News

An Arlington man is behind bars after police say he tried to carjack a motorcycle while armed with an airsoft gun.

The alleged incident happened this past Thursday afternoon in the Halls Hill neighborhood. No one was hurt and police say they arrested the suspect in a nearby home.


Schools

Arlington Public Schools opens the 2025-26 school year with a 99.3% staffing rate, one of the highest in recent memory.

Only 34 staff positions out of more than 3,000 positions are unfilled, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members on Aug. 21.


News
Sunrise over the Gold’s Gym near Ballston (courtesy anonymous)

Back to School Safety — Arlington Public Schools “will welcome students back into their classrooms [today] which means there will soon be an increase in children walking, bicycling and riding the bus to schools throughout Arlington. Transportation safety is a group effort… ACPD reminds parents to think twice before posting “first day” photos. Avoid sharing personal info—try fun facts like favorite color, book, or hobby instead.” [APCD/X, ACPD/X]

Diocese Schools in Session — “Catholic schools administered by the Diocese of Arlington have opened their doors for the 2025-2026 school year to more than 18,000 students in grades pre-K through 12th… 37 elementary schools, four high schools, three early childhood centers and seven independent schools are located throughout the diocese.” [Diocese of Arlington]

Weekend Car Fires — “Units responded to and extinguished a vehicle fire at the intersection of Shirlington Rd and S Quincy St. No injuries to firefighters or occupants. Fire Marshals will be investigating the cause.” [ACFD/X, GHD/X]

Local Impact of Tax Cuts — “DMV residents dodged a big tax hike when Congress passed the “big, beautiful bill,” making permanent the tax cuts of President Trump’s first term — and adding on a bunch more… In NoVa, Falls Church residents will see the biggest cuts ($7,107), followed by Fairfax County ($5,699), Loudoun County ($5,317), Arlington County ($5,086) and Alexandria ($4,440).” [Axios]

State GOP Ticket Fundraising — “As Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) reboots her campaign for Virginia governor following signs of disarray, at least one national Republican group is urging donors to consider a fallback position: focusing support on the reelection bid of Attorney General Jason S. Miyares as the party’s best hope for a win, splitting the ticket in this November’s three statewide elections.” [Washington Post]

It’s Monday — The weather will be sunny with a high temperature of around 83 degrees and a northwest wind blowing at 7 to 10 mph. During Monday night, conditions will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of about 61 degrees, and the northwest wind will continue at approximately 7 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.


Around Town

Good Friday 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 22, 2025.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. JUST IN: Police investigating fatal fall from Ballston apartment building (65156 views)
  2. BREAKING: Man charged with murdering mother in Virginia Square apartment (63711 views)
  3. Makeup artist slain in Virginia Square shooting remembered as ‘everyone’s friend’ (14150 views)
  4. Fall in Arlington: Rosslyn Fall Fest, Clarendon Day and more to look forward to (11554 views)
  5. Raids on D.C. homeless encampments come amid growing demand for services in Arlington (9500 views)
  6. What changes to expect at APS when the school year begins next week (8099 views)
  7. Police investigating armed robbery in Arlington park (8063 views)
  8. Local church and artist memorialize Arlington ICE arrests with ‘stumbling stickers’ (7890 views)
  9. Man beaten and threatened in separate incidents on the Pike (7159 views)
  10. Arlington plans public outreach on rules for impermeable surfaces at single-family homes (6106 views)
  11. NOW: Traffic blocked on Key Bridge as Ukraine’s president visits D.C. (5771 views)
  12. 10 homes that should have sold by now (5464 views)
  13. Whole Foods makes progress on new ‘Daily Shop’ market in Crystal City (5217 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

☀️ Saturday’s forecast

Expect sunshine and a high temperature of around 84 degrees, with calm winds picking up from the south at 5 to 9 mph during the morning. Saturday night will be partly cloudy with a low temperature close to 68 degrees, and a south wind of 6 to 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The first wealth is health.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋


Event

Join the Rosslyn BID and Arlington Arts at the 34th Rosslyn Jazz Fest 2026 featuring live jazz, food trucks, local vendors, and family-friendly activities in the heart of Rosslyn! This year’s lineup is bringing a diverse mix of performers and bands redefining the jazz music genre including Plena Libre, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, Parlor Greens, and Dogo du Togo & the Alagaa Beat Band.


Around Town

The weekend is here and so is a new episode of the ARLnow podcast.

In the latest episode, Vernon, Dan and Lene — and a special guest, Freddie’s Beach Bar owner Freddie Lutz — discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:


Around Town

A longtime family-owned ice cream shop is preparing to close in Clarendon.

Nicecream is shuttering later this month at 2831 Clarendon Blvd, co-owner Gil Welsford confirmed. Welsford, who founded the business 11 years ago with his wife, Sandra Tran, expressed gratitude for his customers — saying, “the Arlington community has just been amazing to be a part of.”


Around Town

A freshly renovated hotel with 355 rooms and a new restaurant and patio hosted a ribbon cutting in Crystal City today (Friday).

The new AC Hotel Arlington National Landing, formerly the Crystal City Marriott, is the largest location in North America for AC Hotels, the European-inspired hospitality group owned by Marriott.


Opinion

Families in Arlington have plenty of options when it comes to selecting a preschool or daycare provider, with programs designed to nurture and teach little ones.

Here are the nominees for “Best Preschool in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.

Did we miss your favorite preschool? Write them in!

Voting will close in two weeks.

Voting for the Best Kid’s Birthday Party Venue in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.

Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Live Music Venue in Arlington. The results are now official:

  1. Westover Market Beer Garden
  2. The Renegade
  3. Lubber Run Amphitheater

News

The Arlington Police Department (ACPD) and Virginia State Police carried out a parking enforcement operation on Four Mile Run Drive and S. George Mason Drive following complaints about abandoned cars.

ACPD tweeted yesterday (Thursday) that “neighborhood concerns” spurred on the stepped-up enforcement. Virginia State Police assisted with identifying fraudulent inspection stickers.