Steel: 50%. Copper: 50%. Cars: up to 25%. But an even bigger Trump-era levy looms: 107% on Italian pasta.
Mamma mia.
Suspensions were down at the start of the school year in Arlington, but some significant disparities remain across different student demographics.
First-quarter suspension totals “continue to show some overrepresentation” of certain groups, including Black students and students with disabilities, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members on Nov. 13.
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].
Question: How much of an impact do you think the ROAD to Housing Act will have on housing affordability in Arlington?
Answer: The Road to Housing Act became law ten days ago, with the stated goal of improving housing affordability in the United States.
I don’t see many policies in the Act that will improve affordability in the Arlington/Northern VA/DC Metro markets, outside of incentives for more affordable multi-family housing, but there are policies that should improve affordability in other markets that are more saturated with institutional investors that own swaths of single-family homes (e.g. Atlanta and Phoenix) and for manufactured/mobile homes.
The Local Conversation Needs to Change
If we are going to improve affordability in our market, most of the change has to be done locally/regionally, not nationally, but it requires a paradigm shift in how we discuss and solve for housing affordability.
Affordability Disconnect: Near Term Expectations Not Realistic
A disconnect between housing affordability expectations and reality prevents the right community and political conversations from happening. We expect/demand housing affordability immediately, ignoring the difficulty, and consequences, of achieving it that quickly.
Stable and healthy housing affordability is a long-term process requiring gradual change over a 10-15+ year period.
Demand-Side Solutions Won’t Work
Demand-side solutions, such as lower interest rates or easier financing, artificially inflate home values, as seen during the COVID-era housing boom and early 2000s. They are not a good long-term solution to affordability because they push values even higher (along with your property taxes) and affordability gets worse when rates/lending normalize and no longer provide artificially low monthly payments.
Supply-Side Solutions Are Not Immediate
Most policy discussions focus on supply-side solutions: building more/faster and denser housing (e.g. Arlington’s Missing Middle/Expanded Housing Option), incentivizing more existing home sales, or disincentivizing concentrated ownership by companies and individuals. Econ 101 tells us that more supply = lower prices = affordable housing (winner winner!).
This is the only path to stable, long-term housing affordability…BUT, at current interest rates, prices must drop 30-35% in the United States to become affordable, at current income levels. A 30-35% drop in home values would devastate the economy, so a supply-side solution won’t (shouldn’t) provide immediate affordability. (more…)
The Arlington County Board is seeking legislation that would give localities the power to limit annual increases in apartment rents.
Board members added language to their 2026 General Assembly priorities package on Saturday, seeking the ability to add “anti-rent-gouging protections.” The decision generated applause from supporters who argued that the decision could promote affordability, and criticism from opponents concerned about hindering free market solutions.
As the summer is winding down, Art House 7 is gearing up for August Classes! Offerings include painting, drawing, cartooning, mixed media, and printmaking. Some highlights: Animals of the Serengeti, k-2nd; Digital Art, 4th-6th grades; Painting Metal with Watercolor, Adults. Classes are 3-4 weeks: a short commitment for a lot of creative output. Check out everything on our website.
August Classes at Art House 7:
State Sen. Adam Ebbin has promised Arlington leaders that he will push to bring home more transit funding from the 2026 General Assembly session.
“That’ll probably be the most intense of the things I’m working on,” Ebbin (D-39) said during a Nov. 13 work session between County Board members and the community’s legislative delegation.
Live standup comedy in Arlington on Friday July 31 starring Jim Bryan, Kim Villamera, and Greg Billet.
Friday, July 31, 2026
Cuts at Shirlington-Based WETA — “WETA in Washington, D.C., and its subsidiary News Hour Productions are ending broadcasts of PBS News Weekend as part of a restructuring prompted by the rescission of federal funding for public media. The restructuring includes the elimination of 34 positions, adding to 21 positions WETA cut in September… In September, WETA cut its workforce by 5% and ended local programs to save $4.4 million this fiscal year. The new cuts represent a 6% workforce reduction, Stewart said.” [Current, WBJ]
DCA, IAD Flight Cuts End — “The Federal Aviation Administration will end its flight reduction emergency order Monday, meaning flights will resume operations as normal, officials announced Sunday. The emergency order will officially lift Monday at 6 a.m. ET, ending the reductions that caused mass cancellations and delays at airports.” [NBC News]
Lasting Shutdown Impacts — “In the wake of the country’s longest-ever federal government shutdown, a key safety-net organization is calling for a renewed emphasis on helping lower-income, working residents achieve economic independence… While welcoming the shutdown’s end on Thursday (Nov. 13), United Way of the National Capital Area President and CEO Rosie Allen-Herring said at a briefing that morning that her organization believes ‘the impact will be felt, for thousands, for months ahead.'” [FFXnow]
Another Local ICE Arrest — “ICE @EROWashington arrested Nelson Cabrera Eskobar, a criminal alien and convicted felon from Guatemala. He’s been convicted of robbery in Arlington, Virginia. He’s also been convicted of disorderly conduct and failure to obey a Police officer in Prince George’s County, Maryland.” [ICE Washington]
State Tax Revenue Still Up — “Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that total general fund revenues increased 7.0 percent ($134.1 million) for the month versus October last year. The year-over-year increase was driven primarily by higher individual income tax withholding and nonwithholding payments, lower refunds, and greater sales and use tax collections.” [Press Release, Gov. Glenn Youngkin/X]
It’s Dry — “Drought is expanding. Severe drought covers large areas west of I-95. Rain potential over next week? Not great. Just 0.2-0.3 inches from a blend of computer models.” [CWG/X]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 50 degrees during the day, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 11 to 17 mph, and gusts reaching up to 30 mph. The night will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to around 33 degrees, while the northwest wind slows to 3 to 7 mph. [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.
A Stanford student and Paralympian who grew up in Arlington has been named a 2026 Rhodes scholar.
Sydney E. Barta of Arlington, Virginia, is a Paralympian and member of the track team at Stanford University, who studies bioengineering and sings in the Stanford acapella group “Counterpoint.” As part of the prestigious scholarship, Barta plans to study musculoskeletal sciences.
The Washington-Liberty Generals were productive enough on offense to win their first-round playoff game of the 6D North Region football tournament.
Defense, though, was another matter — and became the reason W-L lost the Friday night (Nov. 14) high-school contest to the host Westfield Bulldogs, 56-28.
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 — Nov 14, 2025.
- 7:30 am: Morning Notes for November 14, 2025 | 🗣️ Comments
- 8:30 am: Upgrades planned for volleyball court and playground at Doctor’s Run Park | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:15 am: Falls Church leaders wary of possible rules limiting local parking requirements | 🗣️ Comments
- 10:00 am: Poll: Best Thai restaurant in Arlington | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:45 am: DEVELOPING: House Judiciary Committee chair launches inquiry into Arlington’s top prosecutor | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:45 pm: Panera Bread opens ‘to go’ eatery in Crystal City | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:45 pm: Photos with Santa Claus coming to Ballston next month | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:45 pm: Cuts to counterterrorism funding drive Arlington leaders to seek state’s help | 🗣️ Comments
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
- Arlington’s top prosecutor clashes with Miyares and feds over seizure of activist’s phone (9541 views)
- DEVELOPING: House Judiciary Committee chair launches inquiry into Arlington’s top prosecutor (9355 views)
- Payment options expanding for Metrobus riders in coming weeks (5809 views)
- Rewrite of Comprehensive Plan pits Arlington YIMBYs against slow-growth advocates (5746 views)
- Layli Mediterranean appears to have closed amid redevelopment in Clarendon (4128 views)
- Arlington middle schoolers make history with area-wide football crown (4106 views)
- Morning Poll: What should we do with the comment section? (3963 views)
- Members of Arlington bicycle panel remain angry over reduced responsibilities (3405 views)
- Rental housing has become more accessible to some in county’s economic middle (3400 views)
- Rally for victims of vehicle crashes taking place in Rosslyn this weekend (3309 views)
- ACPD investigating shots fired in Hall’s Hill neighborhood (3036 views)
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
- 10:00 am: Burn Bright, Not Out: A Breakfast Conversation on Women’s Mental Well-being
- 11:00 am: Yoga in the Galleries at Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington
- 11:00 am: 307 Studios Kicks Off Holidays with November 15th Open House
- 👉 1:00 pm: Million Frog March – Washington DC – November 15th
- 2:00 pm: Sound Bath in the Tiffany Gallery
- 3:00 pm: Curator Tour: Tactics for Remembering
- 👉 5:00 pm: Columbia Pike Artist Studios Fall 2025 Open Studios
- 6:00 pm: Public Planetarium Shows In November
- 7:00 pm: Micheal Rapaport (Arlington & Cinema Drafthouse)
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
- 11:00 am: Toastmasters International – Spirited Speakers Club – Open House
- 👉 12:30 pm: 2025 Alternative Christmas Market at First Presbyterian Church Arlington
- 4:00 pm: Arlington Philharmonic Harvest Harmony
- 4:00 pm: 9th Street Quartet presents “Journeys Home”
🌥️ Saturday’s forecast
Expect a mostly cloudy day with temperatures reaching around 64°F and calm winds shifting to the south at 5-7 mph in the afternoon. On Saturday night, there is a 30% chance of rain, primarily after 1am, accompanied by mostly cloudy skies and a low near 55°F. Southwest winds will be at 8-10 mph, gusting up to 20 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”
– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
🌅 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. 👋
Arlington officials are asking state legislators to fill financial gaps left by the federal government’s reduction in support for local counterterrorism initiatives.
The D.C. region stands to lose about $20 million in funding — 60% of which is devoted to Northern Virginia — as the Trump administration makes changes to the Urban Areas Security Initiative.