Gabrielle Berg, Northern Virginia Tennis for Fun Chapter Founder, 2026 Youth Leader of the Year Awardee
Khoi Truong, Lake Braddock Boys Tennis Coach, 2026 Coach of the Year Awardee
Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (ret.), 2026 Tennis Creates Impact Honoree
Game, set, Gala! On Saturday, Nov. 14, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation’s annual Tennis Creates Gala, presented by QTS, comes to The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, celebrating the transformative power of tennis.
The evening raises critical funds to make the sport accessible to all across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and eastern/southern West Virginia.
Every dollar goes back into local communities through programs like Girls Rule the Court™, which has served more than 2,000 girls, along with Junior Player Scholarships and Tennis in Schools. Gala funds also help restore public courts. Over the last three years, the Foundation has invested $505,000 across 17 public facilities.
Emceeing the evening is Emmy Award-winning ESPN journalist Malika Andrews, host of NBA Today and NBA Countdown, who joined ESPN’s tennis coverage this year for the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Andrews has pointed to the electric moment American tennis is having, with stars like the DMV’s own Frances Tiafoe reaching the 2026 US Open men’s semifinals, and says she’s grateful for the chance to support the sport at the local level.
Joining the celebration is new USTA CEO Craig Tiley, who took the helm of the national governing body in July after over 20 years at Tennis Australia. As he leads the USTA toward its goal of 35 million players by 2035, the USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation drives the grassroots work to grow the sport right here in the region.
The Foundation will present its Tennis Creates Impact Award to Vice Admiral Sean S. Buck, U.S. Navy (ret.), 63rd Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, recognizing his leadership in fostering character, community, and well-being through tennis.
The heart of the night is the 2026 Tennis Creates Awards, honoring local changemakers. Alexandria’s Leigh Ann Jackson receives the Adult Leader Award for coaching Girls Rule the Court at Groveton Elementary, where she has served 130 students over five seasons and championed the program’s expansion to Hybla Valley.
Arlington’s Gabrielle Berg earns the Youth Leader Award for founding a Northern Virginia chapter of Tennis For Fun, which runs free year-round clinics for people with special needs in partnership with the Arlington YMCA. Burke’s Khoi Truong, head coach at Lake Braddock Secondary School, is the 2026 Coach of the Year.
They’ll be joined by fellow honorees Dr. Ellen Markowitz (Community Champion), James Skinner (Provider Champion), and Janelle Nichols (Tennis in the Classroom Awardee).
Tickets and tables are now available. Can’t make it? Make a gift to USTA Mid-Atlantic Foundation or bid in the silent auction to help put a racquet in the hands of the next generation of players.
The Tennis Creates Gala takes place Saturday, Nov. 14, 2026, from 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, 1700 Tysons Blvd., McLean, VA 22102.
Police outside Yorktown High School in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Yorktown High School was placed in an enhanced security stance this morning due to an intruder.
The incident happened around 8 a.m. today (Wednesday) when a former student allegedly entered the school. They were contained to one of the classrooms and police were called.
Trees at the Fellows property in Falls Church (via City of Falls Church)
Members of the Falls Church City Council appear ready to jumpstart plans for the city’s newest park.
As they determine what to do with the city government’s $5.3 million fiscal 2024 surplus, Council members seem enthusiastic to allocate $1.5 million to complete design and move forward with construction on what they call the Fellows site.
Have old bikes or bike accessories lying about? Donations welcome of serviceable bicycles of any model, bike parts & accessories including tools & clothing. Also portable sewing machines in operating condition. Items will support community programs around the globe providing access to jobs, education, health care, & youth development. A suggested $10 per bike helps defray the expenses of getting a serviceable bike & supplies to a qualifying destination. Bikes for the World is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit agency & provides a receipt good for tax purposes for all donations.
Separately, Arlington County will accept residents’ old electronics & batteries, household hazardous materials, scrap metal & other items. Details for the County event are at https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Recycling-and-Trash/Household-Hazardous-Materials-HHM/E-CARE
Halloween decorations along N. Jackson Street in Ashton Heights in October 2023 (staff photo by Jay Wescott)
Halloween is tomorrow (Thursday), and many varieties of spooky celebration are coming to Arlington.
From a Bluemont costume parade to a “monster ball” at a Clarendon club, festivities for ghouls and goblins of all stripes are taking place starting tomorrow afternoon and continuing through Saturday.
Mannequins at Crystal Boutique in Crystal City (via Crystal Boutique/Facebook)
Following the Crystal City Underground’s closure, a longtime women’s boutique will relocate to a larger nearby space this weekend.
Crystal Boutique’s last day at 2100 Crystal Drive is Saturday. The shop first opened in 1970, focusing on evening wear and other garments for “mature and older women,” owner Joel Cohen told ARLnow.
Arlington County police cars (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A man has been arrested and charged with brandishing a gun at a local hotel.
The incident started shortly before 6 a.m. at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Pentagon City, according to scanner traffic, and ended with an arrest at gunpoint near the Army Navy Drive side of the Pentagon City mall.