Don’t look now, but Covid cases are on the rise again in Arlington.
Daily case averages are still well below the levels seen earlier in the year, but the trajectory is upward, Virginia Dept. of Health data shows. As of Wednesday, the seven-day case average in Arlington was 57 cases per day, high highest point since September.
Longtime Dry Cleaner Closing — “Pentagon Row Cleaners are closing their doors permanently on December 31st after 20+ years in business.” [Twitter]
Garvey Wins Regional Gov’t Award — “At its Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon today, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) presented its three highest honors to area public and private sector leaders. Arlington County Board Member Libby Garvey, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority CEO Monica Backmon, and the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, represented by Director Catherine Buell, were each recognized for their service and contributions to the region.” [MWCOG]
Arlington’s small business community is strong and resilient. However, local businesses continue to face challenges from economic uncertainty, drops in consumer confidence, losses in access to capital, and disruptions from artificial intelligence. BizLaunch, a division of Arlington Economic Development, continues to rise to the challenge by supporting over 6,000 small businesses in Arlington with one-on-one counseling, innovative programming and robust marketing to encourage consumers to shop locally.
During a recent presentation to the Small Business Coordinating Council, BizLaunch Director Tara Palacios highlighted fiscal year 2026 results that underscore both the impact of Arlington’s business support programs and the pressures ahead.
BizLaunch provided technical assistance to entrepreneurs at a level 56% above its annual goal, reflecting sustained demand for one-on-one advising and business guidance. The division also served a diverse business community, including 52% women-owned businesses and 45% minority-owned enterprises. Nearly a quarter — 24% — of clients were in food and retail, industries that continue to face heightened economic pressure.
Major marketing and PR campaigns drove engagement across Arlington. Small Business Saturday, one of BizLaunch’s signature programs, prompted more than 4,141 transactions and $211,862 in consumer spending through the Open Rewards incentive, supported by a $10,625 investment of County funds. A coordinated marketing campaign with the BIDs and Partnerships further amplified the effort, generating more than 56,000 organic social media impressions, 44,000 video views and 1,619 engagements, along with nearly 2,000 paid ad clicks.
Support for business development through programming has also expanded. The BizLaunch Transformational Challenge and Pitchfest drew 40 participants for a five-week training program covering strategic planning, marketing, artificial intelligence and financial management. Participants developed pitch decks and presented to a panel of private lenders and business leaders. In all $25,000 was awarded to local businesses through the pitch event which came from private donations and contributions from the Industrial Development Authority. (more…)
This past week saw 20 homes sold in Arlington.
The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $157,000 while the most expensive was $2,425,000.
Arlington Public Schools will open on a two-hour delay on Thursday due to expected freezing rain, the school system just announced.
APS follows Fairfax County Public Schools in announcing a two hour delay tonight. Other Northern Virginia districts have announced weather plans ranging from two hour delays to closures.
Due to the extended period of extreme heat forecasted for the next several days in our area, the Civic Jam event originally scheduled for Friday, July 3, 2026, has been postponed to Friday, July 24, 2026.
Commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of the United States of America at Civic Jam! Celebrate the City of Falls Church’s diverse community, civic engagement, and classic summer fun. Jam out to live, local music, sip on local brews, enjoy tasty treats and eats, and a full evening of festivities for all ages on Friday, July 3, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m.
Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Today we published 5 articles that were read a total of 14434 times… so far.
The following are the most-read articles for today — Dec 14, 2022.
A recent Miss Arlington is competing in the finals of the Miss America competition this week.
Last year’s Miss Arlington, Victoria Chuah, is looking to add another crown to her collection on Thursday. She is set to compete against 50 others, including Miss District of Columbia, for the title of Miss America.
Philz Coffee in Ballston is closing at the end of the week.
The San Francisco-based coffee shop located in the Ballston Exchange development is set to shutter on Friday, a note on the door confirms.
The former owner of a coffee shop in Rosslyn has been convicted of an extensive credit card fraud scheme.
Adiam Berhane, 50, was the co-owner of Caffe Aficionado in Rosslyn, which was open from 2013 until 2016, when the cafe was shut down following a police raid. Federal prosecutors said Berhane used the cafe to process fraudulent payments after obtaining stolen credit card information from the internet — and last week a federal jury in Alexandria agreed.
Gunfire Damage Discovered by Maintenance — “At approximately 9:58 a.m. on December 12, police were dispatched to the late report of suspicious circumstances. Upon arrival, it was determined that a residential maintenance crew responded to a service request from December 10 and observed an apparent bullet hole inside the apartment. Responding officers recovered evidence of a firearm being discharged. No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.” [ACPD]
ACFD Message to Motorists — “DRIVERS: Please do not block the entrance to our fire stations!! Blocked entrances like the one seen here in #Ballston prevent our units from responding to emergencies. When minutes and seconds matter, a blocked box like this could be the difference between life and death!” [Twitter]
