The true story of a local enslaved woman’s legal fight to earn her freedom was brought to life in a series of performances this spring.
The name “Julia Roberts” is connected in most people’s minds with the successful Hollywood actress. But an earlier Julia Roberts played a seminal, but until now largely overlooked, role in local, state and national history.
Selling a home in Arlington means competing in one of the most active real estate markets in the country — and having the right agent can make the difference between a good outcome and a great one.
Here are the nominees for “Best Real Estate Agent for Sellers in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your favorite agent? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for Best Moving Company Serving Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Veterinarian in Arlington. The results are now official:
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: How has the Arlington single-family home market performed in the first half of 2026?
Answer: Arlington’s single-family detached (SFD) market got busier and more competitive in the first half of 2026, yet prices increased at their slowest pace since 2023.
More Competition, Modest Appreciation (Resale Market)
Note: this data is for resales of single-family detached (SFD) homes; I have a separate analysis of the new construction market further down.
Dig Deeper: Performance Varied by Size, Price Point
The appreciation gap between the average price (3.5%) and median price (1.9%) matters. The average is more sensitive to expensive sales. In 2026, 15.7% of closed resales sold for $2M or more, up from 12.7% in 2025. At the other end of the market, only 21.7% sold below $1M, down from 24.4%. That shift toward higher-priced homes helped lift the average faster than the median.
Average and median prices are useful, but neither tells us whether gains were shared evenly across the market. To test that, I divided the closed resale market into four sold-price quartiles for each year. Each quartile represents one-fourth of that year’s sales, from the least expensive 25% to the most expensive 25%. (more…)
A popular fried chicken franchise from South Korea is celebrating the grand opening of its first D.C.-area location in Ballston today (Friday).
BHC Chicken, which describes itself as the “No. 1 Korean Chicken Franchise,” plans to offer three free chicken tenders to its first 100 guests from today through Sunday at 875 N. Randolph Street, in the former Hangry Joe’s spot.
The three Democratic candidates for County Board are all in favor of extensive community input on a proposal for a new behavioral health facility in Glencarlyn.
“You need to listen — it needs to be community-first,” challenger Julie Farnam said at a debate hosted by the Arlington County Civic Federation on Tuesday.
Live standup comedy in Arlington on Friday July 31 starring Jim Bryan, Kim Villamera, and Greg Billet.
Friday, July 31, 2026
There’s good news for one group of commuters between Arlington and D.C., and bad news for another.
The southbound GW Parkway ramp onto the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge is expected to close for repairs beginning today (Friday) and continuing through mid-August, according to the District Department of Transportation. At the same time, weather permitting, the eastbound ramp onto the bridge from Arlington Blvd will be reopening for the first time since February.
Arch Contract Shortcut — The Trump administration planned to begin work at the proposed Triumphal Arch site at Memorial Circle by using an existing, unrelated White House engineering contract — a move that would bypass competitive bidding, the Washington Post reports. The arch site, near the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery, sits on National Park Service land. [Washington Post]
Car Carrier Crunch — “Four car carriers at once this morning,” Dave Statter wrote, after auto haulers blocked bus lanes and a bus stop outside the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. He called the recurring scene a daily indictment of the county’s $11 million safety investment in Army Navy Drive. [Dave Statter/X]
Summer Travel Season — “More than 19 million travelers are expected to take to the skies” at the region’s airports between May and August, MWAA said. Reagan National’s new arrivals include Busboys and Poets near the D Gates and Colada Shop near the C Gates, while Dulles is preparing for new nonstop service to Taipei in late June. [MWAA]
Busboys Lands at DCA — “Busboys and Poets is now open!” the airport announced. The restaurant is located near the D Gates and open daily from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. [Reagan Airport/X]
ACPD Marks Police Week — The Arlington County Police Department is observing National Police Week, which began Sunday and honors officers who died in the line of duty. VHC Health staff stopped by evening roll call to deliver snacks and thank officers for their service. [ACPD/X, ACPD/X]
East Potomac Design Reveal — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum unveiled the proposed design for the East Potomac Golf Links renovation, calling for “championship-quality golf at affordable, highly discounted rates” from Fazio Golf Design. The course’s future remains in limbo amid a lawsuit over the Trump administration’s takeover and lease termination. [Fox 5, Secretary Burgum/X]
Bus Fare Policy Backlash — Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 condemned WMATA General Manager Randy Clarke for a “despicable and callous decision” to require bus operators to quote fares to all passengers, reversing a 2017 policy the union says has reduced operator assaults. The new fare-quote policy takes effect May 24. [PoPville]
State Revenue Beats Forecast — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced that April revenues grew 6.9% compared to the previous April, and Virginia’s general fund revenues are running 7.3% ahead year-over-year through the first 10 months of Fiscal Year 2026. “Revenues for Fiscal Year 2026 are ahead of expectations,” Spanberger said, while warning that national uncertainty and federal workforce cuts remain concerns. [Press Release]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies today with a high near 72 and northwest winds around 12 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 53. [NWS]
Good Thursday 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 — May 14, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
The weather will be sunny with a high of around 71°F and northwest winds blowing at 10 to 13 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph. Friday night will be mostly clear with a low near 53°F and calm winds. See more from Weather.gov.
“Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.”
– Parker Palmer
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
A family of geese — walking, instead of flying — backed up traffic on westbound I-66 in Arlington for more than an hour this afternoon.
A Metro Transit Police K-9 officer was the first to respond, protecting the birds alone for about 45 minutes, according to a post on X from longtime D.C.-area public safety chronicler Dave Statter. Virginia State Police and Arlington County Police later joined the effort.
New publicly-accessible buildings could be required to have baby diaper changing tables after a push from state Sen. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-39), whose district includes part of Arlington.
Virginia’s Board of Housing and Community Development voted Monday to approve Bennett-Parker’s proposal to require diaper changing tables in new buildings that are open to the public. The policy would apply to each floor containing public restrooms in new assembly, business, educational, and mercantile occupancy buildings, Group R-1 hotels and motels, and highway rest stops.
