A man who led police on a wild, high-speed chase involving gunfire and damage to numerous vehicles has been sentenced to two years of active incarceration.
Ricardo Singleton, 29, was sentenced in Arlington County Circuit Court to a maximum of 15 years in prison last week. However, 13 of the years will be suspended unless Singleton violates the terms of his probation during a five-year period, according to court records.
The Miss Arlington pageant has begun accepting submissions for this year’s contest.
Contestants in the event, hosted by the Miss Arlington Scholarship Organization, have until Oct. 26 to submit paperwork. They must be between ages 18 and 27, reside in Virginia, and either be employed in Virginia or be enrolled full-time in a college or university.
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.
The Gallery Underground in Crystal City is closing next week after one last art auction and gala.
The 3,000-square-foot gallery at 2100 Crystal Drive — in the Crystal City Underground — has been a mainstay of the Arlington Artists Alliance since 2012, showcasing the work of numerous artists. Now, the nonprofit’s outpost has confirmed its last day is Friday, Oct. 4, as JBG Smith is requiring all tenants to vacate the underground commercial area.
Looking for a fall activity that gets you moving and builds real confidence? EvolveAll Martial Arts and Training Studio is offer free classes for youth and adults during it’s upcoming Intro Week, September 14-19.
EvolveAll, Arlington’s martial arts and fitness community off Columbia Pike, is once again opening its doors for a full week of free trial classes — and youth classes are one of the highlights. Kids ages 5-15 will get to try hands-on martial arts instruction designed to build discipline, focus, and self-defense skills in a supportive, age-appropriate environment.
D.C.-area restaurant Dolan Uyghur plans to expand further into Northern Virginia with a new Falls Church location.
The new eatery hopes to open by Friday, Oct. 18 at 400 S. Maple Avenue, in the space formerly held by Pizzeria Orso, owner Hamid Kerim told ARLnow. The business also still plans to open a new location in Crystal City, although it has pushed back the planned opening date from November to February or March 2025.
Whether autumn means sipping local ciders, decorating pumpkins with the kids, or enjoying live music, Fall Fest is packed with festive fun for all ages and the perfect way to spend a crisp October afternoon in Rosslyn!
Arlington residents can drop off old electronics, household hazardous materials and small metal items next Saturday at a biannual collection event.
The Environmental Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE) will take place from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at Wakefield High School (1325 S. Dinwiddie Street). Accepted materials include automotive fluids, batteries, fluorescent tubes, pesticides, toner cartridges and paint products.
Flooded with email newsletters? Can’t stand Elon? Threads too boring? Facebook only surfacing random videos?
If you answered yes to all of those things, here’s some good news: there’s a brand new way to stay on top of everything Arlington.
Solidcore Sold — “The private equity owners of Solidcore Holdings LLC have reached a deal to sell the Arlington-based fitness chain to L Catterton, the private equity firm backed by luxury giant LVMH SE. Terms have not been disclosed, but Reuters reported the deal values Solidcore between $600 million and $700 million. Solidcore’s investors began exploring a sale of the Pilates chain in May.” [WBJ]
Chase Through Arlington — “The Alexandria Police Department said a suspect pursued by the Arlington County Police Department crashed at the intersection of N. Van Dorn Street and W. Braddock Road just off I-395 near Fort Ward. Scanner traffic indicated that the Arlington County Police Department was following up on D.C. police pursuit of a homicide suspect. The suspect drove over the 14th Street Bridge into Arlington on I-395.” [ALXnow, Twitter]
Closures for Clarendon Day — “The 2024 Clarendon Day will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from approximately 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures from approximately 3:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28 to accommodate the event.” [ACPD]
Governance Task Force Considered — “Is a county-government task force the way to advance the ball down the field on proposed changes to the governance structure that has been in place in Arlington for nearly a century? That’s a request being made by the Arlington County Civic Federation. Whether county officials take the group up on its proposal remains to be seen.” [GazetteLeader]
VHC Launches New Podcast — “Coming soon, VHC Health and the Washington Business Journal will launch a new podcast called Living Well with Alison Starling. Join the former ABC 7News anchor and Emmy Award winner for exclusive conversations with health care advocates and experts on today’s most timely health topics.” [WBJ]
Senior Program Keeping Staff Busy — “An increase in community needs, coupled with staffing challenges, has led the Arlington Area Agency on Aging (AAAA) to cut back slightly on walk-up services for those seeking assistance from the county’s Aging & Disability Resource Center. Walk-ins are now curtailed on Fridays, ‘primarily to give staff time to catch up with their administrative duties.'” [GazettLeader]
Beyer Statement on Crime Stats — “According to the FBI’s release of 2023 hate crimes statistics, only 16,009 agencies out of out of 18,800 agencies nationwide participated in hate crimes data collection. The 2023 hate crimes statistics illustrate the urgent need to improve hate crimes reporting across the country.” [Press Release]
Nearby: Squirrel Befriends Gas Man — “Every day at the Exxon at 4001 Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria, attendant Ghulam Rabani has fed peanut M&Ms to a squirrel. ‘I see him every day,’ Rabani told ALXnow. ‘He loves the M&Ms. He’ll take them and hide them and then come back.'” [ALXnow]
Watching Hurricane Helene — “Helene should manage to send its remnant rains our way Friday into Friday night. There’s a chance of some thunderstorms, but the higher threat of severe weather and tornadoes will probably remain to the southwest of the D.C. area… It’s still early to predict rainfall totals with much confidence, but models suggest 0.75 to 2 inches is possible through Sunday night.” [Capital Weather Gang]
It’s Thursday — Expect showers and possible thunderstorms after 11am, with cloudy skies and a high of 79°F accompanied by a south wind at 7 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%. For Thursday night, there’s a 20% chance of showers, with otherwise cloudy conditions and a low around 69°F. [NWS]
Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 25, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect showers and possible thunderstorms after 11am, with cloudy skies and a high of 79°F accompanied by a south wind at 7 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%. For Thursday night, there’s a slight chance of showers, along with cloudy conditions and a low around 69°F. A southeast wind will blow at 3 to 5 mph, with a 20% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
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.
Arlington Public Schools is proposing to significantly increase its budget next year to support more staffing and a pay raise for personnel.
The proposal, which Superintendent Francisco Durán and the Arlington School Board discussed at a work session yesterday (Tuesday), calls for gradually adding 252 new full-time positions and a 3% cost-of-living increase over the next three years.
