News

Falls Church city leaders are asking the General Assembly to push back the statewide election-poll-opening time from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m., while moving the closing time from 7 to 8 p.m.

A change would benefit those who serve as officers of election at polling places, who must be there about an hour before the opening. It also “would put Virginia in line with most of the surrounding states,” Falls Church Electoral Board members said in a letter to the City Council.


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: How does home value appreciation vary in Arlington by property type?

Answer: The Arlington VA housing market has appreciated by an average price of 49% and a median price of 39% over a ten-year period, but that appreciation is not evenly distributed across all property types.

Detached Homes Appreciate Over 60%

Those who spend the most on a home benefit from the highest appreciation rates, with detached home appreciation of 60%+ over the course of a decade, and new detached homes appreciating the most of any property type, at 65%.

Condos Appreciate 1-2% Annually

The worst performing category over ten years in Arlington is the one-bedroom condo, with appreciation close to 1% annually and just 15% over ten years. Two-bedroom condos perform moderately better, with an average annual appreciation closer to 2% at 28% over ten years.

Townhouses are the Goldilocks Property Type

More expensive than condos and less expensive than detached homes, townhouse/semi-detached properties fall right in the middle of cost and ten-year rate of appreciation, coming in at 40% over ten years. (more…)


Events

An annual Shirlington holiday tradition is fast-approaching with festive music and family-friendly activities.

The Village at Shirlington’s annual tree lighting celebration begins at 6 p.m. this Thursday, Dec. 5. The event includes horse-drawn carriage rides, photos with Santa, face painting, a makers market and live holiday tunes.


Announcement

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.


News
Holiday lights on trees in Rosslyn (courtesy George Brazier)

Fmr. Firefighter Pleads Not Guilty — From ARLnow’s Jared Serre: “Ex-@ArlingtonVaFD employee Brian Holmes, accused of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, pleaded not guilty in federal court this morning, per court records.” [Twitter]

Search for Missing F.C. Man — “A vehicle driven by an 80-year-old critically missing man from the Falls Church area was found Sunday night in Arlington, but the man has not been located, according to Virginia State Police. The 2008 Toyota Tacoma driven by Robert Howard Williams was discovered around 8:16 p.m., in the 5700 block of Fairfax Drive near Westover Park.” [Patch]

Local Home Project Profiled — “This Arlington, Virginia, property had enviable views of D.C. that weren’t being maximized. So the architect and owners pivoted.” [Arlington Magazine]

Arlington Jobless Rate Falls Slightly — Arlington’s unemployment rate of 2.2% in October was down from 2.3% a year before, according to new state data. The county recorded about 158,000 residents in the civilian workforce and about 3,700 seeking jobs. Across Northern Virginia, the jobless rate of 2.6% was down from 2.7% a year before. –Scott McCaffrey

Avg. Weekly Wage Among Top in U.S. — The average weekly wage for those working in Arlington during the second quarter of 2024 was $2,243, eighth highest among the 370 most populous localities in the nation. The average income nationally for the quarter was $1,390. [Bureau of Labor Statistics]

Retired ACPD K-9 Dies — “It is with great sadness the Arlington County Police Department and the members of the K9 Unit announce the passing of retired K9 Jax, a 10 year-old Belgian Malinois. K9 Jax loyally served the Arlington community alongside his handler, Lieutenant B. Morrison, from 2015-2021 as a patrol and narcotics detection K9.” [Instagram]

Fairfax Wants Loud Car Law — “The [Fairfax County] Board of Supervisors’ legislative committee took steps last Tuesday (Nov. 26) to request [state] legislation allowing the county to host a pilot program that would use technology to catch drivers whose after-market mufflers pump out more noise than the 85 decibels allowed under state law.” [FFXnow]

Virginians Still Love Tito’s — “Tito’s Handmade Vodka is Virginia’s most popular spirit for the seventh year running, with people spending $75 million on the brand at Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stores, the agency said… After Tito’s, Hennessy Very Special cognac was the state’s second-best seller.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

It’s Tuesday — The weather will be sunny but brisk, reaching a high of 41 degrees, with a northwest wind at 9 to 11 mph and gusts up to 21 mph. Tuesday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 24 degrees, and a west wind of 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]


Event

Join Arlington for Palestine and NAACP Arlington Branch for a movie night and community discussion about Israeli apartheid.

We will watch two short Palestinian films about life under Israeli apartheid, hear from a member of Arlington for Palestine about their trip to Palestine last year, and discuss together what all this means to us living in Arlington .


Around Town

Good Monday 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 — Dec 2, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Tuesday’s forecast

The weather will be sunny, reaching a high of approximately 41 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 9 to 11 mph and gusts up to 21 mph. Tuesday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 24 degrees, and a west wind blowing at a speed of 5 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.”
– Plutarch

🌅 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! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.


Sports

In front of a big home crowd, the Marymount University Saints women’s volleyball team recently won a third- straight Atlantic East Conference tournament championship.

The top-seeded Saints were 2-0 in the tourney, defeating Gwynedd Mercy University in the semifinals, then Neuman University in the title match, each by 3-0 scores.


Sports

The stingy play of the Washington-Liberty Generals defense was a big reason for the football team’s success during the fall season.

A top player and a leader in tackles was senior lineman Ben Hughes. For his regular-season performance, the 6-foot-1, 240-pound Hughes was chosen as a Defensive Player of the Year in the Liberty District, as well as a first-team lineman.


News

Arlington County police responded to several serious incidents over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, according to the latest ACPD crime report.

A man was stabbed Friday morning at the Apex Apartments on S. Glebe Road. Police arrested a 50-year-old Arlington resident who, they said, knew the victim.