Following a two-decade career at the Smithsonian Institution, a Fairlington artist has opened a new boutique with handmade stationery in Long Branch Creek.
Theresa Esterlund celebrated the grand opening of her new shop, Open to Being, last weekend at 2424 26th Road S. The shop carries cards, prints and notebooks featuring her original artwork, many printed on-site using an antique letterpress.
While election officials in Arlington and Falls Church are not expecting an early rush to vote in the Democratic primary, they’re ready for those who do come.
Arlington elections director Gretchen Reinemeyer told ARLnow she expects a relatively modest first-day turnout when early voting begins on Friday.
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: Why would anybody waste thousands of dollars each year on condo fees?
Answer: Most people associate paying condo fees with throwing money down the drain, but most people do not look at condo fees the right way.
In this June 20 article, the Wall Street Journal reported a study by Angi (formerly Angie’s List) that home maintenance and emergency repairs have increased by 85% and 175%, respectively, from 2019 to 2025.
By comparison, condo fees in Arlington increased by an average of just 32% from 2019 to 2025, making them a steep bargain for condo owners compared to other homeowners.
What Do Condo Fees Pay For?
For those who haven’t spent time studying condo budgets, some of the main expenses in a condo budget include:
There is increasing evidence to support worries about the local and national economy.
The 7.9% drop in the S&P 500 from Jan. 20-April 25 was the worst stock market performance to start the first 100 days of a presidential term since Richard Nixon, per reports earlier this week. Yesterday brought two additional data points: an estimated 0.3% drop in U.S. GDP during the first three months of the year, and a 60% year-over-year jump in Arlington’s unemployment rate.
Meanwhile, tariffs are causing a drop in shipping and port activity that some believe may lead to product shortages.
Arlington’s congressman says that all adds up to an “increasingly grim picture.”
“The economic warning lights are all flashing red,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said in a press release sharply critical of the Trump administration.
Northern Virginia business leaders are also worried about the local economic outlook, despite optimism earlier this year, the Washington Business Journal reported Wednesday.
Even Remy Munasifi, of Arlington Rap fame, is getting in on the action, with a new music video satirizing President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.
Given everything going on with the economy, we’re wondering how that’s affecting local residents and — specifically — their spending decisions.
In March, 65% of poll respondents said they were “very worried” about the local economy given the impact of DOGE cuts to the federal government. Two months later, are those worries — and new tariff and economic concerns — translating to a tighter grip on one’s pursestrings? Let’s find out.
Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash
Restaurant Files for Bankruptcy — “An affiliate of Epic Smokehouse has filed for bankruptcy petition, more than a decade after Wayne Halleran and Joon Yang, former staffers at The Palm in Tysons, teamed up open the barbecue restaurant across from the Costco in Pentagon City.” [WBJ]
Busboys and Poets to DCA — “Busboys and Poets is planning a new outpost at Reagan National Airport as part of a first-ever licensing agreement… The roughly 90-seat restaurant, slated to open as soon as next spring, will be a scaled-down version of the restaurant and cultural hub.” [WBJ]
Chick-fil-A Renovating at DCA — “Big news, Chick-fil-A fans! Our location will be TEMPORARILY closed starting today, April 30, for a fresh new remodel. Don’t worry—we’ll be back soon and better than ever, ready to serve your favorites with an upgraded look!” [Reagan Airport/X]
Local Teacher Charged in Fairfax — “A now-retired Fairfax County Public Schools teacher is facing criminal charges for allegedly assaulting a student and a colleague. Detectives began investigating Mary Simons, 63, of Arlington after Child Protective Services received a tip on March 28 alleging that she had assaulted a student while teaching at Parklawn Elementary School.” [FFXnow]
Robbery in Ballston — ” At approximately 12:09 p.m. on April 29, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery by force. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim was inside a stairwell of a parking garage when two male suspects entered the stairwell, assaulted him, stole clothing items and subsequently fled the scene on foot. The victim sustained minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital.” [ACPD]
ID Change for ANC Drivers — “Beginning May 7, 2025, all individuals over the age of 18 who are authorized to drive onto Arlington National Cemetery in a vehicle should be prepared to present a REAL ID at the security checkpoint… Visitors who arrive by vehicle and park in the Welcome Center parking garage, walk, take the Metro or use a ride share service to ANC will not be required to present a REAL ID” [Arlington National Cemetery]
Home Listings Up — “The number of newly listed homes for sale in Northern Virginia in March was up 25.7% compared to March of last year, indicating more existing homeowners are deciding it is time to sell, whether by choice or need.” [WTOP]
Gov. Visits DEA in Arlington — “At @DEAHQ, Suzanne and I stood before the Faces of Fentanyl: sons and daughters, friends and neighbors, lives cut short by a single pill. Operation FREE has seized nearly 800 lbs of fentanyl to date—enough to kill every Virginian 10x over. We’ll never stop fighting to save lives.” [Gov. Glenn Youngkin/X]
It’s Thursday — Expect a partly sunny day with a high around 80 and a southeast wind of 6 to 10 mph. There’s a chance of showers and storms starting in the afternoon. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low of 66 and a 40% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
Running the Army Ten Miler or the fall half marathon? We’re kicking off our fall training programs with a free training run, followed by an introduction to training, and a chance to ask some coaches questions about your own training. Run is free. We’ll chat after the run at post-run coffee. We will have two distances: 4 miles and 7 miles. We will have pacers running everything from a 7:30 mile to a 12:30 run-walk, so everyone will have someone to run with. No need to RSVP, just come out and run!
This notice serves to advise that Molina Healthcare will no longer be contracted with the Department of Medical Assistance Services in Virginia effective June 30, 2025.
Current Molina members should choose new health and prescription drug plans, or the Virginia Cardinal Care Managed Care program will choose one on their behalf effective July 1. To evaluate all options now, Molina members have until July 31 to make a new selection.
Following are the options current members can select:
Option 1: Integrated Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP). These plans are offered by private companies that contract with Medicare and with Department of Medical Assistance Services in Virginia. These plans cover all services that Original Medicare covers and prescription drugs. Some plans offer extra coverage such as vision, hearing or dental.
Option 2: You can join another Medicare Advantage health plan. Medicare health plans are offered by private companies that contract with Medicare to provide benefits. Medicare health plans cover all services that Original Medicare covers and may offer extra coverage such as vision, hearing, or dental.
Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. TTY users can call 1-877-486-2048. Or, visit Medicare.gov to find out which Medicare health plans are in your area, or to choose a new Medicare health plan. The calls are free.
Option 3: You can change to Original Medicare. Original Medicare is coverage managed by the Federal Government. If you choose Original Medicare and don’t choose a prescription drug plan by June 30, Medicare will enroll you in a separate Medicare prescription drug plan. You will only be enrolled into the separate prescription drug plan if you don’t make another selection by June 30.
Medicare.gov offers tools to compare plans and answer questions. Details on coverage termination and selection will be communicated directly to Molina members in Virigina.
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 — Apr 30, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect a slight chance of showers from 2pm to 5pm, followed by possible showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. The day will be partly sunny with a high around 80 and a southeast wind of 6 to 10 mph; precipitation chance stands at 20%. On Thursday night, showers and thunderstorms could occur before 11pm and showers may continue until 2am. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low of 66 and an 8 mph southeast wind, with a 40% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
“What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
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.
Hundreds more Arlington County residents began seeking work in March as federal layoffs continue to drive a region-wide surge in unemployment, new data shows.
A total of 4,929 Arlington residents were counted as without jobs and seeking work in March, the Virginia Employment Commission reported yesterday (Tuesday). That’s up 16% from the 4,249 recorded in February, and up a hefty 60% from 3,116 in March 2024.
Update at 12:10 a.m. — The roadway is back open, according to an Arlington Alert message.
Extensive utility work is underway near Chain Bridge, closing a busy commuter route.
Arlington rents are still on the rise, even as regional economic concerns mount.
Apartment List and Zumper both released new data analyses yesterday (Tuesday). They differ somewhat, but both point in a single direction: upward.
