Janet Garber was torch-carrier for the 2026 Senior Olympics (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
More than 200 of Arlington’s “seasoned citizens” are among a record 1,200 across the region participating in the 2025 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.
That county’s total of 209 competitors is up 17% from 2024, making Arlington the jurisdiction with the second most participants this year — behind Fairfax County.
Arlington Independent Media staff at work in earlier times (via Arlington County)
Arlington’s top elected official says there’s nothing the county government can do to prevent the demise of Arlington Independent Media (AIM).
“The law is what the law is. We cannot do too much about that,” County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said at the Sept. 13 Board meeting, responding to concerns raised during the public-comment period about the state of local media in Arlington.
Crime is declining on the Metro system, but riders’ perceptions of safety depend on which mode of transportation they use.
Riders on Metrobus reported more safety concerns than those on Metrorail. Overall, however, rider satisfaction rates are either flat or improving, according to data reported at the Sept. 11 meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Area Transit Authority’s safety and operations committee.
Two more suspects have been arrested in connection to a “suspicious” apartment fire near Columbia Pike earlier this year.
Erasbiel Flores, 22, was booked into jail on Sept. 8, according to court records. An alleged co-conspirator, 20-year-old Wilmer Adan Agustin De Leon, was taken into custody the following day.
Buildings and the setting sun in Courthouse (courtesy George Brazier)
Flyover Planned This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct a flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, September 15, 2025, at approximately 11:15AM.”
Spanberger Visits Arlington — “It was wonderful to join so many dedicated volunteers for a canvass launch in Arlington this afternoon! Every door, every phone call, and every dollar will make a difference in this election — and I’m so grateful for the support.” [Abigail Spanberger/X, Alfonso Lopez/X]
Chalk Protest Near Official’s Home — Protesters targeted White House official Stephen Miller’s Arlington home over the weekend, writing chalk messages on nearby sidewalks and drawing condemnation from local Republicans. [Arlington GOP/X]
Arlingtonian Arrested in Annandale — “A 20-year-old Arlington man is facing drug and firearm-related charges after he and another man were arrested following a traffic stop in Fairfax County, according to authorities.” [Patch]
Layoffs from DCA Concessions — “Paradies Lagardere, a concession manager at DCA, disclosed in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filing with Virginia it could terminate dozens of jobs starting on Sept. 26. It is looking to close Magic Pan, Say Si Bon and U Street Pub in Concourse C, a spokesperson told me.” [WBJ]
It’s Monday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high near 82 degrees and an east wind between 5 to 9 mph during the day. Tonight, there’s a slight chance of showers after 2am, and it will be mostly cloudy with a low around 62 degrees. A northeast wind of about 7 mph is predicted, with a 20% chance of precipitation. [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.
Voting at Arlington Central Library on Nov. 7, 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)
The Arlington electorate is getting new voting equipment, possibly as soon as next spring.
Electoral Board members have directed staff to begin negotiations with Unisyn Election Service Online to procure voting equipment for precincts and early-voting sites across the county.
Students gather at the ceremonial ground breaking for Arlington Community High School in Pentagon City (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
A ceremony this morning (Friday) celebrated the planned relocation of Arlington Community High School to Amazon’s campus next school year.
Officials from Arlington Public Schools, Arlington County and Amazon attended the event at HQ2, which marks the first time in the 96-year history of ACHS that the alternative high school expects to have a permanent home.
Police respond after a wanted man drives into a fire hydrant (photo via SafetyVid)
A wanted man’s attempt to flee law enforcement failed after he crashed his car into a fire hydrant in Arlington Ridge, police say.
Officers spotted the 27-year-old along the 2900 block of S. Glebe Road around 8:40 p.m. He tried to drive off but crashed into a fire hydrant, then tried to flee on foot but fell and injured himself, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.
A woman pushes a stroller up the hill near the entrance to Upside on Moore in Rosslyn (courtesy George Brazier)
Flyover This Morning — “The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron… will perform a scheduled photoshoot of 6 Thunderbird aircraft in formation, a 7th Thunderbird aircraft will trail the formation to capture imagery over the National Mall and other Washington D.C. landmarks on Friday, September 12, 2025, at approximately 8:15 a.m. In addition, at approximately 8:45 a.m., the team will be joined by a C-17 for one additional pass. The aircraft will depart from the area no later than 8:55 a.m.” [USAF]
Apartment Development Nixed — “JBG Smith Properties is abandoning plans to redevelop a pair of demolished office and retail buildings in Crystal City with more than 1,400 new apartments. The Bethesda firm… won site plan approval from Arlington County in 2023 to construct two 30-story residential-over-retail towers at 223 S. 23rd St. and 2250 Crystal Drive, where once stood the 11-story Crystal City Five office building and a one-story adjacent retail building. But that plan is now terminated.” [WBJ]
Pickup Overturns in Crash — “Accident in #Rosslyn right before the #KeyBridge. Everyone got out of both vehicles and seem to be OK.” [Victoria Sanchez/X]
Long Term Toll of 9/11 — “Fire Captain David Santini remembered the 184 victims who died when a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001… Santini also asked people to remember 9/11 first responders who have died in the years following the terrorist attacks.” [WTOP, MWAA Professional Firefighters/X]
New Reading Program — “APS, in partnership with community volunteers, is proud to announce the launch of Readers Rise: Empowering Young Minds Through Reading … The Readers Rise program pairs trained community volunteers with elementary students in grades K–2 at Barrett, Hoffman-Boston and Long Branch elementary schools for one-on-one reading sessions.” [APS]
County, City to Boost Tech Hub — “Economic development leaders in Arlington and Alexandria want to launch a new initiative to expand funding and business training for defense and national security startups, aiming to solidify the growing tech outpost near the Pentagon and Amazon’s HQ2.” [WBJ]
Indecent Exposure Incident — “A 34-year-old man who was arrested for indecent exposure Tuesday night in Green Valley already had an upcoming court appearance scheduled for next week on unrelated drug charges, according to authorities.” [Patch]
Lantern Fly Invasion — “Across the region, weather radars were lighting up Thursday with shades of blue, green and yellow. The signals would ordinarily suggest rain — but no precipitation was in the forecast. Instead, radars have been capturing a massive swarm of spotted lanternflies descending on the Mid-Atlantic.” [Washington Post, Matthew Cappucci/X]
It’s Friday — Expect a sunny day with a high of around 81 degrees and a north wind at about 6 mph, shifting to the east in the afternoon. Friday night, the skies will be mostly clear with a low temperature near 60 degrees. [NWS]
Police responding to tobacco store stabbing in Virginia Square on Sept. 11, 2025 (via SafetyVid)
A man was stabbed multiple times and seriously injured Thursday night in Virginia Square.
The stabbing happened around 7 p.m. inside the Tobacco Hut store at 3528 Wilson Blvd, according to scanner traffic. It prompted a large police response that briefly closed eastbound Wilson Blvd.
Parking meter in a performance parking zone in Ballston (staff photo)
A recent conversation with an expert on parking policy delved into the complexities of attempting to improve transportation infrastructure in Arlington.
Efforts now underway in Arlington are helping to break a century-old national focus on the automobile as primary, and sometimes lone, transportation option, said Henry Grabar, author of “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.”