Around Town

Good Thursday 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 — Jun 20, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Friday’s forecast

The weather will be sunny with a high temperature near 95 degrees, accompanied by a mild south wind at 3 to 6 mph. For Friday night, expect mostly clear skies and a low temperature around 75 degrees, with the south wind continuing at around 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
– Plato

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.


Sponsored

This column is sponsored by Arlington Arts/Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

The sound of summer is here in Arlington with free outdoor concerts and a music festival!

The Lubber Run Amphitheater Free Summer Concert Series kicks off on June 6 (continuing through August 2), and the 29th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival takes place on Saturday, June 13!

Free Summer Concerts at Lubber Run Amphitheater
June 8 – August 2

Both Country music icon Reba McIntyre and crooner Michael Bublé hit the red button for DMV Blues Diva Carly Harvey’s “blind audition” for NBC’s The Voice last fall. Now you can hear Carly Harvey Sing Amy Winehouse to kick off the Free LUBBER RUN AMPHITHEATER Summer Concert Series, at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

The concert series continues with Afrobeat band Dogo Tu Togo (Fri., June 12); Latin-jazz from Rumba Club (Sat., June 13); and the majestic Arlington Philharmonic (Sun., June 14, *6:30pm start time); The Grandsons 40th Anniversary (Sat., June 20); and the educational ensemble Mama Elena (Sun., June 21, 11:00 a.m.), continuing our tradition of Sunday morning performances for the whole family; and a Simon & Garfunkel Tribute performance (Fri., June 26).                            

Presented by Arlington Arts in cooperation with the Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation and with the collaboration of the Lubber Run Amphitheater Foundation, the Lubber Run Amphitheater Concerts take place on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, June 6 through August 2. Concert times are 8:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with Sunday morning family performances beginning at 11:00 a.m. (unless otherwise noted), two of which are co-presented with Arlington Public Library. (more…)


News

Live entertainment is coming to two new additions to Clarendon’s bar and restaurant scene, despite some resident concerns about code enforcement in the neighborhood.

The Arlington County Board voted 4-0 on Tuesday to accept use permit applications at Láylí Mediterranean and Mister Days, with several Board members expressing enthusiasm about Láylí’s arrival and Mister Days’ return.


News

A civic association is pushing to prevent a century-old former schoolhouse from being demolished to make way for an affordable housing project near Crystal City.

The historical significance of the Nelly Custis School, which stands on the Melwood property in Aurora Highlands, is slated for discussion at a Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) meeting tonight.


Around Town

The sushi and Thai food restaurant in Cherrydale at 3813 Langston Blvd has once again changed hands.

Now renamed Siam Miyaki, this represents the eatery’s fifth change in ownership in four years. Arlington residents Onin Saleerum and Isara “Ming” Tawkrue have taken over the lease from May Ditnoy, the previous owner of Siam Shinzo, which was previously known as Tuna Restaurant.


News

A driver crashed into parked vehicles and flipped his car this morning on a quiet residential street in Bluemont.

Arlington County police and medics are on scene of the crash, which happened shortly before 10 a.m. on N. Jefferson Street near the intersection with 6th Street N.


News

Public access at a forthcoming Rosslyn hotel is moving up in the world.

Instead of taking place on the eighth floor of the new Hilton hotel at 1900 N. Fort Myer Drive, county-facilitated events will now happen on the building’s 36th floor, following a unanimous Arlington County Board vote on Saturday.


News
Reclining Liberty still reclining in Virginia Square (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

Local GOP Focused on Statewide Races — “If Virginia turns out to be in play during the 2024 presidential election, as some polling suggests it might, the Arlington County Republican Committee chairman wants to make sure his organization does its part.” [Gazette Leader]

VHC Growth Request Deferred — “The deferral also was in reaction to the late publication of government documents related to Saturday’s hearing. Those documents only were made public on Wednesday, which fell ‘a little bit short’ given community interest in the hospital’s plans, said County Board Vice Chairman Takis Karantonis.” [Gazette Leader]

Weekend Robbery in Pentagon City — “At approximately 9:50 p.m. on June 15, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with injury. Upon arrival, it was determined the two female suspects stole the female victim’s credits cards and personal belongings from a back room inside a business and fled the scene. The female victim received alerts for fraudulent activity on her credit card and upon further investigation, she observed the two female suspects outside of a business in possession of her personal belongings. The victim confronted the suspects and a physical altercation ensued.” [ACPD]

Rave Review for NiHao’s Food — From food critic Tom Sietsema: “So many choices, so little time. We’re talking nearly 50 dishes on the all-day menu. You’d miss the point of the place if you skipped something that numbs the tongue. Cold sliced tendon and tripe, scattered with crushed peanuts and earthy cilantro and painted with chile oil, amounts to an offal good time.” [Washington Post]

County Governance Change Forums — “Proponents of changing Arlington’s 90-plus-year-old governance structure are hoping it is a breakthrough. But the prime legislative sponsor of changes is not that sure. Arlington County leaders have given the Arlington County Civic Federation the go-ahead to use county facilities, likely in late summer, to host a community forum on proposals that have been percolating for several years.” [Gazette Leader]

More Real Estate Price Drops — “Locally, the percentage of listing-price drops was in line with the region as a whole… In Arlington, 9.8 percent of homes saw listing-price drops, up from 8.4 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively.” [Gazette Leader]

Library Faces Lawsuit Threat — “A vocal local activist could ramp up her efforts against what she sees as a proliferation of the homeless in Arlington libraries to include a lawsuit against county officials. ‘Arlington Democrats will not silence my voice,’ Bobbie Fisher said at the June 15 County Board meeting, where during the public-comment period she again pushed for the firing of library director Diane Kresh for permitting what Fisher termed ‘a toxic, unhealthy and unsafe environment’ at a number of libraries.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny conditions and a high near 91 today, with calm winds picking up from the south at around 6 mph in the afternoon. For Thursday night, the sky will be partly cloudy, with temperatures cooling down to around 70, accompanied by a 6 mph south wind. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley