News
A cleaning crew vacuums a large number of spotted lanternflies in front of a Ballston building (staff photo)

Flyover Planned This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an aircraft flyover in the National Capital Region (NCR) over The Pentagon on Friday, September 19, 2025, at 10:45AM.”

Federal Prosecutor Being Fired? — “President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources… Administration officials have told Siebert of Trump’s intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said. Siebert’s last day on the job is expected to be Friday.” [ABC News]

Defense Firm Opens New Office — “Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), held an opening event yesterday for its new office in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia, minutes from the Pentagon.” [BusinessWire, WBJ]

Crystal City-Based PBS ‘Optimistic’ — “PBS CEO Paula Kerger told Axios Media Trends Live on Thursday she is optimistic about government funding after being included in a continuing resolution proposal.” [Axios, Axios/X]

Profile of a Six-Plex Project — “In spite of an ongoing court challenge brought by nine single-family homeowners, some EHO permits have been allowed to continue due to separate individual court rulings. One of the most promising EHO examples under construction is a six-plex on 3802 14th Street North.” [GGW]

Beyer Blasts Trump TV Threat — “The Trump Administration has declared war on the First Amendment. They’re getting people fired for expressing opinions. He’s bullying the press with lawsuits and government powers to silence critics, and targeting political opposition. Americans’ freedom of speech is at risk.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]

Digital Equity Grants — “At its September Meeting, the Arlington County Board voted to award $500,000 in the inaugural round of digital equity grants to seven community organizations. Through these community partners, the County will realize key recommendations of the 2024 Broadband Study and key goals of the Digital Equity Initiative.” [Arlington County]

July’s Passenger Count Down at DCA — July’s passenger enplanements of 1.09 million at Reagan National Airport were down 6.5% year-over-year and off 7.6% from budget projections, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority officials said this week. Weather issues and the economic impact of federal-government downsizing were largely to blame, officials said. Traffic was up 5.7% to 1.4 million at Dulles. –Scott McCaffrey

Poor Marks for Local Airports — “Airline passengers traveling in and out of the D.C. region’s two main airports are not all that happy with their experience these days. That’s according to a passenger survey released this week by J.D. Power, which found that among 27 large airports in North America, Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport ranked among the lowest in customer satisfaction.” [WBJ]

It’s Friday — Expect sunny conditions and a high of 87 degrees accompanied by a light northwest wind. Moving into Friday night, skies will turn partly cloudy with a low of 64 degrees. [NWS]


Legal Notice

Eli’s Taqueria LLC

Trading as:

Eli’s Taqueria

3207 Columbia Pike, Arlington,  Arlington County, Virginia, 22204-4305

The above establishment is applying to

the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a

Restaurant – Wine, Beer and Mixed Beverages On and Off Premises license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Nevi Paredes Espana, Owner

NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200.


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 — Sep 18, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Expect sunny conditions and a high of 87 degrees accompanied by a light northwest wind at around 5 mph. Moving into Friday night, skies will turn partly cloudy with a low of 64 degrees. A calm wind will shift to the northeast at 5 to 7 mph after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”
– Robert Frost

🌅 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.


Announcement

There’s something a little bit magical about picking up a foil for the first time — or drawing back a bow and watching your arrow fly true. It’s why fencing and archery have such a hold on kids and adults alike: real focus, real skill, and a thrill you don’t get from the usual sports lineup.

This fall, Nova Fencing & Archery Club in Bailey’s Crossroads is opening registration for both, with beginner classes for every age starting the week of September 12th. Fencing welcomes ages 7 to 12 and teens and adults 13 and up. Explore Archery, coached by USA Archery certified instructors, welcomes ages 8 to 12 and meets Tuesdays or Saturdays. And for our youngest fencers, ages 4 to 6, ABC’s of Fencing meets on Saturdays. All classes run eight sessions for $195, equipment provided, no experience needed — yes, even for grown-ups who’ve never held a sword or a bow before.


News

Police are conducting a death investigation along Four Mile Run after a body was found this afternoon.

Arlington County police responded to a wooded area near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Four Mile Run Road around 2:15 p.m., after someone reported finding a body near the creek.


Event

Join us at Westover Taco for the official Fund Her Game Charity Launch, bringing together athletes, fans, business leaders, and community supporters who want to strengthen girls’ and women’s sports across the DMV.

Fund Her Game was created to invest in the teams, leagues, programs, and organizations that help women and girls play, compete, develop, and lead, from recreational sports through professional competition.


Around Town

For as much as $1,450, a new local business specializing in “premium pumpkin delivery” is offering decorating jobs to porches in Arlington this season.

The Porch Parade aims to bring “effortless, discreet, and exclusive pumpkin displays” to D.C.-area porches. Andrea Samuelson, a former federal worker, co-founded the business with friend Anusha Seneviratne after their jobs were cut earlier this year.


News

A new affordable housing building with 432 units broke ground at the Crystal House complex yesterday (Wednesday).

“The Sweeney” — named after two True Ground Housing Partners founders, Jean and Jack Sweeney — is among the largest affordable housing projects to break ground in National Landing in decades, according to True Ground.


News

Yorktown High School will see an increased police presence today after a bomb threat was made against the school.

Arlington County police responded to the school around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, shortly after becoming aware of a threat being posted online, according to an ACPD spokesperson.


Around Town

A family-owned banh mi shop is flourishing during its first year in Ballston, months after its original location unexpectedly shuttered in D.C.

John Tran opened Simply Banh Mi in January at 801 N. Quincy Street as an expansion of his now-closed Georgetown restaurant. The business owner hoped to pass the D.C. store to new ownership earlier this year, but told ARLnow those plans fell through for reasons related to the health of a family member.


News

The Falls Church Planning Commission will soon change from being a final decision-maker to an advisor for some new development projects in the city.

The shift in responsibility comes in response to new state laws, which took effect July 1 and aim to speed up the creation of new housing across the commonwealth. Under the new rules, many localities must move from planning commission approval of projects to staff approval of development plans.


Announcement

We love fall at Art House 7 and can’t wait for you to explore all our offerings. Painting, drawing, ceramics, and sewing/crocheting are our perennials, along with less traditional mediums. Kawaii Style Drawing and Digital Art are among our new classes for kids. We offer an excellent 6-week program for high schoolers preparing their college portfolios. Want something shorter? We have 3-week classes, including linocut notecards. Love ceramics? We have a dedicated studio that comfortably accommodates wheel and hand-building classes. 

Fall 1 Session begins Tue. Sep. 8.