News

A developer at a housing complex near Crystal City has closed on the land for a new 42-unit townhouse project and plans to begin construction in the next few months.

D.C.-based EYA LLC announced its plans for the forthcoming Highlands Row project at the Crystal House Apartments complex in a Friday press release.


Schools

Seniors at Washington-Liberty High School kicked off the first day of school today (Monday) with an annual “Senior Sunrise” tradition on the school’s football field.

Students from the class of 2026 began shuffling onto the field around 6 a.m., and by sunrise, about 100 of them had gathered at War Memorial Stadium to celebrate. As they took pictures, lounged on blankets and enjoyed a free breakfast treat, some reflected on what it meant to begin their final year of high school.


Sponsored

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Kremlin political intrigues are comparable to a bulldog fight under a rug. An outsider only hears the growling, and when he sees the bones fly out from beneath it is obvious who won.” – Winston Churchill.

The Trump Administration, in both its first and second iterations, has not lived up to that Churchill quotation, not least because its principals are so paranoid and unprofessional that they usually air their grievances in public. Sometimes, when facing unfriendly questioning before Congress, a leading Administration official bangs the table about how the Dow Jones Industrial Average has broken 50,000; sometimes, when a bottle of bourbon goes missing, a leading Administration official threatens to polygraph and prosecute FBI agents. This is not, as a general rule, a thin-lipped bunch of Silent Cals.

The Department of Homeland Security has been an honorable exception to that general rule; its personnel have been, at least by Trump Administration standards, fairly disciplined about airing their grievances in public. That’s where the Kremlinology comes in. The latest intel suggests that a real behind-the-curtain fight is happening between two factions at DHS – one, personified by policy majordomo Stephen Miller, and the other, by bureaucratic knife-fighter (and Cava enjoyer) Tom Homan. The Homanites appear to be winning. The purpose of this advertorial is tell you why we think that is true, and provide a bit of speculation about why.

First, why do we think it is true? Not every resignation means a change in policy; sometimes, when the chief of the Border Patrol resigns after widespread accusations that he flew to Thailand, Colombia, and Mexico to avail himself of the services of prostitutes, it’s just an HR thing. But some reshuffles are more significant, and we think the following four suggest a new policy direction.

(1) Kristi Noem is out, and Markwayne Mullin is in. Secretary Noem performed her duties in vapid, vigorous, indecent, indecorous style, and she consistently personified the most outré and bizarre actions by the immigration enforcement bureaucracy, from calling protesters ‘domestic terrorists’ to LARPing as a HSI agent during raids. Former Sen. Mullin has taken a different public tack. Secretary Mullin – echoing public comments from Tom Homan – has repeated in interviews that DHS is targeting “the worst of the worst” rather than engaging in broad sweeps, and has said that the Minnesota operation, which led to the deaths of several American citizens, will not occur again. ” Secretary Mullin recently remarked, “[m]y goal in six months is that we’re not in the lead story every single day.” We don’t think you’ll see him posing at CECOT in a Rolex. (more…)


Around Town

Summer Restaurant Week promotions are continuing through the end of August at several Arlington locations.

Lyon Hall, Bar Chinois and Seoul Prime are just some of the 120 D.C.-area restaurants extending their prix fixe deals through Sunday, Aug. 31, the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington announced.


Announcement

The Rosslyn BID wants to hear from you! Last year, over 1,000 participants weighed in to help shape Rosslyn. Your voice matters — whether you live, work, or spend time in Rosslyn, we want your input to continue enhancing the neighborhood.

Take our 10-minute Rosslyn Perception Survey to share what you love, what could be better, and how we can serve you more effectively.


News

An Arlington man is behind bars after police say he tried to carjack a motorcycle while armed with an airsoft gun.

The alleged incident happened this past Thursday afternoon in the Halls Hill neighborhood. No one was hurt and police say they arrested the suspect in a nearby home.


Event

St. Agnes Catholic Church in Arlington is hosting its monthly run & walk social on June 18th (Thursday) at 6:30pm. The 3 or 4 mile run (or walk) will start in the back parking lot (off N. Stafford St.) and end at St. Agnes. Participants can enjoy complimentary pizza afterwards. Drinks are BYOB. Extra points if you wear Catholic school swag. Thank you Father Oetjen, who started off our May run from Court House to/from the Marine Corps War Memorial with a prayer (and ran a competitive pace). Also, thank you to the Notre Dame and Georgetown alumni who wore their schools’ colors!

Please RSVP at the link, so we know how much pizza to get. Thank you!


Schools

Arlington Public Schools opens the 2025-26 school year with a 99.3% staffing rate, one of the highest in recent memory.

Only 34 staff positions out of more than 3,000 positions are unfilled, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members on Aug. 21.


News
Sunrise over the Gold’s Gym near Ballston (courtesy anonymous)

Back to School Safety — Arlington Public Schools “will welcome students back into their classrooms [today] which means there will soon be an increase in children walking, bicycling and riding the bus to schools throughout Arlington. Transportation safety is a group effort… ACPD reminds parents to think twice before posting “first day” photos. Avoid sharing personal info—try fun facts like favorite color, book, or hobby instead.” [APCD/X, ACPD/X]

Diocese Schools in Session — “Catholic schools administered by the Diocese of Arlington have opened their doors for the 2025-2026 school year to more than 18,000 students in grades pre-K through 12th… 37 elementary schools, four high schools, three early childhood centers and seven independent schools are located throughout the diocese.” [Diocese of Arlington]

Weekend Car Fires — “Units responded to and extinguished a vehicle fire at the intersection of Shirlington Rd and S Quincy St. No injuries to firefighters or occupants. Fire Marshals will be investigating the cause.” [ACFD/X, GHD/X]

Local Impact of Tax Cuts — “DMV residents dodged a big tax hike when Congress passed the “big, beautiful bill,” making permanent the tax cuts of President Trump’s first term — and adding on a bunch more… In NoVa, Falls Church residents will see the biggest cuts ($7,107), followed by Fairfax County ($5,699), Loudoun County ($5,317), Arlington County ($5,086) and Alexandria ($4,440).” [Axios]

State GOP Ticket Fundraising — “As Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) reboots her campaign for Virginia governor following signs of disarray, at least one national Republican group is urging donors to consider a fallback position: focusing support on the reelection bid of Attorney General Jason S. Miyares as the party’s best hope for a win, splitting the ticket in this November’s three statewide elections.” [Washington Post]

It’s Monday — The weather will be sunny with a high temperature of around 83 degrees and a northwest wind blowing at 7 to 10 mph. During Monday night, conditions will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of about 61 degrees, and the northwest wind will continue at approximately 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.


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 22, 2025.

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

  1. JUST IN: Police investigating fatal fall from Ballston apartment building (65156 views)
  2. BREAKING: Man charged with murdering mother in Virginia Square apartment (63711 views)
  3. Makeup artist slain in Virginia Square shooting remembered as ‘everyone’s friend’ (14150 views)
  4. Fall in Arlington: Rosslyn Fall Fest, Clarendon Day and more to look forward to (11554 views)
  5. Raids on D.C. homeless encampments come amid growing demand for services in Arlington (9500 views)
  6. What changes to expect at APS when the school year begins next week (8099 views)
  7. Police investigating armed robbery in Arlington park (8063 views)
  8. Local church and artist memorialize Arlington ICE arrests with ‘stumbling stickers’ (7890 views)
  9. Man beaten and threatened in separate incidents on the Pike (7159 views)
  10. Arlington plans public outreach on rules for impermeable surfaces at single-family homes (6106 views)
  11. NOW: Traffic blocked on Key Bridge as Ukraine’s president visits D.C. (5771 views)
  12. 10 homes that should have sold by now (5464 views)
  13. Whole Foods makes progress on new ‘Daily Shop’ market in Crystal City (5217 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 sunshine and a high temperature of around 84 degrees, with calm winds picking up from the south at 5 to 9 mph during the morning. Saturday night will be partly cloudy with a low temperature close to 68 degrees, and a south wind of 6 to 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The first wealth is health.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

🌅 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, Freddie’s Beach Bar owner Freddie Lutz — discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:


Around Town

A longtime family-owned ice cream shop is preparing to close in Clarendon.

Nicecream is shuttering later this month at 2831 Clarendon Blvd, co-owner Gil Welsford confirmed. Welsford, who founded the business 11 years ago with his wife, Sandra Tran, expressed gratitude for his customers — saying, “the Arlington community has just been amazing to be a part of.”