Around Town

Daydrift, a new West Coast-inspired cafe and bookstore, is opening for business next week in Crystal City.

Starting Monday, the cafe plans to offer food, drinks and a curated range of reads in a warm, relaxing atmosphere at 1550 Crystal Drive, according to a press release. It takes the place of former bakery and cafe Mah-Ze-Dahr, which closed earlier this year. 


News

A preliminary design for a safer intersection in the Dominion Hills area includes a traffic signal, more separation for bike lanes and a flashing beacon for pedestrians.

Respondents have until Monday, Oct. 27 to submit feedback on plans for the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Livingston Street. This is located near Powhatan Springs Park, about half a mile west of another Wilson Blvd intersection where a bicyclist was seriously injured in a crash earlier this month.


Opinion

As cooler temperatures settle in, pest control service providers in Arlington are ready to assist for a range of needs, from general maintenance to pesky infestations.

Here are the nominees for “Best Pest Control Company in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.

Did we miss your favorite organization? Write them in!

Voting will close in two weeks.

Voting for Favorite Local Nonprofit in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.

Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Pizza Place in Arlington. The results are now official:

  1. Pupatella
  2. Wiseguy Pizza
  3. Andy’s Pizza 

Event

Great music, scripture, and prayer mingle together in this ancient evening service as we celebrate Pride and the all-embracing love of God. Join us for this 45 minute service in the beautiful Saint George’s sanctuary. The prelude begins at 3:45 pm and the service is followed by a festive reception. Everyone is welcome at Saint George’s.


Events

A Falls Church sorority chapter is hosting a Halloween-themed collection event for old electronics tomorrow (Saturday).

The city’s Chi Beta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha has planned the “Hallow-E-Waste” event, which will feature daytime trick-or-treating for kids in addition to waste collection.


News

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Democrats are taking steps to redraw their state’s U.S. House districts, hoping to boost their party’s chances in next year’s midterm elections and counter President Donald Trump’s push for more partisan districts in Republican-run states.

Virginia House Speaker Don Scott sent a letter Thursday to members telling them to convene Monday for a special session but did not state a reason. The purpose includes congressional redistricting aimed at gaining more Democratic-held seats, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because they are not authorized to publicly discuss them.


News
Early voting at the Madion Community Center on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 (staff photo)

Flyover Today — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an aircraft flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, October 24, at approximately 11:00AM”

Va. Races Poll — “Support for Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones has tumbled among Virginia voters in the wake of a texting scandal that broke three weeks ago, but likely voters have not transferred much support to his opponent — Republican incumbent Jason S. Miyares — and the race is a tie, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.” [Washington Post]

Reminder: MCM Sunday — “The Marine Corps Marathon is the most heavily attended special event of the year in Arlington. ACPD & our partner agencies are ready to serve & protect the runners, visitors & community during the race on Sunday. Learn about how ACPD protects the county during large-scale events.” [ACPD/X, NBC 4, ARLnow]

Teen Robbery in Ballston — “Three juvenile male suspects followed the juvenile male victim into a building during which they assaulted him and stole a clothing item before fleeing the scene. No injuries were reported. Medics responded and evaluated the victim on scene.” [ACPD]

Fight Feeds Political Narrative — “For days, MAGA media was up in arms over a scuffle at an Arlington GOP party, saying it was liberal agitators. Turns out, it was a pair of GOP operatives beefing with others there. Everyone quickly deleted their tweets.” [Sam Stein/X, The Bulwark]

Closure Causes Aging Concerns — “The recent announcement that Culpepper Garden will close its assisted living wing should alarm every policymaker in Arlington County. For years, Culpepper has been a lifeline for older residents of modest means—people who have lived, worked, and volunteered in Arlington for decades but can no longer afford the area’s soaring housing and care costs.” [Letter to the Editor]

Wonder Food Hall’s Big Expansion — “Upside co-founder Nick Freshman is a skeptic of the hall-less food hall model. ‘I’m not going to say it’s not going to work, but I do think that pushing capital behind a brand can’t solve everything. And while Washington welcomes out-of-towners, Washingtonians really appreciate their homegrown brands.'” [Axios]

State Tests Get Harder — “Schools across Virginia expect to see a dramatic increase in students failing end-of-year exams as the state prepares to implement higher benchmarks for standardized tests. But some state leaders, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), say the changes could give a more accurate picture of student performance.” [Washington Post]

Real Estate Market Eases — “Some good news for wanna-be DMV home buyers: House inventory is up across the region, and prices seem to be stalling, according to Bright MLS’ latest report. It’s another indicator of a softening market in Washington amid government cuts, President Trump’s crackdown and the ongoing shutdown.” [Axios]

No Va. Recession Yet? — “The Youngkin administration and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond are pushing back on a recent analysis saying Virginia is one of 22 states and districts in, or at risk of, a recession. Virginia isn’t immune to a downturn, but local economists and state leaders tell Axios they’re not seeing one yet — even as inflation fatigue, layoffs and a government shutdown make the “recession risk” narrative sound believable to many.” [Axios]

Stormy Halloween Week — “For the past couple of days, we’ve been discussing the possibility of a chilly, stormy weather pattern around Halloween… The best chance of rain is probably on Oct. 29 and 30, rather than on Halloween itself. There’s some chance, however, that storminess lingers into Halloween and it may be rather breezy in the wake of the potential storm.” [CWG]

It’s Friday — Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high temperature near 61, with a northwest wind at 8 to 13 mph in the morning and gusts up to 22 mph. Friday night, skies will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to around 39, accompanied by a northwest wind at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Thursday 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 23, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌥️ Friday’s forecast

Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high temperature near 61. A light west wind will shift to the northwest at 8 to 13 mph in the morning and may gust up to 22 mph. By Friday night, skies will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to around 39, accompanied by a northwest wind at 5 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined.”
– Henry David Thoreau

🌅 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.


Traffic

All northbound lanes of N. Glebe Road were temporarily blocked at N. Carlin Springs Road after a pedestrian was reportedly struck near the entrance to the Ballston mall parking garage.

The incident happened shortly after 4 p.m. Initial reports suggest that a person in a wheelchair was struck by a driver and suffered facial injuries.