News
A house in the neighborhood of Aurora Highlands with a remarkable holiday lighting display (Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar)

One Last Light Display — “Scott Long, who has an aggressive cancer, was determined to make his house shine one more time for his [South Arlington] neighborhood.” [Washington Post]

House Fire in Hall’s Hill — “Just before 4:00 p.m. today, units responded to a house fire in the 2200 block of N. Emerson Street. The first-arriving unit found smoke and fire coming from a rear deck that had extended into the home. Firefighters made an aggressive attack and were able to quickly bring the fire under control. There were no injuries to occupants or firefighters. Fire Marshals will be investigating the cause.” [ACFD/X]

Car Fire on I-395 — “The moment when your car clearly tells you it’s time to abandon ship. Earlier this afternoon on I-395S, south of the Arlington Ridge Rd. overpass.” [Dave Statter/X]

Pawn Shop ‘Day in the Life’ — “As a longtime fan of shows like the History Channel’s Pawn Stars and (no judgement, please) truTV’s Hardcore Pawn, I was dying to get behind the scenes. I finally scratched that itch last spring by working a shift at Royal Pawn on 23rd Street in Crystal City.” [Arlington Magazine]

N. Va. Train History — “The Alexandria and Washington Railroad was chartered in 1854 to connect Alexandria to the southern end of Long Bridge and from the B&O Station at New Jersey Avenue and C Street NW to the northern edge of Long Bridge. However, when it was completed in 1857, the Virginia Legislature refused to allow tracks to be laid across the bridge due to concerns about the bridge’s strength.” [GGW]

It’s Tuesday — Expect rain primarily before 9am, followed by cloudy skies that will gradually clear up to become mostly sunny. The high will be around 53 degrees, with southwest winds ranging from 7 to 10 mph and gusts reaching up to 20 mph. The chance of precipitation stands at 30%. As for Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear with a low temperature of approximately 39 degrees and a west wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar


Around Town

Good Monday 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 — Dec 22, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

🌦️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect rain primarily before 9am, followed by cloudy skies that will gradually clear up to become mostly sunny. The high will be around 53 degrees, with southwest winds ranging from 7 to 10 mph and gusts reaching up to 20 mph. The chance of precipitation stands at 30%. As for Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear with a low temperature of approximately 39 degrees and a west wind blowing at 6 to 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”
– Albert Einstein

🌅 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.


Sponsored

Game, set, Gala! On Saturday, Nov. 14, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s annual Tennis Creates Gala, presented by QTS, comes to The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, celebrating the transformative power of tennis.

The evening raises critical funds to make the sport accessible to all across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and eastern/southern West Virginia.

Every dollar goes back into local communities through programs like Girls Rule the Court™, which has served more than 2,000 girls, along with Junior Player Scholarships and Tennis in Schools. Gala funds also help restore public courts. Over the last three years, the Foundation has invested $505,000 across 17 public facilities.

Emceeing the evening is Emmy Award-winning ESPN journalist Malika Andrews, host of NBA Today and NBA Countdown, who joined ESPN’s tennis coverage this year for the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

Andrews has pointed to the electric moment American tennis is having, with stars like the DMV’s own Frances Tiafoe reaching the 2026 US Open men’s semifinals, and says she’s grateful for the chance to support the sport at the local level.

Joining the celebration is new USTA CEO Craig Tiley, who took the helm of the national governing body in July after over 20 years at Tennis Australia. As he leads the USTA toward its goal of 35 million players by 2035, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation drives the grassroots work to grow the sport right here in the region.

The Foundation will present its Tennis Creates Impact Award to Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (ret.), 63rd Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, recognizing his leadership in fostering character, community, and well-being through tennis.

The heart of the night is the 2026 Tennis Creates Awards, honoring local changemakers. Alexandria’s Leigh Ann Jackson receives the Adult Leader Award for coaching Girls Rule the Court at Groveton Elementary, where she has served 130 students over five seasons and championed the program’s expansion to Hybla Valley.

Arlington’s Gabrielle Berg earns the Youth Leader Award for founding a Northern Virginia chapter of Tennis For Fun, which runs free year-round clinics for people with special needs in partnership with the Arlington YMCA. Burke’s Khoi Truong, head coach at Lake Braddock Secondary School, is the 2026 Coach of the Year.

They’ll be joined by fellow honorees Dr. Ellen Markowitz (Community Champion), James Skinner (Provider Champion), and Janelle Nichols (Tennis in the Classroom Awardee).

Tickets and tables are now available. Can’t make it? Make a gift to USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation or bid in the silent auction to help put a racquet in the hands of the next generation of players.

The Tennis Creates Gala takes place Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA 22102.

For more information, visit TennisCreatesGala.com.


News

During a year of shake-ups and flagging sales at the Kennedy Center, several performing arts groups in Arlington enjoyed significant success in 2025.

Leaders of local groups say that it’s difficult to tell whether they’ve directly benefited from this year’s upheaval across the Potomac, which most recently included a vote to rename D.C.’s premier performing arts center as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” last week.


Sports

The rivalry is decades old, but there was something brand new in this season’s first of two regular-season all-Arlington girls neighborhood basketball clashes between the Washington-Liberty Generals and Yorktown Patriots.

The head coaches of both high-school teams are brand new this season as they led the Dec. 19 showdown at Washington-Liberty.


Event

Get ready for some spooky fun — our Annual Trunk-or-Treat is back! 👻

This year, we have a special treat! We are hosting a FREE 30 minute kids' martial arts class from 12:00 – 12:30 pm. Ages 5-16 yrs old are welcome. This is a great opportunity to try Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and then head to our parking lot afterwards for our Trunk or Treat event! Come dressed in your best Halloween costume and join us for an afternoon filled with candy, music, and fun! 🎶🍬


Around Town

A lottery ticket from a Falls Church wholesale store was worth $50,000 in a Powerball drawing over the weekend.

BJ’s Wholesale Club (6607 Wilson Blvd) sold the ticket, which was one of five $50,000 winners statewide. The winner beat roughly 1 in 900,000 odds to successfully match four numbers plus the Powerball.


Around Town

A long-awaited confectionery shop in Clarendon has opened just in time for the Christmas season.

Kilwins, located on the ground floor of The Hartford Building at 3101 Wilson Blvd, opened for business on Friday. Joining other locations in D.C. and Alexandria, it offers an array of chocolates, ice cream and other classic treats.


News

Trash collection will be pushed back a day on Thursday while various Arlington County facilities shut down for Christmas.

No waste will be picked up on Christmas Day, so Thursday routes will be serviced on Friday, and Friday routes will move to Saturday.


News

September jobs data delayed by the federal government shutdown show a 34% year-over-year increase in Arlington residents reported as unemployed, with the rate increasing 54% in Falls Church.

A total of 148,251 county residents were reported employed in the civilian workforce in September, according to figures reported Dec. 18 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.


News

The county government’s arborist is pushing back on accusations that an iconic tree was removed needlessly from a Lyon Park median.

But local residents aghast at the removal aren’t letting the county government off the hook for its actions.