News
Pirate-themed booze cruise on the Potomac near Key Bridge and Rosslyn (Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar)

AAA Bond Rating Reaffirmed — “For the 24th year in a row, all three credit ratings agencies have reaffirmed Arlington County’s debt ratings of Aaa/AAA/AAA -— the highest possible rating. Arlington is one of just 55 counties in the United States, and one of twelve in Virginia, to receive this designation.” [Arlington County]

Police Escort Geese on I-395 — “What’s the holdup on I-395 NB express lanes you ask? Just some SSP and VSP heroes saving some geese.” [Twitter]

Arlington Has Area’s Highest Rent — “The Zumper D.C. Metro Area Report analyzed active listings last month… Arlington was the most expensive city with one-bedrooms priced at $2,380. Washington D.C was the second priciest with rent at $2,300. Alexandria ranked as third with rent at $2,050.” [Zumper]

Flyover Planned Today — “The United States Military will be conducting a flyover at Arlington Cemetery, on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at 11:45 AM.” [Twitter]

Guilty Plea in Metro Stabbing — “A 43-year-old Washington, D.C. man was sentenced in federal court on Friday after he admitted to stabbing a woman multiple times on a Metro train last September… police arrested Harrington after he set off a fire alarm in an Arlington apartment building. He was seen wielding a knife with what appeared to be dried blood on it, according to court documents.” [Patch]

Va. Square Vehicular Food Fight — “At approximately 7:51 p.m. on June 9, police were dispatched to the report of disorderly conduct. The preliminary investigation indicates a suspect inside a vehicle threw food items at the victim’s moving vehicle, striking it. Officers located the vehicle in the area of N. Quincy Street at 20th Street N. and conducted a traffic stop. The four juvenile occupants of the vehicle were identified.” [ACPD]

Expanded Cancer Center in Ballston — “Virginia Cancer Specialists, the largest private cancer practice in Northern Virginia, announced today was the grand opening of its largest expansion in recent history… The expanded Arlington VA, Virginia Cancer Specialists location offers the same providers and care team in the heart of Arlington at 1100 N. Glebe Rd.” [PR Newswire]

Yorktown’s Double State Champs — “The Yorktown Patriots’ foursome of Kelly Brown, Piper Gill, Olivia Stafford and Emme Yoder finished as Virginia High School League Class 6 state champions playing for two sport teams during the 2023-24 school year. This past fall, they were members of the state-champion girls field hockey squad, then followed as members of this spring’s state-champ girls lacrosse team.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 83, with a west wind around 5 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature around 66. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar


Around Town

Good Tuesday 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 11, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 83, accompanied by a calm wind that shifts westward at around 5 mph in the afternoon. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature around 66, as the south wind slows to around 6 mph and becomes calm in the evening. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”
– Walt Disney

🌅 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.


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: What areas of Northern VA have the most and least expensive new construction homes?

Answer: The biggest and most expensive new builds in Northern VA are in Great Falls and Mclean. Prince William County offers the most affordability, along with the most house and land for your money.

The following data is based on MLS sales of new construction detached homes in Northern Virginia from 2025-June 1 2026.

Great Falls, Mclean, and Everybody Else

  • The small town of Middleburg is the only city with an average new home price over $3,000,000.
  • Dumfries and Bristow are the only Northern VA cities where the average new home costs less than $1,000,000
  • The average price for a new home in Vienna is $22,000 higher than Arlington

How Big Are New Homes?

  • Most new homes throughout Northern VA come in around 5,000-6,000 finished square feet
  • Mclean (8,450) and Great Falls (8,700) average nearly 2,000SF more than homes in Vienna, the city with the third largest average new home
  • Despite having significantly more room to build, homes in Loudoun County and Prince William County are constructed with a “modest” 4,800 finished SF
  • On average, 5,700 finished SF in Northern VA is filled with 5.4 bedrooms and 5.1 full bathrooms

If Yard and Privacy Matter the Most

  • The average new home in Prince William County sits on nearly 2.7 acres and provides new home buyers with the lowest cost per acre for a new home
  • Privacy in your new home is hard to come by in Arlington, Ashburn, Brambleton, Dumfries, and Bristow with average lot sizes under 0.2 acres
  • Great Falls (1.69) and Oakton (2.07) are the only jurisdictions within Fairfax County with an average lot size over one acre
  • In Northern VA, the average new home is built on 0.84 acres

(more…)


Schools

An Arlington parents group is pushing for more stringent rules around cellphones in the classroom.

Arlington Parents for Education argued in a letter to Superintendent Francisco Durán that a countywide policy of having students stow phones in lockers during the day would improve learning and mental health during the 2024-2025 school year.


Event

Get ready for one of Arlington’s biggest summer events! Voted Arlington Magazine’s Best Festival, the Columbia Pike Blues Festival is back on Saturday, June 13 with a brand new location at Penrose Square for a full day of live music, local food, shopping, family fun, and nonstop Pike vibes.

Come out and enjoy live blues performances all day long, explore 60+ local vendors, grab food and drinks from Pike favorites, and bring the whole family for activities in the Kids Zone, face painting, popcorn, and more. Don’t forget to stop by the CPP tent for exclusive Columbia Pike merch and festival goodies available throughout the day.


Schools

An Arlington elementary school celebrated a major upgrade to its basketball court this week thanks to a local dad and some pro sports teams.

Mascots from the Washington Wizards and Mystics joined a crowd of third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students on Monday to mark the installation of four new basketball hoops at Barcroft Elementary School. The hoops, courtesy of the Monumental Sports & Entertainment Foundation, replaced deteriorating equipment that dated back to the 1960s.


Around Town

The former Pamplona space in Clarendon is vacant no longer.

Hyde Social will bring a low-frills local hangout to 3100 Clarendon Blvd, ownership tells ARLnow, with both indoor and outdoor seating.


News

Arlington County saw a rise in total crime from 2022 to 2023, including a nearly 20% increase in drug-related crimes, according to the police department’s new annual report.

The county tallied 474 instances of the production, distribution or use of illegal narcotics in 2023, up from the 2022 total of 396. Those were the “primary driver” in an increased rate of “crimes against society,” according to the report.


News

A new marker commemorating Black troops who fought in the Civil War has been installed at Fort Ethan Allen Park.

An official unveiling for the new sign at 3829 N. Stafford Street is scheduled for Thursday, June 20 — the day after Juneteenth. The marker commemorates the 107th United States Colored Troops, which ran drills and manned the ramparts at Fort Ethan Allen and other Arlington forts starting in October 1865, guarding D.C. following the end of the war.


News
Metrobus in front of the Alamo Drafthouse in Crystal City (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Remembering Frank O’Leary — “[Frank] O’Leary, who served as treasurer for 30-plus years before retiring in the summer of 2014, died June 7 after battling leukemia for the preceding six months. He was 80. O’Leary was ‘a great Arlingtonian, one of those remarkable people who have helped make Arlington the thriving community that it is today,’ County Board Chairman Libby Garvey said as news of his death began to circulate.” [Gazette Leader]

Board Member Shows Gun Haul — From County Board member Takis Karantonis: “With Letty Hardi – Mayor of the City of #FallsChurch – while visiting the location of the 1stgun-buyback event – last Saturday. Sobering how many and what kind of firearms were collected. Can’t be more thankful to @MomsDemand @parisa4justice @ArlingtonVAPD” [Twitter]

School Board Candidate Makes It Official — “An educator who is wrapping up a career in the Arlington school system has filed the paperwork necessary to run for School Board. Paul Weiss, who has spent the last 22 years teaching at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program and 36 years in education overall, joins a field that for now includes Democratic endorsees Zuraya Tapia-Hadley and Kathleen Clark and independent James ‘Vell’ Rives.” [Gazette Leader]

Candidates Talk Art — “It may not come as a complete surprise, but the five candidates vying for the Democratic nomination for County Board recently came out in favor of the arts. At a forum sponsored by an arts-advocacy organization, no less.” [Gazette Leader]

I-395 Crash Caught on Camera — From Dave Statter: “This was a crash that happened Sunday morning on I-395N at Exit 10C. If you don’t know before seeing the video exactly how this crash occurred, you just haven’t been paying attention in class. The driver making that left turn on the interstate highway still missed the exit they were trying to reach. And they ruined someone else’s day in the process.” [Twitter]

Guidebook Author Interviewed — “Barbara Noe Kennedy shares her passion for discovery and highlights for readers in her new book ‘100 Things to Do in Arlington Before You Die.'” [Fox 5]

Rosslyn Restaurant Options — “D.C. is just a short walk over the Key Bridge from Rosslyn, but Arlington’s original urban village is also a tempting destination in its own right, with exciting new dining options—including a buzzy, Metro-adjacent food hall—joining a long-running list of neighborhood hangouts. Here’s where to go for ceviche, all-day brunch, craft cocktails, killer tacos or a hearty plate of pasta.” [Arlington Magazine]

It’s Tuesday — Expect a mostly sunny day with a high near 77 and a gentle northwest wind at around 6 mph. As for Tuesday night, the skies will be mostly clear, with a gentle wind and a low around 60. [NWS]