Around Town

Clarendon-born smoothie, acai and juice chain South Block has announced a new president as it rolls out national expansion plans.

Restaurant industry veteran Steve Heeley will guide South Block through its next chapter alongside founding CEO Amir Mostafavi, the company announced in a press release last week.


News

Planned cuts to federal funding for Medicaid, food assistance and other safety net programs have Arlington leaders turning to state officials for help.

At a meeting with county staff and County Board members last week, Arlington’s state delegates said they expect to return to Richmond in September to address cuts at the federal level.


Sponsored

This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.

On April 16 – just yesterday – The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) publicly released its precedent decision in Matter of M-K-, 29 I&N Dec. 556 (BIA 2026), the immigration case of Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student, Mahmoud Khalil. Though the decision was originally issued on April 9, 2026, its designation and publication today as binding BIA precedent makes it significantly more consequential, because the ruling now is binding precedent within the immigration court system. (more…)


News

Del. Patrick Hope and one of his challengers in the Democratic primary are at odds over how new legislation on historic preservation will impact housing.

Arjoon Srikanth, who is facing Hope (D-1) in the June 17 primary, argued that legislation enacted last year will hold up development plans designed to meet housing goals.


Announcement

ICA Language Services (ICA), a family-owned, woman-led small business based in Arlington, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, marking decades of supporting the U.S. military and diplomatic community through language training and testing.

Founded in April 1986 as Inlingua Foreign Language Center, a 6-classroom language school, ICA expanded under the leadership of Deidre Doyle, an entrepreneur with a background in organizational management who joined the company the same year. As a military spouse, she had developed a deep understanding of military organizations and culture, helping shape ICA into a trusted provider of language training and testing for military professionals. Doyle became a partner in 1993 and sole owner in 2009, when she changed the name to ICA Language Services.


News

An Arlington review board focused on historic significance has unanimously voted against supporting a redevelopment proposal at the Inn of Rosslyn site.

Noting a lack of architectural resemblance to what currently stands there, the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) voted 13-0 last week against a planned project at 1601 Fairfax Drive.


Event

Join us for the 12th Arlington Triathlon in Memory of Anne Viviani. This youth-only swim-bike-run event for ages 7-15 takes place Sunday, June 7th at Washington-Liberty Aquatics Center. It features a time-trial pool swim, a circuit bike course on closed streets, and an on-road run to the finish on the track. For registration, sponsorship information and more, please visit our website at www.triathlonfamilyusa.com. The race benefits the Arlington Triathlon Club, Arlington’s award-winning, elementary school-based multi-sport training program, the longest-running youth triathlon program of its kind in the country.


News
English bulldog Turbo at Bon Air Park (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Fire in Arlington Mill — “Units responded to and quickly extinguished a fire in an apartment on the 5100 block of 8th Rd S. No injuries to firefighters or occupants. Fire Marshal will be investigating the cause.” [ACFD/X]

Robbery Near Columbia Pike — “The male victim was outside in the 900 block of S. Dinwiddie Street when 4-5 male suspects approached him, physically assaulted him and stole and undisclosed amount of cash. One of the suspects struck the victim with a bottle, causing a laceration. The victim ran from the scene and police were notified. The victim sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment.” [ACPD]

Crash on Route 50 — “A crash around 9 p.m. [Monday] on Route 50E at Edison in Arlington County. Injuries not initially reported as serious.” [Dave Statter/X]

Alexandria Bans Gas Blowers — “Alexandria City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Saturday (May 17) banning gas-powered leaf blowers, making Alexandria the first jurisdiction in Virginia to enact such a prohibition. The ban follows years of community advocacy and comes after an August 2024 opinion from Virginia’s Attorney General confirming the city’s authority to regulate these devices through its noise ordinance.” [ALXnow]

Dem Lt. Gov. Candidates — “They all promise to “fight” or “stand up” to President Donald Trump. All want to spend more on education, protect abortion access, increase the minimum wage and restore voting rights for people who have completed felony sentences. The six candidates vying to become the Democratic nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor in a June 17 primary agree on so many top-line issues that voters might wonder: Why are so many running, and what are the differences that could help decide the race?” [Washington Post]

It’s Tuesday — There is a slight chance of showers in the afternoon with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 73, accompanied by winds shifting to the southeast at 5 to 9 mph. Tuesday night, expect showers, with an 80% chance of precipitation, a low around 58, and south winds at 7 mph turning east after midnight. New rainfall amounts could fall between a quarter and half an inch. [NWS]


News

By SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Donald Trump paid tribute to fallen service members during a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, in an address that honored the “great, great warriors” yet also briefly veered into politics as he boasted of a nation he is “fixing after a long and hard four years.”


News

Historic High View Park in North Arlington was the site of this year’s annual MSMJ Youth Foundation community event, hosted by former Yorktown High School football standout and current NFL player M.J. Stewart and his family.

The event included activities for children, music, food and drink and a celebration of the Halls Hill neighborhood.


Sports

The Yorktown Patriots extended their girls softball season with victories over the Herndon Hornets and Langley Saxons in the Liberty District tournament.

Third-seed Yorktown (12-11) topped sixth-seeded Herndon, 10-5, in the first round, then upset and blanked second-seed and Langley Saxons, 5-0, in the semifinals to extend the high-school team’s winning streak to five.


Sports

Make it a baker’s dozen — 13 — consecutive state softball championships for the Bishop O’Connell Knights.

The top seed and undefeated girls high-school team (20-0) captured its 13th straight Division I private-school crown by nipping the second-seeded St. Catherine’s Saints of Richmond, 1-0, in the 2025 tournament final in a season-ending victory.