A woman has been arrested after allegedly defrauding a family out of $26,000 following the death of an Arlington resident.
Yesenia Amaya, 34, reportedly created a GoFundMe to support the immediate family of a juvenile who died in September 2023.
A local coffee shop with a social mission has closed after almost two years at Water Park in Crystal City.
But the story isn’t over for Brij Coffee owner Skyler Kelley, who opened the cafe in fall 2023 with the goal of using the business to combat homelessness.
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: How much of an impact do you think the ROAD to Housing Act will have on housing affordability in Arlington?
Answer: The Road to Housing Act became law ten days ago, with the stated goal of improving housing affordability in the United States.
I don’t see many policies in the Act that will improve affordability in the Arlington/Northern VA/DC Metro markets, outside of incentives for more affordable multi-family housing, but there are policies that should improve affordability in other markets that are more saturated with institutional investors that own swaths of single-family homes (e.g. Atlanta and Phoenix) and for manufactured/mobile homes.
The Local Conversation Needs to Change
If we are going to improve affordability in our market, most of the change has to be done locally/regionally, not nationally, but it requires a paradigm shift in how we discuss and solve for housing affordability.
Affordability Disconnect: Near Term Expectations Not Realistic
A disconnect between housing affordability expectations and reality prevents the right community and political conversations from happening. We expect/demand housing affordability immediately, ignoring the difficulty, and consequences, of achieving it that quickly.
Stable and healthy housing affordability is a long-term process requiring gradual change over a 10-15+ year period.
Demand-Side Solutions Won’t Work
Demand-side solutions, such as lower interest rates or easier financing, artificially inflate home values, as seen during the COVID-era housing boom and early 2000s. They are not a good long-term solution to affordability because they push values even higher (along with your property taxes) and affordability gets worse when rates/lending normalize and no longer provide artificially low monthly payments.
Supply-Side Solutions Are Not Immediate
Most policy discussions focus on supply-side solutions: building more/faster and denser housing (e.g. Arlington’s Missing Middle/Expanded Housing Option), incentivizing more existing home sales, or disincentivizing concentrated ownership by companies and individuals. Econ 101 tells us that more supply = lower prices = affordable housing (winner winner!).
This is the only path to stable, long-term housing affordability…BUT, at current interest rates, prices must drop 30-35% in the United States to become affordable, at current income levels. A 30-35% drop in home values would devastate the economy, so a supply-side solution won’t (shouldn’t) provide immediate affordability. (more…)
The departing pastor of Calloway United Methodist Church was honored Sunday for her work with the congregation and in the broader community.
The Rev. DeLishia Davis, who is also president of the Arlington NAACP, is leaving “an indelible mark on the lives of Arlingtonians,” County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said during a ceremony at the church, located at 5000 Langston Blvd.
At Northern Virginia Family Services (NVFS), one of the region’s largest and most established human services nonprofits, we believe every child deserves to walk into the classroom on the first day of school feeling confident, prepared, and ready to learn. But for many local families, the excitement of a new school year is overshadowed by the financial stress of buying school supplies. By helping families meet this essential need, we can ease financial pressure and give students the tools they need to succeed from day one.
This summer, NVFS is bringing together individuals, businesses, and community partners from across Northern Virginia, to provide new backpacks and essential school supplies to more than 1,500 local students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
A prolonged period of high heat and humidity starts today in Arlington.
Heat index values are expected well past 100 degrees, reaching around 106 by late afternoon today. Some relief may come Wednesday evening in the form of isolated showers or thunderstorms, but the day will remain dangerously hot overall.
*Mamistad Groups meet IN PERSON-only the introductory Zoom call is virtual. :)
Pregnancy and new mom groups are a lifesaver when it comes to normalizing those feelings we just can’t be prepared for.
Honoo Ramen Bar, a new Japanese restaurant, is now open at the West Falls development in Falls Church.
Offering a wide menu of ramen, sushi, cocktails and Japanese entrees, the new restaurant is currently soft opening at 153 W. Falls Station Blvd.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrats in Virginia have built up a hefty fundraising advantage for their effort to reclaim the governor’s mansion in a race seen as a bellwether for the party in power in Washington heading into the 2026 midterms.
Falls Church leaders remain noncommittal to a request from the owner of the city’s weekly newspaper for a partnership.
Nicholas Benton, who has owned and run the Falls Church News-Press from its founding in March 1991, came to the City Council on June 16, following up on previous proposals to have city leaders provide more funding.
A multi-day history festival commemorating the United States’ 250th birthday could be coming to Arlington next year.
The Arlington Historical Society, which presented an update on its plans for the landmark anniversary at a meeting of the Arlington County Civic Association last week, hopes to host the event next May, likely at Kenmore Middle School.
Water Park Ready for Crowds — “At Ocean Dunes Waterpark, they’re expecting hundreds of people a day throughout the weekend and next week because of potential triple-digit temperatures. They say they’re ready for the crowds and also ready to make sure their staff gets a break too.” [DC News Now]
Locals Line Up for E-CARE — “Hundreds of cars lined up along N. Quincy Street in Arlington, Virginia, before 7:30 a.m. Saturday, waiting for the opening of Arlington County’s E-CARE event. It usually happens in the spring, but it got pushed back this year to the first Saturday of summer.” [WTOP]
Metro: No Known Threats — “The Metro Transit Police Department is closely monitoring the events in Iran. At this time there are no known threats to Metro, however MTPD will have an enhanced presence throughout the system. We continue to work closely with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of America’s Metro System.” [WMATA/X]
Post Print Changes — “This Sunday’s edition of the Washington Post will be the last time local readers get a section all to themselves. Starting Monday, the Post is merging its Metro, Sports, and Style sections into one for the print edition on most days.” [WCP]
Karantonis Certified as Victor — Arlington Electoral Board members on Saturday met and certified Takis Karantonis as victor in the June 17 Democratic primary. The official count was 16,796 votes (64.2%) for Karantonis, 9,351 votes for James DeVita. Certification of the results of the 1st House District primary will be made later this week by state election officials. –Scott McCaffrey
It’s Monday — Expect sunny and hot conditions with temperatures reaching near 100 degrees and heat index values as high as 110. A northwest wind will be blowing at 6 to 8 mph. By Monday night, the sky will be mostly clear and temperatures will drop to around 79 degrees with a light northwest wind. [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.
Local entrepreneur MaryBeth Powers is being featured on an episode of Women in Power, a series that highlights inspiring women whose passion, perseverance, and purpose have made a meaningful impact in their communities.
The episode shares the remarkable story behind Teddy’s Turmeric Tamer®, an all-natural daily wellness topper for dogs that was born from love and determination. After MaryBeth’s beloved dog, Teddy, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and given just 2–4 weeks to live, she refused to give up hope. Through extensive research and a commitment to natural wellness, she created a unique blend of premium ingredients to support Teddy’s health. Teddy went on to enjoy three more years filled with love, comfort and quality of life.
