Around Town

A Clarendon resident is opening a new bookstore out of a renovated camper van, with plans to hit the road this summer.

Tessa Cannon is aiming to launch The Wandering Shelf, an independent mobile bookshop with about 700 fiction and nonfiction titles, later this spring. In terms of selection, she told ARLnow the store is focused on three categories: “cozy, fantastical and impactful reads.”


News

Safeguards are being put in place to ensure that county staff do not accidentally issue demolition and construction permits allowing the Melwood redevelopment to move forward before a planned historic-preservation analysis is done.

And that’s a process that could take a year.


Sponsored

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:

  • Maintenance, Emergency Repairs, and Utilities: general upkeep and operations of the building
  • Reserves: a building’s savings account for major repairs or replacement of things like the roof, elevators, carpet, etc
  • Property Management/Staff: contracts for a property manager, front desk, janitorial services, and engineer
  • Master Insurance: this policy usually protects everything except your personal items and improvements within each unit

(more…)


News

A burst pipe has flooded and damaged Arlington County’s government headquarters in Courthouse.

The building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd is closed today and county government functions based there have been shifted to virtual operations, the county said.


News
Window washing at a Ballston office building in March 2025 (staff photo)

Fence Falls on Metro Tracks — “I-66E and Metro have been shut down for a while near the East Falls Church Metro Station. Apparently fencing came down from the Washington Blvd. overpass onto the roadway and the rails. Metro confirmed a short time ago power is down allowing the fence to be cut.” [Dave Statter/X, WMATA/X]

Bar Goes Bananas After Buzzer Beater  — The University of Maryland’s thrilling buzzer beater to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament electrified the crowd at Four Courts in Courthouse last night. [Ireland’s Four Courts/X]

Deluge of Delays at DCA — “Delays at Reagan National Airport tripled and cancellations spiked in the wake of January’s deadly collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter. Last month, 34 percent of flight arrivals were delayed — compared with 11 percent in February 2024. And more than 7 percent of flights were canceled, compared with half a percent last year. Delays have dropped in recent weeks, but since the crash more than 1 in 4 flights were late.” [Washington Post]

Layoffs at Local USAID Contractor — “An Arlington nonprofit focused on ensuring free and fair democratic elections around the world is laying off dozens of employees in the wake of the Trump administration’s moves to shutter one of its main funders, the U.S. Agency for International Development. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) eliminated 48 positions on March 2.” [WBJ]

Falls Church Tax Rate May Fall — Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields tonight is expected to propose a 2.5-cent drop in the real-estate tax rate for fiscal 2026, bringing it to $1.185 per $100 assessed valuation. The median tax bill for city homeowners would still rise about $400, or 3.4%, owing to increasing assessments. –Scott McCaffrey

Fmr. Federal Prosecutor Dies — “Former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber was found dead in Alexandria on Saturday morning, police said. She was 43… Police believe the death was the result of a longstanding medical issue, a friend of the family told NBC News.” [NBC News, Jared Serre/X]

Va. Jobs for Feds Questioned — “In public appearances, the governor has been touting 250,000 unfilled jobs in Virginia as a way forward in a state that is home to more federal employees than almost any other. But an analysis of the openings shows little overlap between available private-sector jobs and the high-paid federal ones being lost in terms of salary, health insurance and other benefits.” [Washington Post]

Region’s Unemployment Rate Up — The DC metropolitan area’s unemployment rate for January was 3.1%, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data, up from 2.8% in December and 2.9% in January 2024. The number of those counted as unemployed (111,226) across the metro area was up 9.6% from a year before. –Scott McCaffrey

It’s Monday — Expect showers mainly before 8am, followed by cloudy skies eventually clearing to become mostly sunny with a high near 66. Southwest winds will be between 9 and 11 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. There is a 60% chance of precipitation, with rainfall likely less than a tenth of an inch. For Monday night, anticipate increasing clouds and a low around 43, accompanied by west winds ranging from 8 to 10 mph. [NWS]

Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.


Legal Notice

Dato’s Kitchen LLC

Trading as: Dato’s kitchen

4165 S four mile run dr, unit203 Arlington

Arlington county VA 22204

The above establishment is applying to the VIRGINIA ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTROL (ABC) AUTHORITY for a ABC Internet Retailer Application – Wine- Beer, consumed license to sell or manufacture alcoholic beverages.

Daviti Maisuradze/Owner

NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www.abc.virginia.gov or (800) 552-3200.

 


Sports

After just one match, the Wakefield Warriors already are ahead of last season’s results — when the girls high-school lacrosse team finished without a victory.

Wakefield opened its 2025 spring campaign with an 11-6 road win over the Jackson-Reed Tigers in non-district action.


Sports

It was a tall order for the Washington-Liberty Generals to defeat the host and perennial baseball power Madison Warhawks in the opening game of the squad’s 2025 high-school season.

So it was no real surprise when W-L came up short in the Thursday (March 18) non-district contest, 2-0, and got just one hit out of the experience.


Sports

As expected, the Bishop O’Connell Knights have been enjoying a strong and dominating start to the girls high-school softball spring season.

After two games, the Knights had a 2-0 record with wins over Elizabeth Seton by an 8-1 score and Holy Cross, 14-0, in a five-inning no-hitter.