Thieves did not take the Independence Day holiday off, keeping Arlington police busy this past weekend.
It was a long weekend of vehicular mayhem across the county. In one of the earlier incidents, nearly three dozen vehicles — all Hondas and Acuras — had their airbags stolen overnight Saturday into Sunday in various neighborhoods, including the Rosslyn and Pentagon City areas.
Arlington Rents Continue to Rise — “Apartment rents in Arlington keep on moving upward, maintaining their position as most expensive in the D.C. area and are now well above pre-pandemic rates, according to new data. With a median rental of $2,063 for a one-bedroom unit and $2,469 for two bedrooms, Arlington’s rental rate grew a whopping 2.8 percent from May to June, the sixth highest increase among the nation’s 100 largest urban areas.” [Sun Gazette]
Local Group Donating Thousands of Socks — “The Nursing Professional Development Council at VHC Health decided to have a ‘Sock Hop’ – not a dance party but a sock collection benefiting ‘Doorways,’ an Arlington non-profit helping people out of homelessness, domestic violence and sexual assault. The goal was set at 1,940 pairs – 1940 was the year the Sock Hop started but the generous nurses and staff at VHC Health tripled that number. It’s the biggest sock donation the group has ever received.” [WJLA]
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
Asylum is not granted as a matter of routine. To qualify for asylum, you have to have an objectively reasonable, subjectively genuine fear of persecution if returned to your home country; and, moreover, that fear must be based on a limited number of ‘protected grounds’ – race, religion, political opinion, nationality, or membership in a particular social group. On top of that, even if you do have the aforementioned fear of persecution based on a protected ground, you still have to qualify for asylum as a matter of discretion.
In previous administrations, discretionary denials of otherwise qualifying asylum claims were extremely rare. In the new Trump Administration, of course, all bets are off.
The purpose of this article is twofold: (1) to inform asylum applicants about these new ‘discretion’ questions so they can think carefully about how to answer them, and (2) to inform our fellow citizens about what the current Administration is doing in their name.
Immigration attorneys report that new questions are being asked at asylum interviews which touch on anti-Semitism, anti-Americanism, an asylum applicant’s poverty, health conditions, and wealth, and the applicant’s engagement in the community. Some of these questions aren’t unreasonable, but some are completely bonkers. Here are some of the topics and reported questions for each topic.
Anti-Semitism
Sense of Place Cafe in Arlington Forest is now closed.
The independent coffee shop and cafe in the Arlington Forest Shopping Center at 4807 1st Street N. closed last week, before the July 4 holiday, ownership confirmed to ARLnow. It was located next to Bricks Pizza.
If you’re a college student spending the summer in Arlington — whether you’re interning, working, or just home for a few months — EvolveAll is the place to stay fit, sharpen skills, and be in community.
For just $295, college students get full access to all of EvolveAll’s adult programs from May through August. That means Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, self-defense, yoga, Pilates, and more — a whole community of people who show up, put in the work, and look out for each other.
Salad purveyor Chopt is planning to open its new “eco-conscious” location in Ballston next week.
The chain said in a press release this morning that its shop at 4201 Wilson Blvd, in the Ballston Exchange complex across from Ballston Quarter, will officially open on Wednesday, July 13. We first reported on the new location, which is next to a Shake Shack, in November.
St. Agnes Catholic Church in Arlington, VA is starting a running & walking group. The first event is a 3-mile route on May 14 (Thr) at 7pm starting (and ending at) at Courthaus Social (2300 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201) near Court House Metro. We will run/walk to the Marine Corps Memorial and back. Extra points if you wear Catholic swag (e.g., Notre Dame t-shirt, Georgetown jersey, your hometown elementary school shirt). Please RSVP, so we can keep you updated.
Saturday night’s severe storms caused significant tree damage in parts of northern Arlington.
The southern reaches of the storms that flooded portions of D.C. and suburban Maryland also packed a punch in Arlington, ripping through the northern corner of the county with heavy rain and high winds. Other parts of Arlington only received moderate rainfall.
Last night was basically a perfect night, weatherwise, to watch the July 4 fireworks over the nation’s capital.
Still, with the Air Force Memorial closed, Metro warning of delays, and the usual traffic headaches, perhaps going to watch the fireworks in person was not ideal for everyone.
Raytheon, Boeing Mostly Moving Execs — “The real answer is that these are relatively easy shifts for both new companies — each of which already had a sizable presence here for years. They are both racing to be closer to their top customer, the federal government, in what appears to be a pretty simple change for each. Based on the little that the companies have shared publicly thus far, it’s essentially relocating a few key executives and support staff from one existing office to another.” [Washington Business Journal]
Wardian Completes Coast-to-Coast Run — “Around sunrise on Friday, July 1, 2022, ultrarunner Mike Wardian completed his run across America… [he] was greeted by the soft waves of the Atlantic Ocean and a beautiful sunrise at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.” [iRunFar, Instagram, Washington Post]
Arlington and much of the D.C. area is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
The watch is in effect until 7 p.m.
Another three-day weekend awaits.
Arlington is a great place to be if you want to catch the fireworks display in D.C., whether from up close or afar.
✨You’re invited to one of the most exclusive evenings Washington D.C. has ever seen, a night where the Embassy of France transforms into the heart of Paris. Midnight in Paris blends French elegance, world-class gastronomy, and unforgettable energy without ever leaving D.C.
An experience designed for those who appreciate the finer things in life.
