For $1,500 a month, Arlington residents can typically rent an apartment of just 476 square feet.
Not surprisingly, given the overall cost of rent in the county, this is one of the lowest square-footage totals for $1,500 to be found anywhere in the country.
Local College Student Drowns — “Authorities have released the name of a 19-year-old [Arlington] woman who drowned in Lake Anna on Saturday night after witnesses said she “jumped from a structure into the water,” resurfaced and then disappeared beneath the surface.” [WTVR]
More on Trash Collection Woes — “The transition to a new contractor, Bates Trucking & Trash Removal, has not gone as smoothly as expected and we apologize to those customers who have experienced missed collections… Trucks from Bates and the County will be working throughout this weekend in an attempt to catch up on all affected routes.” [Arlington County]
Weekend Water Main Break — “Crews in Arlington were working to make repairs to a 20-inch water main that broke Saturday afternoon, impacting traffic in the area. In a post on the X platform just before 4 p.m., the Arlington Department of Environmental Services said crews were conducting emergency repairs on the broken feeder main at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S Dinwiddie Street.” [DC News Now]
County Fair History — “The first Arlington County Fair, held in 1977, was a modest affair, held in the Thomas Jefferson school parking lot, without rides or a midway. The idea for the Fair emerged from the County’s community gardens program, with resident gardeners planning a Harvest Day to display their produce.” [FCNP]
County Wins Pair of Awards — “Arlington County has been awarded two Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) 2025 Achievement Awards, which recognize excellence in local government programs. Arlington was recognized for a pair of programs: On-Street Food Scraps Collection Program for Multi-Family Building Residents and Next Generation 9-1-1.” [Arlington County]
It’s Monday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures peaking at around 88°F, accompanied by calm winds that will gradually shift to the southeast at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Towards Monday night, the sky will remain predominantly clear with lows settling at roughly 71°F and south winds blowing at a gentle 3 to 7 mph. [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.
Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick
The Falls Church City Council is considering future changes to the city’s tax relief policies for seniors and people with permanent disabilities.
Council members considered a relatively straightforward staff request on Monday night: updating the city code to include changes that leaders made about two years ago with regards to real estate tax relief.
Tesla Cybertruck Vandalized — “What began as a festive Fourth of July celebration on the water at the Columbia Island Marina ended in shock for Michael Sobhi. By the morning, his 2021 Tesla Cybertruck had been vandalized. When he went to the parking lot the next day, he noticed both side view mirrors had been ripped off his vehicle, and a note had been left behind that read: ‘How do you live with yourself and your small penis?'” [WTOP]
TV Broadcast in Pentagon City — “Your FOX 5 favorites will be at National Landing in Arlington, Virginia Friday morning! Join in on the fun at 1330 S Fair Street Arlington, VA 22202.” [Fox 5]
County Has New CTO — “Holly Hartell has been selected as Arlington County’s new Chief Information Officer and Director of the Department of Technology Services (DTS), County Manager Mark Schwartz announced this week. She will begin in the permanent role on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, after being appointed as acting director of DTS in January 2025.” [Arlington County]
Local Restaurant Struggles — “At a recent lunch hour, the long-time manager of a highly regarded, somewhat upscale restaurant in downtown Falls Church turned and looked to the barren tables and empty chairs in the well-appointed room. There was not a single other person there to eat. “Where is everybody?” she asked, exasperated. Sadly, this is an increasingly common scenario.” [FCNP]
Va. Sens. Blast Solar Cut — “As Virginians continue to struggle to pay their rising electricity bills, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are pushing back against the Trump administration’s plans to terminate a program designed to lower energy costs and support the deployment of affordable solar power to communities hardest hit by skyrocketing costs.” [Press Release]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching about 83°F, accompanied by a gentle northeast breeze at 6 to 8 mph. As night falls, the skies will remain mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 64°F. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick
Complaints of incomplete and missed trash collections have hounded Arlington’s new solid waste contractor in its first few days of service.
Bates Trucking and Trash Removal, which replaces longtime county contractor American Disposal Services, began collecting trash, recycling and organics from Arlington single-family homes this month.
By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Restoring a memorial to the Confederacy that was removed from Arlington National Cemetery at the recommendation of Congress will cost roughly $10 million total, a U.S. Army official said Wednesday — the latest development in a Trump administration effort to combat what it calls “erasing American history.”
If there’s one thing Zach Cregger learned while writing and directing his upcoming horror movie “Weapons,” it’s that the best laughs won’t come from the jokes he writes.
The film follows Cregger’s 2022 solo directorial debut “Barbarians,” the widely celebrated genre-bending horror. This time, the young director bends even more, spinning a town into chaos when all children but one from the same classroom mysteriously vanish, leaving a trail of questions in their place.
An appointee to the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Biden administration has been accused of sexually assaulting a subordinate at her Pentagon City apartment.
Allegations stemming from a 2023 incident ultimately led to the resignation of Jessica Guadalupe Cavazos after fewer than eight months as the agency’s deputy Under Secretary for Minority Business Development.
An Annandale man is facing numerous charges after a call for suspicious activity in a parking lot led to a big drug bust.
The arrest happened early Monday morning in a parking lot on N. Pierce Street, in the Fort Myer Heights neighborhood near Rosslyn. Police say they saw drug paraphernalia “in plain view” inside a car after responding to the call, and later determined that one of the two occupants had an outstanding warrant.
The Department of Justice has a new list of “sanctuary jurisdictions” that it accuses of impeding federal immigration enforcement — and Arlington isn’t on it.
The Justice Department previously included Arlington on a much longer list of “sanctuary jurisdictions,” which included 19 Virginia counties and 13 cities in the commonwealth and hundreds of others nationwide.
No Return to SROs — “Today, two school systems around the region still operate without [School Resource Officers]. In Arlington County, there’s no consideration being made to bring them back. “We have 50 or 51 really well trained school safety coordinators, and their focus is on building positive relationships with students and staff,” said Bethany Zecher Sutton, who chairs the Arlington School Board. She said leaders of that program are former SROs.” [WTOP]
Back to School Soon — “Summer will soon wrap up for students around Arlington. The first day of school in Arlington Public Schools for K-12 students is Monday, Aug. 25, with PreK & VPI starting on Tuesday, Aug. 26. The 2025-2026 school year will include the introduction of a new cellphone policy.” [Patch]
Fmr. Gov. Teaching at GMU — “The Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University welcomes former Virginia governor Robert F. (Bob) McDonnell to the faculty as a Distinguished Visiting Professor of Practice. A seasoned public servant with a deep background in law, governance, business, law enforcement, and military service, McDonnell brings nearly 4 decades of practical experience to one of the nation’s most dynamic public policy schools.” [GMU]
Frozen Cocktail Destinations — “Top off the summer season and chill out with creative frozen cocktails. Scroll on, sweet tooths and fruit fans, for the area’s best takes on coladas, daiquiris, margaritas and the almighty frosé. Cool your heels with these slushy sippers.” [Arlington Magazine]
Cool Start to August — “From Aug. 1-5, the average high temperature was 82 degrees, a bit past half a degree below our last cool start to August in 2023. In fact, the five-day average is the coolest since 1985, when the same stretch was 81.4 degrees… These weather good times won’t last. The 90s are set to return next week.” [CWG]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies, reaching a high of around 82 degrees, accompanied by an east wind blowing at approximately 10 mph. The wind may pick up, gusting as high as 22 mph. As the night sets in, it will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to about 65 degrees. The east wind will slow down to around 5 to 8 mph. [NWS]
The Arlington County Police Department is asking for the public’s help in investigating dozens of traffic signs vandalized with anti-fascist graffiti.
The wave of vandalism incidents, many of which involve the word “fascism” written under the word “stop,” has been going on for months — at a significant cost to taxpayers, according to local officials.
