We recently invited the candidates running for local office in the Nov. 4 General Election to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.
Below is the unedited response from Del. Patrick Hope, who is running for House of Delegates – 1st District as a Democrat.
Whether you’re grabbing a quick slice for lunch or ordering delivery for your next get-together, Arlington’s vast number of pizzerias are ready to serve you.
Here are the nominees for “Best Pizza Place in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite pizzeria? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for the Best Coffee Shop in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Mortgage Lender in Arlington. The results are now official:
Whether it’s a morning coffee run or an afternoon pick-me-up, Arlington’s coffee shops are ready to make your specialty iced latte, cold brew or hot cup of joe.
Here are the nominees for “Best Coffee Shop in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite cafe? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for the Best Mortgage Lender in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Japanese Restaurant in Arlington. The results are now official:
In search of a trustworthy, reliable mortgage service to help finance your home? Arlington has plenty of lenders to choose from.
Here are the nominees for “Best Mortgage Lender in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite lender or organization? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for the Best Japanese Restaurant in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Hardware Store in Arlington. The results are now official:
It’s now officially fall, and Halloween decorations are just starting to proliferate across Arlington.
While the Halloween displays in stores may start in August, pumpkins and other decor typically don’t start appearing in yards, front entrances and balconies until well into September.
But there is wide variance in when those Halloween decorations go up. Some people might get started early in September, while others wait until just before the big day in late October.
What’s the most common time to put out the spooky decorations in Arlington? Let’s find out.
Maybe it seemed like a good idea at the time.
In 2023, amid debate about a bill adding 28 daily flights and easing restrictions on long distance flights at Reagan National Airport, ARLnow ran an unscientific poll asking readers what they thought.
Arlington is home to some must-try spots for Japanese cuisine with delicious options for ramen, sushi and more.
Here are the nominees for “Best Japanese Restaurant in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite restaurant? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for the Best Hardware Store in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best New Restaurant in Arlington. The results are now official:
A selection of trusty stores in Arlington carry goods to meet a variety of hardware and home improvement needs.
Here are the nominees for “Best Hardware Store in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite store? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for the Best New Restaurant in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best HVAC Company in Arlington. The results are now official:
For much of August and September so far, the weather has been great.
With the exception of a couple of rainy days, we’ve been enjoying dry weather with comfortable temperatures for nearly a month.
The biggest downside of this streak of nice weather is a worsening drought in the region.
After a very dry August & start to September, drought conditions have returned to much of the area. With little to no rain expected over the next 7-10 days expect further expansion of drought across the region. For more info visit: https://t.co/MP9jYThP7J. #MDwx #VAwx #WVwx #DCwx pic.twitter.com/Fn47fSkwin
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) September 11, 2025
Drought update: DC's western suburbs have been downgraded from "abnormally dry" to "moderate drought" in the federal government's latest U.S. Drought Monitor, issued today (Thursday). Rain prospects aren't great in the short term. More details: https://t.co/O5ePGELlht pic.twitter.com/0mkvVdWcGg
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) September 11, 2025
Another potential downside, at least in the eyes of some? Decreased productivity.
This late August/early September weather pattern is familiar to many who’ve lived in the area for awhile, and we often associate it with the lazy last days of pre-Labor Day summer.
But with the good times extending into mid-September, there may be some out there who have yet to shake off summer vacation mode and kick into the usual higher fall gear. And why not — maybe staying in summer mode helps some delay the full onset of seasonal affective disorder.
Admittedly, this is a highly vibes-based theory, and probably doesn’t apply to many. But there’s also some research behind why one might be less productive when rainy days are few and far between.
Does any of this describe you? Are you not getting as much done — at home, at work, or both — as usual, perhaps as a result of the temptation to be outside and active instead? Or are you unaffected by the sunny September bliss outside and staying as productive as usual? Let’s find out.
Several years ago, ARLnow stopped publishing letters to the editor and opinion columns.
Whereas opinion content in print newspapers was largely confined to its own section, clearly separate from the news, the internet flattens content and makes every post “headline news” somewhere, from social feeds to search results to email newsletters. We heard from many readers who voiced concerns less at the ideas expressed in opinion articles and more so in ARLnow’s decision to “highlight” them.
Given that our primary focus is reporting the news, it wasn’t too hard of a decision to pull back on publishing opinion content. After all, those who want to voice their thoughts on local issues can always do so in our comment section.
But the comment section itself has not been immune to the broader deterioration of online engagement, which has over time resulted it in becoming more of a battleground for political takes than the forum for purely local insights and discourse that many would prefer.
So in an attempt to bring back more longer-form local opinion and analysis, we’re bringing back letters to the editor. But with a twist.
We’ve created our own Letter to the Editor forum, where anyone can submit letters for all to read, upvote and comment on, and for ARLnow to consider for publication. We’ve yet to decide if and how we will publish letters to the editor on the site — that will depend on the volume and quality of the submissions we receive.
We’d appreciate any feedback on this new offering, including bug reports (this is a beta version, after all). Please email us with your thoughts.
Happy posting!
Dozens of new restaurants have landed in Arlington over the past few months, adding to the county’s diverse dining scene. New offerings this year range from French-American and Nepalese cuisine to sushi and Italian subs.
Here are the nominees for “Best New Restaurant in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite new restaurant? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for the Best HVAC Company in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Preschool in Arlington. The results are now official:
Summer is ending but lottery fever is heating up.
The Powerball jackpot is now well above the $1 billion mark, with another drawing set for tonight.
From the Associated Press:
An estimated $1.4 billion lottery jackpot will be up for grabs Wednesday night thanks to dozens of drawings without a big winner.
The massive Powerball prize is the sixth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot. It’s a result of 40 consecutive drawings stretching over the summer without anyone matching all of the game’s six numbers.
No one has won the grand prize since May 31, and the 41st drawing on Wednesday will be just one fewer than the record set last year.
All of that losing stems from Powerball’s abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million, though lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes. There are three drawings each week.
The $1.4 billion jackpot is for a winner who opts to receive 30 payments over 29 years through an annuity. Winners almost always choose the game’s cash option, which for this drawing would be an estimated $634.3 million.
Powerball tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
ARLnow has conducted (unscientific) polls for previous billion-dollar plus jackpots, finding…
Today we’re simply wondering whether you’ve bought or are planning to buy a ticket for tonight’s big drawing.
