News

Renovations are in the works at the Costco in Pentagon City, possibly including a multimillion-dollar overhaul of the food court.

At a minimum, a store representative told ARLnow, the wholesale retailer is expanding its bakery. A permit application at 1200 S. Fern Street refers to new bakery equipment, as well as a “revised sushi layout” and possible plans for a new deli, new rotisserie, new coolers for meat and produce and “an expansion to the existing electrical mezzanine.”


Schools

In tender memory of a former student, Montessori Public School of Arlington is receiving two “buddy benches” meant to comfort kids and encourage friendships.

Lola Adeyiga, 6, was “the most full of life, outgoing, kind, friendly, smart” kid, her mother Lindsay Adeyiga shared with ARLnow.


Announcement

There’s something a little bit magical about picking up a foil for the first time — or drawing back a bow and watching your arrow fly true. It’s why fencing and archery have such a hold on kids and adults alike: real focus, real skill, and a thrill you don’t get from the usual sports lineup.

This fall, Nova Fencing & Archery Club in Bailey’s Crossroads is opening registration for both, with beginner classes for every age starting the week of September 12th. Fencing welcomes ages 7 to 12 and teens and adults 13 and up. Explore Archery, coached by USA Archery certified instructors, welcomes ages 8 to 12 and meets Tuesdays or Saturdays. And for our youngest fencers, ages 4 to 6, ABC’s of Fencing meets on Saturdays. All classes run eight sessions for $195, equipment provided, no experience needed — yes, even for grown-ups who’ve never held a sword or a bow before.


Around Town

Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services has been on a scatalogical mission: to keep anything other than human waste and toilet paper out of county sewers.

The campaign has included flyers, social media posts and — most recently — a temporary art installation that made its big debut at the Arlington County Fair.


Event

For over 400 years, humans have studied the cosmos through telescopes anchored to the ground. That changed with the rise of spaceflight; only in the last 50 years have telescopes escaped the Earth's atmosphere entirely and opened a new window on the universe.

Join us for a talk from two NASA astrophysicists on the space telescopes of yesterday, today, and tomorrow—from Hubble's nearly four decades of discovery to James Webb, Nancy Grace Roman, and more. Learn about some of their most striking discoveries and what the future holds.


Schools

As students begin returning to Arlington Public Schools this coming Monday, Aug. 26, new initiatives are meant to encourage safer driving around schools this year.

Variable message boards sharing safety messaging and raising awareness about the start of the school year will appear along roads in Arlington in coming days. Ten new speed cameras have also been installed near select schools, operating when school zone lights are flashing at the beginning and end of the school day.


Around Town

The autumnal equinox in late September marks the official beginning of fall — but if you can’t wait that long, Starbucks began serving its fall menu today (Thursday).

The coffee chain began serving its signature Pumpkin Spice Latte among other festive goodies this morning, and people in Arlington were spotted getting their fix.


News
The Italian Air Force flies over Arlington on Aug. 21, 2024 (Flickr pool photo by ksrjghkegkdhgkk)

Italian Air Force Flyover — From Hillary Howard: “The Italian Airforce streaks the sky over DC + Arlington with its colors. The show finished as the jets turned near the @USairforce Memorial.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Pushback on Towing Changes — “Proposed changes to the Arlington government’s ordinance on private-property towing, giving more power to staff and the county manager to suspend and potentially revoke operating licenses for towing companies, seems to be running into headwinds.” [Gazette Leader]

Frustration Over Ongoing Pike Project — “A major road project in Arlington has picked up in intensity and has a lot of people asking when it’s going to be finished. Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss reports the Columbia Pike Forward project has narrowed roads and closed sidewalks for quite a while.” [NBC 4]

Pile-Driving for Cemetery Project — “That thump-thump-thump you may be hearing in the vicinity of Arlington National Cemetery is expected to continue until later in the month. Crews have begun a pile-driving initiative at the southern area of the cemetery’s expansion zone, located at the eastern end of Columbia Pike.” [Gazette Leader]

Arlington Actor at DNC — From Del. Alfonso Lopez: “Fun encounter at the @DemConvention – Iain Armitage from ‘Young Sheldon’ (who lives in Arlington, Virginia!!) joined the Virginia Delegation last night. We sat together for the speeches from Michelle Obama and President Obama. Incredibly nice young man.” [Twitter]

Special DCA College Football Flights — “United Airlines will be offering special nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to see some of the biggest football games this college season.
This means University of Virginia fans can travel directly to South Bend, Indiana to see the Hoos take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.” [Patch]

More Diving Honors for WGCC — “Add yet another league championship to the long list, making the total now 26 straight Country Club Swimming and Diving Association titles won by the Washington Golf & Country Club summer dive squad. All have come under head coach Amy Kress, who has led the team for 29 seasons.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Thursday — Expect abundant sunshine and a high around 79°F with a northwest wind at 5 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, reaching a low of approximately 58°F with calm winds. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by ksrjghkegkdhgkk


Around Town

Good Wednesday 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 — Aug 21, 2024.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect sunshine and a high around 79°F with a northwest wind at 5 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, reaching a low of approximately 58°F with calm winds. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

🌅 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.


News

An assisted living facility with up to 130 units could be coming to Langston Blvd.

Kensington Senior Living — which operates senior living facilities in Falls Church, Reston and several other sites around the country — filed an application earlier this year to redevelop 4500 Langston Blvd as a seven-story residential building with 114 parking spaces in a parking garage.


Announcement

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.