News

A new traffic signal near Barrett Elementary School is on track to be installed early next year.

A work crew was at the intersection of N. George Mason Drive and N. Park Drive yesterday afternoon (Monday) as the county replaces the crossing’s rapid flashing beacon with a four-way traffic light.


News

Common ground remains elusive in the proposal to redevelop the Melwood site near Crystal City.

At a Nov. 18 meeting, representatives for Melwood and Wesley Housing said they had come up with changes to reduce impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. The revisions also pay homage to the current building, which began life in 1923 as Nelly Custis Elementary School.


Sponsored

This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.

The government likes to release unpopular items on Friday afternoons, and, when the government has something really unpopular to say, the Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend is considered ideal. Last Friday, before the Memorial Day weekend, USCIS published a truly incredible policy reversal – PM 602-0199 (the “May 21 Memo”), which purports to upend the ability of most foreigners to apply for green cards from within the United States. DHS and USCIS’s respective public messaging on the memorandum is clear but wrong. The memorandum was more nuanced, but still, in our view, deeply misleading. The purpose of this advertorial is to explain what happened, why it matters, and offer some predictions about how this unforced error is going to be resolved.

First, here’s what DHS and USCIS said about their own memo.

What do these press releases mean? They mean to highlight the following distinction: some people apply for a green card from inside the United States, at USCIS field offices; others apply for a green card from outside the United States, at U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad. Per both press releases, nearly everyone who applies from inside the U.S. is ineligible to become a lawful permanent resident. Almost everyone who applies for a green card should do so via U.S. Embassies and consulates abroad.

That might seem reasonable, and, ex ante, it could be, if our laws and institutions were set up properly. There are, unfortunately, a few problems with this new policy position, both practical and legal. (more…)


Events

Some road closures are planned for Thanksgiving as locals lace up sneakers — and, in some cases, don costumes — for a yearly morning race.

A couple thousand people are expected to participate in the Arlington Turkey Trot on Thursday, leading to road closures in Lyon Park and Ashton Heights. The yearly 5K race will kick off at 8 a.m. near the Lyon Park Community Center at 414 N. Fillmore Street.


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News
“North Pole” mailbox in an under-construction Santa photo station at Ballston Quarter (staff photo)

Man Breaks Into Clarendon Business — “At approximately 2:30 a.m. on November 24, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect allegedly gained entry into a closed business… No items were reported stolen. [The suspect], 27, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with Unlawful Entry and Public Intoxication.” [ACPD]

Investment for Local Startup — “EarthOptics, an Arlington soil monitoring startup fresh off its merger with a lab-analysis firm, has landed a $24 million investment to scale its tech and expand nationally… It brings EarthOptics’ total outside investment to $79.1 million since its founding in 2018, according to Crunchbase.” [WBJ]

Thanksgiving Closures in Arlington — “Arlington County Government offices and services are operating on modified schedules for the Thanksgiving holiday, Thursday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Recycling/Trash/Organics Curbside Routes – No collection on Thanksgiving Day. Thursday routes run on Friday, Nov. 29; Friday routes run on Saturday, Nov. 30.” [Arlington County]

Closures and Events in F.C. — “In observance of Thanksgiving… City services and programs will operate on a modified schedule; A variety of events kick off the holiday season.” [City of Falls Church]

Another Official Leaving City — “Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields announced this week that long-time City Planning Director Jim Snyder will be retiring this coming January… The ‘brain drain’ among three leaders at City Hall who played instrumental roles in the last decade’s extraordinary developments in the City has left some at City Hall concerned, the News-Press has learned.” [FCNP]

It’s Tuesday — Expect rain mainly before 7am, followed by mostly cloudy skies until mid-morning. The skies will then gradually clear, and the temperature will reach a high near 61°F. West winds will blow at 9 to 14 mph, gusting up to 25 mph. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation, and any new rainfall will likely be less than a tenth of an inch. Tuesday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 36°F, accompanied by a northwest wind at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]


Event

Equality Arlington and the National Landing BID are co-sponsoring a LGBTQ+ movie screening on Saturday, June 6 beginning at 3 PM at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema followed by a Pride Month Party at National Landing Water Park from 6-9 PM. Both events are free and first come, first serve (although we encourage you to RSVP to help us prepare) and open to all. Learn more at equalityarlington.org/events.

Saturday, June 6th: 3 PM – 5:20 PM – Screening of “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Crystal City (1660 Crystal Dr, Arlington, VA 22202).


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 — Nov 25, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌧️ Tuesday’s forecast

Expect rain mainly before 7am, followed by mostly cloudy skies until mid-morning. The skies will then gradually clear, and the temperature will reach a high near 61°F. West winds will blow at 9 to 14 mph, gusting up to 25 mph. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation, and any new rainfall will likely be less than a tenth of an inch. Tuesday night will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 36°F, accompanied by a northwest wind at 5 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”
– Les Brown

🌅 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

The Arlington Travel Baseball age 10-under Arsenal Blue won the championship at the recent Northern Virginia Travel Baseball League fall World Series at Patriot Park in Fairfax.

The Arsenal Blue opened with a 6-4 win over the Pioneer Legends. The team benefited from timely hitting by Neil Kasyan (three hits, two RBI) along with strong pitching from winner Bryce Keller. Ethan Guthrie pitched in relief and William Epton earned the save.


Sports

With longtime Yorktown High School head football coach Bruce Hanson having retired in recent days, Josh Shapiro has moved up to No. 1 on a seniority list.

Shapiro, who has been head coach of the Washington-Liberty Generals for 18 seasons, is now the longest-tenured head coach, by far, of the same team in the 6D North Region.


News

Arlington was one of the most charitable locales in the country this year, by one measure.

According to data from Charity Navigator, Arlington residents donated $222,835 through the nonprofit’s Giving Basket. With $1.07 donated per capita, by Charity Navigator’s calculation, Arlington ranked first among “medium cities” that donated through the nonprofit.


Around Town

A local outpost for homebrewing supplies is going out of business after nearly two decades in the Falls Church area.

MyLocal HomeBrew Shop, located at 6201 Leesburg Pike, specializes in supplies for at-home beer, wine and kombucha making. As of this week, the shop has sold off most of its remaining inventory, from hops to kegs, as it prepares to close for good, owner Derek Terrell told ARLnow.