From left, Bolfek family members Mark, Justin and Andrew (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)
Three members of the Bolfek family were present and working hard along the sidelines in different roles during an opening-season high-school football game in Arlington between the host Washington-Liberty Generals and visiting Bishop O’Connell Knights.
The youngest of the three was Andrew Bolfek. The 2025 University of Virginia graduate and former W-L starting quarterback was busy in the O’Connell area as a first-year assistant coach for the Knights.
The wait is almost over! This weekend, the heart of Clarendon transforms into an open-air gallery for the 12th Annual Arlington Festival of the Arts and Craft Marketplace.
Whether you’re hunting for the perfect piece to complete your living room, looking for unique handmade jewelry, or just wanting to enjoy a beautiful spring weekend surrounded by creativity, this is the place to be.
Stroll through booths featuring stunning, handmade-in-the-USA artwork—all rigorously vetted by HAE to ensure top-tier quality. Their artists have traveled from near and far to showcase a breathtaking variety of mediums, including:
Runners in Rosslyn near the Netherlands Carillon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
For much of August and September so far, the weather has been great.
With the exception of a couple of rainy days, we’ve been enjoying dry weather with comfortable temperatures for nearly a month.
The biggest downside of this streak of nice weather is a worsening drought in the region.
After a very dry August & start to September, drought conditions have returned to much of the area. With little to no rain expected over the next 7-10 days expect further expansion of drought across the region. For more info visit: https://t.co/MP9jYThP7J. #MDwx#VAwx#WVwx#DCwxpic.twitter.com/Fn47fSkwin
Drought update: DC's western suburbs have been downgraded from "abnormally dry" to "moderate drought" in the federal government's latest U.S. Drought Monitor, issued today (Thursday). Rain prospects aren't great in the short term. More details: https://t.co/O5ePGELlhtpic.twitter.com/0mkvVdWcGg
Another potential downside, at least in the eyes of some? Decreased productivity.
This late August/early September weather pattern is familiar to many who’ve lived in the area for awhile, and we often associate it with the lazy last days of pre-Labor Day summer.
But with the good times extending into mid-September, there may be some out there who have yet to shake off summer vacation mode and kick into the usual higher fall gear. And why not — maybe staying in summer mode helps some delay the full onset of seasonal affective disorder.
Admittedly, this is a highly vibes-based theory, and probably doesn’t apply to many. But there’s also some research behind why one might be less productive when rainy days are few and far between.
Does any of this describe you? Are you not getting as much done — at home, at work, or both — as usual, perhaps as a result of the temptation to be outside and active instead? Or are you unaffected by the sunny September bliss outside and staying as productive as usual? Let’s find out.
A woman pushes a stroller up the hill near the entrance to Upside on Moore in Rosslyn (courtesy George Brazier)
Flyover This Morning — “The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron… will perform a scheduled photoshoot of 6 Thunderbird aircraft in formation, a 7th Thunderbird aircraft will trail the formation to capture imagery over the National Mall and other Washington D.C. landmarks on Friday, September 12, 2025, at approximately 8:15 a.m. In addition, at approximately 8:45 a.m., the team will be joined by a C-17 for one additional pass. The aircraft will depart from the area no later than 8:55 a.m.” [USAF]
Apartment Development Nixed — “JBG Smith Properties is abandoning plans to redevelop a pair of demolished office and retail buildings in Crystal City with more than 1,400 new apartments. The Bethesda firm… won site plan approval from Arlington County in 2023 to construct two 30-story residential-over-retail towers at 223 S. 23rd St. and 2250 Crystal Drive, where once stood the 11-story Crystal City Five office building and a one-story adjacent retail building. But that plan is now terminated.” [WBJ]
Pickup Overturns in Crash — “Accident in #Rosslyn right before the #KeyBridge. Everyone got out of both vehicles and seem to be OK.” [Victoria Sanchez/X]
Long Term Toll of 9/11 — “Fire Captain David Santini remembered the 184 victims who died when a hijacked plane slammed into the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001… Santini also asked people to remember 9/11 first responders who have died in the years following the terrorist attacks.” [WTOP, MWAA Professional Firefighters/X]
New Reading Program — “APS, in partnership with community volunteers, is proud to announce the launch of Readers Rise: Empowering Young Minds Through Reading … The Readers Rise program pairs trained community volunteers with elementary students in grades K–2 at Barrett, Hoffman-Boston and Long Branch elementary schools for one-on-one reading sessions.” [APS]
County, City to Boost Tech Hub — “Economic development leaders in Arlington and Alexandria want to launch a new initiative to expand funding and business training for defense and national security startups, aiming to solidify the growing tech outpost near the Pentagon and Amazon’s HQ2.” [WBJ]
Indecent Exposure Incident — “A 34-year-old man who was arrested for indecent exposure Tuesday night in Green Valley already had an upcoming court appearance scheduled for next week on unrelated drug charges, according to authorities.” [Patch]
Lantern Fly Invasion — “Across the region, weather radars were lighting up Thursday with shades of blue, green and yellow. The signals would ordinarily suggest rain — but no precipitation was in the forecast. Instead, radars have been capturing a massive swarm of spotted lanternflies descending on the Mid-Atlantic.” [Washington Post, Matthew Cappucci/X]
It’s Friday — Expect a sunny day with a high of around 81 degrees and a north wind at about 6 mph, shifting to the east in the afternoon. Friday night, the skies will be mostly clear with a low temperature near 60 degrees. [NWS]
Spring into Rosslyn for a day where books, blooms, and community come alive!
This year’s Rosslyn Spring Market on Saturday, May 2, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. brings colorful florals, local vendors, and plenty of moments to stop and smell the roses to the NOW pop-up park.
3207 Columbia Pike, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, 22204-4305
The above establishment is applying to
the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a
Restaurant – Wine, Beer and Mixed Beverages On and Off Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.
Nevi Paredes Espana, Owner
NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.
Police responding to tobacco store stabbing in Virginia Square on Sept. 11, 2025 (via SafetyVid)
A man was stabbed multiple times and seriously injured Thursday night in Virginia Square.
The stabbing happened around 7 p.m. inside the Tobacco Hut store at 3528 Wilson Blvd, according to scanner traffic. It prompted a large police response that briefly closed eastbound Wilson Blvd.
Expect a sunny day with a high of around 81 degrees and a north wind at about 6 mph, shifting to the east in the afternoon. On Friday night, the skies will be mostly clear with a low temperature near 60 degrees. The east wind at approximately 5 mph will become calm during the evening. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” – Vince Lombardi
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Columbia Pike closed due to gas line rupture (via traffic cam)
All lanes of eastern Columbia Pike are shut down due to a ruptured gas line.
Initial reports suggest that workers at the ongoing road project struck a gas line just before 3:30 p.m., prompting a fire department response and the closure of several blocks of the Pike near the Wellington apartments.
Parking meter in a performance parking zone in Ballston (staff photo)
A recent conversation with an expert on parking policy delved into the complexities of attempting to improve transportation infrastructure in Arlington.
Efforts now underway in Arlington are helping to break a century-old national focus on the automobile as primary, and sometimes lone, transportation option, said Henry Grabar, author of “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.”
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