A $5 million project to relocate and consolidate Arlington County’s infrastructure for responding to emergencies is expected to begin later this year.
The county’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management, along with a new Situational Awareness Intelligence Unit (SAIU), are all moving into the Bozman Government Center.
A Thomas Jefferson High School junior is launching an assistive technology start-up to help people with motor disabilities use computers more easily.
Dhanvin Ganeshkumar’s Swype AI will allow people to control their computer using a free mobile app on their smartphone in conjunction with gestures or vocal commands.
When Eddie Kaufholz and his family moved to Arlington nearly five years ago, they were not thinking about starting a business. They wanted to live in a place that was diverse, interesting and full of opportunity, with a school system they could rely on. Arlington fit.
In the years that followed, working out of a home office off Columbia Pike, he consulted with organizations across Northern Virginia and around the country: nonprofits, advocacy groups, mid-sized companies, agencies of various sizes. The work itself was good. But somewhere across all those projects, he started to notice a pattern.
”The agency model has gotten really bloated,” Kaufholz says. ”Layers, handoffs, middle management. The senior people who pitch the work often disappear once it starts. The idea with PILLAR was to strip all of that down; keep senior people on the work, approach each client with humility and care, do world-class strategy and execution, and pass the efficiency back to the client instead of absorbing it as agency margin.”
That thinking, slowly, became PILLAR, the Arlington-headquartered creative, communications and marketing agency Kaufholz founded.
PILLAR, he says, is built on an old idea. ”An idea that has always been possible but rarely practiced: that an agency should be structured to serve the work itself.” The team that delivers the work is assembled around the specific needs of each client and only stays as long as the work calls for them.
”The senior strategist on your kick-off call is the senior strategist writing your messaging,” Kaufholz says. ”Every person on a project is there because the work specifically calls for them.”
PILLAR’s recent work has spanned human rights, executive leadership, higher education, advocacy and direct-to-consumer ecommerce. The roster has included national nonprofits, a national multimillion-dollar direct-to-consumer brand and a number of institutions navigating significant moments of strategic change. The model is built to scale up to be the agency of record for a national brand, or to scale down to design a logo for a neighborhood nonprofit. PILLAR takes equal pride and care in both.
What Kaufholz did not understand when he started, he said, was how much the County itself would matter in making any of it possible. (more…)
Falls Church officials next week are expected to authorize requests for regional funds in support of two key transportation upgrades.
The proposals for Haycock Road and Annandale Road were discussed at the July 7 City Council work session, with formal action slated for Monday, July 14.
Feds and Economists Worried — “The Supreme Court’s decision Tuesday to allow the Trump administration to continue with mass firings of federal workers could finally trigger the economic downturn economists and business leaders have been warning of since January. Higher rates of unemployment and an economic contraction are looking increasingly likely, economists say.” [WBJ, Washington Post, Associated Press]
Lightning Strikes Homes — “These storms [Wednesday evening] had lots of lightning. ACFD responded to at least two reports of homes damaged by lightning strikes: 100 block of S. Park Drive and 5400 block of 36th Road N.” [ARLnow/X]
Burglar Bares All — “At approximately 3:18 a.m. on July 9, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined the reporting party located the male suspect inside their home allegedly exposing himself. Responding officers located the suspect at the scene and took him into custody without incident.” [ACPD]
Plaudits for Local Pizzeria — “One of the best pizzas in the country can be found in Virginia, according to the new 50 Top Pizza guide based on the findings of a team of inspectors who anonymously evaluate pizzerias around the world… According to their list, one of the best pizzas in the country can be found at A Modo Mio Pizzeria Napoletana & Bar, located at 5555 Langston Blvd.” [Patch]
Jazz Fest Announcement — “The Rosslyn Business Improvement District (BID), in partnership with Arlington Arts, is excited to announce the dynamic lineup for the 2025 Rosslyn Jazz Fest, taking place on Saturday, Sept. 6, from 1–7 p.m. at Gateway Park (1300 Langston Blvd., Arlington, VA). Headlining this year’s festival is Grammy-nominated Southern Avenue, the high-voltage, Memphis-based group known for their electrifying blend of blues, soul, and gospel.” [Arlington County]
TR Bridge Work Nears — “Starts next week: The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge goes from four lanes to three eastbound through early next year as TR gets a rehab to soothe all that rough riding.” [Arlington DES/X]
It’s Thursday — Showers and thunderstorms are possible throughout much of the day. Otherwise, expect mostly cloudy skies, with a high temperature near 85 and a southwest wind at 3 to 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%. Tonight, chances of showers and thunderstorms decrease before 11pm, with a light south wind and a low temperature around 72. [NWS]
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!
Good Wednesday 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 — Jul 9, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Showers and thunderstorms are expected throughout the day, with a likelihood of a thunderstorm between 2pm and 3pm. The sky will be mostly cloudy, with a high temperature near 85 and a southwest wind at 3 to 5 mph. The chance of precipitation is 60%, with new rainfall amounts likely below a tenth of an inch, possibly higher during thunderstorms. For Thursday night, chances of showers and thunderstorms decrease before 11pm, with light south wind and a low temperature around 72. The chance of precipitation falls to 30% during the night. See more from Weather.gov.
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
– Robert Frost
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
A Flash Flood Watch was just issued for Arlington, Falls Church and surrounding areas, including D.C.
A line of storms with exceptionally heavy downpours is approaching the area from the west. Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly after its arrival.
Arlington Independent Media’s flagship FM station is back on the airwaves — but beyond that, the troubled nonprofit has effectively gone radio silent.
Arlington listeners tuning into 96.7 FM can once again catch lo-fi beats on AIM’s public radio station, WERA. Every now and then, they’ll hear a message inviting them to listen online at WERA.fm.
Buckle up for what’s shaping up to be a wild weather day.
Arlington and much of the D.C. area is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch and a Flood Watch. The former was issued just after 2 p.m. and will remain in effect until 10 p.m.
A pair of Arlington entrepreneurs have partnered with a local taqueria to debut a new cantina-themed booze cruise on the Potomac River.
Sea Suite Cruises’ new “Cantina Cruises” party boat, which debuted on the Fourth of July, comes with a full-service bar plus chips and salsa courtesy of District Taco. Private parties can also get catering from the regional taco chain.
