A local pastry personality is hosting a festival for cake creators in Clarendon next month.
Chanise Nycole, a cake decorator with over 30,000 TikTok followers, announced in a video that she’ll be hosting Cake Fest DMV on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Arlington Beer Garden (3217 10th Street N.).
Panera Bread is coming to Crystal City.
The fast-casual chain known for its soups, salads and sandwiches has confirmed plans to open at 2450 Crystal Drive. Construction has started in the vacant retail bay next to Navy Federal Credit Union, where Panera received a permit to build last month.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Carl Williams, PhD, LCADC
For families in Arlington and nearby Northern Virginia communities, the search for addiction treatment often begins with a practical question: What kind of help is actually appropriate?
The answer isn’t always obvious. A person may be working full time, caring for children or maintaining a household while substance use becomes increasingly difficult to control. Another person may need a more structured level of care because of medical, psychological or safety concerns.
Recent local data show progress in reducing opioid overdose deaths, but they also show why access to treatment remains important.
Arlington County recorded 29 opioid overdoses in 2025, including three fatal overdoses. That was a substantial decline from 53 total opioid overdoses and 10 fatal overdoses in 2024, according to Arlington County’s opioid incident data.
The numbers represent meaningful progress. Arlington’s Addiction Recovery Initiative, or AARI, continues to coordinate prevention, treatment access, harm reduction and overdose-response efforts across the county. Arlington also provides a substance-use resource line to help people connect with treatment, support groups and other services.
The broader Northern Virginia picture shows a similar direction. In the Fairfax Health District, there were 56 opioid overdose fatalities in 2025, down 22% from 72 in 2024 and 52% from the record high of 117 in 2023. Fairfax County reported the figures in June 2026.
Fairfax-specific figures shouldn’t be read as Arlington statistics. They do, however, provide useful regional context for families in Arlington, Falls Church and neighboring communities who may be comparing treatment options across Northern Virginia.
Several factors can influence overdose trends, including wider access to naloxone, treatment services, medications for opioid use disorder, public education and changes in the illicit drug supply. Local prevention and response systems can also make it easier for people to receive help after an overdose or other substance-related crisis.
But overdose statistics capture only one part of substance use. A person doesn’t have to experience an overdose to have a substance use disorder, and someone can struggle for years without entering formal treatment.
Fairfax County’s treatment numbers illustrate the continuing need. More than 2,105 people with opioid use disorder received assessment and treatment services through the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board in fiscal year 2025.
For families trying to decide whether treatment is necessary, the question is therefore broader than whether an overdose has occurred.
Substance use can be difficult to recognize when a person continues meeting visible responsibilities.
A professional may continue showing up for work while drinking or using drugs in private. A parent may continue managing school schedules and household responsibilities while relying increasingly on substances to cope with stress. Someone can appear successful to friends and colleagues while privately experiencing cravings, loss of control or repeated attempts to cut back.
The Arlington Housing Commission is considering a push to make it easier for houses of worship to redevelop their land with affordable housing.
A subcommittee of the full commission discussed whether to press the issue in advance of next year’s legislative session, which opens in January. Whether County Board members embrace the proposal remains to be seen.
Fall registration is filling up at MoCA! Classes begin in just a couple of weeks so sign up today! From pottery and printmaking to drawing and collage, you and your young artists are sure to find a class or workshop that excites!
Can’t commit to an 8-week class? Check out our 1, 2, or 3 day workshops here at MoCA! These are great introductions to what MoCA has to offer. Whether you are a practiced hobbyist or a complete novice, we are excited to have you join a workshop or class this fall. Programs are already filling up so sign up today!
Arlington County police are investigating numerous vehicle break-ins over the weekend.
The break-ins happened in a pair of parking garages along Columbia Pike, between late Saturday and early Sunday. Sixteen vehicles had windows smashed in and items were stolen from many of them, police said.
Equality Arlington’s Coming Out Day Celebration is Sunday, October 11th (National Coming Out Day) from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Lyon Village Community House (1920 N Highland St, Arlington, VA)! Join us for: Arlingtonians sharing coming out stories, Live music, Food, and Sharing your story in our “coming out closet”.
Suggested donation is $15 a person. Please RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/EAComingOutRSVP. If you need a free ticket, email [email protected].
YHS Junior Batting for Israel — “An Arlington athlete represented Team Israel in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Europe’s 18-under Women’s Softball Europe Championships in Spain amid pro-Palestinian protests and logistical challenges.” [Washington Jewish Week]
Fire Dept. Training in Shirlington — “The Arlington County Fire Department will be conducting planned training exercises at the WETA building near Jennie Dean Park. Residents and visitors can expect to see fire department apparatus and personnel in the area periodically over the next few weeks.” [ACFD/X]
National Night Out Tonight — “In Arlington, which has participated for over 13 years, each host provides slightly different activities like carnival games, face-painting, ice cream trucks, cookouts, block parties and more. There are currently 18 different events scheduled around the county.” [ARLnow, ACPD/X]
AG Targets Fairfax Prosecutor — “Attorney General Jason Miyares intends to investigate the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office after the attempted abduction of a 3-year-old from Fair Oaks Mall last month… “Fairfax families do not deserve to live in a climate of fear because one person refuses to do his job,” Miyares said on X.” [FFXnow]
It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high near 84 and calm winds shifting to an easterly 6 mph breeze in the afternoon. Tuesday night will see similar cloud cover, alongside a low of 69 and a southeast wind at 5 mph, diminishing to calm winds later in the evening. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick
Good Monday 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 4, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect mostly cloudy skies with a high near 84 and calm winds shifting to an easterly 6 mph breeze in the afternoon. Tuesday night will see similar cloud cover, alongside a low of 69 and a southeast wind at 5 mph, diminishing to calm winds later in the evening. See more from Weather.gov.
“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”
– Walt Whitman
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.
A massive proposed expansion to Pentagon City’s RiverHouse development concluded a key phase of the county’s public feedback process with generally solid reviews.
“It’s hard to argue with new housing and park space on underutilized parking lots,” said Kateri Garcia, who represents the Arlington Ridge Civic Association on the site-plan review committee (SPRC) that recently concluded five meetings on the development plan.
Construction work on the first traffic circle in Falls Church is gearing up.
Signs are in place for the project at S. Maple Avenue and Annandale Road, which will convert the existing four-way stop with traffic lights into what transportation planners hope will be a better travel experience.
A bakery off of Langston Blvd and the chef behind a Laotian restaurant in South Arlington walked away with honors at last night’s RAMMY Awards.
Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe received the Honorary Milestone Award for 50 years in business, while local chef Seng Luangrath won “Best Restaurateur of the Year.”
Love your neighborhood, but not the way your house works?
Do you add on? Go up? Move walls? Or rethink the space you already have?
