News

Morning Notes for June 12, 2026

By ARLnow.com
A towering cloud behind a North Arlington home, as storms build to the west Thursday night (staff photo)

Temporary Uses Eyed for PenPlace — Amazon is in early talks on temporary uses for the vacant 11-acre PenPlace block, where the next phase of HQ2, including the landmark Helix, remains on hold. “It’s not ideal to have a big vacant fenced site sitting there,” Amazon community engagement lead Patrick Phillippi said. Ideas include open space, art installations and a dog park. [WBJ]

‘Amazon Now’ Eyes Clarendon — Amazon is expected to bring its Amazon Now 30-minute delivery service to Clarendon and Tysons. Prime Now LLC has filed for a license to sell alcohol from 2701 Wilson Blvd, the former home of Arlington Independent Media. The service promises fresh groceries and household essentials in 30 minutes or less. [WBJ]

Pride With the Police Returns — ACPD hosts its sixth annual Pride with the Police on Thursday, June 25 from 5-7 p.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant (555 23rd Street S.). The informal event, which marks 20 years of the department’s LGBTQ+ Liaison Team, features light refreshments and LGBTQ+ bingo. [ACPD]

Longtime Taylor Teacher Retiring — Ann Heidig is retiring at the end of the school year after 40 years at Taylor Elementary, where she is known for gifting each of her students a handmade sock monkey. “If you attended or worked at Taylor during the past 40 years, it’s a good bet that you know the name Ann Heidig,” the school wrote. [APS]

ACPD Corporal Retires — ACPD celebrated the retirement of Cpl. Tuomey after 25 years with the department. “During his career, Cpl. Tuomey served faithfully as a patrol officer, school resource officer, K9 handler and as a court liaison,” the department said. [ACPD/X]

Croatia Trains in Alexandria — The Croatia national soccer team is using Episcopal High School in Alexandria as its training base for the 2026 World Cup, staying at a nearby Old Town hotel. “We could not be more honored to be the home for this team for the next month,” Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins said. The squad finished second in 2018 and third in 2022. [ALXnow, WBJ]

River Closures Worry Boaters — D.C.’s expanded July 4 fireworks show could bring unprecedented Potomac River closures, worrying local boaters and paddlers. Early planning documents show fireworks launching from eight barges on the river. “Having the river closed for July 4 is the boat-world equivalent of Tysons being closed on Black Friday,” Sea Suite Cruises founder Jack Maher told Axios. [Axios]

DOJ Sues Over Mask Ban — The U.S. Justice Department is suing Virginia over its new law barring federal enforcement officials from wearing masks, according to Courthouse News reporter Joe Dodson. [Joe Dodson/X, Press Release]

It’s Friday — Today brings mostly sunny skies and a high near 96, with a heat index as high as 102. A heat advisory is in effect from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Showers and thunderstorms are likely after 4 p.m., some possibly severe, before an overnight low around 67. [NWS]

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Competition higher, price growth lower in first half housing market

By Eli Tucker

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 has the Arlington single-family home market performed in the first half of 2026?

Answer: Arlington’s single-family detached (SFD) market got busier and more competitive in the first half of 2026, yet prices increased at their slowest pace since 2023.

More Competition, Modest Appreciation (Resale Market)

Note: this data is for resales of single-family detached (SFD) homes; I have a separate analysis of the new construction market further down.

  • The average and median price increased 3.5% and 1.9%, respectively
  • Over the past five years, the average and median price increased 13.9% and 11.1%, respectively
  • The average and median price of a home increased to $1.44M and $1.299M, respectively
  • Demand and competition rose to the highest levels since 2022, with 66% of homes selling within the first ten days on market and 68% of homes selling at or above the original asking price
  • The average buyer paid 1.3% more than the original asking price, compared to 2025 when the average buyer paid 0.3% less than the original asking price
  • Buyers of homes that went under contract within the first week on market paid an average of 4.7% over the asking price

Dig Deeper: Performance Varied by Size, Price Point

The appreciation gap between the average price (3.5%) and median price (1.9%) matters. The average is more sensitive to expensive sales. In 2026, 15.7% of closed resales sold for $2M or more, up from 12.7% in 2025. At the other end of the market, only 21.7% sold below $1M, down from 24.4%. That shift toward higher-priced homes helped lift the average faster than the median.

Average and median prices are useful, but neither tells us whether gains were shared evenly across the market. To test that, I divided the closed resale market into four sold-price quartiles for each year. Each quartile represents one-fourth of that year’s sales, from the least expensive 25% to the most expensive 25%. (more…)

News

UPDATE: Hundreds still without power Friday morning following storms

By ARLnow.com
Power outages in Aurora Highlands and Long Branch Creek (via Dominion)

Update at 11:15 a.m. — Nearly 650 homes and businesses are without power in Arlington after last night’s storms, including Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse, which is hoping to reopen in time for the World Cup games later today.

Four Courts is still without power after last night's storms, but the pub is hoping to reopen in time for today's World Cup games https://t.co/0T3RkzeIPj

Go to UPDATE: Hundreds still without power Friday morning following storms Read more
Around Town

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jun 11, 2026

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Jun 11, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

⛈️ Friday’s forecast

Expect showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5 PM, with some severe storms possible. The high will be near 95, and the heat index could reach 103, with west winds at 3 to 8 mph. There’s an 80% chance of rain, with new rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, higher in thunderstorms. In the evening, showers and thunderstorms will continue until about 8 PM, with lows around 67 and west winds at 6 to 8 mph. The chance of rain remains at 80%, with similar rainfall amounts expected. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
– Albert Schweitzer

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.

Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.

News

More flyovers planned this weekend after a dozen helicopters flew over Arlington today

By ARLnow.com
Military helicopter flyover above Clarendon (staff photo by Jordan Ciminelli)

Expect more low-flying military aircraft over the next few days.

A number of flyovers are planned through Sunday, June 14, as the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary and President Donald Trump celebrates his 80th birthday with a UFC cage match on the White House grounds.

Go to More flyovers planned this weekend after a dozen helicopters flew over Arlington today Read more
News

Phishing attack put VHC Health patients’ medical records, personal information at risk

By Dan Egitto
The VHC outpatient pavilion (courtesy photo)

A data breach at a vendor for VHC Health may have jeopardized sensitive information including patients’ Social Security numbers, medical diagnoses and account numbers.

VHC Health mailed out notices of the phishing attack on June 5, but the attack on the vendor, Xsolis, Inc., took place on Jan. 22 — affecting an unspecified number of patients. The notices advise patients to “remain vigilant against fraud and identity theft.”

Go to Phishing attack put VHC Health patients’ medical records, personal information at risk Read more
News

Weekend rail work at Crystal City Metro finishes two weeks early

By Dan Egitto
Work on the second entrance to the Crystal City Metro station (via WMATA/Facebook)

Weekend construction work has wrapped up early at the Crystal City Metro station, shaving two weeks off of the original schedule of closures.

The era of shuttle buses operating on the weekend at Crystal City is over, and Blue and Yellow Line trains are back to operating as usual, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority announced on social media.

Go to Weekend rail work at Crystal City Metro finishes two weeks early Read more
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