During a year of shake-ups and flagging sales at the Kennedy Center, several performing arts groups in Arlington enjoyed significant success in 2025.
Leaders of local groups say that it’s difficult to tell whether they’ve directly benefited from this year’s upheaval across the Potomac, which most recently included a vote to rename D.C.’s premier performing arts center as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” last week.
The rivalry is decades old, but there was something brand new in this season’s first of two regular-season all-Arlington girls neighborhood basketball clashes between the Washington-Liberty Generals and Yorktown Patriots.
The head coaches of both high-school teams are brand new this season as they led the Dec. 19 showdown at Washington-Liberty.
Summer in Arlington means packed farmers markets, community events and plenty of dogs enjoying the outdoors alongside their owners. For Chippin, a pet food company scaling the use of sustainable proteins, these summer traditions have been more than just a part of local life. They have helped shape the company’s growth.
Headquartered in Arlington since 2021, Chippin attends dozens of events across the DMV each summer. The company is inspired by the unique ability pets have to bring people together and spark conversations that might not otherwise happen. A simple “Would your dog like a treat?” has opened the door to discussions about everything from digestive health and food allergies to stories about flying invasive fish and the environmental impact of traditional protein sourcing.
Founded on the belief that environmental challenges can become opportunities for innovation, Chippin built a consumer brand around alternative proteins, including cricket protein and invasive silver carp. Their work with invasive carp has been supported by conservation leaders, including the World Wildlife Fund, as an example of how market-based solutions can address environmental challenges. By creating economic value for an invasive species, the company helps align ecological restoration with commercial opportunity.
As the company has grown, so has the opportunity. What began as a pet food brand is now evolving into a broader ingredient platform. This year, Chippin launched IGNIZA, an ingredient platform designed to unlock nature-positive proteins for the pet food industry, starting with invasive silver carp.
The company is already expanding beyond carp. Through a USDA-funded initiative, IGNIZA is developing supply chains around invasive blue catfish, a species threatening the health of the Chesapeake Bay. By creating commercial demand for invasive species, the company is advancing market-based solutions that benefit ecosystems, local economies and domestic supply chains.
Arlington has been the ideal place to launch and scale this vision. The unique combination of a highly educated workforce, thriving startup and technology ecosystem, and proximity to Washington, D.C. has enabled Chippin to build partnerships with conservation organizations, government agencies and mission-driven businesses working to solve complex environmental challenges.
Just as importantly, Arlington’s dog-loving community has helped inspire the company’s evolution as it works to build the next generation of sustainable pet food ingredients.
This summer, as the team continues meeting dogs and their owners across the region, they are reminded that some of the best business ideas start with a simple conversation. Sometimes, that conversation begins with a dog treat.
Arlington Economic Development supports innovative companies like Chippin as they grow and scale in the region. Learn more about resources for startups and mission-driven businesses.
A lottery ticket from a Falls Church wholesale store was worth $50,000 in a Powerball drawing over the weekend.
BJ’s Wholesale Club (6607 Wilson Blvd) sold the ticket, which was one of five $50,000 winners statewide. The winner beat roughly 1 in 900,000 odds to successfully match four numbers plus the Powerball.
A long-awaited confectionery shop in Clarendon has opened just in time for the Christmas season.
Kilwins, located on the ground floor of The Hartford Building at 3101 Wilson Blvd, opened for business on Friday. Joining other locations in D.C. and Alexandria, it offers an array of chocolates, ice cream and other classic treats.
The watch party scheduled for Wednesday, June 24 has been adjusted to 8 p.m. entry for the 9 p.m. Czechia (Czech Republic) vs. Mexico match!
The world’s biggest matches deserve a bigger crowd, so join us this summer on Wednesdays for all the FIFA World Cup 26™ action at Arlington Mill Community Center. Experience the passion, drama, and nonstop excitement of international soccer on the big screen, surrounded by fellow fans, music, games, and high-energy vibes.
Trash collection will be pushed back a day on Thursday while various Arlington County facilities shut down for Christmas.
No waste will be picked up on Christmas Day, so Thursday routes will be serviced on Friday, and Friday routes will move to Saturday.
September jobs data delayed by the federal government shutdown show a 34% year-over-year increase in Arlington residents reported as unemployed, with the rate increasing 54% in Falls Church.
A total of 148,251 county residents were reported employed in the civilian workforce in September, according to figures reported Dec. 18 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.
The county government’s arborist is pushing back on accusations that an iconic tree was removed needlessly from a Lyon Park median.
But local residents aghast at the removal aren’t letting the county government off the hook for its actions.
New APS Labor Agreement –“The Arlington School Board today certified a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between Arlington Public Schools (APS) and the Arlington School Administrators (ASA)… The APS–ASA successor agreement signed today is the most comprehensive administrative collective bargaining agreement in the Commonwealth.” [Press Release]
County Tops LGBTQ Rating — “Arlington County earned a perfect score – 100 out of 100 – on the Human Rights Campaign’s 14th annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI). The MEI examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ+ people who live and work there. Arlington again received a score of 100 – plus an additional 16 bonus points – on the MEI Scorecard.” [Arlington County]
Video: Pentagon City Crash — “The changes @ArlingtonDES made with the Army Navy Drive Complete Street Project seem to have greatly reduced the number of crashes at this intersection (once the lights were better aligned). This is the first one I’ve seen in a while.” [Dave Statter/X]
Trees Cut Along Route 50 — “Looks like someone took a machete to all of the young recently-planted sapling trees along Arlington Blvd between N Courthouse Rd and 10th St N. There are now yard signs warning people that damaging the trees is a class 3 misdemeanor.” [Adam Theo/Bluesky]
New Chick-fil-A at DCA — “Christmas came early and Chick-fil-A is back and better than ever!!!!!!! The newly expanded restaurant reopened today, bringing back fan favorites, just in time for your holiday travels. National Hall, near the D Gates.” [Reagan Airport/X]
Spanberger’s Latest Plans — “Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) began rolling out specifics Thursday of how she plans to deliver a more affordable Virginia, offering proposed legislation in areas of health care, housing and energy that she said uphold the promises that got her elected last month.” [Washington Post]
Latest on Legion Bridge — “The Trump administration appears to be growing impatient with a perceived lack of progress by Maryland to replace the American Legion Memorial Bridge. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced last week (Dec. 9) that the Federal Highway Administration will seek feedback and proposals on ways to accelerate the delivery of a new bridge in the hopes of relieving congestion on the Capital Beltway.” [FFXnow]
Trump’s Name Now on Kennedy Center — “The Kennedy Center installed President Donald Trump’s name on its exterior Friday morning, a dramatic change to a building established by law as a “living memorial” to a slain president.” [Washington Post]
It’s Monday — The skies will gradually become cloudy, reaching a high temperature of around 44 degrees, accompanied by a light southwestern wind. Monday night, there is a 40% chance of rain and snow occurring from 1 am to 4 am, followed by a possibility of rain after 4 am. With an expected low of 35 degrees, the light south wind will intensify to 5-10 mph later in the evening. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been decking the halls at 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 to keep your season merry and bright.
Photo courtesy Tom Mockler/X
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 — Dec 19, 2025.
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 a mostly sunny day with a high temperature near 44 degrees, as calm winds in the morning shift to the south, ranging from 5 to 9 mph. For Saturday night, skies will be partly cloudy, with the temperature dropping to around 36 degrees and a south wind blowing between 8 to 11 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“The mind is everything. What you think you become.”
– Buddha
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. 👋
