News
An e-scooter at attention in Rosslyn (courtesy George Brazier)

Three-Peat at MCM — Thousands ran the 51st Marine Corps Marathon yesterday, starting and finishing in Arlington. “Marine Corps Maj. Kyle King won the race for the third time in a row, and fourth overall, in a time of 2:17:31. Kaylee Slade was the women’s champion with a time of 2:44:34.” [Stars and Stripes, WJLA]

Rock-Wielding Man Arrested — An Arlington man, 23, has been charged with assaulting police after officers say he advanced toward one of them while holding large rocks near N. Key Blvd and N. Cleveland Street on Thursday. He fled and resisted arrest before being subdued with OC spray, police said. [ACPD]

Metro Touts Crystal City Growth — “Since 2019, the area around Crystal City station has added 2,582 homes (and counting!) and more than 340,000 square feet of retail… 2200 Crystal Drive is being converted into 195 homes, while 2100 Crystal Drive will become two hotels with a combined 336 rooms.” [WMATA/X]

Bluemont Sauna Opening in December — The sauna and cold plunge planned for 5210 Wilson Blvd now has an opening date. “Sauna Jungle is set to open in December… A day pass will be $50, with subscriptions starting at $99 — and the waitlist is over 3,000 people long.” [Axios]

Ballston Bird Sightings — A reader reports spotting black vultures and golden-crowned kinglets in Ballston last week, following news that more than 16 million birds have flown over Arlington so far this fall. [ARLnow/X]

Suspicious Package Shuts Key Bridge — “Police investigated a suspicious package in Georgetown Friday, which shut down the Francis Scott Key Bridge for several hours… The Secret Service confirms the item was discovered near the Ukrainian Embassy.” All lanes reopened by 11:45 a.m. [WUSA 9]

Golf Course Trucks Hide Plates — “Trucks seen at East Potomac Park on Thursday had their license plates and the name of their business covered, in apparent violation of local and federal transportation law.” The latest design for President Trump’s golf course would also eliminate the park’s perimeter road for cyclists and runners. [Washington Sun, Andrew Leyden/X, New York Times]

Soccer Venue in Virginia? — D.C. United co-owner Jason Levien told the D.C. Council on Friday that without a $620 million roof and expansion for Audi Field, “there’s going to be a big push, as there was two years ago, to put an arena in Virginia or Maryland.” Mayor Muriel Bowser opposes the plan. [WBJ]

McHenry Out After Drink Toss — Britt McHenry, the former ESPN reporter whose 2015 tirade at Advanced Towing went viral, was forced to resign from her State Department press job after a confrontation at Wednesday’s Wizards game, a source told Page Six: “She was promoted and fired within 24 hours.” [Page Six]

Spanberger Targets AI Cyber Threats — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) issued a directive Friday ordering a statewide plan to prevent and respond to AI-related cyberattacks. She cited “Anthropic AI agents taking improper actions on government websites across the country, including submitting fake Freedom of Information Act requests on a Virginia Department of Education website.” [Press Release]

Virginia Oysters Tied to Salmonella — “Federal health officials are investigating a multistate salmonella outbreak that has been linked to raw oysters and sickened 27 people across a dozen states.” The recalled oysters, harvested from the Little Wicomico River, were distributed to restaurants and retailers in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, among other states. [Washington Post]

Mild Halloween Ahead — “Confidence is low-medium nearly a week out, but early signs favor a treat for trick-or-treaters, with temperatures dipping through the 60s to near 60 during trick-or-treat hours. Dry weather could come with highs near 70 or warmer next Saturday — above the 64-degree average high.” [Capital Weather]

It’s Monday — Patchy early fog will give way to sunny skies today, with a high near 70 and a light west wind of 2–6 mph. Expect clear skies tonight with a low around 50. [NWS]

New Legal Notice — General legal notice published with placeholder text and no substantive actionable details. [Public Notices]

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.


News

Good Friday evening, Arlington. Here’s a look back at today’s most-read stories and a look ahead to tomorrow.

📈 Today’s most-read stories

  1. JUST IN: ACPD releases footage of fatal police shooting on Columbia Pike (4,378 views)
  2. Arlington leaders oppose proposal to merge N. Va. bus systems (1,404 views)
  3. Arlington parties, advocacy groups split on Virginia ballot measures (1,315 views)

🕗 More from today

Everything else we published today, Oct 23, 2026.

📣 Announcements

St. Charles Preschool Open House – November 13th @ 9:30 AM
Please join us for an Open House at St. Charles Preschool on November 13th at 9:30 am to learn… [Announcement]

Workshops You’ll Love at Art House 7
Explore exciting fall workshops at Art House 7! Coming up October 24–25, master artist Teresa… [Announcement]

Chalice Theatre Presents Copenhagen | Performances November 6–15, 2026
Chalice Theatre presents the Tony-award winning play Copenhagen, by Michael Frayn, Nov 6-15… [Announcement]

📅 Upcoming events

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

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

⭐ Featured events

🏃 Run, Recline + Recreate with Liberty
Oct 24: 5K fun run + outdoor yoga beside Reclining Liberty, with a live DJ, coffee, vendors & art making. Register for a shirt by Zaq Landsberg! [Event]

🎃 Annual Community Trunk-or-Treat at Pentagon MMA
Oct 24: Family friendly Muay Thai & Jiu Jitsu class followed by spooky trunks, candy, and tons of fun! [Event]

Child Safety Fun Fair & Car Seat Check
Oct 25: Get your child car seat inspected by a Nationally Certified Technician for FREE! [Event]

Interchangeable String Quartet & Friends
Oct 25: Total Program Length–2 hours. Free, no ticket required. Donations welcome supporting the St. Anne’s Food Pantry. [Event]

Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle
Oct 25: Join CCS for this intimate and optimistic reflection on mortality, which served as Gioachino Rossini’s final plea for paradise. [Event]

Building Your New Mom Village Mixer
Oct 29: First-time pregnant moms, new moms and perinatal providers – let’s connect! Note: this location is near MOSAIC DISTRICT. [Event]

💉 The Vaccine Trifecta: The Intersection of Science, Policy, and Politics
Oct 29: Join Dr. Bruce Gellin for the 2026 Dolan Lecture to explore how science, policy, and politics shape vaccine acceptance and public trust. [Event]

Standup Comedy Show Starring Jim Bryan (Prime)
Oct 30: Comedian Jim Bryan (Amazon Prime) and friends are coming to Arlington for an incredible standup comedy show! [Event]

The Last Supper: Planning for the End of Life
Nov 1: We’ll gather over lunch for meaningful learning and compassionate discussion on preparing for the end of life. [Event]

Dialogue for Democracy
Nov 3: Dialogue for Democracy invites high school students from across the DMV to George Mason University. [Event]

How Do Retirement Communities Work? – Free Workshop
Nov 4: Interested in learning about how Continuing Care Retirement Communities work, but don’t know where to start? Join us on 11/4 to learn more! [Event]

Submit events, announcements, or home listings to ARLnow.

🌤️ Weather update

Today: Arlington and Falls Church saw a high of 64° at 2:00 p.m. (3° below normal), a low of 48° at 5:55 a.m., no rain and a peak gust of 16 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Northeast wind 1 to 7 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 64. Northeast wind 2 to 6 mph.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Friday’s sunset

The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

Thanks for reading! Get the latest Arlington news on your phone with the free ARLnow app for iPhone and Android.


Sponsored

This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at [email protected].

Question: I’m reading a lot of negative news about the housing market. What’s the good news?

Answer: I’ve written quite a bit recently about the weaknesses in our local housing market (link, link, and link). Buyers have pulled back, homes are taking longer to sell, and sellers are adjusting their expectations. For those who need to sell now, these challenges are real and immediate.

We’ve become accustomed to treating rising prices, immediate sales, and bidding wars as evidence of a good housing market. But those conditions also make it difficult for new buyers to enter the market, existing homeowners to change homes, and for buyers to understand what they’re buying.

A market that gradually becomes more affordable and gives households more time to make major decisions is a healthier market.

A Healthy Market is an Affordable One

In my July Affordability article, I argued that sustainable affordability comes from a slow, long-term shift in which prices rise slower than income rather than from a sudden policy change. Sustainable affordability is a long way off in the DC area, but a modest price correction (which we’re currently experiencing in most sub-markets) followed by slower growth, can help ease us into a healthier housing market and should not necessarily be framed as a bad market or cause for alarm.

Mortgage rates, taxes, insurance, and maintenance costs also affect affordability, so slower price growth alone won’t solve the problem. A slowdown driven by job losses would undermine the income growth needed to make this work, so it needs to be supported by a healthy economy.

A Healthy Market Provides Buyers Reasonable Protection

For much of the past 7-10 years (in Arlington/DC Metro), buyers have been pressured to make decisions on whether to buy a home within hours or days and significantly reduce or completely remove basic protections (contingencies like inspection, financing, and appraisal) because of how much leverage sellers held in negotiations.

A healthy market gives buyers time to make better decisions and room to negotiate basic protections into contracts.

Earlier this month, I wrote about home inspection negotiations becoming more common. Understanding the condition of a home before committing to buy it should be an ordinary part of the process, but many buyers waived or flew through inspections, absorbing substantial risk in the process.

Your Next Home Matters, Too

Many sellers are also buyers, buyers of a more expensive home. So lower prices don’t mean a worse overall move.

Suppose your current home is worth $900,000 and the home you want costs $1.5M. If both decline 3%, you receive $27,000 less on the sale but pay $45,000 less on the purchase.

Of course, those two homes may perform differently, and giving up a low mortgage rate can overwhelm any absolute dollar savings. But the point is worth remembering that maximizing your sale price isn’t the only measure of a successful move.

(more…)


News

Arlington County police released footage today (Friday) of the fatal officer-involved shooting that took place on Columbia Pike in May.

Videos from officers’ body-worn cameras, released at a press conference this afternoon following repeated orders from the Arlington County Board, depict the hours-long standoff, confrontation and shooting death of 33-year-old Shawn Valn inside a 7-Eleven convenience store on the evening of May 8.


Announcement

Looking to get your car squeaky clean? We bring premium mobile detailing straight to your home or office. Skip the wait and drive something that feels brand new again. We provide interior deep cleans, exterior washes, paint shine, stain removal, and attention to every detail. Reliable, convenient, and built around your schedule.

Book your detail today and let us do all the work!


News

Transportation safety personnel are eyeing new technology to catch vehicles running stop signs in Arlington, but they aren’t yet ready to implement it.

“Right now, we just don’t have the resources,” Christine Baker, manager of the county government’s Vision Zero initiative, said on Wednesday.


Event

Holiday shopping, hot cocoa, and live music, all on the Pike!

Join the Columbia Pike Partnership for our Holiday Market on Sunday, December 6, from 9 AM to 1 PM at Pike Park.


Around Town

After a lot of hard work, Good Trouble Roasters is now serving up coffee in Cherrydale ahead of a grand opening next week.

The coffee shop offers selections of beans roasted in-house, pastries and sandwiches from local establishments and, in the near future, alcoholic beverages. Its grand opening at 3800 Langston Blvd is planned for next Wednesday morning.


News

The Optimist Club of Arlington honored local law enforcement, courts and jail personnel at its annual “Respect for Law” luncheon this week.

“It means a lot to the public-safety community to have the recognition from the community,” Police Chief Andy Penn said at the event, held at Washington Golf & Country Club.


Opinion

Accessible, high-quality walk-in medical services play a vital role in Arlington, offering support for injuries and sudden illnesses close to home.

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

Did we miss your favorite urgent care? Write it in!

Voting will close on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Voting for Best Indoor Activity in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.

Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Burger Spot in Arlington. The full results are now official:

  1. 🥇 Elevation Burger — 556 votes
  2. 🥈 Sloppy Mama’s BBQ — 401 votes
  3. 🥉 Big Buns Damn Good Burgers — 310 votes
  4. Five Guys — 246 votes
  5. Jon’s Joint — 213 votes

Elevation Burger took the No. 1 spot among the 2,397 votes cast. This organic burger chain serves up grass-fed beef patties, cage-free chicken and fries cooked in olive oil at two locations in Arlington: in the Lee Harrison Shopping Center (2447 N. Harrison Street) and at Reagan National Airport.

In 2024, readers picked Big Buns Damn Good Burgers, our No. 3 winner this year. See all ARLnow Readers’ Choice winners here.


News

Arlington leaders have joined counterparts elsewhere in Northern Virginia in voicing opposition to a proposed merger of local bus systems.

Speaking at an Oct. 21 regional forum on the issue, County Board member Takis Karantonis and Vice-Chair Maureen Coffey each suggested consolidation would be a solution in search of a problem.


News

Three constitutional amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot have prompted public messages from local Democrats and Republicans, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and a variety of advocacy groups.

Arlington Democrats are supporting all three, which focus on reproductive rights, same-sex marriage and restoration of voting rights for convicted felons who have been released from incarceration. Party members “voted overwhelmingly” earlier this year to support the trio, party officials said.


Announcement

Reserve your spot for an after-hour event with multi-disciplinary artist Sky Hopinka, Thursday, Nov. 5, 6–9 PM. Experience monumental nature-inspired artworks in the Water’s Edge exhibition, make your own artwork to take home at the National Museum of the American Indian.

Sky Hopinka’s photo and video art—including This is a mnemonic for Truman Lowe in the museum’s collection—shares Truman Lowe’s interest in Indigenous homelands, cultural knowledge, and traditional practices. Hopinka contributed to the exhibition catalog for Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe, writing on Lowe’s lasting impact on his work. Hopinka joins the museum for this special after hours event featuring a screening of three of his short video works followed by a discussion with Rebecca Head Trautmann, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art and exhibition curator, along with art-making activities, and time to enjoy Lowe’s work currently on view.   Sky Hopinka has been widely recognized for his experimental short films and photo-based works. A MacArthur Fellow, Guggenheim Fellow, and Forge Project Fellow, his work has been shown in major film festivals, museums, and international exhibitions and is in numerous prominent museum collections. Hopinka is currently an assistant professor in the department of Art, Film, and Visual Studies at Harvard University.