Around Town

A new one-stop shop for Filipino breakfast sandwiches and baked goods opened over the weekend in Pentagon City.

Gwenie’s Pastries x Lapu Lapu, owned and operated by acclaimed culinary sibling duo Stella and Javier Fernandez, offers breakfast and baked goods under one roof at 1417 S. Fern Street. It is the first brick-and-mortar location in Virginia for both Maryland-based businesses.


News

Efforts to combat retail theft in Pentagon City led to the arrest of more than a dozen suspects in a single day last month.

The Arlington County Police Department’s “focused enforcement” effort on Aug. 22 resulted in 15 suspects being taken into custody, with charges ranging from petit larceny and receiving stolen property to narcotics violations.


Sponsored

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:

  • Bespoke Jewelry & Wearable Art
  • Stunning Paintings & Mixed-Media
  • Intricate Pottery & Sculptures
  • Breathtaking Photography… and so much more!

(more…)


Sports

They had not met in 42 years. But when the 2025 football season kicked off the night of Aug. 28, the Washington-Liberty Generals used a balanced attack to defeat the Bishop O’Connell Knights in high-school action.

W-L won 55-22 in what served as the season-opener for both squads.


News

After more than a decade, the redevelopment of Ballston’s Central United Methodist Church site is about to conclude.

The reopening of Kinhaven School in Ballston on Tuesday will represent “the last piece of the puzzle,” the Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen said during an Aug. 27 online program sponsored by the Northern Virginia Affordable Housing Alliance (NVAHA).


Event

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, DC (PPMW) will host its 2026 Impact Gala on Saturday, April 25, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., dinner, dancing and impactful programming, at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria downtown Washington, DC. The annual event will bring together a stylish crowd of advocates, community leaders, and supporters to raise critical funds for the organization’s “Fight Forward” campaign, which supports access to reproductive health care, education, and advocacy across the region. Along with live music, diner and programming, special guest appearances include actress and activist Sophia Bush, professional soccer champion Ashlyn Harris, and other special invited guests.  Join us for a fabulous evening for an important cause. 


News
Fire Station No. 10 in Rosslyn (courtesy George Brazier)

D.C. Retrocession History — “On this date & the following day in 1846–Virginia held a referendum on the retrocession of their former territory—out of then-square DC, seceding back to Virginia Arlington wisely voted no. Alexandria (sadly then home to an intense trade in enslaved people at its port) voted yes.” [DC Council via Maureen Coffey/Bluesky]

Sign Prompts Big Donation — “Robert Johnson, the co-founder of Black Entertainment Television, has donated $500,000 to GOP Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ campaign for governor after she was targeted by a racist sign at a recent campaign rally, according to her campaign.” [Politico]

New Airport K-9 — “Welcome to our newest addition, K9 Stone!! Stone is a 6-year-old, Shepherd/Malinois mix, making #MWAAPD his new home from SEPTA. K9 Stone and his handler, Cpl. Latson, are passionate about serving their airport community at IAD and DCA!” [MWAA Police/X]

Future of N. Va. Economy — “Facing imminent severe economic headwinds in the region, the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, alongside elected officials from across Northern Virginia this past week, confirmed a unified call to action aimed at safeguarding and reinventing the region’s economy for a more diversified and equitable future.” [FCNP]

It’s Tuesday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching a high near 78 degrees and a mild north wind around 6 mph. As for Tuesday night, the skies will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to a low around 58 degrees. [NWS]


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 — Aug 29, 2025.

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

  1. Viral sign at Arlington transgender rights rally puts Democrats on the defensive (14523 views)
  2. Arlington unemployment continues to rise, adding to round of finger-pointing in N. Va. (12285 views)
  3. Plane had to abandon landing after close brush with helicopter near DCA, NTSB says (11310 views)
  4. First day of school at APS begins with ‘Senior Sunrise’ celebration at W-L (7131 views)
  5. Why first-time buyers should be looking at Arlington condos right now (6697 views)
  6. New townhouse project near Crystal City expected to break ground later this year (6583 views)
  7. Golf-themed ‘Loopers Tavern’ will replace Bartaco vacancy in Ballston (6113 views)
  8. New 36-story hotel opens in Rosslyn with an American restaurant, ‘Locket’ (6083 views)
  9. Where to watch NFL and college football in Arlington and Falls Church (4620 views)
  10. Falls Church Festival returns in two weeks with food samples and live music (4575 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

Expect mostly sunny skies with a high of approximately 77 degrees and a gentle north wind around 6 mph. As for Saturday night, it will be mostly clear with temperatures dipping to around 57 degrees and a light north breeze. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The only way to achieve the impossible is to believe it is possible.”
– Charles Kingsleigh

🌅 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! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋


Around Town

The weekend is here and so is a new episode of the ARLnow podcast.

In the latest episode, Vernon, Dan and Lene — and a special guest, Charnita Fox from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington — discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:


News

An entire professional broadcast studio is going up for auction because of about $70,000 in unpaid debt at Arlington Independent Media, an official says.

Hundreds of professional-grade items — including camcorders, cameras, MacBooks, iPads, microphones, audio mixers, audio recorders, turntables, lighting kits, TVs, desks, chairs, broadcasting equipment and a 360-degree photo booth kit — are up for bidding over the next few weeks.


News

Arlington Public Schools is going to court over a $23 million freeze in funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

The school system filed a 30-page complaint today (Friday) challenging the Department of Education’s decision to designate APS and four other Northern Virginia school systems as “high risk” because of a legal dispute about their policies around transgender students.


Announcement

Is your summer camp calendar still open? Consider Art House 7 for your kids, a creative, well-loved space with a fabulous range of quality summer camps for ages 5-14. Your kids will love the imaginative themes and fun teachers. We’ll be making pottery, painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpting. Among our camp themes: modern masters of art, “green” art, animals, fairytales, and folk stories. Our weekly camps are morning or afternoon, Monday-Friday.

Art House 7 is near the Lee Harrison Shopping Center in Arlington. We have a 2-story studio and free parking.