County Board members Takis Karantonis (left) and Matt de Ferranti (right) at the Madison Community Center polling place on June 8, 2021 (photo via Takis Karantonis/Twitter)
Arlington’s likely 2025 County Board chairman has economic-development and property-repurposing initiatives atop his to-do list for the coming year.
“One out of four square feet [of office space in the county] is unoccupied,” Takis Karantonis on Dec. 10 told members of Arlington Senior Democrats. “It’s the highest for us ever, and one of the highest in the nation. What is worse, it’s not looking like the business is coming back.”
Large ring of light around the moon due to icy clouds overhead Saturday night (staff photo)
Man Shot By Police Identified — “The deceased has been identified as Cedric Butler, 27, of No Fixed Address. This remains an active criminal investigation by the Critical Incident Response Team. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line.” [ACPD]
Central Library Garage Repairs — “The Central Library parking garage will be closed for structural repairs soon. The garage will not be accessible to the public or library patrons, and repairs could last through Spring 2025. Surface parking lots will be available, but parking will be a challenge.” [Arlington Public Library]
George Mason Drive Lane Closures — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “On weekdays during the week of December 15, crews will be working on signal foundations at the intersection of North George Mason Drive & North Park Drive.” [Twitter]
Tree Plantings on the Pike — Also from Arlington DES: “Timberrr, but opposite. Trees are being planted on Segment F of Columbia Pike, on medians and sidewalks.” [Twitter]
Mumu Cafe Gets By — “Having a set-up along Langston Boulevard isn’t ideal. Although MOM’s Organic brings customers on the other side of the block and he’s surrounded by residential buildings, Williams said foot traffic is slim. That was the same problem for Naked Lunch, as [ARLnow] reported after that restaurant closed. It limits what Williams can do to grow the business. Mumu Cafe gets enough traffic to stay afloat, and more customers would require hiring and paying more employees.” [WBJ]
Chef Makes Croissant Ornaments — “When a piece of art is also edible, it creates a dilemma — admire it, or eat it? Barbara Whettell is a pastry chef in Arlington County, Virginia, at Surreal, which is located on Crystal Drive in National Landing. She has created completely edible hanging ornament croissants.” [WTOP]
Collective Bargaining in F.C. — “Taking its place for the first time as a major factor in the City of Falls Church annual budget process, collective bargaining in the shaping of teacher and other employee compensations was felt in the first public steps toward a FY26 budget taken at the City Council meeting this Monday. This is the first year that collective bargaining has figured into the budget process, based on a new law passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 2021.” [FCNP]
Short Film on F.C. Camera Shop — D.C.-based filmmaker Mo Salih released a short documentary on Dominion Camera’s closure after it spent 56 years in Falls Church. The short includes archived 1970s photographs, a behind-the-scenes look at the shop’s lab and “heartfelt reflections” from employees and customers. –Katie Taranto
It’s Monday — Expect rain until 1pm followed by possible showers after 4pm and patchy fog before 10am. The day will be cloudy with a high near 50 and calm winds turning southward at 6 mph in the afternoon. Monday evening might see rain until 1am, cloudy conditions continue with a low around 48, and south wind at 7-13 mph, gusting up to 18 mph. The chances of precipitation are 40% in the day and 60% at night, with new rainfall amounts under a tenth of an inch. [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.
EcoAction Arlington, through the Tree Planting Program, offers Arlington residents the chance to receive free native trees to help grow our urban canopy. Tree Stewards are available to help you choose the best tree for your property.
If you live in a neighborhood other than the 13 listed under the Tree Canopy Equity Program and are a property owner, including those of single-family homes, townhouses, condos, and places of worship, you may apply for a free native tree to be planted on your property. Before applying, please review ‘Our Process’ on our website and take a look at the Tree Planting Program Species List for a list and description of available trees for the Fall 2026 Tree Planting Cycle.
Jeff Baskin, left, and Grant Yoder (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)
Over the past five seasons, there were two aspects worth noting about home girls varsity field-hockey matches at Yorktown High School.
First and foremost, there were the Patriots’ contests on the field. But simultaneously, there was a free, live YouTube-streamed broadcast of the matches.
Join the Capitol Hill Chorale for our final concert of the season, “Lamentations Into Joy” on Saturday, May 30th, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 31st, at 4 p.m. at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church.
This concert contains matched pairs of pieces from seven composers, contrasting expressions of sadness and joy. It also features the premiere of a new piece by CHC Composer-in-Residence Kevin Siegfried.
Police and medics on scene of stabbing in Pentagon City (via traffic camera)
A mother and an young child are fighting for their lives after being stabbed Saturday night in Pentagon City.
The stabbing happened around 9:45 p.m. near the entrance to the Target store at the corner of Army Navy Drive and S. Joyce Street. Initial reports suggest a mother and her baby were both stabbed and critically injured by a suspect said to be the child’s father.
St. Agnes Catholic Church in Arlington is hosting its monthly run & walk social on June 18th (Thursday) at 6:30pm. The 3 or 4 mile run (or walk) will start in the back parking lot (off N. Stafford St.) and end at St. Agnes. Participants can enjoy complimentary pizza afterwards. Drinks are BYOB. Extra points if you wear Catholic school swag. Thank you Father Oetjen, who started off our May run from Court House to/from the Marine Corps War Memorial with a prayer (and ran a competitive pace). Also, thank you to the Notre Dame and Georgetown alumni who wore their schools’ colors!
Please RSVP at the link, so we know how much pizza to get. Thank you!
A purported 'drone' seen on video (via @Moyer_TV/X)
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has issued a statement amid reports of drone sightings around Northern Virginia and elsewhere.
The governor says his office is aware of “multiple sightings of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” and state agencies have been coordinating with law enforcement in response. Youngkin added that he’s “deeply concerned” with a lack of information from federal authorities.
O'Connell's Daniya Brown looks to pass the ball (photo by Rena Schild)
Under first-year head coach Kosa So, the Bishop O’Connell Knights are off to a 3-3 start in girls basketball this season.
The Catholic high-school team has played both private and public-school squads among its games. The Knights’ most recent victory was over public school Dunbar from D.C., 68-18.
Cristina Diaz-Torrez (Arlington Public Schools video)
Dec. 12 was a graduation day of sorts for Arlington’s two departing School Board members.
“Your work has made a real difference,” Board chair Mary Kadera told Cristina Diaz-Torres and David Priddy at the meeting, the body’s final one of the year.
The weather will be mostly sunny with a high temperature close to 39 degrees and an east wind around 6 mph. As for Saturday night, expect mostly cloudy skies with a low temperature near 30 degrees and a light northeast wind of 3 to 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋
Wakefield coach Tony Bentley (staff photo by Dave Facinoli)
With only one returning starter, the type of basketball season underway for the Wakefield Warriors is kind of indescribable at this time, according to the team’s longtime head coach Tony Bentley.
“Is it a rebuilding season or something else? I’m not really sure yet,” Bentley said of his boys high-school squad.