An award-winning Falls Church restaurant is previewing a new spinoff eatery in time for the Fourth of July.
Side Chick is a new a fried chicken carryout and delivery by Ellie Bird. The concept, based out of the restaurant’s kitchen at 125 Founders Avenue, blends Southern comfort foods, Asian American-inspired flavors and tongue-in-cheek attitude.
The ARLnow Daily Debrief was launched in October 2022 with three goals in mind:
There are now some reasons to question the third goal. What we envisioned as a free form discussion venue for local issues mixed with some discussion of what’s happening across the Potomac has devolved into a preponderance of back-and-forth fighting about national politics.
Of course, such a trajectory for a relatively open online forum is not unique — or new. In 2020, we reported on the increasingly toxic levels of discourse on local Facebook groups, local listservs, the social network Nextdoor, and the ARLnow comments.
In response to the more recent rise in political pugilism, we recently disabled image uploads in the comments after copy-and-pasted memes became overly disruptive to substantive discussions. We also have started using the AI moderation tools offered by Disqus, our commenting system.
Now we’re contemplating another move: disabling comments on the Daily Debrief altogether to put more focus on local issues, while making moderation a bit easier (we generally do not moderate comments on nights and weekends, leading to big moderation queues).
But we first want to hear from readers: what do you think about comment-less debriefs?
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
USCIS administers immigration benefits. In the time-honored tradition of government agencies since the days of Ur and Uruk, USCIS uses forms to collect, store, and interpret information. Immigrants complete these forms in order to obtain benefits. Most U.S. citizens have no idea what reams of paperwork these forms require. An ordinary green card application is comprised of ninety-seven pages of bare forms, which typically are supported by several hundred pages of supporting documents.
In better times, forms are a necessary evil. In the times we actually live in, forms are just another weapon with which to thwack your political opponents.
In the second iteration of the Trump Administration, USCIS has discovered a new, extremely petty way to make immigrants’ lives more difficult – by releasing new form versions which make utterly minute changes, and then decrees that yesterday’s official version is obsolete as of today.
The Office of Management and Budget, by the way, requires that all government forms have an ‘edition date’ and an ‘expiration date.’ USCIS evades this neatly by making the expiration date purely notional – the form can be valid after the expiration date, and it can be decreed obsolete at any time before or after the expiration date. (The edition date is notional, too – in the first months of the Trump Administration, USCIS persistently released forms backdated to January 20, 2025, seemingly just for the inaugural vibes.) The forms altered in the last two weeks are highlighted below.
Today marks the start of the state government’s new fiscal year, and brings into effect numerous new laws that won approval during the 2025 General Assembly session.
State legislators introduced just under 2,000 measures during the 2025 session. A total of 727 were enacted into law, according to state data.
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.
Arlington County police are investigating another series of car break-ins in the area of Washington Golf and Country Club.
It happened this past Friday morning, on the 3000 block of N. Glebe Road.
Event location
Online event (see link)
*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.
Fish Die-Off in Four Mile Run — “County environmental staff have determined a noticeable fish die-off along Four Mile Run from S George Mason Dr to Shirlington Road is the result of conditions from a water main break yesterday in nearby Fairfax. Expected rains should clear the area.” [Arlington DES/X]
Meals Tax Increasing Today — “On April 9, 2025, the Arlington County Board voted to increase the Meals, Food and Beverage Tax (MEA) rate from 4% to 5%. Therefore, effective July 1, 2025, each provider collecting MEA in Arlington County is required to collect and remit 5% on the total cost of prepared food and beverage sales.” [Arlington County]
Air Defense Exercises — “The North American Aerospace Defense Command’s (NORAD) Continental US Region will conduct the routine live-fly air defense exercise Falcon Virgo in the National Capital Region during two consecutive two-hour periods on July 1 and July 2, between midnight and 2AM, and then again between 3:30AM and 5:30AM.” [PoPville]
MCM Nears Sell-Out — “The Marine Corps Marathon has hit a new registration record and is on track to sell out for the first time since 2015. This year’s record-setting field was expanded to 40,000 entries as the People’s Marathon — the nickname for the 26.2-mile race that finishes in front of the U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial in Rosslyn — celebrates its 50th anniversary, said Alex Hetherington, director of the Marine Corps Marathon Organization. More than 36,000 slots have been claimed as of last week.” [WBJ]
Control in Richmond Up For Grabs — “Control of state government in 2026 will hinge on which political party better connects with voters’ top concerns in coming months. That’s the view of Del. Marcus Simon (D-13), speaking at a June 28 forum sponsored by NAACP’s Northern Virginia branches.” [FFXnow]
Free Fares on Night of July 4 — “Ring in the Fourth of July with Metro! Heading to a barbecue or fireworks on the National Mall? Don’t stress about holiday travel. Let Metro get you where you need to go. To mark the occasion, fares will be FREE on Metrorail, Metrobus, and MetroAccess from 5 p.m. until the system closes.” [WMATA]
Humidity Capital of the U.S. — “CONGRATULATIONS, Washington D.C.! As of this writing, you’re the MOST HUMID major city in the nation. LUCKY US! Every cubic meter of air is holding half a shot glass’ worth of water.” [Matthew Cappucci/X]
It’s July — Showers and thunderstorms are likely, with a high near 91 and southwest winds around 9 mph. Precipitation chances are 80%. For tonight, anticipate showers and thunderstorms, a low of 71, and southwest winds between 3-6 mph. Nighttime precipitation likelihood is 60%. [NWS]
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 — Jun 30, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect showers and thunderstorms throughout the day, with a high near 91 and southwest winds around 9mph. Precipitation chances are 80%, with potential rainfall between a quarter and half an inch. For tonight, anticipate showers and thunderstorms until 2am, followed by a chance of showers, a low of 71, and southwest winds between 3-6mph. Precipitation likelihood is 60%, with similar rainfall amounts as earlier. See more from Weather.gov.
“Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”
– Bob Marley
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.
The National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and much of the D.C. area.
Thunderstorms expected to develop in the coming hours could produce intense rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour. The slow-moving storms pose a flash flooding risk for small streams, creeks, urban areas and locations with poor drainage.
Last week’s ruling that put Missing Middle zoning changes back on the books in Arlington presents a major setback for plaintiffs, experts say.
The determination in the Virginia Court of Appeals, which found last year’s circuit court ruling invalid for procedural reasons, could substantially set back the timeline for the case and require even more resources to support a privately funded lawsuit.
The ad-hoc task force studying trash collection options in Falls Church continues to refine ideas as a key deadline draws ever nearer.
With two meetings down and two more to go, the goal is to now “get closer to a path forward,” said Deputy City Manager Andy Young, who is chairing the panel.
Pentagon MMA has brought a special honor home to Arlington from the birthplace of Muay Thai.
The Arlington Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu Academy is now officially a certified and registered Muay Thai Gym Partner through the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, making Pentagon MMA the only Muay Thai academy on the East Coast to have earned this distinction.
