Arlington and Falls Church have both ranked as some of the most livable localities in the nation for the second year in the row.
Arlington was at the top of the charts for “large communities” and Falls Church was No. 2 among “small communities,” according to a new ranking of U.S. localities from the American Association of Retired People (AARP).
Funding for Medicaid in Virginia and affordable housing on church-owned property were among Arlington residents’ priorities for state lawmakers at a meeting last week.
The pre-legislative meeting with Sens. Barbara Favola and Adam Ebbin, and Dels. Patrick Hope, Alfonso Lopez and Adele McClure, came ahead of the Virginia General Assembly session scheduled to begin on Jan. 14. Other topics of discussion ranged from expanding ranked-choice voting to an age verification law for pornography sites.
Towing fees are increasing in Arlington, though not by as much as the local towing industry wants.
The County Board voted 5-0 on Saturday to increase the initial towing fee for vehicles of less than 7,500 pounds from the current $135 to $160.
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday he won’t allow operations in the airspace over the nation’s capital to revert back to the way they were before January’s deadly aircraft collision near Reagan National Airport.
Administrator Bryan Bedford told the House aviation subcommittee he won’t forget the 67 people who died when an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River.
Melwood Touts Development Plan — “Finding appropriate housing if you have a disability can be difficult and expensive in the D.C. area. Melwood is hoping to help change that once the nonprofit converts its Arlington, Virginia, headquarters into a mixed-use building focused on inclusive housing.” [WTOP]
Towing Complaints Go Viral — “Just shopped at Giant on Washington Blvd. They towed the cars of 3 other strangers alongside mine while we were all inside. We all have our shopping bags and receipts. One lady had a child and not enough money to pay the $150 and she was left out in the cold, fortunately a young man helped her out and took her to the advanced towing location and paid for her tow.” [Reddit]
New Arlington Officers — “Monday, December 15, 2025 marked a significant milestone for Arlington County Police Department’s 11 newest officers as Session 153 graduated from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy.” [ACPD]
Beyer Blasts Economy — “This disastrous jobs report makes it clear that this is not an ‘A++++ economy’ as President Trump claimed, it’s an economy at risk of sliding into recession. Trump’s tariffs are most to blame for the hiring slump.” [Press Release]
Command Shakeup at Pentagon — “Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, in a major consolidation sought by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, people familiar with the matter said.” [Washington Post]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny conditions today, with a high near 49. The southwest wind of about 7 mph will shift west in the afternoon. For Wednesday night, the sky will be partly cloudy, with the temperature dropping to around 30 degrees. [NWS]
A driver has died after a crash in Ballston Tuesday afternoon.
The crash happened around 2 p.m. on N. Taylor Street, between Wilson Blvd and Fairfax Drive, just over a block away from the Metro station.
A new partnership between the county government and a local church aims to preserve, improve and maintain public access to a historic cemetery.
The county government plans to install perimeter fencing, access gates and a bench at Calloway United Methodist Church’s cemetery at 5000 Langston Blvd, one of the oldest church-affiliated African American graveyards in all of Arlington.
An updated plan for an affordable housing building near Langston Blvd has received mostly praise but some criticism from the Housing Commission.
The Housing Commission was provided an update on Dec. 4 on the plan to replace 40 garden-style apartments at the Leckey Gardens apartment complex with a 10-story apartment building with 249 committed-affordable units.
Members of a local advisory committee are looking for ways to make Arlington more walkable after snow falls.
In focus for the Pedestrian Advisory Committee this year are curb cuts leading from sidewalks into intersections, which often fill up with snow from plows and, at times, people shoveling sidewalks.
Arlington firefighters extinguished an intense vehicle fire along Columbia Pike over the weekend.
The fire happened shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, in the parking lot behind the Bank of America branch at the corner of the Pike and S. Monroe Street.
Va. School Ratings — “According to the VDOE, about 1 in 4 public schools in the state are rated as distinguished, or exceeding expectations. Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia have the highest percentages of top-rated schools at 31 percent and 28 percent, respectively, the data shows. Thirty-eight percent of public schools in Fairfax County and 46 percent in Loudoun County rated as distinguished, while Arlington County saw about 34 percent of schools in the top category.” [Washington Post]
Arlington’s Top Library Books — “2025 was another excellent year for Arlington readers with over 3.6 million checkouts. Arlington’s reading choices span a wide array of genres, including cookbooks, romance novels, biographies and picture books. We listened to eAudiobooks, read on our phones and stacked paper books on our nightstands… Two titles had more than 4,000 checkouts this year: “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros [and] “The Women” by Kristin Hannah.” [Arlington Public Library]
Teens Hospitalized After Fight — “The two juvenile female victims were outside when the two known juvenile female suspects approached them. Suspect One yelled at Victim One before pulling her to the ground and assaulting her. Victim Two attempted to intervene in the altercation when Suspect Two pulled her to the ground and subsequently assaulted her. The suspects then fled the scene. The victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to an area hospital.” [ACPD]
Some Hopeful Economic Signs — “The government shutdown undoubtedly took a toll on the local economy this fall, but signs are emerging that the economy could be turning a corner after a challenging year marked by mass layoffs of federal workers, diminished local investment and steep declines in awards to government contractors.” [WBJ]
Fatal Crash Near Fairlington — “Around 8 a.m., APD shut down a portion of King Street between Menokin Drive and N. Quaker Lane to respond to the two-vehicle crash. Two men were injured and transported to a hospital, where one of them later died. The other driver remains hospitalized with serious injuries, according to APD.” [ALXnow]
Seven Corners Water Tower Replacement — “Fairfax Water has applied to replace an existing water tank in the Seven Corners Apartment complex (6122 Willston Drive). The application, submitted on Nov. 24, requests that the county grant Fairfax Water the ability to replace a 75-year-old, 200,000-gallon water tank with a 1-million-gallon tank.” [FFXnow]
Mulling Youngkin’s Future — “During an interview with The Associated Press, Youngkin insisted that he’s not looking ahead to after he’s replaced by Democrat Abigail Spanberger next month. But there’s little doubt that he’s been preparing for a post-Trump future that has not yet arrived, leaving someone long considered to be a potential Republican star without a clear next move.” [Associated Press]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 37 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds. The night will be mostly clear, with lows around 28 degrees. [NWS]
After years of discussion and hours of public testimony this weekend, the County Board has approved a substantial expansion to Pentagon City’s RiverHouse development.
In a series of 5-0 votes, Board members approved JBG Smith’s proposal to add 132 four-story townhome-style properties as well as two mid-rise multifamily buildings, one of 102 units and the second of 509, at the 36-acre RiverHouse site along Army Navy Drive and S. Joyce Street.
