News

Arlington’s snowplows moved into the final phase of their cleanup efforts today (Wednesday), but sidewalks and streets littered with blocks of snow persist in many places.

County crews are now in Phase 4 of storm response, clearing ice off roads, school grounds and county property, including designated trails. Waste collection will also return on a limited basis tomorrow, only for trash and recycling carts.


News

U.S. Rep Don Beyer (D-Va.), currently seeking a seventh term in Congress, says he has “mixed feelings” on Virginia legislators’ redistricting proposal that is being blocked by a state judge.

Beyer, who represents Arlington and several neighboring localities in the 8th Congressional District, told ARLnow the current maps approved through the 2021 redistricting process made Virginia “one of the least gerrymandered in the country.”


Around Town

Mid-winter is a good time for Arlington families to start thinking about summer camps, and a new guide aims to ease the decision-making process this year.

CampARL.com launched last fall, and founder Anne Lyons Knapp has been tweaking it as parents begin thinking about camp opportunities during spring break, teacher workdays and the summer season.


Announcement

ICA Language Services (ICA), a family-owned, woman-led small business based in Arlington, is celebrating its 40th anniversary, marking decades of supporting the U.S. military and diplomatic community through language training and testing.

Founded in April 1986 as Inlingua Foreign Language Center, a 6-classroom language school, ICA expanded under the leadership of Deidre Doyle, an entrepreneur with a background in organizational management who joined the company the same year. As a military spouse, she had developed a deep understanding of military organizations and culture, helping shape ICA into a trusted provider of language training and testing for military professionals. Doyle became a partner in 1993 and sole owner in 2009, when she changed the name to ICA Language Services.


Weather

HOUSTON (AP) — Winter’s brutal grip on the U.S. East is not letting up, with coming days bringing subfreezing temperatures that will plunge deep into what had been a toasty Florida peninsula and a powerful blizzard forecast that may strike the Atlantic coast.

Deep cold is forecast to stick around at least into the first week of February. Meteorologists are also watching what could become a “ bomb cyclone ” — a quickly intensifying storm that’s a winter version of a hurricane — forming off the Carolinas Friday night into Saturday.


Around Town

Girl Scout cookie booths open next week in Arlington, beginning a season of sales at Metro stops, shopping centers and apartment buildings around the county.

The first booths will open on Friday, Feb. 6 at the Courthouse and Virginia Square Metro stations, the Giant in Virginia Square (3450 Washington Blvd) and Central Place Plaza in Rosslyn (1800 N. Lynn Street).


News

A proposal to redevelop a Walgreens on Langston Blvd as a 12-story residential building is moving toward consideration by the Planning Commission and County Board.

County Board members authorized the advertisement of future public hearings on plans for 3130 Langston Blvd at a meeting last night (Tuesday).


News

A photography style associated primarily with the Civil War is receiving a contemporary update from Arlington’s Mac Cosgrove-Davies.

For “Essential Arlington” — now on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington — Cosgrove-Davies uses the wet-plate collodion technique to create tintype images of those workers whose efforts keep the community running smoothly.


Sports

With the regular season past the halfway mark, the improved Wakefield Warriors girls varsity basketball team has a 7-7 overall record, leaving the squad in a positive place it hasn’t been in a while.

The .500 mark through 14 games is Wakefield’s best start since being 8-6 back in the 2019-20 campaign.


News
Spreading salt in a snowy Courthouse (courtesy George Brazier)

County Gov’t Reopens — “Due to inclement weather, Arlington County Government facilities will open & judicial court proceedings will begin at 10AM on Wed., Jan. 28, 2026, unless otherwise stated. Libraries will open at 12PM. County facilities will close at 6PM.” [Arlington County/X, Arlington County]

Cemetery Still Closed — “Due to extremely cold temperatures, Arlington National Cemetery will be closed to the public and family pass holders through Wednesday, Jan. 28. Funeral services will continue as scheduled.” [ANC/X]

Snow Crews Thinned By ICE — “As homeowners in Fairfax and Arlington counties try to clear neighborhood streets, a snow removal business reports that their crews are operating at lower capacity. The reason: the labor-intensive job of digging through the thick ice and the fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.” [WUSA 9]

Remembering Crash Victims — “The figure skating community in Northern Virginia is remembering the skaters, coaches and family members killed a year ago in the midair collision over the Potomac River… The plane was heading back from Wichita, Kansas, where many of the passengers had just participated in a national skating competition and development camp. Seventeen of them had ties to the Ashburn Ice House and the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington.” [NBC 4]

Brandishing in Courthouse — “the male victim returned to a parking garage where he had parked his vehicle and determined it was missing. A short time later, the victim observed the vehicle being driven by the male suspect inside the parking garage and confronted him. The suspect then exited the vehicle, brandished what appeared to be a firearm and subsequently fled the scene on foot.” [ACPD]

Leadership Change at Local Startup — “Arlington cybersecurity startup Shift5 Inc. has tapped an executive from defense contracting giant L3Harris Technologies Inc. to serve as interim CEO and president. Toby Magsig succeeds CEO and co-founder Josh Lospinoso, who announced a transition out of day-to-day operations and will instead focus on long-term planning.” [WBJ]

Barcroft Apts. May Be Deemed Historic — Having been named to the Virginia Landmarks Register late last year, the Barcroft Apartments soon will be considered by the National Park Service for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, county staff said at the Jan. 21 meeting of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board. A determination usually follows within 45 days, staff said. –Scott McCaffrey

Design Award Winners — “The Arlington County Board honored nine projects on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, for the 2025 DESIGNArlington awards. The biennial program recognizes excellence in architectural and landscape design and public art, showcasing the best of Arlington.” [Arlington County]

Amazon Fresh Stores Closing — “Amazon is throwing in the towel on Amazon Fresh, announcing today (Tuesday) that it will close all locations in favor of a renewed focus on Whole Foods Market and other concepts. The last day of operation for Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores is Feb. 1.” [FFXnow]

Gun Bills Advance — “Democratic lawmakers on Monday advanced a sweeping slate of gun safety proposals — many of them previously vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin — as they test whether Virginia’s new Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, will take a more favorable view of firearm restrictions.” [FFXnow]

Voting Rights Ruling — “A federal judge in Richmond ruled last week that Virginia violated a post-Civil War law by automatically stripping the right to vote from everyone convicted of a felony, a decision that could restore voting rights to thousands of Virginians.” [Washington Post]

Possible Weekend Storm Update — “The majority of computer models suggest the storm will form too far east to bring substantial snow to the D.C. region, still reeling from 6 to 9 inches of cement-like snow and ice on Sunday and historically low temperatures. However, the American model — while mostly an outlier — does simulate substantial snow in D.C., and this slight possibility needs to be watched.” [CWG]

It’s Wednesday — Expect increasing clouds and a high near 22, along with wind chill values dropping to -1, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 5 to 9 mph. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy with temperatures dropping to a low of 6 and wind chill values as low as -3. A calm wind will turn into a northwest breeze around 6 mph after midnight. [NWS]