Around Town

It will take a little longer than expected for two “exploration-inspired” businesses to open their doors in Crystal City.

As renovations continue at 2011 Crystal Drive, Altitude Wine Bar and Constellation cafe and gourmet market have pushed back their expected openings to early this spring, a spokesperson for developer Episcope Hospitality told ARLnow.


News

Boeing’s Defense, Space and Security headquarters is leaving Crystal City after nine years.

The aerospace and defense company announced the move Wednesday, citing a desire to be “present and engaged with teammates who are designing, producing and delivering vital defense and space products and capabilities.” The St. Louis region is home to about 18,000 Boeing employees.


Sponsored

LadyBug Academy Arlington Opening Announcement

LadyBug Academy will officially open its newest location, LadyBug Academy Arlington, on June 1st, 2026, at 1915 N Uhle Street, Arlington, VA. (Ladybug Academy)

An Open House for the community is scheduled for May 30th, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Families and community members will have the opportunity to tour the facility, meet staff, and learn more about the programs offered at the new location. (Ladybug Academy)

The event will include family activities such as a bubble party, face painting, balloon twisting, and a petting zoo.

LadyBug Academy provides early childhood education programs focused on creating a safe, nurturing, and engaging learning environment for children. The school’s curriculum emphasizes language, literacy, math, science, social development, and hands-on learning experiences led by experienced educators. (Ladybug Academy)

The Arlington location will offer priority enrollment to Arlington County employees.

For more information about the Open House, please contact [email protected] or visit LadyBug Academy.


News

Three men have been sentenced to prison over a conspiracy to steal hundreds of airbags across Northern Virginia.

Alexandria resident Adisorn Damrongchai and Chinese national Yuchen Zhang were found guilty of nabbing airbags in Virginia and selling them to a third conspirator, Severn, Md., resident Keith William Smith, beginning in August 2022. 


News

Arlington’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC) is seeking to ensure that safety programs for people on foot are considered a must-have during this budget cycle.

Major cuts in personnel and programs could “set things backwards,” PAC acting chair Eric Goodman warned at the body’s Feb. 11 meeting.


News
A58 bus westbound in Virginia Square (courtesy George Brazier)

Trump Worried About Stinky River — “White House press secretary said during a Thursday briefing that President Donald Trump is “worried” that the Potomac River could smell like poop come time of Washington’s “America 250” festivities. Leavitt said the sewage leaking into the Potomac River is a “problem we want to fix,” especially as the nation prepares to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday.” [WJLA]

District Declares Emergency — “D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a local public emergency regarding the sewage spill in the Potomac River, according to the Mayor’s Office. The declaration allowed her to also make a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration request, which could bring in federal support to help respond to the disaster.” [NBC 4, Washington Post, Virginia Mercury]

Half Dozen Compass Bidders — “Caffè Nero is facing off this week against five other bidders to acquire Compass Coffee’s remaining assets as D.C.’s largest homegrown coffee chain restructures under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.” [WBJ]

Arlington Firms Expanding West — “A pair of Arlington-based technology companies are planning new offices in Fairfax County, collectively promising over 300 new jobs. First, the space tech manufacturer Umbra announced last Thursday (Feb. 12) that it will expand to Reston, opening a 20,000-square-foot office expected to host over 100 employees. Then, defense contractor Grvty revealed yesterday (Tuesday) that it will establish a new corporate headquarters in Tysons.” [FFXnow]

Pothole Patrol Underway — “Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews are already actively working to locate and repair potholes as we enter the time of year known for seeing more cracks and crumbles on the roads. Motorists can do their part in keeping the roads safe by reporting potholes and workers safe by moving over to give them room to work.” [Press Release]

Bishops Praise Suicide Bill’s Failure — “Two Virginia bishops are hailing the halt of legislation that would have legalized assisted suicide in that state. “Human life is sacred and no one should ever be abandoned or discarded,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington and Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond in a joint Feb. 18 statement.” [OSV News, Diocese of Arlington]

Another Hat in the 7th Ring — “Del. Dan Helmer, a Democrat who has represented southwestern Fairfax County in the House of Delegates since 2020, is once again running for Congress. The 44-year-old announced his candidacy today (Wednesday) to represent the newly-drawn 7th Congressional District — a sprawling “lobster-shaped” district that includes Helmer’s Fairfax home while stretching east to Arlington County, west to Augusta County and south to Goochland County.” [FFXnow]

Lunar New Year Celebration — “Hundreds of community members gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia, to welcome the Lunar New Year and pay homage to Vietnam.” [WTOP]

Caesars Looks at N. Va. — “Caesars Entertainment Inc. is prepared to kick the tires on a Fairfax County casino if the gaming bill currently before the General Assembly secures final passage.” [WBJ]

Va. Marijuana Market? — “As soon as this fall, it could be a lot easier for you to get your hands on marijuana in Virginia… However, opponents are worried about mental health and public safety.” [WJLA]

Lower Air Quality — “Why has our air quality only been “moderate” lately? We’ve gotten a bunch of questions about this. The short answer: stagnant air. Winds have been very light, which means the atmosphere hasn’t been mixing much. When air just sits in place, fine particles from tailpipes and other sources build up near the ground instead of dispersing. That same stagnant setup is also why we’ve had fog the past few mornings.” [CWG/X]

Snow Likely, Big Snow Less So — “Both the European and American ensembles are at an above 90% chance of “flakes falling” in DC…while both are a little above a 50/50 shot at a “disruptive” snowfall (2″+)…which is up from the other day. What is down is the “big storm” odds. Hovering around a 10% shot at 8″ or more.” [Mike Thomas/X]

It’s Thursday — Expect fog to clear by 9am and rain to begin after 3pm, with a high near 48°F. An east wind of 5 to 10mph accompanies an 80% chance of precipitation, with potential rainfall between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Thursday night continues with rain and patchy fog both before midnight and after 1am, with a low around 42°F, east wind 6 to 9mph, and a 100% chance of precipitation. [NWS]


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 — Feb 18, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌧️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect rain to begin mainly after 3pm with foggy areas clearing by 9am and a high near 48°F. An east wind of 5 to 10mph accompanies an 80% chance of precipitation, with potential rainfall between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Thursday night continues with rain and patchy fog both before midnight and after 1am, with a low around 42°F, east wind 6 to 9mph, and a 100% chance of precipitation. New rainfall may reach a quarter to half an inch. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.”
– Zig Ziglar

🌅 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! 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.


News

While questions around congressional redistricting will remain unresolved for months, campaigns for two seats that could represent Arlington are in full swing.

For now, all eyes are on an April 21 statewide referendum on whether to authorize dramatically redrawn districts for the U.S. House of Representatives. But that isn’t stopping candidates, political parties and officials in Arlington from launching into election season.


News

There was a large police presence along Army Navy Drive this afternoon due to a suspicious vehicle in a Pentagon parking lot.

A lone U-Haul truck was parked along a curb in the surface lot across from the Pentagon City mall, near an I-395 off-ramp.


News

Plans for a 249-unit affordable housing building off of Langston Blvd are up for County Board consideration this weekend.

Planning Commission members voted 9-2 on Feb. 9 to support True Ground Housing Partners’ proposal to replace 40 garden-style apartments at the Leckey Gardens complex (2031-37 N. Woodrow Street) with a 10-story affordable apartment building.