County Board members have approved new rooftop solar panels at four more county buildings, including Central Library.
Collectively, the installations are anticipated to save the county government about $850,000 in utility costs over a 25-year period.
This winter’s “snowcrete” storm cost Reagan National Airport some passengers, but the looming spring-break season may turn things around.
January’s enplanements at Reagan National stood at just over 820,000, down 5.1% from a year before, according to data presented March 18 to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) board of directors.
This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at [email protected].
Question: How much of an impact do you think the ROAD to Housing Act will have on housing affordability in Arlington?
Answer: The Road to Housing Act became law ten days ago, with the stated goal of improving housing affordability in the United States.
I don’t see many policies in the Act that will improve affordability in the Arlington/Northern VA/DC Metro markets, outside of incentives for more affordable multi-family housing, but there are policies that should improve affordability in other markets that are more saturated with institutional investors that own swaths of single-family homes (e.g. Atlanta and Phoenix) and for manufactured/mobile homes.
The Local Conversation Needs to Change
If we are going to improve affordability in our market, most of the change has to be done locally/regionally, not nationally, but it requires a paradigm shift in how we discuss and solve for housing affordability.
Affordability Disconnect: Near Term Expectations Not Realistic
A disconnect between housing affordability expectations and reality prevents the right community and political conversations from happening. We expect/demand housing affordability immediately, ignoring the difficulty, and consequences, of achieving it that quickly.
Stable and healthy housing affordability is a long-term process requiring gradual change over a 10-15+ year period.
Demand-Side Solutions Won’t Work
Demand-side solutions, such as lower interest rates or easier financing, artificially inflate home values, as seen during the COVID-era housing boom and early 2000s. They are not a good long-term solution to affordability because they push values even higher (along with your property taxes) and affordability gets worse when rates/lending normalize and no longer provide artificially low monthly payments.
Supply-Side Solutions Are Not Immediate
Most policy discussions focus on supply-side solutions: building more/faster and denser housing (e.g. Arlington’s Missing Middle/Expanded Housing Option), incentivizing more existing home sales, or disincentivizing concentrated ownership by companies and individuals. Econ 101 tells us that more supply = lower prices = affordable housing (winner winner!).
This is the only path to stable, long-term housing affordability…BUT, at current interest rates, prices must drop 30-35% in the United States to become affordable, at current income levels. A 30-35% drop in home values would devastate the economy, so a supply-side solution won’t (shouldn’t) provide immediate affordability. (more…)
Beyer Blasts Trump on Iran — Rep. Don Beyer (D) called the president’s handling of the Iran conflict a “clown show,” posting that Trump “was awfully concerned about the ‘pallets of cash’ sent to Iran a decade ago, but is now going to give them nearly 10x that amount in the middle of a war.” In a separate post, Beyer called the president’s behavior “increasingly erratic” and “a clear and growing threat.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X, Rep. Don Beyer/X]
Redistricting Referendum Jitters — “It’s not a done deal by any means,” Rep. Beyer said of the upcoming Virginia redistricting referendum, adding that Democrats will need to persuade voters to “hold their nose on gerrymandering because this is a response to Trump’s gerrymandering.” [NBC 4]
AG Sues Over Tegna Merger — Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones (D) and seven other state AGs filed a lawsuit to block Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion takeover of Tysons-based Tegna, arguing the merger would reduce competition in local news. The FCC had approved the deal earlier the same day. [FFXnow]
Courthouse Market Expanding — The Saturday morning Arlington Farmers Market in the Courthouse parking lot is expanding by 4,000 square feet and nearly 20 tents for the season, beginning April 4. The market, contracted out to FRESHFARM, doubles SNAP benefits and accepts SFMNP. [Arlington County]
Remembering ‘Rusty’ Lynn — E. Russell “Rusty” Lynn Jr., 83, of Arlington, died Feb. 22. A Presbyterian pastor turned licensed clinical social worker, he worked at the Whitman-Walker Clinic during the AIDS crisis and married his husband Ed at Clarendon Presbyterian Church in 2015. A memorial service will be held April 18. [Washington Post]
That Loud Boom, Explained — The NWS says the loud “boom” heard Friday evening was a powerful positive cloud-to-ground lightning strike in Frederick County, Md. A temperature inversion near the ground acted “like an echo chamber,” making the already powerful strike seem even louder. [NWS/X]
Cherry Blossom Picks — The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs through April 12, and Axios has a local’s guide to the best events, including the Blossom Kite Festival (March 28), the Oxon Run Pinknic (March 29) and the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival (April 11–12). [Axios]
Guard Deployment Extended — The Pentagon is planning to keep National Guard members deployed in D.C. until 2029, the end of President Trump’s term. “It could be $1.6 million a day,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said. “I don’t get the point.” [WJLA]
It’s Monday — Rain showers this morning taper off around 10 a.m., giving way to partly sunny skies with a high near 60. North winds 8–16 mph with gusts up to 29 mph. Tonight clears out with a low around 33. [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 ksrjghkegkdhgkk
As the summer is winding down, Art House 7 is gearing up for August Classes! Offerings include painting, drawing, cartooning, mixed media, and printmaking. Some highlights: Animals of the Serengeti, k-2nd; Digital Art, 4th-6th grades; Painting Metal with Watercolor, Adults. Classes are 3-4 weeks: a short commitment for a lot of creative output. Check out everything on our website.
August Classes at Art House 7:
A combination of dry conditions, wind and warm temperatures will raise the risk of brush fires today.
The National Weather Service just issued a Special Weather Statement warning of the extra fire danger.
Join the Rosslyn BID and Arlington Arts at the 34th Rosslyn Jazz Fest 2026 featuring live jazz, food trucks, local vendors, and family-friendly activities in the heart of Rosslyn! This year’s lineup is bringing a diverse mix of performers and bands redefining the jazz music genre including Plena Libre, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, Parlor Greens, and Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band.
Good Friday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Mar 20, 2026.
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 66 degrees and a gentle north wind blowing at 6 to 8 mph. Saturday night will be partly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 48 degrees, and winds shifting from the east to south at 6 mph after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
– Nelson Mandela
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum. 👋
The House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed Arlington’s commonwealth’s attorney, the latest escalation in a months-long dispute over her handling of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has filed a subpoena seeking to compel Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti to release numerous documents related to a case involving the search and seizure of an activist’s cellphone.
A 26-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting two Arlington police officers without provocation early this morning (Friday).
Quinton Berry, an Alexandria resident, was “bloody and agitated” when he allegedly approached two officers whose police vehicle was stopped at a traffic light in Clarendon around 3 a.m., the Arlington County Police Department said in a press release.
A longtime Thai restaurant and sushi bar has closed for business in Clarendon, but it appears the business won’t be gone for long.
Rien Tong Thai Asian Restaurant & Sushi Bar plans to spend the next 10 months rebranding at 3131 Wilson Blvd, located just across the street from the Clarendon Metro station. A message posted in the restaurant’s windows teases improvements under new management.
Lane closures are coming to the George Washington Memorial Parkway starting next week, for a resurfacing project.
Crews will remove the top layer of worn asphalt in both directions and repave the road in two sections: between Spout Run Parkway and I-395, and between Reagan National Airport and First Street in Alexandria, according to NPS. The work is expected to continue through mid-June, weather permitting.
Local entrepreneur MaryBeth Powers is being featured on an episode of Women in Power, a series that highlights inspiring women whose passion, perseverance, and purpose have made a meaningful impact in their communities.
The episode shares the remarkable story behind Teddy’s Turmeric Tamer®, an all-natural daily wellness topper for dogs that was born from love and determination. After MaryBeth’s beloved dog, Teddy, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and given just 2–4 weeks to live, she refused to give up hope. Through extensive research and a commitment to natural wellness, she created a unique blend of premium ingredients to support Teddy’s health. Teddy went on to enjoy three more years filled with love, comfort and quality of life.
