Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge (courtesy of the Diocese of Arlington)
Arlington’s Roman Catholic bishop is emphasizing both border security and humanitarian issues after helping to write a rare rebuke of immigration enforcement nationwide.
In an interview on the Diocese of Arlington’s podcast this week, Bishop Michael Burbidge defended the special statement on immigration that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved in a 216-5-3 vote last week — but particularly stressed the need to safeguard national interests while supporting immigrant communities.
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As the days get chillier, Arlington County is looking for a new flurry of winter wit to name its fleet of brine trucks and snowplows.
The “Name that Plow!” competition — which produced more than 1,200 responses in 2024 — is back for its second year, seeking out punchy suggestions for the 60 names that will appear on the county’s snow and ice map if Arlington gets more than two inches of snow.
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.
Ballston with sunset reflected in the windows (courtesy George Brazier)
Arrest Yields Stolen Gun — “An officer conducting proactive patrols inside a parking garage located a parked, unoccupied vehicle associated with a wanted individual. The suspect returned to the vehicle and the officer conducted a traffic stop during which the suspect resisted arrest. With the assistance of additional officers, the suspect was subsequently taken into custody. During the course of the investigation, a firearm which was determined to be stolen and displaying an altered serial number was recovered.” [ACPD, ACPD/X]
DUI Enforcement Efforts — “Transportation Safety is a priority of the Arlington County Police Department all year ‘round. Corporal Kumar explains the importance of DUI investigations to help keep dangerous drunk drivers off the roads of Arlington County.” [ACPD/YouTube]
Coffee for a Cause — “Northside Social has teamed with Counter Culture Coffee and the Arlington Free Clinic (AFC), which provides medical care to uninsured Arlingtonians, to create a special coffee blend for a cause. The popular coffee and wine bar will donate 10% of sales of this specialty item to the healthcare nonprofit through June 2026.” [Arlington Magazine]
Rosslyn Survey Results — “Comparing 2018 and 2025 data reveals meaningful progress… Dining satisfaction remains high though shopping continues to lag. Community sentiment about Rosslyn has evolved— from “boring” to “growing,” “fun,” and “safe.” Transportation access remains a defining advantage. Event participation continues to climb, particularly among younger residents.” [Rosslyn BID]
WFC Projects Kicks Off — “After years of planning, the West Falls Church Metro station’s transformation into a mixed-use neighborhood is officially underway. Developers EYA and Rushmark Properties joined officials from Metro and local governments to break ground today (Wednesday) on a project that will ultimately add up to 1 million square feet of residential, office and retail space on land currently covered by parking lots.” [FFXnow, WMATA]
Thanksgiving Cost Comparison — “The average “classic holiday feast for 10” will run $55.18 this Thanksgiving, per the American Farm Bureau Federation’s new annual survey. That’s about $5.52 per person, and down about 5% from last year — the third straight year of declines. Yes, but: “Three years of declines don’t fully erase dramatic increases that led to a record-high cost of $64.05 in 2022,” AFBF says.” [Axios]
Holiday on the Highways — “VDOT will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting temporary lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Wednesday, Nov. 26 until noon on Monday, Dec. 1. While lane closures will be lifted in most locations, motorists may encounter semi-permanent work zones that remain in place during this time.” [Press Release]
Thanksgiving Travel Forecast — “It’s time for D.C. road and sky warriors to start thinking about Thanksgiving travel. There’ll be a record-breaking 81.8 million Americans leaving town for Thanksgiving this year, AAA predicts. At least 73 million people, aka 90% of all Thanksgiving travelers, will go by car.” [Axios]
New Legal Notice — Applying for on/off-premises wine, beer, mixed-beverage restaurant/caterer license. [Public Notices]
New Legal Notice — Applying for ABC on/off-premises restaurant/caterer beer, wine, mixed-beverage license. [Public Notices]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high temperature near 52 degrees. Thursday night will also be mostly cloudy, while the temperature drops to around 43 degrees and a calm wind prevails. [NWS]
Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high temperature near 52 degrees accompanied by a light and variable wind. Thursday night will also be mostly cloudy, while the temperature drops to around 43 degrees and a calm wind prevails. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot
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Julius "JD" Spain, Sr., is the chief County Board proponent of a governance-change task force (screenshot via Arlington County)
County Board members continue to be divided on how quickly to move forward with a new advisory panel to look at governance issues over the coming year.
As things now stand, there appears to be a 3-2 Board majority to move forward in setting up the panel and determining its responsibilities at a meeting sometime in mid-December.
Commuters in cars and on bikes along Langston Blvd in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Planned changes to the easternmost leg of Langston Blvd include efforts to improve safety for bicyclists and reduce backups onto I-66.
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has released a set of six conceptual sketches at Langston Blvd intersections between N. Lynn Street and N. Veitch Street. The agency is seeking more public feedback as part of an attempt to strengthen safety and operations along the busy road and the nearby Custis Trail.
Arlington Treasurer Carla de la Pava (via Arlington County/YouTube)
The Arlington treasurer’s office is seeking to curb a growing rate of tax delinquency with new tools and additional personnel.
The addition of QR codes on delinquency letters, in combination with the hiring of two new collection employees, leaves Chief Deputy Treasurer Kim Rucker optimistic about the possibility of lowering the delinquency rate despite challenging economic times.
Grill Kabob in Ballston (staff photo by Jared Serre)
An Afghan restaurant across the street from Ballston Quarter has closed after a little less than three years in business.
Grill Kabob, which opened in early 2023 and was one of 14 D.C.-area locations for the family-owned chain, is now listed as “permanently closed” on Google. It provided the following storefront message.
