A trio of teen suspects, one of whom appeared to be armed with a gun, robbed another teen on a school soccer field Tuesday.
The robbery happened outside of the H-B Woodlawn building in Rosslyn, police said, and the suspects fled with a backpack and clothing.
A family-owned Vietnamese restaurant and the last remaining business from Clarendon’s Little Saigon community is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.
Tucked in a storefront near the corner of Wilson Blvd and N. Hudson Street, Nam-Viet Restaurant — started in July 1986 by the late Nguyen Van Thoi and his widow, Ngoc Anh Tran — carries on the legacy of what was once a hub of Vietnamese immigrant-owned businesses that opened in the neighborhood following the fall of Saigon in 1975.
Is your home starting to feel a little too cozy?
Summer is often the time when many Arlington homeowners start to notice their homes feeling cramped, whether you have school-aged kids still at home, your college student has moved back in for the summer, or you’re preparing to welcome aging parents for an extended stay.
While it’s too late to complete a major renovation this summer, it’s the perfect time to start planning so you can live more comfortably next year. Your Arlington lot may be small, and Arlington zoning ordinances are notoriously tricky to navigate, but your property likely has untapped potential. You can maximize your lot through a side or rear addition, popping the top, adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or outdoor living space, and/or finishing an underutilized basement.
With thoughtful planning, you can create the space your family needs while staying in the community you love, even on a small lot.
Before jumping into any addition or major renovation, it’s important to understand what your property can support and how your family’s needs may evolve over time.
One of the first steps is reviewing your plat (survey) to understand your buildable area, as one of the unique home-construction challenges in Arlington is that a majority of homes were built before current setback requirements were enacted, which impacts the scope of many construction projects. Setback requirements refer to the distance by which a home must be “set back” from the front, side, and rear property lines.
A word of caution: If your builder isn’t deeply familiar with Arlington’s setback rules and the available legal workarounds, your project can be derailed before it even starts.
As part of the strategic planning process, make sure you evaluate your long-term goals and create a master plan that accounts for all the spaces you intend to renovate. For example, renovating a basement without considering future plumbing, electrical, or HVAC needs can lead to unnecessary rework later.
And if you are undertaking a significant addition project, we generally recommend including a basement foundation, as it is not feasible to add one after initial construction is complete. Even if you choose to finish the basement later, it remains a more cost-effective way to add square footage than other areas of the house.
A thoughtful, whole-home approach helps create a smoother renovation process and a home that continues to meet your needs over time. Additionally, consider if you plan to live in your home late in your life – something we call aging in place. If so, knowing that is your long-term goal will influence your renovation project.
For many Arlington homeowners, a rear or side addition is the most straightforward way to gain usable square footage, as long as their plat allows for it. By adding square footage to your home, you can make space for a larger kitchen and family room, add a mudroom as your dedicated “drop zone” for all your kids’ sports equipment, and even add a main-level guest suite. Rear and side additions can be single or multi-story, even if you don’t pop the top on the existing structure.
One key consideration for a home addition in Arlington County, however, is understanding how the Department of Environmental Services calculates whether you are over or under 2,500 square feet of disturbed area. If your project clears, digs up, or grades more than 2,500 square feet of land, per their definition, you’ll be required to pay for extra county permits, civil engineering plans, and potentially expensive drainage systems to handle rainwater runoff.
When your lot coverage is limited by setback requirements, the only way to go is up!
We recently transformed an outdated 1,300-square-foot rental property in Highview Park into a spacious, modern home for a young family. Adhering to zoning guidelines required preserving the existing foundation, so we took the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home down to its foundation, expanded it slightly on the left side, and built up! The result is an essentially brand-new four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath custom home that boasts 2,916 square feet across three floors.
Members of Arlington’s Disability Advisory Commission argue that they could do more good by being an integral part of creating properties, not just reviewing them.
“We feel a frustration dealing with the county’s current planning process,” said Commissioner Bryant Atkins.
Arlington stands to be divided into two congressional districts following last night’s statewide referendum, which narrowly passed with overwhelming support from local voters.
The “yes” vote rolled up about 80% of the vote in Arlington, based on preliminary vote totals released last night by the Virginia Department of Elections. This helped the measure squeak by statewide with about 51.5% of the vote — a majority of about 90,000 votes out of more than 3 million cast, according to preliminary figures.
A collaborative Summer Solstice gathering hosted by Inner Seasons and Spiritual Enhancements.
The Summer Solstice marks the peak of the sun’s power, the moment in the Wheel of the Year when light is at its fullest expression. In many traditions, this is the season of radiance, visibility, and creative fire. It is the time when nature stands unapologetically in her fullness, inviting us to do the same.
A new, locally owned Yemeni cafe is brewing in Falls Church, with plans to open in a couple months.
Rashfa Cafe hopes to open this June at 310 S. Washington Street, owner and founder Abdulrahman Al Harethi told ARLnow. He wants to share his heritage with the community through Yemeni-sourced coffee and menu items like rawani cake, sabayah pastries and honeycomb bread.
Final action on VHC Health’s proposed 146-bed S. Carlin Springs Road behavioral health and rehabilitation facility could come as early as September.
That somewhat aggressive planning timeline was laid out at a community-kickoff meeting for the project yesterday (Monday). Current plans anticipate the project heading to the full Planning Commission on Sept. 9 and the County Board on Sept. 19, although that timetable may slip.
Teen Charged in Officer Assault — A boy in his late teens was taken into custody Monday afternoon after police say he kicked an officer while being detained at a business in the 200 block of S. Glebe Road. The officer was not injured. Petitions for assault on police and disorderly conduct were sought. [ACPD]
Fire Station 8 Goes Green — Arlington’s new Fire Station 8 has earned LEED Gold certification, featuring an underground stormwater vault, a green vegetated roof, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and 57 solar panels. The station stands on the historic footprint of the Halls Hill Volunteer Fire Department, the only Arlington station staffed by an all-Black volunteer unit for decades during segregation. [Arlington County]
Water Shortage Risk Grows — A growing risk of water shortages looms as the Potomac River hits near-record lows. The river is “at its lowest point that it’s ever been for this particular date,” based on more than 130 years of data, said Michael Nardolilli of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. Severe drought has expanded to cover 31% of the region. [WTOP, CWG/X]
Red Flag Law Takes Guns — Fairfax County has processed 481 Emergency Substantial Risk cases and temporarily seized 947 guns since Virginia’s Red Flag law took effect in 2020. “Every one of those cases, I believe, is the opportunity to not only make our community safer, but potentially save a life,” Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano said. [WTOP]
Airport Merch Coming — The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is preparing to launch an online store selling merchandise branded for Reagan National and Dulles airports, aimed at “AVGeeks, locals and everyone in between.” The store is in a testing phase and no launch date has been announced. MWAA’s move follows WMATA’s popular Metro-branded merchandise offerings. [WBJ]
Pentagon’s Record Budget Ask — President Trump’s $1.5 trillion defense budget request includes a new “presidential priorities” category, earmarking $750 billion for the Golden Dome missile defense system, drones, artificial intelligence and building up the defense industrial base. The proposed 42% increase from last year would be the biggest year-over-year boost since WWII. [The Hill]
It’s Wednesday — Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms mainly between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. today, with a high near 74, a west wind around 8 mph, and a 50% chance of precipitation. Showers should taper by 8 p.m., with a mostly clear overnight low around 55. [NWS]
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Arlington has overwhelming voted yes for the statewide congressional redistricting amendment, which has now been approved by Virginia voters.
As of 10 p.m., with all Arlington County precincts reporting, the “yes” vote led by 80% to 20% for no. Statewide the race was much closer, with 51.3% for yes and 48.7% for no.
Good Tuesday 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 21, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms before 1 pm, with showers continuing until 2 pm, and isolated thunderstorms after 2 pm. It’s partly sunny with a high near 74°F, and winds will shift from southwest to west at around 8 mph. The precipitation chance is 50%. Wednesday night brings scattered showers and thunderstorms before 8 pm, turning mostly clear with a low of about 55°F. Winds will be from the northwest at 5 mph, becoming light and variable, with a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
– Vince Lombardi
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
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