A free concert is coming to Metropolitan Park tomorrow (Wednesday) as Amazon prepares to celebrate HQ2’s one-year anniversary later this month.
Indie rock artist Zach Person will be performing his sophomore album, “Let’s Get Loud,” from 5-5:45 p.m. on the park’s Central Green at 525 14th Street S. A “loud and raw” blend of “high-energy rock anthems and head-bobbing funk rhythms” is promised, along with free picnic blankets.
One of Arlington’s own has secured her place among the world’s top Jiu-Jitsu martial artists.
With only a few years of training under her belt, last week, Beatrice Jin, a 28-year-old journalist from Arlington, clinched bronze at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Championships at the Walter Pyramid in Anaheim, California.
In the months of November and December 2025, the Trump Administration took four related actions: (1) they froze all adjudication of applications for nationals subject to a related travel ban, (2) they announced that being from one of those countries would be a ‘significant negative factor’ in benefits adjudication, (3) they froze adjudication of all affirmative asylum claims, and (4) they announced a ‘re-review’ of all immigration benefits granted to people from a list of thirty-nine countries since the beginning of the Biden Administration. We told you, as these policies were introduced, that they were going to be controversial – we told you that litigation would put an end to them, because “[s]ome federal judge, somewhere, will say ‘enough.'”
Last week, a federal judge, John J. McConnell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, said “Enough!” in vigorous language, striking down all four policies in a strongly worded decision. The purpose of this advertorial is to explain: (1) why the federal district court took this action, (2) what real-world effects we expect this to have, and (3) what the Trump Administration’s prospects on appeal are.
First, what did Judge McConnell’s decision say?
In short, Judge McConnell flatly rejected the government’s claim that its decisions were non-discriminatory and rooted in a reasonable desire to ensure security and accurate adjudication. It’s worth lingering over the language that Judge McConnell employs in his introduction.
“But the rule of law has to apply to everyone equally and, as evident here, USCIS has neither “followed the law” nor “done things the right way.” Indeed, the agency has violated the very immigration laws that Congress has charged it with administering, as well as the administrative laws that govern the agency’s actions. In enacting its latest immigration policies, USCIS: claims statutory and regulatory authority that it does not possess; makes decisions without the reasoned explanations that it must provide; acts without regard for the reliance interests of applicants that it must consider; and justifies its actions with pretextual concerns of “national security” that mask anti-immigrant sentiments that it is forbidden from letting influence its decision-making. In legal terms, that means USCIS’s actions are contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious.”
What Judge McConnell means, more or less, is that the Trump Administration can’t use the administrative apparatus of USCIS to accomplish its policy goals without either passing a statute or promulgating a regulation. As a reminder, the Trump Administration didn’t even try to promulgate a regulation concerning any of the above memoranda, it simply announced them, one ukase after another.
Now, what will the Trump Administration do?
Our prediction is cynical: The Trump Administration will do nothing. They’ll slow-walk any compliance with Judge McConnell’s order while they file an appeal to the First Circuit Court of Appeals, seeking an emergency stay of Judge McConnell’s order. If they lose at the First Circuit, they’ll seek another form of emergency relief, via the Supreme Court’s so-called “shadow docket.” Only if the Administration loses twice on appeal will they even contemplate compliance with this order.
What should applicants for benefits affected by these newly unfrozen orders do? The right answer depends on the individual case. The great majority of applicants, we suspect, will choose to wait and see what the outcome of the government’s appeal will be. We’ll report on that, too, when the next round of litigation is concluded.
ARLnow is thinking about bringing back The Arlies, but under a different name and with a new way to vote.
We paused the Arlington Community Awards program two-and-a-half years ago to re-think how best to differentiate it from other local awards. Another consideration: how to encourage more people to vote while discouraging repeat voting.
Now, as we near the latter half of 2024, we think we might have the answer to both. The current plan is to:
The other local awards are great, but voting for and then announcing the winners all at once is perhaps not ideal. We believe that voting for one category at a time, while showing the unofficial results in real time, could be more fun and not as overwhelming — while encouraging voting from a broader swath of Arlington residents.
What do you think?
The Arlington Home Energy Hub is a new resource provided by Arlington County to help residents make their homes more energy efficient, healthier and powered by clean energy. Arlington residents can now explore a new webpage with information and resources to learn about, plan for and implement home energy upgrades.
The Home Energy Coach is a new resource that provides free, virtual technical support to help Arlington residents make energy upgrades. Home Energy Coaches are available to help with any type of energy upgrade, such as installing new heating and cooling equipment, improving insulation and adopting solar energy. Homeowners can meet with a Home Energy Coach individually and renters can join a group coaching session. To get started, Arlington residents can submit an interest form online and a Coach will follow up with more information.
Development Plan on County Border — “The new 250-unit residential-over-retail building and parking garage would be constructed on much of what is now surface parking lot serving a 220-unit mid-rise at 6200 Wilson Blvd., known as the Cavalier Club, per a rezoning application filed May 31 with Fairfax County’s planning department.” [Washington Business Journal]
Local Who Found Dead Bear Talks — “‘The day is beautiful, you’re just taking a walk and then, all of a sudden, you encounter something … So yeah, you jump quickly from one state of mind to another,’ she said. ‘I had this uneasy feeling that something was wrong and I wondered, ‘How did this animal, this creature, end up in a bag?”” [WTOP]
Pedestrian Struck Monday Afternoon — “Police and medics on scene of a pedestrian struck at the intersection of 10th Street and N. Barton Street, south of Courthouse. The pedestrian was seen lying on sidewalk but eventually got up and walked slowly to an ambulance. The apparent striking driver stayed on scene.” [Twitter]
Coffee Shop Unionization Effort — “A group of Compass Coffee workers announced plans Friday to unionize more than a third of its stores, pressing the D.C.-based chain to end its no-tipping policy and improve benefits and working conditions…. The campaign — which involves four cafes in downtown D.C. and one each in Georgetown, Spring Valley and Rosslyn, Va. — is one of several playing out at independent and regional coffee shops across the country.” [Washington Post]
Rogue County Commission Crackdown — “‘Unless explicitly prescribed by the group’s charter or other governing ordinance, members [of advisory bodies] are prohibited from communicating or coordinating with other federal, state or local agencies or governing bodies on behalf of the advisory group or the county [government] without explicit approval from the County Board,’ the draft statement notes.” [Gazette Leader]
New Food Security Grants — “The Arlington County Department of Human Services has announced a grant funding opportunity to boost food security in Arlington. Funding will be available to area 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, and public schools and universities with projects that support aspects of the Food Security Strategic Plan.” [Arlington County]
Marymount Rolling Out AI Degree — “Designed to equip students with foundational skills necessary to excel in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape, Marymount University’s new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence (AI) degree fills a critical need for today’s and tomorrow’s workforce.” [Press Release]
ACPD Focuses on Officer Wellness — “ACPD’s wellness initiative goes beyond work/life balance, promoting a holistic approach to physical, mental, and emotional health. Patrol officers enjoy the equivalent of a 37.5-hour work week with 4 and 5 consecutive days off to provide better work-life balance. ACPD also provides a range of accessible, evidence-based programs to accommodate staff needs.” [WJLA]
Arlington Tech Company Expands — “Two Six Technologies held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Wednesday (May 29) to celebrate the opening of its new office at 13865 Sunrise Valley Drive… just east of Dulles International Airport. Headquartered in Arlington, the company’s Herndon location currently consists of more than 27,000 square feet of offices, labs and ‘specialized equipment.'” [ALXnow]
It’s Tuesday — Some isolated showers and thunderstorms starting after 2pm. Otherwise mostly sunny skies and a high near 86. Precipitation chances are 20%. Tuesday night, isolated storms will clear up before 8pm, with a slight possibility of showers resuming after 2am. It will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 67 and a southeast wind of 5 to 8 mph. The chance of precipitation remains 20%. [NWS]
Are you interested in learning about how Continuing Care Retirment Communities work, but don’t know where to start? Join our free workshop at 5:00 on Tue., 6/16 to learn more and ask questions!
If you are interested in learning more about Continuing Care Retirement Communities (also known as “Life Plan Communities”), whether for yourself or for a loved one, please join our free workshop on Tuesday, June 16 from 5:00-7:00 at the Arlington office of Long & Foster.
Good Monday 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 — Jun 3, 2024.
Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect isolated showers and thunderstorms starting after 2pm, with mostly sunny skies and a high near 86. A light southeast wind of 5 to 7 mph will develop in the morning. Precipitation chances are 20%. Tuesday night, isolated storms will clear up before 8pm, with a slight possibility of showers resuming after 2am. It will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 67 and a southeast wind of 5 to 8 mph. The chance of precipitation remains 20%. 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.
Authorities believe they know how a bear found in a trash bag in Arlington died.
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington released a statement (below) Monday evening saying the bear was struck by a driver on I-66 in Prince William County, then transported to Arlington and illegally dumped.
Arlington Public Schools is set to add several new all-electric school buses to its fleet next year.
Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Arlington is among 18 Virginia school districts awarded the 2023 Clean School Bus rebate to purchase five new all-electric (or low-emission) buses.
Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive single-family homes sold last month (May 2024).
Most expensive single-family homes sold
A Thai restaurant is coming to Williamsburg Shopping Center.
Singha Thai will take over the 639-square-foot space of the former Williamsburg Deli, property manager Kalis Development Corporation announced.
Starting June 22nd, EvolveAll Martial Arts and Training Studio is opening its doors for Intro Week — one full week where every class is free to try, no experience or membership required.
Whether you want to try something active this summer or are looking for a fitness routine that actually sticks, next week is your chance to walk in and see what EvolveAll is all about.
