Cue Willie Nelson, as Arlington Democrats will be on the road again for the final weekends of campaign season.
The Arlington County Democratic Committee is dispatching volunteers to both North Carolina and Pennsylvania, two battleground states that remain tossups in the presidential race.
Gerald Ford was in the White House the last time Arlington voters rejected a school bond in a local referendum.
But the two local residents tasked with making sure such ancient history doesn’t repeat itself are taking no chances as they make the case for passage of the 2024 school bond.
For Tessa Cannon, books are more than stories. They’re a way to build community.
As the owner of The Wandering Shelf, an independent mobile bookstore that launched in Arlington in May 2025, Cannon brings books directly to readers across the community. Operating out of a bookstore van, she sells new and used books for all ages, along with book-themed merchandise, at events and locations throughout Arlington.
The idea grew from both her love of Arlington and her desire to expand access to independent bookstores.
“There are two main reasons I chose Arlington,” Cannon said. “First, I love Arlington and am one of its biggest fans. Second, Arlington is near communities with an incredible array of independent bookstores, yet at the time Arlington had only one bookstore selling new books. I wanted to grow our independent bookstore network and bring books to more Arlingtonians.”
As she prepared to launch the business, Cannon worked with Arlington Economic Development’s BizLaunch program, which connected her with a SCORE mentor and provided guidance through the startup process.
“BizLaunch was helpful in many ways,” she said. “They connected me with a mentor from SCORE, provided guidance on county-specific licenses and shared a fantastic Small Business Checklist. The BizLaunch website is filled with helpful resources.”
One customer interaction stands out as Cannon’s favorite business memory. A customer purchased a copy of I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman and returned a few weeks later to share how much she enjoyed it. Weeks after that, she came back with friends and the same copy of the book, now covered with notes and annotations from everyone who had borrowed and discussed it.
“It was a wonderful reminder of the gift that comes with sharing books with your community and how we are each impacted differently through the stories we read,” Cannon said.
Community remains at the heart of The Wandering Shelf’s mission. Cannon describes the business as “hyperlocal,” with charitable giving and community engagement focused on supporting Arlington residents.
Looking ahead, she hopes to grow the business into a small brick-and-mortar bookstore while keeping the mobile operation on the road.
“We dream of having a third space where people can rest, learn and connect with others,” Cannon said. “We plan to always keep the van running so we can continue meeting people in all the different pockets of Arlington.”
For now, The Wandering Shelf continues bringing books directly to Arlington readers, one stop at a time. For more information about The Wandering Shelf visit www.wanderingshelf.com or their Instagram @thewanderingshelf.va.
BizLaunch Update: Applications Open for the Arlington Growth Accelerator
Ready to take your business to the next level? The Arlington Growth Accelerator is designed for established small businesses looking to scale, strengthen operations and accelerate growth.
This hands-on program connects business owners with expert guidance, practical tools and a network of peers navigating similar growth challenges. Participants will gain insights on strategic planning, financial management, marketing, leadership and long-term business sustainability.
Whether you’re looking to expand your customer base, hire employees or position your business for its next phase of growth, the Arlington Growth Accelerator can help you build a roadmap for success.
Applications are now open. Learn more and apply at www.bizlaunch.org.
Arlington’s two main political parties are putting the finishing touches on their greet-the-voters strategies.
Democrats plan to staff all 54 county precincts from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, and have had volunteers at early-voting locations since balloting began on Sept. 20.
Pentagon MMA has brought a special honor home to Arlington from the birthplace of Muay Thai.
The Arlington Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu Academy is now officially a certified and registered Muay Thai Gym Partner through the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, making Pentagon MMA the only Muay Thai academy on the East Coast to have earned this distinction.
With campaign-signs-in-medians season in full bloom across Arlington, one 2024 candidate for local office is standing out from the crowd. And doing so face-first.
Paul Weiss, a former public-school educator who is running as an independent for School Board, is the lone candidate for local office in Arlington this year whose face graces his campaign signs.
For over 400 years, humans have studied the cosmos through telescopes anchored to the ground. That changed with the rise of spaceflight; only in the last 50 years have telescopes escaped the Earth's atmosphere entirely and opened a new window on the universe.
Join us for a talk from two NASA astrophysicists on the space telescopes of yesterday, today, and tomorrow—from Hubble's nearly four decades of discovery to James Webb, Nancy Grace Roman, and more. Learn about some of their most striking discoveries and what the future holds.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Virginia election officials Friday that accuses the state of striking names from voter rolls in violation of federal election law.
Work Starts on Crystal House Expansion — “The expansion of Crystal House, the Arlington multifamily project in the shadow of Amazon’s HQ2, is finally beginning. True Ground Housing Partners, known as Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing until a name change in September, has started utility work at Crystal House with plans to start vertical construction on the first new building there in 2025.” [WBJ]
Public Defender Stepping Down — From Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti: “@BradleyRHaywood announced he will step down as Arlington’s Chief Public Defender. It is no exaggeration to say that insofar as Arlington’s (and all of Virginia’s) criminal legal system has moved toward justice and fairness, it’s in great part because of his work.” [Twitter, Twitter]
Chief Asked About Election Unrest — Perhaps not impossible, but unlikely. That was Arlington Police Chief Andy Penn’s view of the the likelihood, if one group or another is displeased with the outcome of the presidential election and starts to make trouble, that Virginia’s governor will move to take control of the response away from local elected leadership and public-safety personnel. The matter came up at the Oct. 8 meeting of the Arlington County Civic Federation. During the meeting, Penn and several other county leaders fielded questions of security issues related to the Nov. 5 election. –Scott McCaffrey
Police Chase in Crystal City — From Dave Statter: “A crash and bail out early this morning at S. 20th and S. Eads in Arlington. @ArlingtonVaPD were seconds behind an SUV that appeared to run the light on Eads and was hit. As an officer pulled up at least three people from the SUV ran off. Police gave chase and were able to catch some if not all of them.” [Twitter]
Chase Near Pentagon — Also from Statter: “A driver chased by @VSPPIO kept going the wrong way on roads around the Pentagon early today. A trooper apparently tried to stop the car for bad tags along Route 1 in Crystal City just after 1:30 a.m. The car began to escape on S. Eads Street northbound from 15th. At Army Navy Drive it went the wrong way underneath I-395 and made a U-turn before entering the Pentagon.” [Twitter]
Layoffs at Arlington-Based Boeing — “Boeing plans to lay off about 10% of its workers in the coming months, about 17,000 people, as it continues to lose money and tries to deal with a strike that is crippling production of the company’s best-selling airline planes. New CEO Kelly Ortberg told staff in a memo Friday that the job cuts will include executives, managers and employees.” [Associated Press]
Overflowing Trash in Pentagon City — “Every. Single. Sunday. These barrels at 12th + S. Hayes are overflowing. This isn’t about separating trash from recycling anymore. Who do we need to talk w/ to have an additional barrel or two placed here?” [Twitter]
It’s Monday — Partly sunny today, with a high near 65. West wind of 13-17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Tonight it will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 45 and a northwest wind of 5-10 mph. [NWS]
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Flickr pool photo by Brian Gannon
An Arlington man is dead and another young man has been charged in the crash that claimed his life.
Police and medics responded around 2 a.m. to a crash along the 2200 block of N. Harrison Street, in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood south of Langston Blvd. A car being driven northbound by an 18-year-old Arlington resident struck several parked vehicles and overturned, according to Arlington County police.
The Wakefield Warriors certainly gained enough yards, but that production wasn’t enough to win.
The host Warriors amassed 466 total yards the night of Oct. 10 high-school football action, but lost to the Langley Saxons, 42-30, in Liberty District action.
Arlington County police are investigating gunfire along Columbia Pike.
The shooting happened Friday night, shortly before midnight. Initial reports suggest that several shots were fired during a fight among a large group of teens near the intersection of S. Taylor Street and the Pike, a block or two west of the Harris Teeter store.
