At least one local high school will use artificial intelligence to provide clearer and faster name pronunciation during its graduation ceremony in June.
In an online letter to the school community, Washington-Liberty High School principal Alexander Duncan III said the school has partnered with Tassel to provide better announcements of graduates’ names as they cross the stage to collect diplomas.
The “Yes in God’s Backyard” movement is celebrating after the Faith in Housing bill, supporting expedited church-based affordable housing development, has been signed into law.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed state Sen. Jeremy McPike (D-29)’s SB 388 and Del. Joshua Cole (D-65)’s HB 1279, which will eliminate the rezoning step for faith-based organizations and other tax-exempt nonprofits to develop affordable housing on their properties. The law will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027 and will sunset on Jan. 1, 2031 unless reenacted by a future General Assembly.
Every year, for just a few minutes, one of Arlington’s most iconic works of public art comes to life exactly as its artist intended.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, at approximately 9:32 a.m., visitors will gather in Rosslyn to witness the annual shadow alignment at Nancy Holt’s Dark Star Park (1979–84). At that precise moment, the shadows cast by the sculpture’s spheres and poles align with permanent shadow forms embedded in the ground—a phenomenon Holt designed to commemorate the anniversary of Rosslyn’s founding.
The alignment lasts only a few moments, but it has become a beloved Arlington tradition, drawing residents, visitors, artists and architecture enthusiasts alike to experience the intersection of art, astronomy, and history. If the weather cooperates, the park transforms into a striking demonstration of how light, time and place can become part of a work of art.
Created between 1979 and 1984, Dark Star Park was Arlington’s first County-commissioned public artwork and remains one of the nation’s earliest examples of integrated public art—where sculpture, landscape architecture and the surrounding environment function as a single work. Rather than placing an object within a park, Holt made the entire park the artwork, incorporating spheres, pools, steel poles, tunnels, earthworks and carefully positioned plantings into an immersive landscape.
Nancy Holt (1938–2014) was a pioneering artist whose work spanned poetry, film, photography, land art and large-scale public sculpture. Throughout her career, she explored perception, time and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Dark Star Park remains her most significant urban installation and one of the few major works by the artist that can be experienced in an accessible city setting.
Whether you’ve attended for years or have never visited before, Dark Star Park Day offers a rare opportunity to experience a public artwork that changes with the movement of the sun—and reminds us that some of the most memorable moments in art happen not inside a museum, but out in the world around us.
Dark Star Park Day
When: Saturday, Aug. 1, beginning around 9 a.m.; shadow alignment at approximately 9:32 a.m.
Where: Dark Star Park, 1655 N. Fort Myer Drive, Rosslyn
Arlington’s median apartment rental rates remain modestly down year-over-year in one new national survey, while posting a slight uptick in another.
In each case, the county’s costs for renters are among the highest in the nation — fifth most expensive in one survey, seventh in the other.
Royals at Cemetery Today — “The Memorial Amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery will be closed from 8 a.m. to approximately 10:30 a.m. due to preparations for a special event at ANC. Tram service will also be unavailable until 1 p.m.” King Charles III and Queen Camilla are visiting as part of a U.S. trip marking America’s 250th anniversary. [Arlington National Cemetery/X]
Tour de France Owner Joins Race — “Amaury Sports Organisation, the French company that operates the Tour de France, is joining the Amazon Armed Forces Cycling Classic with an eye on growing the profile of the D.C. region’s premier cycling event.” The race is run by the Arlington-based nonprofit Arlington Sports Inc., which has put on the event since 1998. The partnership may eventually lead to an ownership stake, organizers said. [WBJ]
ACPD Mourns Volunteer — “It is with deep sadness that the Arlington County Police Department announces the passing of Auxiliary Lieutenant Heather Hurlock. Lt. Hurlock began her service with our agency 30 years ago after retiring from a career as the U.S. House of Representatives Chief Clerk.” [ACPD/X]
Va. Low on Drug Use — Virginia ranks 46th out of 51 (sixth-lowest) for drug problems, according to a new WalletHub study. The personal finance site “compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 20 key metrics, ranging from arrest and overdose rates to opioid prescription use and employee drug testing laws.” New Mexico ranks first; Utah ranks last. [WalletHub]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies today with a high near 67. Northwest winds around 14 mph could gust as high as 24 mph. Skies should remain mostly clear overnight, with a low around 44. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
Join DC Road Runners and Potomac Valley Track Club for our annual Family Night at the Track and Meet of Miles. The event is open to runners of all ages and paces as well as nonmembers.
This event hosts 400 meter and 800 meter races for kids ages 1-8, as well as multiple 1-mile heats for participants of all ages. There is also a 3K race that is open to participants of all ages.
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 — Apr 29, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
It will be mostly sunny with a high near 67°F and a northwest wind blowing at about 15 mph, with gusts reaching up to 25 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 44°F and a lighter northwest wind at 7 to 10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”
– Albert Schweitzer
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 Rhodes scholar and Paralympian who grew up in Arlington is preparing to graduate Stanford University as one of its top engineering students.
Sydney Barta, who was named a 2026 Rhodes scholar last November, was honored last weekend with the Frederick Emmons Terman Engineering Scholastic Award — an honorific that goes to Stanford’s top 30 undergraduate seniors studying engineering.
Frequent County Board candidate Audrey Clement has taken issue with the amount of time her assailant was sentenced to serve for attacking her and a bystander outside a library in March.
The man, 47-year-old Jonathan Rogers, pleaded guilty to striking Clement in the back of the head and hitting a bystander in the eye when he intervened in the apparently unprovoked attack. Rogers was released from jail on Sunday after spending just 50 days behind bars — an amount of time that Clement believes is unacceptable.
A new restaurant from the founder of a fast-casual Middle Eastern chain appears to be underway at a vacant Clarendon storefront.
A permit application filed this month requests interior alterations at 3137 Wilson Blvd for a business under the name “Clarendon Eats.” The application was filed on behalf of Ahmad Ashkar, the entrepreneur behind fast-casual chain Falafel Inc.
County leaders are marking the 20th anniversary of an initiative they believe has made a significant difference in addressing intimate-partner and sexual violence.
Looking ahead, those behind Project PEACE say it is being updated to align with best national practices, with a focus on listening more intently to survivors of violence. A new blueprint provides “a refreshed, community-driven vision for the future,” said LaToya Young, coordinator of Project PEACE.
