Around Town

A local Scout has redesigned the room where chemotherapy patients try on wigs at Virginia Hospital Center, seeking to create a more comfortable and welcoming space.

Seeking to honor one of her past teachers, who was diagnosed with breast cancer, 16-year-old Alia Abbud revamped the room in The Reva and Sid Dewberry Cancer Resource Center where patients go to try on wigs and head coverings.


News
Cyclist takes a break at the Bluemont Park picnic shelter (Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick)

Tesla Cybertruck Vandalized — “What began as a festive Fourth of July celebration on the water at the Columbia Island Marina ended in shock for Michael Sobhi. By the morning, his 2021 Tesla Cybertruck had been vandalized. When he went to the parking lot the next day, he noticed both side view mirrors had been ripped off his vehicle, and a note had been left behind that read: ‘How do you live with yourself and your small penis?'” [WTOP]

TV Broadcast in Pentagon City — “Your FOX 5 favorites will be at National Landing in Arlington, Virginia Friday morning! Join in on the fun at 1330 S Fair Street Arlington, VA 22202.” [Fox 5]

County Has New CTO — “Holly Hartell has been selected as Arlington County’s new Chief Information Officer and Director of the Department of Technology Services (DTS), County Manager Mark Schwartz announced this week. She will begin in the permanent role on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, after being appointed as acting director of DTS in January 2025.” [Arlington County]

Local Restaurant Struggles — “At a recent lunch hour, the long-time manager of a highly regarded, somewhat upscale restaurant in downtown Falls Church turned and looked to the barren tables and empty chairs in the well-appointed room. There was not a single other person there to eat. “Where is everybody?” she asked, exasperated. Sadly, this is an increasingly common scenario.” [FCNP]

Va. Sens. Blast Solar Cut — “As Virginians continue to struggle to pay their rising electricity bills, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) are pushing back against the Trump administration’s plans to terminate a program designed to lower energy costs and support the deployment of affordable solar power to communities hardest hit by skyrocketing costs.” [Press Release]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching about 83°F, accompanied by a gentle northeast breeze at 6 to 8 mph. As night falls, the skies will remain mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 64°F. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick


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Around Town

Good Thursday 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 7, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching about 83°F, accompanied by a gentle northeast breeze at 6 to 8 mph. As night falls, the skies will remain mostly clear, with the temperature dropping to around 64°F and an east wind blowing at 3 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
– 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! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.


News

Complaints of incomplete and missed trash collections have hounded Arlington’s new solid waste contractor in its first few days of service.

Bates Trucking and Trash Removal, which replaces longtime county contractor American Disposal Services, began collecting trash, recycling and organics from Arlington single-family homes this month.


Event

Due to the extended period of extreme heat forecasted for the next several days in our area, the Civic Jam event originally scheduled for Friday, July 3, 2026, has been postponed to Friday, July 24, 2026.

Commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of the United States of America at Civic Jam! Celebrate the City of Falls Church’s diverse community, civic engagement, and classic summer fun. Jam out to live, local music, sip on local brews, enjoy tasty treats and eats, and a full evening of festivities for all ages on Friday, July 3, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m.


News

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Restoring a memorial to the Confederacy that was removed from Arlington National Cemetery at the recommendation of Congress will cost roughly $10 million total, a U.S. Army official said Wednesday — the latest development in a Trump administration effort to combat what it calls “erasing American history.”


News

If there’s one thing Zach Cregger learned while writing and directing his upcoming horror movie “Weapons,” it’s that the best laughs won’t come from the jokes he writes.

The film follows Cregger’s 2022 solo directorial debut “Barbarians,” the widely celebrated genre-bending horror. This time, the young director bends even more, spinning a town into chaos when all children but one from the same classroom mysteriously vanish, leaving a trail of questions in their place.


Around Town

A coffeehouse franchise based in Japan plans to open its first East Coast location in Pentagon City.

Takagi Coffee has inked a deal at 721 15th Street S., in between Tend and Yunnan by Potomac Noodle House. The cafe applied for a commercial building permit last Friday.


News

An appointee to the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Biden administration has been accused of sexually assaulting a subordinate at her Pentagon City apartment.

Allegations stemming from a 2023 incident ultimately led to the resignation of Jessica Guadalupe Cavazos after fewer than eight months as the agency’s deputy Under Secretary for Minority Business Development.