A gun-wielding suspect robbed someone of cash in Upton Hill Regional Park on Tuesday afternoon.
Police responded to the 6000 block of Wilson Blvd around 1:15 p.m. for a report of an armed robbery. The victim told officers that he was walking in the park — near Arlington’s western border — when a man in a mask and all black clothing approached.
As students head back to school on Monday, new speed cameras and speed humps are intended to improve safety in Arlington school zones.
The Arlington County Police Department has installed 10 additional cameras over the summer, bringing its total number up to 28. Additionally, the county is in the process of installing new speed humps at seven locations near schools.
Aspiring retail entrepreneurs and product-based small businesses will soon have an exciting new opportunity to grow through NEXT., a new retail incubator program launching in November through Arlington Economic Development’s BizLaunch program and in partnership with the Ballston Business Improvement District (BID) and the Ballston Quarter Mall.
Designed to help makers, artisans and product-based businesses build the skills and confidence needed to succeed in a brick-and-mortar environment, NEXT. combines classroom instruction, one-on-one business advising and hands-on retail experience in a real storefront setting.
Eligible businesses include those selling apparel, jewelry, handmade goods, home décor, beauty and skincare products, artwork, accessories and other specialty retail items. Food and beverage businesses are not eligible for the inaugural cohort.
Participants will complete a weeklong retail readiness curriculum covering:
Licensing and permitting
Retail leasing
Merchandising
Branding
Customer experience
Point-of-sale operations
The curriculum features instruction from industry professionals, property management representatives and local partners, along with hands-on merchandising support.
A key component of the program is a weekend retail activation. After completing the training, selected participants will operate a shared retail storefront in Ballston for one weekend, gaining firsthand experience serving customers, merchandising products, managing inventory and processing sales in a live retail environment.
Participants will also meet with a BizLaunch business advisor for individualized technical assistance. These one-on-one sessions are designed to help entrepreneurs strengthen operations, evaluate growth opportunities, and connect with resources related to marketing, financing, ecommerce, licensing and expansion planning.
Applications are open to businesses that:
Are registered and in good standing with the Commonwealth of Virginia
Hold the required business licenses and sales tax registration
Can commit to participating in the full program
Applicants will be evaluated based on business readiness, product quality, growth potential and their ability to benefit from the retail training experience.
Selected participants will pay a $100 fee to secure their place in the cohort.
For entrepreneurs interested in testing their products in a retail setting, gaining practical experience and connecting with a supportive business community, NEXT. offers a practical pathway to growth.
To learn more and apply, visit the Next application page. If you know of aspiring makers, innovators or retailers, please share this opportunity! Applications will be reviewed by the program team, and selected applicants will be invited to interview before the final cohort is selected.
Learn more about BizLaunch and NEXT. at www.bizlaunch.org.
Rosslyn Gets Another HQ — “Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced Cailabs US Inc., a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of the French company Cailabs SAS specializing in the design and manufacturing of advanced laser-light products, will invest $300,000 to relocate their U.S. headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Arlington County.” [Press Release]
Pentagon City Profiled — “Ben D’Avanzo, chair of the Crystal and Pentagon Cities Board, has lived in Pentagon City since 2017 and watched it evolve from a mall-and-offices hub to a more modern, walkable community, including Amazon HQ2, which opened its first phase in summer 2023 and employs about 8,300 people. “What Amazon has done is accelerated the process that is underway of transforming a neighborhood that didn’t really reflect what people are looking for today,” D’Avanzo said.” [Washington Post]
Beyer Pushes for Body Cams — “After videos circulated online of federal police officers using excessive force to make arrests as part of President Trump’s unnecessary and inflammatory surge of law enforcement in D.C., Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) announced that they’ll reintroduce their bill to require all federal police officers, including those from Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Park Police, to wear body cameras and use dashboard cameras in marked vehicles.” [Press Release, Rep. Don Beyer/X]
AG Slams N. Va. School Systems — “Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares says Northern Virginia school divisions are ‘putting our little girls at risk’ after rejecting a federal order to reverse transgender restroom and locker room policies… ‘The idea that they’re literally wanting to risk federal funding because they think biological boys should be in women’s safe spaces, should be in women’s locker rooms, should be on women’s hotel rooms on overnight trips, and on sports teams, is exhibit A of being so open-minded your brain falls out.'” [Potomac Local]
It’s Thursday — There’s a slight chance of showers during the day, accompanied by a cloudy sky and a high near 76 degrees. Expect a northeast wind around 11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph, and a 20% chance of precipitation. Thursday night, clouds will gradually clear to become partly cloudy, and the temperature will dip to a low of around 64 degrees, accompanied by a north wind blowing at 6-9 mph. [NWS]
NAACP Arlington Branch is thrilled to invite you to a vibrant evening honoring the collective power, resilience, and unity of our people. On October 17th, we are coming together to celebrate community strength, shared progress, and unapologetic pride. This won’t just be an event—it will be an energetic celebration of what happens when we rise together.
In-Person
Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Aug 20, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
There’s a slight chance of showers both before noon and after 1pm, accompanied by a cloudy sky and a high near 76 degrees. Expect a northeast wind around 11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph, and a 20% chance of precipitation. As for Thursday night, clouds will gradually clear to become partly cloudy, and the temperature will dip to a low of around 64 degrees, accompanied by a north wind blowing at 6-9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.”
– Simone de Beauvoir
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.
Join us for a 5k (~3 mile) fun run/walk around the neighborhood followed by an outdoor yoga session next to Reclining Liberty!
The artist behind Reclining Liberty made a shirt for this day only. It comes with every run and yoga ticket — or take one on its own for $25.
A person has died after falling from a Ballston apartment tower early Wednesday evening.
Police were dispatched to the Meridian apartment building at 900 N. Stuart Street around 6:20 p.m. for a report of a man that jumped from an upper story and landed on the pavement below, near the building’s driveway.
A new collaboration between a South Arlington church and a local artist is seeking to memorialize places where immigration enforcement has arrested people in Arlington.
Led by the Rev. Ashley Goff, members of Arlington Presbyterian Church, artist Sushmita Mazumdar and other “trusted neighbors” set out yesterday (Tuesday) to locations where residents have documented recent detainments by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Some students are questioning the logistics of Arlington Public Schools’ plan to roll out locked phone pouches in all of its high schools this school year.
When APS high schoolers go back to school, they’ll be required to lock their phones away in a magnetically sealed pouch for the entirety of the school day. The intended purpose is to combat negative impacts of phones on learning and social-emotional health.
A variety of Oktoberfest celebrations are coming to Arlington and the surrounding area this fall, including a party on the newly renovated deck of the Clarendon Ballroom.
Starting late next month, here’s where to go to celebrate the German festival that dates back to the early 19th century, featuring Bavarian food, beer and other merriment.
Whole Foods seems to be getting closer to opening a new location in Crystal City, though the store has yet to announce a date.
New exterior signage is up, and public records suggest that the smaller-format store at 1550 Crystal Drive — referred to as a Whole Foods Market Daily Shop — is making progress. The supermarket, which declined to comment on the status of the new store, confirmed its Crystal City plans back in January.
Please join us in congratulating Benny Mirpuri, owner of Fast-Fix Jewelry and Watch Repair at Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, on reaching an incredible 35 years in business.
For three and a half decades, Benny has proudly served the Pentagon City and surrounding communities, providing quality jewelry and watch repair services along with the exceptional customer service that has made Fast-Fix a trusted local business.
