Around Town

Van Leeuwen’s new Clarendon shop will celebrate a grand opening this week with discounted scoops and a tote bag giveaway.

The New York City-based chain is set to open its doors at 2831 Clarendon Blvd this Friday, Oct. 17. The incoming business replaces the longtime ice cream parlor Nicecream, which closed in August after 11 years at the address.


Schools

Arlington school leaders have announced their timeline for negotiating new health-insurance agreements next year, hoping to avoid catching employees by surprise this time.

This time, school leaders are committed to “make sure everybody’s crystal clear” on the process, School Board member Mary Kadera said.


Sponsored

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.

On April 16 – just yesterday – The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) publicly released its precedent decision in Matter of M-K-, 29 I&N Dec. 556 (BIA 2026), the immigration case of Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student, Mahmoud Khalil. Though the decision was originally issued on April 9, 2026, its designation and publication today as binding BIA precedent makes it significantly more consequential, because the ruling now is binding precedent within the immigration court system. (more…)


News

The political equivalent of speed dating drew candidates and voters to Walter Reed Community Center on Saturday, Oct. 11.

Contenders for local and legislative offices sat down with the electorate in small groups during the annual get-to-know-you session, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City.


News

Approval of another office-to-residential conversion, amendments to tenant-relocation guidelines and possible changes to towing rates will highlight this month’s County Board meeting.

A public hearing on just one item will be held before adoption during this Saturday’s meeting. All 33 other items slated for action that day are on the Board’s consent agenda, but individual items could be pulled off public hearings on the recessed meeting of Tuesday, Oct. 21.


News
Rocking the vote in Courthouse (courtesy George Brazier)

Rise in Federal Retirements — “This mass exodus — unprecedented in its scale — includes 154,000 federal employees who accepted buyout offers and were largely removed from the payroll as of the end of last month. Some of those are among nearly 105,000 employees who took regular retirement during the fiscal year that ended in September, an 18 percent surge from the previous year.” [Washington Post]

Pedestrian Struck By SUV — “File this under, “This could have been a lot worse.” Indications are there were no serious injuries when a car crossed into oncoming traffic, clipped another car, ran onto the sidewalk, and hit a person who tried to get out of the way. This was during the noon hour at N. George Mason and Wilson.” [Dave Statter/X]

Pepper Sprayed in Pentagon City — “1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 6:04 p.m. on October 11, police were dispatched to the report of an assault. The preliminary investigation indicates the teenage female victim was approached by two teenage female suspects who are known to her and with whom she has had an ongoing dispute. The suspects assaulted her and discharged pepper spray before fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]

Renovated Hospice Center — “Diane and David Guernsey, longtime community supporters and advocates for hospice care, joined Capital Caring Health to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Guernsey Center for Caring in Arlington, Virginia. Their generous gift made the renovation possible, helping expand access to compassionate, nonprofit hospice care across the region.” [WJLA]

Rise in Va. Revenue — “Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that general fund revenues increased 5.1 percent ($374.4 million) year-over-year through the first three months of Fiscal Year 2026 and that for the month of September, total general fund revenues increased 2.7 percent ($87.6 million) versus September last year.” [Press Release]

More EDVA Turmoil — “Maggie Cleary — the senior Justice Department prosecutor who briefly led the powerful US attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia last month before Trump ally Lindsey Halligan took over — has been removed from the office, according to two people familiar with the matter.” [CNN]

Reminder: Restaurant Week — “Over 80 Arlington restaurants plan to offer discounts, specials and prix fixe meals from Oct. 13-20 as part of the yearly promotion by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. Participants range from fast-casual to formal dining.” [ARLnow]

Candidate Essay Recap — Yesterday, ARLnow published “Why you should vote for me” essays from candidates for public office in competitive Arlington races, including: Del. Patrick Hope (House of Delegates, 1st District); Del. Adele McClure (House of Delegates, 2nd District); Monique “Moe” Bryant and James ‘Vell’ Rives IV (School Board); and Bob Cambridge, Jeramy Olmack, and Carlos “DC” De Castro Pretelt (County Board). After our submission deadline, we received links to candidate essays from Audrey Clement (County Board) and Wendy Sigley (House of Delegates, 2nd District). Incumbent Arlington County Board member Takis Karantonis did not submit an essay.

It’s Tuesday — The weather will be mostly cloudy and reach a high near 70, accompanied by a north wind at 11 to 14 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. Tuesday night will see mostly clear conditions, with temperatures dropping to around 54 and a north wind around 8 mph. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 13, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☁️ Tuesday’s forecast

The weather will be mostly cloudy and reach a high near 70, accompanied by a north wind at 11 to 14 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. Tuesday night will see mostly clear conditions, with temperatures dropping to around 54 and a north wind around 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
– Albert Schweitzer

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

Thanks for reading! 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.


Around Town

An Arlington man is preparing to scale the highest peak in Africa with a prosthetic leg, aiming to fundraise for clean water and inspire other amputees.

Jacob Rainey, who walks with an artificial right leg, is embarking on a seven-day, 43-mile challenge to hike Mount Kilimanjaro this February. Alongside a group including veterans and former athletes, he is raising funds for Waterboys, a clean water advocacy initiative by former NFL defensive end Chris Long.


News

Some public-safety heroes walk on two legs while others walk on four, Sheriff Jose Quiroz noted as Arlington County Crime Solvers saluted the 13 K9 teams serving with local agencies.

Each of the dogs and their handlers at the Arlington County Police Department and Arlington County Sheriff’s Office have received specialized training to meet a range of challenges in an urban environment. As such, they are collectively deserving of the “Officer of the Year” award, Crime Solvers president Andres Tobar said.


Opinion

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 Carlos “DC” De Castro Pretelt, who is running for County Board.