are 1.5 times more likely to drop out and never complete high school due to lack of interest,” Del. Josh Thomas (D) said. He chairs the new Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission, which held its first meeting Monday. [WTOP]
Dental Staffing Strains — “Virginia’s dental offices continue to face staffing challenges, and a new report suggests the situation is not improving, according to the Healthcare Workforce Data Center.” The report found the state has more dentists than dental hygienists, a ratio that can delay patient care. [12 On Your Side]
It’s Monday — Expect a mostly sunny morning with a high near 88, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Winds will be light out of the south and the overnight low will be around 70. [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 voters may get a say in picking the next Democratic presidential nominee before most of the country does.
The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted today (Friday) to give the Commonwealth one of six spots in the early window of the party’s 2028 presidential nominating calendar. Virginia would go last of the six, on Feb. 29, 2028 — leap day.
A honk at two people riding scooters in the road escalated into a thrown rock and a kicked car in south Arlington, according to Arlington County police.
It happened around 6:45 p.m. yesterday (Thursday) in the 2900 block of S. Glebe Road, near Four Mile Run Drive.
The recent closure of Ayers Variety & Hardware was a stark reminder that nothing is forever, even businesses that have built generational relationships with customers.
The shuttering of the store that served Westover for nearly 80 years is also an indication of how challenging current times are for many of Arlington’s other small businesses, community leaders say.
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Following resistance in the General Assembly this year, a new working group has been appointed to study possible changes to Arlington’s Affordable Housing Ordinance.
County Board members on Tuesday chartered the eight-member, limited-term working group, which will spend the next four months developing proposed revisions. The current Affordable Housing Ordinance outlines ways for developers to gain additional density for projects by building affordable units or contributing to the Affordable Housing Investment Fund.
Falls Church leaders are about to hit the launch button on their most significant affordable-housing effort.
City Council members on Monday, July 27 are slated to appoint a seven-member screening committee to rank prospective partners for redeveloping portions of the Virginia Village site.
Rosslyn Tower Sold — JBG Smith sold the 377-unit Central Place Residences to Boston-based Berkshire Residential Investments for $206.25 million. A covenant leaves open a future condo conversion, which would make the 355-foot building the region’s tallest condo tower. [WBJ]
Cloud Firm Opens Crystal City HQ — Knox Systems opened its Washington-area headquarters in Crystal City, consolidating its security and risk operations teams closer to federal agencies. Fresh off a $25 million funding round, the company employs nearly 70 and projects 30% headcount growth by year’s end. [Press Release]
Clean Air Cred — Arlington ranks among the nation’s 10 cities with the cleanest air, with good air quality on 84% of days despite the recent bout of hazardous wildfire smoke. Clean air is one metric behind the county’s ninth straight fittest-city title. [Capital Weather]
Rejoin D.C.? — “There is another way for Arlington to become a city,” the D.C. Council posted, responding to ARLnow’s report that the county couldn’t pursue cityhood until at least 2032. [Council of DC/X]
Fairfax Schools Curb AI — Fairfax County Public Schools will bar elementary students from using generative AI, keep tablets and laptops out of preschool and kindergarten, and prohibit personal devices during class. The school board approved the restrictions, which include narrow exceptions, at its July 16 meeting. [FFXnow]
It’s Friday — Look for mostly sunny skies with a high near 83 and a light northeast wind of 1–8 mph. Skies turn mostly cloudy overnight with a low around 66. [NWS]
Want to keep the discussion going? Try our new community forum.
County officials are defending local processes for handling complaints of dangerous dogs, despite criticisms from Arlington residents who say they’ve struggled to feel heard.
Those responsible for handling such complaints say they work to make the community safer while following strict guidelines set down in state law.
County Board members have directed staff to move more quickly in considering future uses of the Central Library and Lee Community Center parcels.
In a change from the plan as proposed by County Manager Mark Schwartz, Board members said on Tuesday that staff should hire a consultant in fiscal year 2029 to develop a plan for potential uses of the Central Library site in Virginia Square. That timeline will allow planning to advance on roughly the same timetable as consideration of future uses at the adjacent Quincy Park.
County Board members went into their two-month summer break after 15 minutes of verbal fireworks over Missing Middle housing policies currently tied up in litigation.
Three Board members — Maureen Coffey, Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., and Takis Karantonis — castigated colleague Susan Cunningham for a proposal made without much advance notice at the tail end of the Board’s July 21 meeting.
County Board candidates have varied takes on how the local government should address gaps in neighborhood sidewalks.
Although the local government has a plan to address missing sidewalk links, it “will take years and years” to implement, County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said at the July 20 forum sponsored by the Douglas Park Civic Association.