They entered as a typical group of Arlington teens and tweens. Within 90 minutes, they had been transformed into, among others, a monster, princess, a pumpkin and a unicorn.
The metamorphosis came courtesy of Encore Stage & Studio, which on Oct. 25 hosted its first-ever Halloween-makeup workshop at Cherrydale United Methodist Church.
A decision to keep noise-mitigation efforts at Reagan National Airport in-house, rather than outsource them to independent experts, is drawing criticism from an advisory panel.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (WMAA) announced its decision on “Fly Quiet” efforts at the Oct. 23 meeting of the Reagan National Community Working Group, which works to reduce the impacts of noise from airport operations.
When Maripili O’Connell launched Sun & Honey Grazing in spring 2026, she set out to do more than create beautiful charcuterie boards. Her goal was to make it easier for people to gather, celebrate and connect.
Based in Arlington, Sun & Honey Grazing creates custom charcuterie boards and grazing tables for events ranging from intimate family gatherings to corporate celebrations. Using fresh, thoughtfully selected ingredients, O’Connell handles the shopping, preparation and presentation, allowing hosts to focus on spending time with their guests.
“I really just want to help people gather more often by taking one more thing off their plate,” O’Connell said.
Although she officially launched the business this year, O’Connell began testing the concept during the 2025 holiday season. After spending her career in the corporate world, she turned to Arlington Economic Development’s BizLaunch program for guidance on navigating entrepreneurship.
“From the first day I walked into BizLaunch with just an idea, they supported me every step of the way,” she said.
Through BizLaunch, O’Connell connected with mentors, educational programs and organizations including the Latino Economic Development Center and SCORE. The experience helped her understand everything from licensing and business planning to marketing and networking.
One lesson, shared by a mentor through LEDC, continues to guide her approach today: Don’t wait for perfection.
“You can’t sell a product you haven’t tested,” she recalled. That advice encouraged her to launch, gather feedback and refine her offerings based on what customers wanted.
For O’Connell, the most memorable moments often have little to do with food itself. One customer in Colombia contacted her to send a sympathy board to a cousin in Maryland after the loss of a loved one. When the recipient shared how much comfort the gesture provided, O’Connell was reminded of the deeper purpose behind her work.
“Sometimes a charcuterie board becomes a way to say, ‘I’m thinking of you,’ ‘I love you,’ or ‘I’m here for you,” she said.
As an Arlington resident, O’Connell says the community was the natural place to build her business. Her neighbors became some of her first customers, helping spread the word and providing encouragement along the way.
Looking ahead, she hopes Sun & Honey Grazing becomes a trusted part of life’s milestones, from baby showers and quinceañeras to milestone birthdays and company celebrations. She is also expanding beyond catering through community-focused events, including a Paint, Sip & Graze experience this fall and upcoming charcuterie workshops.
“Creating beautiful boards is something I enjoy,” O’Connell said. “But what excites me most is creating opportunities for people to gather.”
For more information about Sun & Honey Grazing visit: www.sunandhoneygrazing.com or their Instagram page at @sunandhoneygrazing. For more information about BizLaunch visit www.bizlaunch.org and sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on small business resources in Arlington.
Arlington Public Schools is expanding an initiative that provides parents with information on how, and for how long, their children are using school-distributed devices.
In November, APS will move from an opt-in to an opt-out model for the Lightspeed Parent Portal, which provides families with weekly summaries of web-browsing activities for students in grades 2 to 12.
Wine & Food Tasting Event at Arrowine, Saturday, August 15, 1- 4 p.m.
Summer adventures are calling — whether you’re packing up for the Beach, escaping to the Shenandoah Mountains, planning a picnic, or heading out for a romantic night of music at Wolf Trap. And if you want those moments to be stress‑free, delicious, and perfectly paired, we’ve got just the tasting for you.
Some of the city of Falls Church’s budget surplus could fund outreach to Vietnamese-American communities and celebrations of the United States’ 250th birthday.
An additional $35,000 would extend a current pilot outreach program by another six months, while $50,000 would fund patriotic events and activities next year and $12,600 would support pay raises for the city’s Planning Commission.
Join us for a free, Virtual Home Buyer Seminar designed to help you feel informed, prepared, & confident as you consider buying a home in the months ahead. With more than half of 2026 behind us, now is a great time to take a closer look at where the housing market stands, what’s changed this year, and what buyers should know heading into the fall.
Whether you’re a first-time buyer, thinking about upsizing or downsizing, or simply looking for clarity on your options, this seminar will walk you through what’s happening in today’s market and how to position yourself for success.
Arlington Woman Wins MCM — “In the journey to the Olympic Trials, Tessa Barrett wins the women’s race in the Marine Corps Marathon. News4’s Tommy McFly talks to her about her Olympic goals.” [NBC 4/YouTube]
Marathon Recap — “Despite the government shutdown, more than 40,000 runners participated Sunday in the 50th Marine Corps Marathon. In the men’s division, Kyle King won with a time of 2:18:51. In the women’s division, Tessa Barrett won with a time of 2:34:11.” [Stars and Stripes]
Ukrainian Troops Run MCM — “A group of active-duty members of the Ukrainian armed forces crossed the finish line Sunday at the 50th Marine Corps Marathon. Another of their brothers in arms was supposed to be with them, but he recently died in combat.” [Stars and Stripes]
Arlington Stands Out in Chart — “CHART OF THE DAY: In 2020, 65.7% of Virginia voters overwhelmingly voted to codify nonpartisan redistricting in our Constitution. The popular amendment won a majority vote in every Virginia locality but one.” [Gov. Glenn Youngkin/X]
Bird Removal at DCA — “If you’ve ever reached out to us about birds in the Terminal, THIS IS FOR YOU! Travelers may notice equipment and personnel related to humane bird removal in Terminal 1 over the next two days. Once humanely captured, the birds will be released at a safe outdoor location.” [Reagan Airport/X]
Local Co. Benefits from Bill — “Geothermal heating and cooling systems are getting a fresh look from some homebuilders after Arlington-based Dandelion Energy rolled out a new program Wednesday aimed at making the long-term cost-saving technology more accessible. CEO Dan Yates said the new leasing program — enabled by provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4 — has already drawn several homebuilders in Maryland.” [WBJ]
New Whole Foods Store Open — “On Thursday, the Amazon-owned chain expanded its Whole Foods Market Daily Shop concept with the first location outside New York City. The store is located across the Potomac River from Washington, DC, in Arlington, Virginia — right around the corner from Amazon’s HQ2. At about 10,000 square feet, this Daily Shop location is about a quarter of the size of a normal Whole Foods store. And, as the name implies, Amazon’s goal isn’t really to offer the store’s patrons everything they might need for their weekly grocery haul.” [Business Insider]
It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 60 degrees and a northeast wind between 6 and 9 mph. Monday night will be partly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to around 43 degrees and a northeast wind at 6 to 8 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.
SALEM, Va. (AP) — René Harvey and her wife arrived at a Roanoke Valley pride celebration in October carrying deep-seated worries about all that could go wrong.
The couple had been to the region’s annual pride festival before, but this year felt different. Harvey keeps up with the news, and the headlines describing political violence and LGBTQ+ hate linger with her. She’s been following Virginia’s statewide elections, including a race for governor that has heavily focused on trans youth.
The most recent defeat for the Wakefield Warriors during the squad’s ongoing four-game losing streak was probably the most disappointing for the high-school football team.
The 21-7 setback at home to the Marshall Statesmen came Friday night (Oct. 24) in a Liberty District home game. Marshall (4-4, 1-3) had the worst record of the four teams during the losing stretch, and entered the game tied for last in the league with Wakefield.
Good Friday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Oct 24, 2025.
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Expect increasing clouds and a high near 59 with a northwest wind around 6 mph. Saturday night will be mostly cloudy and have a low around 42, accompanied by calm wind. See more from Weather.gov.
“Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”
– John Lennon
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. 👋
Organizers are considering future changes to the Green Valley farmers market after safety concerns brought an early end to the market’s first season.
Portia Clark, founder of the Community Association of Resources, Education, Enrichment & Economics (CARE), said that her nonprofit is considering alterations to the location, day of the week and time of the farmers market, which operated on Friday afternoons this year at John M. Robinson Jr. Town Square.
