The Garage Racing National Championships are returning to Crystal City for the 12th year this February.
The unconventional bike racing event, which takes place in the garage under 201 12th Street S., is happening on Feb. 21.
In keeping with longstanding tradition, the Bishop O’Connell Knights are enjoying a strong winter season in girls and boys swimming and diving.
In the busy high-school squad’s past three meets, the girls and boys each won a significant championship, with solid finishes in the other two.
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
If you filed an asylum application with USCIS more than a year ago, and that application is still pending, you may recently have received a notice from USCIS directing you to pay something called the Annual Asylum Fee. Or you may not have. That, as we will explain, is part of the problem.
The Annual Asylum Fee was created by H.R. 1 – the reconciliation bill enacted in July 2025, sometimes known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act – which requires asylum applicants to pay a fee for every year that their asylum application remains pending. The length of time an application remains pending is, of course, determined almost entirely by the government, not by the applicant. This feature of the law has not escaped the notice of asylum seekers or their lawyers.
The rollout has been, to put it charitably, iterative. USCIS launched a payment page in October 2025 and began sending notices. A federal court in Maryland paused the notices a few weeks later. That pause was lifted in February 2026. In April 2026, the Department of Homeland Security published an Interim Final Rule, effective May 29, 2026, which spelled out the consequences of failing to pay on time: rejection of the asylum application, termination of the applicant’s work permit, and potential referral to removal proceedings. Meanwhile, the notices themselves have proven unreliable. Many applicants report never receiving one, and some only learned that they had owed the fee when the USCIS website informed them that their payment period had expired.
The Litigation: No Penalties – For Now
In July 2026, a coalition of organizations representing asylum seekers and TPS holders sued USCIS in federal court in Massachusetts in Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts v. USCIS. On July 21, 2026, the court issued an administrative stay, and on August 5, 2026, it extended that relief while the case proceeds. Under the court’s orders, USCIS may not:
- reject an asylum application because the applicant failed to pay the Annual Asylum Fee;
- terminate an applicant’s work authorization for failure to pay; or
- begin removal proceedings based solely on failure to pay.
The stakes were not small. According to the plaintiffs, USCIS had been prepared to reject 227,186 pending asylum applications for nonpayment. In August, USCIS also reopened expired payment windows, so applicants who were previously told their deadline had passed may now be able to pay.
But note what the court did not do. The order expressly allows USCIS to keep collecting the fee, and USCIS’s position is that anyone who receives a notice must pay it according to its instructions.
Arlington is home to numerous skilled OBGYNs who provide compassionate, comprehensive care to meet each patient’s specific needs.
Here are the nominees for “Best OBGYN in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite spot? Write it in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for Best Summer Camp 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 our Favorite Visual Arts Organization in Arlington. The results are now official:
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- Galleries at Marymount University
- Columbia Pike Artist Studios
Explore exciting fall workshops at Art House 7! Coming up October 24–25, master artist Teresa Oaxaca returns for a special 2-day Painting a Child’s Portrait in Oils workshop for ages 16–adult. Looking for something shorter? Try the pottery wheel, create a ceramic leaf plate or keepsake ornaments, or explore drawing, printmaking, and Suminagashi. We also offer parent-child workshops and special art workshops for kids on Veterans Day and Election Day!
Art House 7 offers classes throughout the year, taught by a range of fantastic teachers. You can buy art supplies next door. We’re near the Lee Harrison Shopping Center.
A small mountain of snow and ice has risen over one block of 14th Street N. in Courthouse as large-scale clearing efforts continue around Arlington.
County crews have hauled over 2,500 truckloads of icy debris, which some are calling “snowcrete” because of its density and how difficult it is to remove it, since this weekend’s storm.
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This event is for: First-time pregnant & new moms, Mamistad Providers and invited providers.
Are you expecting your first baby or navigating life with a newborn? Join our mixer connecting first-time pregnant moms, new moms, and perinatal providers. We'll help you understand what a new mom village should look like and how to start building yours.
Meet doulas, lactation and sleep consultants, nurses, pelvic floor specialists, perinatal mental health therapists, chiropractors, dietitians, coaches and more!
The cost of rent in Arlington appeared to continue a slight decline in January after decreasing in 2025.
The median price of a two-bedroom apartment, $3,120, was down 0.6% month-over-month and 4.9% year-over-year in data reported Jan. 27 by Zumper. The median cost of a one-bedroom apartment, $2,330, was flat month-over-month but down 4.1% from this time last year.
The Falls Church City Council is preparing to vote on a region-wide proposal to increase annual spending for Metro by $460 million every year.
On Monday, Feb. 2, Council members are slated to discuss a request from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) to formally support the DMV Moves funding proposal to augment Metro service.
Senator Loves Arlington Outback — “Sen. Jim Justice’s favorite place to eat steak in the DMV isn’t one of the many swanky restaurants scattered across Washington… It’s an unassuming Outback Steakhouse tucked in a strip mall in the suburbs of Arlington, Virginia, where he and his constant canine companion, Babydog, a very plump English bulldog, have a regular table.” [NOTUS]
New Development Proposal — “Caruthers Properties wants to add a 15-story building at its Potomac Towers apartment complex in Arlington, just the latest example of infill development at midcentury mutltifamily projects across the county. The company’s land use attorney, Venable LLP, filed a conceptual site plan on Friday proposing the 310-unit building at 2001 N. Adams St., a massive property sitting between Interstate 66 and Langston Boulevard.” [WBJ]
Trash Collection Update — “Due to post-snow storm conditions, regular Friday residential curbside collection service will operate in a limited capacity on Jan. 30. Crews will ONLY collect trash and recycling carts. Please have carts placed at the curb by 6:30 a.m. Friday; we recognize that space may be challenging due to sidewalk conditions… If your carts are not collected by late afternoon, do not report it as a missed collection. Carts that are not collected will be serviced next Friday.” [Arlington County]
Midair Crash, One Year Later — “On the evening of January 29, 2025, an American Airlines passenger jet and a Black Hawk military helicopter collided over the Potomac River. The crash killed 67 people – everyone aboard both aircraft. The grief for the dozens of lives lost in the disaster reverberated around the D.C. region, and up and down the East Coast.” [WAMU]
Victims’ Belongings Recovered — “The brown teddy bear smelled like oil and jet fuel. It was tucked inside the pink backpack of 11-year-old Alydia Livingston, along with her headphones, journal and a pencil topped with a rubber unicorn. The backpack and its contents came home to her grandparents in Richmond. Alydia didn’t.” [Washington Post]
Alexandria Memorial Planned — “A new memorial in Alexandria will honor the lives of the 67 people killed in last year’s midair collision over the Potomac River, which happened one year ago today. A bench, newly planted trees and plaque bearing the names of the 67 victims will be installed on the Potomac waterfront on the northeastern portion of Rivergate Park, Mayor Alyia Gaskins announced.” [ALXnow]
Robbery Near Columbia Pike — “The female victim was in the area when the male suspect approached her from behind, implied a weapon, stole her bag and subsequently fled the scene. The victim suffered minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.” [ACPD]
Poll on Va. Amendments — “A slim majority of Virginia voters supports a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would let Democratic lawmakers draw new, blue-leaning congressional districts ahead of this fall’s midterm elections, according to a new poll… The poll shows even stronger support for two other proposed amendments to the state constitution that are priorities of Democratic lawmakers.” [Washington Post]
Little Snow, Lots of Wind — “While the snow probably misses the DMV, gusty winds generated by the storm — gusts near 25 to 50 mph — will likely drop our wind chills into the single digits to near or bit below zero for much of the period from Saturday evening through Monday morning.” [CWG/X]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of around 21 degrees during the day, with wind chill values dropping as low as -1 due to a 6 mph northwest wind. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low of around 9 degrees. [NWS]
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 — Jan 29, 2026.
- 7:30 am: Morning Notes for January 29, 2026 | 🗣️ Comments
- 8:30 am: Arlington’s measles vaccination rate is above average, but health director urges vigilance | 🗣️ Comments
- 9:15 am: Amid controversy, School Board delays programming decisions at new Career Center space | 🗣️ Comments
- 10:00 am: Del. Lopez introduces bills to limit immigration enforcement at polling places and schools | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:45 am: Arlington ranked as No. 1 most educated ‘city’ in the nation | 🗣️ Comments
- 12:45 pm: ‘Full-scale’ emergency response exercise happening at two Arlington schools tomorrow | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:45 pm: Scapegoat Beer Garden granted more time to plan opening in Crystal City | 🗣️ Comments
- 2:45 pm: New art space in Green Valley expected to open this spring | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:45 pm: Coalition including Arlington’s top prosecutor pledges accountability if feds commit crimes | 🗣️ Comments
- 4:45 pm: Responders recall a mission of recovery and grief a year after the midair collision | 🗣️ Comments
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
- 9:00 am: Junior Naturalist Winter Day Camp
- 7:00 pm: W-L Theatre Presents: Almost, Maine
- 7:00 pm: Caroline Rhea
- 👉 7:00 pm: Learn to Play Water Polo – Free Trial – Team Sport in the Water
- 9:00 pm: Full Send Fridays
☀️ Friday’s forecast
Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of around 21 degrees during the day, with wind chill values dropping as low as -1 due to a 6 mph northwest wind. The night will be mostly cloudy, seeing a low of around 9 degrees, identical wind chill values, and a calm wind that will shift to north at around 6 mph after midnight. 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.
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.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For some, it was the children’s luggage and small ice skates that became indelible memories of the night a passenger plane and a helicopter collided over the murky Potomac River. Others remember boats navigating debris and shallow water to bring victims’ bodies ashore. And there was the suddenness: people seconds from landing, gone.
Families of those on board American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter are marking Thursday as the one-year anniversary of the deadliest plane crash on U.S. soil in more than 20 years. Another group is reliving that night and the days, weeks and months that followed: the emergency responders who dove repeatedly into the river with nearly zero visibility, braving cold water, jet fuel and jagged wreckage in the hope of rescuing survivors.