Schools

The new home of the Arlington Career Center is still on track to be ready for the start of the 2026-27 school year, but the margin of error is getting increasingly narrow.

School Board members are preparing to discuss a staff request to appropriate $670,000 in contingency funds on Thursday, aiming to meet the most recent challenges for the new Grace Hopper Center at 816 S. Walter Reed Drive.


News

A driver has died after a crash in Ballston Tuesday afternoon.

The crash happened around 2 p.m. on N. Taylor Street, between Wilson Blvd and Fairfax Drive, just over a block away from the Metro station.


Sponsored

This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at [email protected].

On Friday, I learned that the house fire at the Hyde Park condominium in Ballston was the home of my friend, Greg, his wife Caroline, and their beloved dog, Maisie. I’m sure you saw it in Wednesday’s ARLnow news cycle.

Greg and Caroline were not home when the fire occurred, but they tragically lost their dog Maisie, a loss that overshadows the loss of their personal belongings.

A Bit About Maisie

Maisie lived in the Ballston neighborhood since she was born almost six years ago. She loved meeting old friends and new, between her walks at home and her frequent training walks in Old Town, she had more than either of her parents did. She loved every dog and cat and person she ever met, but she never got over her mistrust of squirrels.  She will be missed as much as she was loved.

Support Lost Dog Rescue in Honor of Maisie

Please consider donating to Arlington’s Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation in Maisie’s memory.

Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and is an exemplary nonprofit that helps homeless pets find their way to loving homes through rescue and adoption.

There is nothing Greg and Caroline would appreciate more than knowing that Maisie’s memory is helping support the well-being of other dogs and cats.

Leave a Kind Word for Greg and Caroline

If you would like to share well wishes with Greg and Caroline, please leave a comment, and I’ll make sure it gets back to them.


Sports

Added together, Arlington’s four boys high-school varsity teams are enjoying their collective best start of a basketball season in decades.

Through Dec. 13 action, the squads had a cumulative 20-3 overall record. One of those three losses was inevitable, as it came in a neighborhood rivalry contest between the  Wakefield Warriors and Yorktown Patriots. Yorktown came away with the victory.


Announcement

This September, Ballston Children’s Center (BCC), a longtime daycare and preschool in Arlington, VA, celebrates 30 years of serving Arlington families and building a preschool around one belief: the early years are more than preparation for kindergarten — they are the foundation for a child’s future.

Why Arlington Families Choose BCC:


News

A new partnership between the county government and a local church aims to preserve, improve and maintain public access to a historic cemetery.

The county government plans to install perimeter fencing, access gates and a bench at Calloway United Methodist Church’s cemetery at 5000 Langston Blvd, one of the oldest church-affiliated African American graveyards in all of Arlington.


Around Town

A weeklong marathon of Christmas classics is taking over the big screen at Arlington Drafthouse starting tomorrow (Wednesday).

Every day through Tuesday, Dec. 23, the theater at 2903 Columbia Pike will be screening hits that run the gamut from “It’s a Wonderful Life” to “Die Hard.”


News

An updated plan for an affordable housing building near Langston Blvd has received mostly praise but some criticism from the Housing Commission.

The Housing Commission was provided an update on Dec. 4 on the plan to replace 40 garden-style apartments at the Leckey Gardens apartment complex with a 10-story apartment building with 249 committed-affordable units.


News

Members of a local advisory committee are looking for ways to make Arlington more walkable after snow falls.

In focus for the Pedestrian Advisory Committee this year are curb cuts leading from sidewalks into intersections, which often fill up with snow from plows and, at times, people shoveling sidewalks.


News

Arlington firefighters extinguished an intense vehicle fire along Columbia Pike over the weekend.

The fire happened shortly before 3 p.m. Sunday, in the parking lot behind the Bank of America branch at the corner of the Pike and S. Monroe Street.


News
Snow on a holly bush in a North Arlington neighborhood (staff photo)

Va. School Ratings — “According to the VDOE, about 1 in 4 public schools in the state are rated as distinguished, or exceeding expectations. Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia have the highest percentages of top-rated schools at 31 percent and 28 percent, respectively, the data shows. Thirty-eight percent of public schools in Fairfax County and 46 percent in Loudoun County rated as distinguished, while Arlington County saw about 34 percent of schools in the top category.” [Washington Post]

Arlington’s Top Library Books — “2025 was another excellent year for Arlington readers with over 3.6 million checkouts. Arlington’s reading choices span a wide array of genres, including cookbooks, romance novels, biographies and picture books. We listened to eAudiobooks, read on our phones and stacked paper books on our nightstands… Two titles had more than 4,000 checkouts this year: “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros [and] “The Women” by Kristin Hannah.” [Arlington Public Library]

Teens Hospitalized After Fight — “The two juvenile female victims were outside when the two known juvenile female suspects approached them. Suspect One yelled at Victim One before pulling her to the ground and assaulting her. Victim Two attempted to intervene in the altercation when Suspect Two pulled her to the ground and subsequently assaulted her. The suspects then fled the scene. The victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to an area hospital.” [ACPD]

Some Hopeful Economic Signs — “The government shutdown undoubtedly took a toll on the local economy this fall, but signs are emerging that the economy could be turning a corner after a challenging year marked by mass layoffs of federal workers, diminished local investment and steep declines in awards to government contractors.” [WBJ]

Fatal Crash Near Fairlington — “Around 8 a.m., APD shut down a portion of King Street between Menokin Drive and N. Quaker Lane to respond to the two-vehicle crash. Two men were injured and transported to a hospital, where one of them later died. The other driver remains hospitalized with serious injuries, according to APD.” [ALXnow]

Seven Corners Water Tower Replacement — “Fairfax Water has applied to replace an existing water tank in the Seven Corners Apartment complex (6122 Willston Drive). The application, submitted on Nov. 24, requests that the county grant Fairfax Water the ability to replace a 75-year-old, 200,000-gallon water tank with a 1-million-gallon tank.” [FFXnow]

Mulling Youngkin’s Future — “During an interview with The Associated Press, Youngkin insisted that he’s not looking ahead to after he’s replaced by Democrat Abigail Spanberger next month. But there’s little doubt that he’s been preparing for a post-Trump future that has not yet arrived, leaving someone long considered to be a potential Republican star without a clear next move.” [Associated Press]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 37 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds. The night will be mostly clear, with lows around 28 degrees. [NWS]