News

A new bus route will offer Shirlington residents a direct connection to D.C. during rush hour.

The new A29 route will run between Van Dorn Street Station and Metro Center via the I-395 express lanes, with stops at Beauregard Street, Mark Center and Southern Towers in Alexandria in addition to the Shirlington Transit Center.


Around Town

Two nature centers in Arlington are collecting letters to Santa Claus along with food donations this holiday season.

Both the Gulf Branch Nature Center (3608 Military Road) and the Long Branch Nature Center (625 S. Carlin Springs Road) are collecting Santa letters through Dec. 24.


Sponsored

This summer, Arlington residents and visitors are invited to experience the creative energy of the 2700 Art Space through two community celebrations honoring newly completed public artworks by artists MasPaz and Adam Henry. These events showcase how art can transform public spaces into places of connection, discovery, and belonging.

Located along the Four Mile Run Valley corridor, the 2700 Art Space is a flexible outdoor arts and maker space designed to host public art, performances, workshops, markets, and cultural programming. Developed through community input, the site reflects Arlington’s commitment to investing in arts and culture as essential ingredients of vibrant neighborhoods and a thriving local economy.

The two celebrations mark the culmination of Arlington Arts’ inaugural AIR@2700 Artist-in-Residence program, a National Endowment for the Arts-supported initiative. Through murals, sculpture, concerts, workshops, and community engagement, the program demonstrates how artists can help strengthen community identity and create a greater sense of place.

On Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the public is invited to Meet MasPaz, a community celebration honoring the completion of a dynamic new mural at Arlington Arts. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the artist, learn about his creative process, and participate in hands-on artmaking activities at 2700 S. Nelson Street.

MasPaz, also known as Federico Frum, is an Arlington-raised artist whose work blends contemporary street art with influences from his Colombian heritage. His murals often incorporate Indigenous-inspired patterns, environmental themes, and visual storytelling that reflect the diversity  of the communities where they are created. Through his residency, MasPaz has transformed the Cultural Affairs facade l into a colorful landmark that invites reflection, conversation, and connection. (more…)


Sports

A total of 17 players from Arlington’s three public high-school varsity football teams were chosen all-region for their performances during the 2025 season.

The two players chosen 6D North Region first-team on defense were seniors, who coincidentally wore uniform number 99. One was middle linebacker Sean Perry of the Wakefield Warriors and the other was lineman Bobby Shea of the Liberty District champion Yorktown Patriots.


Around Town

A long-awaited sports bar in Virginia Square plans to open its doors early next year.

Mid-February is the current target for Wood & Iron, a Richmond-based business selling classic bar favorites like jumbo pretzels, smoked jalapeño poppers, burgers and wings, co-owner Steve Rogge told ARLnow.


Event

We’re ending Movie Nights on the Pike with a scream.

Join us at Penrose Square for a special outdoor screening of I Know What You Did Last Summer, the iconic summer slasher that became a defining horror film of the late 1990s.


News

Falls Church homeowners may or may not see a dip in real estate taxes next year as property assessments continue to rise.

At a Dec. 3 planning session of City Council members, there was general consensus around the desire to lower the current tax rate to offset expected higher home-assessment values. But doing so was left as a goal, rather than made a requirement, as city staff begins developing the fiscal year 2027 budget.


News

Candidates seeking to become Arlington’s next Democratic chair made their pitch to the party’s rank-and-file last week.

Tony Weaver and Paul Ruiz are vying to succeed Steve Baker, who has been at the Democratic helm for four years. Voting in early January will decide the race.


News

The chair of the Arlington County Republican Committee is not planning to seek the soon-to-be vacant chairmanship of the Republican Party of Virginia (RPV).

But Matthew Hurtt has strong ideas about the qualities required of the next party leader — including the need to devote 100% of their effort to the position.


News
Snow, holiday lights and the Clarendon Metro station on Friday night (courtesy George Brazier)

Big Crowd for Wreath Event — “Each year, before Wreaths Across America Day, family pass holders visit Arlington National Cemetery to honor their loved ones by placing a wreath at their grave or columbarium niche. This year, 2025, marked the most-attended Family Pass Holder Day since the event’s inception, and we would like to express our deepest apologies for the delayed entry into the cemetery and to those who were unable to participate today.” [ANC/X, ARLnow/X]

Looking for Hit-and-Run Driver — “This is video from a hit and run crash on N. 26th Street between N. Glebe and N. Wakefield around 6 p.m. Saturday. The white Toyota truck with a contractor rack struck and totaled a parked car. It continued east toward Military Road with significant right front damage.” [Dave Statter/X]

Regional Water Warning — “New research from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin shows the region’s water supply could fail to meet the area’s needs by 2030, in the event of an extreme drought. Changing weather patterns and increased water would strain the Potomac River, which serves as the primary — and, in some cases, sole — water supply for water companies in D.C., Virginia and Maryland.” [WTOP]

Data Center Power Bill — “Virginia lawmakers are considering legislation that would give utility companies authority to delay service to the state’s largest power users, which could have ramifications for data center development in Northern Virginia. A draft bill… seeks to amend the state’s duty‑to‑serve statute by explicitly allowing utilities to postpone providing service to customers whose demand is expected to exceed 90 megawatts — enough power for about 27,000 homes.” [WBJ]

New Legal Notice — ABC application: restaurant selling alcohol on/off premises; 30-day objections. [Public Notices]

It’s Monday — Expect a slight chance of snow from 8am to 2pm, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 32. The northeast wind will be 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 20 mph, and a 20% chance of precipitation. Monday night, the clouds will gradually clear, and the temperature will drop to around 20. The north wind will be around 6 mph, becoming calm in the evening. [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.


Around Town

Good Friday 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 — Dec 5, 2025.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. What we know about the discount grocery store coming to Falls Church (10485 views)
  2. NEW: Another Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Friday night (13764 views)
  3. Union Kitchen closes in Ballston after five years (8533 views)
  4. Long-delayed Columbia Pike redevelopment project moves toward final approval (8353 views)
  5. Feedback sought on 47-unit townhouse project off of Langston Blvd (7068 views)
  6. Decline in visitors at Arlington hotels raises concerns for local economy (6873 views)
  7. Clarendon code-enforcement efforts earn mixed reviews from neighbors (6293 views)
  8. Police: Alexandria man driving wrong way threatened traffic safety worker in Clarendon (5809 views)
  9. JUST IN: Two hour delay for Arlington Public Schools due to snow (5420 views)
  10. Car slams into bus shelter near Ballston, sending glass and trash flying (6246 views)
  11. Former elected officials raise concerns about moving too fast on Arlington governance changes (4248 views)
  12. New GOP challenger seeks to take on Beyer in 2026 (4087 views)
  13. Winter Weather Advisory issued ahead of “potential winter commuting hazard” Friday (4063 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

🌤️ Saturday’s forecast

Patchy fog is expected to clear by 11am, making way for a partly sunny day with a high of around 42. Winds will be light and variable. For Saturday night, the sky will be mostly clear, and temperatures will drop to around 29 accompanied by light and variable winds. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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. 👋