The Arlington County Fire Department’s water rescue team did not respond to last week’s fatal midair collision, against the wishes of local firefighters, ARLnow has learned.
While first responders from throughout the D.C. area descended on the site of the devastating collision that killed 67 people on Jan. 29, ACFD personnel trained to respond to water emergencies did not receive permission to act. That is according to internal materials that this news site obtained through an anonymous source.
A state bill that would loosen restrictions on liquor sales is picking up support from members of Arlington’s restaurant scene.
Restaurants with mixed beverage licenses in Virginia are mandated to make at least 45% of sales from food and no more than 55% of sales from liquor-based mixed beverages. Senate Bill 1163 would lower the food sale requirement to 30%, allowing higher revenue percentages from liquor — something multiple restaurant owners told ARLnow they would welcome.
This column is sponsored by Arlington Arts/Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.
Arlington’s Four Mile Run corridor is home to an inspiring new happening. The new art market called SPARK! launches on Sunday, May 3, 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and continues every first Sunday of the month through November.
A fun inclusive outdoor market with handpicked art and food vendors and programming including poetry, music and art making, it’s the kickoff activity for the new outdoor venue 2700 Art Space, located at 2700 S. Nelson St., Arlington, Virginia 22206. Meet your neighbors, build community and be inspired.
At the first event, “Spark” your creativity with a smooth jolt of coffee from Rossana Coffee. Browse the stacks at the mobile bookstore Wandering Shelf. Get a massage from the licensed therapists from Zen27 Healing and Body Works. Peruse artwork by artists David Amoroso, Kate Rosendale or the printmakers and ceramicists from The Studios at Arlington Arts. Have a poem composed especially for you at The Poet is IN booth. Stop by Tigerflight and put the squeeze on a plush animal made from repurposed wool sweaters. Enjoy a Thai-inspired dessert from Mango Mama while listening to tropical sounds from the DJ’s of Leon City Sounds! Every month will offer something new and unusual. Visit the website for the full list!
Artist Roxana Alger Geffen will be the interactive artist at the first SPARK! bringing her popular Arlington Art Truck project “Patch or Swap: A Textile Rescue Lab” to the market! Fans of the Art Truck, which brought artists-in-residence to every corner of the County from 2018 through 2025, will be glad to know that SPARK! is curated with a similar vision by Arlington Arts’ programming team including Special Projects Curator, Cynthia Connolly.
Located adjacent to Jennie Dean Park, busy auto repair shops, a food assistance outlet and one of the region’s most popular “destination” dog parks, it is only a four-minute walk across Four Mile Run to the Tony Award-winning Signature Theater. The area is bustling all day.
Anchored by SPARK!, the venue now known as 2700 Art Space is at the nexus of several communities. It’s directly opposite Arlington Arts’ headquarters featuring Theatre On the Run, an 90-seat black box theater, rehearsal rooms, dance studios, and new printmaking and ceramics studios for the resident artists of The Studios at Arlington Arts (formerly LAC Arts Center on Langston Boulevard), which will hold its Spring Show and Sale on Saturday, May 2.
Music and merch aren’t the only types of art that will surround you at SPARK! As shown in this reel, even the tables and benches are fun! Film nights and other activities are in the making for the fall, and two works of temporary public art are currently being installed. Artist Adam Henry is creating a 10-foot tall sculpture of a golden retriever replete with a QR-code dog collar inviting you to upload selfies and stories about your pets. Directly adjacent to the outdoor space (on three sides of the Arlington Arts headquarters at 3700 S. Four Mile Run Dr.) will be a sweeping new mural by nationally acclaimed artist MasPaz. Both works grew out of a special Artist In Residence (AIR) Grant from Arlington Arts, made possible by a top-tier award from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
Visit our website for more information about SPARK!
The results of an audit on Arlington Independent Media are out, revealing substantial gaps and errors in how the nonprofit handled some $2 million in county-provided funds.
The audit report appears to have been uploaded by Arlington County yesterday, the day after ARLnow reported on delays in its release. It suggests that AIM failed to provide adequate documentation for over $1 million in expenditures, including payments to dozens of third-party contractors.
Local rising kindergartener, Phin, has advanced to the Top 5 in his group in the national Jr. Ranger Contest, a competition that celebrates children who are passionate about nature, wildlife, and exploration. After making it through earlier rounds with strong community support, Phin is now in 4th place and working toward the top spot needed to move on to the quarterfinals.
The contest encourages kids to engage with the outdoors and highlights their curiosity and love for learning about the natural world. For Phin and his family, this experience has been both exciting and meaningful, made even more special by the encouragement from friends, neighbors, and the broader community.
The former Marriott Crystal City at Reagan National Airport is emerging from renovations as the National Landing Hotel Crystal City.
The hotel, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, “is slated to complete its transformative renovation and rebranding in May 2025.”
Join us in remembrance and celebrate our community at the City of Falls Church’s 44th Annual Memorial Day Parade and Festival on Monday, May 25, 2026. Honor our nation’s fallen heroes and our country’s rich history while marking the 250th anniversary of the United States of America!
Monday, May 25, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Here’s a little secret: dollar for dollar, promoted events on ARLnow are probably the best advertising value we offer.
Promoted events are highlighted in our event calendar, promoted on our homepage and also appear in our email newsletter starting about two weeks prior to the event.
Arlington Democrats now have two candidates vying for an open School Board seat.
Monique “Moe” Bryant and June Prakash formally kicked off campaigns Wednesday night (Feb. 5) at the monthly Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.
Big news: the Shamrock Shake is back.
McDonald’s may try to tell you it’s returning on Monday, Feb. 10, but ARLnow obtained an early edition of the minty green milkshake from the set-for-replacement McD’s on Langston Blvd around lunchtime yesterday.
Apparently Uncle O’Grimacey is making up for lost time.
The Shamrock Shake is back on 2.10 at McDonald’s.
And so is the icon and legend : Uncle O’Grimacey. pic.twitter.com/24EJeJ2VWp— Guillaume Huin (@HuinGuillaume) February 4, 2025
The Shamrock Shake’s triumphant return, and the imminent return of Girl Scout cookie booths in Arlington, got us thinking about other sugary, seasonal treats that seem to herald the coming of spring.
Which is your favorite of the following four?
Tribute Event for Crash Victims — “Figure skating champions and legends will glide across Capital One Arena ice next month as headliners of an exhibition to raise funds to support families of the victims of a midair collision near Reagan National Airport that killed 67, officials announced Wednesday. The March 2 tribute, titled “Legacy on Ice,” will be co-hosted by 1988 Olympic champion Brian Boitano.” [Washington Post]
Group Wants Trump to Investigate APS — “America First Legal (AFL) sent a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Education to investigate five Northern Virginia school districts for Title IX violations against female students. AFL argues that Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools have bathroom and locker room policies that violate Title IX and President Donald Trump’s Executive Order.” [WJLA]
Armed Standoff in Arna Valley — “ACPD has taken a suspect into custody in the 2600 block of 27th Road S. following an earlier report of a person with a firearm. No injuries were reported. Police remain in the area investigating the incident.” [ACPD/X]
Sen. Warner Sounds Alarm — “Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence… wrote to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles about the risks to our national security of allowing unvetted DOGE staff and representatives to access classified and sensitive government materials.” [Press Release]
Gov’t Leases in Question — “The General Services Administration and Department of Government Efficiency are reaching out to all agencies with ‘non-firm term leases’ in an initial step toward chopping the feds’ massive leased portfolio, a major D.C. law firm told its clients Tuesday.” [WBJ]
Federal Layoffs Likely — “The Trump administration is planning widespread layoffs among the federal workforce soon, leaving employees who don’t accept its deferred resignation offer at risk of losing their jobs.” [CNN]
Va. Bracing for Gov’t Downsizing — “House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) on Tuesday evening announced the formation of an Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions, a bipartisan panel tasked with assessing the economic fallout and crafting solutions to protect the commonwealth.” [Virginia Mercury/FFXnow]
Rosslyn-Based Politico Targeted — “The executive branch will stop spending money on Politico subscriptions after paying millions of dollars to the news outlet last year, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing Wednesday.” [Axios]
It’s Thursday — Expect rain mainly before 1pm, with a high temperature near 49°F. Light southeast winds will shift to southwest at 5-10 mph in the morning, and may gust up to 20 mph. There’s a 90% chance of precipitation, with new amounts between a tenth to a quarter of an inch possible. For Thursday night, it’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 40°F. Southwest winds at 6-8 mph will become northwest after midnight. [NWS]
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 — Feb 5, 2025.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect rain mainly before 1pm, with a high temperature near 49°F. Light southeast winds will shift to southwest at 5-10 mph in the morning, and may gust up to 20 mph. There’s a 90% chance of precipitation, with new amounts between a tenth to a quarter of an inch possible. For Thursday night, it’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 40°F. Southwest winds at 6-8 mph will become northwest after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
– Steve Jobs
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.
