Attorney Matthew Seligman, representing Democratic state legislators, speaks with the media following a hearing on new congressional maps before the state Supreme Court in Richmond, Va., on Monday, April 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed)
Virginia Supreme Court justices on Monday questioned whether the state’s Democratic-led legislature complied with constitutional requirements when it sent a congressional redistricting plan to voters, in a case that carries high stakes for the balance of power in the U.S. House.
The new districts, which could net Democrats four additional seats, won narrow voter approval last week. But a Republican legal challenge contends the General Assembly violated procedural rules by placing the constitutional amendment before voters to authorize the mid-decade redistricting. If the court agrees that lawmakers broke the rules, it could invalidate the amendment and render last week’s statewide vote meaningless.
Audrey Clement gathering signatures outside of Arlington Central Library on Monday, March 9, 2026 (staff photo)
A man who attacked frequent County Board candidate Audrey Clement while she was gathering signatures outside a library has been sentenced to 100 days of active jail time.
Jonathan Rogers, 47, was sentenced to just shy of two years, with all but 100 days suspended, for the March 7 attack in which he struck Clement in the back of the head and hit another man in the eye, according to sentencing documents. He must also pay $16,050 in restitution for the violent, and apparently unprovoked, struggle outside Central Library.
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.
The average and median price increased 3.5% and 1.9%, respectively
Over the past five years, the average and median price increased 13.9% and 11.1%, respectively
The average and median price of a home increased to $1.44M and $1.299M, respectively
Demand and competition rose to the highest levels since 2022, with 66% of homes selling within the first ten days on market and 68% of homes selling at or above the original asking price
The average buyer paid 1.3% more than the original asking price, compared to 2025 when the average buyer paid 0.3% less than the original asking price
Buyers of homes that went under contract within the first week on market paid an average of 4.7% over the asking price
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…)
Re-enactor Peter Vaselopulos speaks to attendees at an Arlington Historical Society program (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
Arlington’s signature project honoring the nation’s 250th birthday is expected to attract a crowd of thousands in just a couple weeks.
The Arlington History Fest is slated for Saturday, May 9 at Kenmore Middle School — a date scheduled to avoid other events taking place in D.C. on the actual anniversary. It will feature more than 40 exhibitors, representation from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (Old Guard), food trucks and dozens of historical reenactors.
Plans to open a new Iranian restaurant on Langston Blvd continue to face delays, six years after a local entrepreneur first sought to open a restaurant in the space.
Restaurateur Mohammad Esfahani has been trying to open a business at 5009 Langston Blvd since 2019, when he announced plans to open an All About Burger location and hookah lounge there. He has since pivoted to pursue an Iranian restaurant, Kolbeh (formerly Alvand) which he originally hoped to open in April 2025.
Spotted lanternfly nymphs (via Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services/Facebook)
One of Arlington’s least favorite insects is back for the spring, as invasive as ever.
Spotted lanternflies have begun hatching after their annual winter die-off and are currently in their nymph stage, Alonso Abugattas, Natural Resources Manager for Arlington County, informed ARLnow.
First-day-of-class 2025-26 Senior Sunrise event at Washington-Liberty High School (via APS)
A local advocacy group is pressing Arlington Public Schools’ leaders to have students in class five days per week on a more frequent basis.
“APS’ own attendance policy highlights that ‘missing just two days a month can negatively impact learning,’ yet the district’s calendars routinely miss multiple days of instruction per month,” Arlington Parents for Education (APE) said in a recent newsletter.
A blue jay perched in blooming azaleas, in a local backyard (staff photo)
I-395 Chase Ends in Crash — A traffic stop on I-395 northbound turned into a high-speed chase Friday night after a driver refused to pull over near Exit 8B, according to Virginia State Police. The car sped through traffic, lost control near Exit 10A, struck a guardrail and hit another vehicle before the driver and three passengers fled on foot. The driver was later arrested by the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. [Dave Statter/X, WJLA]
Drug Take-Back Reminder — After the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Spring National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day this past weekend, ACPD is reminding residents that four permanent drug take-back boxes are available 24/7 for free, anonymous disposal of unused or expired medications. The boxes are located at Fire Station #2 (4805 Wilson Blvd), Fire Station #5 (1750 S. Hayes Street), Fire Station #9 (1900 S. Walter Reed Drive) and ACPD headquarters (14th Street N.). [Patch]
Air Force Memorial Reopens — “The Air Force Memorial is now open to the public following a routine cleaning of the spires.” Hours are 8 a.m.–7 p.m. through Sept. 30 and 8 a.m.–6 p.m. from Oct. 1 through March 31. [Arlington National Cemetery/X]
It’s Monday — Expect patchy fog before 7 a.m., followed by sunny skies with a high around 69°F. Light winds will shift to an eastward direction at 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Monday night will be mostly clear, with a low near 47°F and southeast winds of 3 to 7 mph. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Showers are likely today, with possible thunderstorms after 5 PM, and mostly cloudy skies with a high near 66°F. Expect east winds at 10 to 13 mph, gusting up to 22 mph, and a 60% chance of rain with minimal accumulation except during thunderstorms. Overnight, showers and thunderstorms continue with a low around 47°F, northeast winds around 14 mph, gusts up to 22 mph, and a 90% chance of precipitation with new rainfall between a quarter and half an inch. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! 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. 👋
Students in Encore Stage & Studio programs perform at benefit breakfast (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)
As its 60th birthday approaches, Encore Stage & Studio is expanding its reach while remaining true to its core beliefs.
“We’ve worked hard to advance Encore’s mission,” the organization’s board chair, Lisa Sullivan, said at an April 22 benefit breakfast at Washington Golf & Country Club.
