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 — Jul 26, 2023.
A driver made a daring and successful — though some might say ill-advised — escape from armed carjackers early this morning.
The incident happened just before 2 a.m. on the 3400 block of Potomac Avenue, in the Crystal City area near Potomac Yard.
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: Why would anybody waste thousands of dollars each year on condo fees?
Answer: Most people associate paying condo fees with throwing money down the drain, but most people do not look at condo fees the right way.
In this June 20 article, the Wall Street Journal reported a study by Angi (formerly Angie’s List) that home maintenance and emergency repairs have increased by 85% and 175%, respectively, from 2019 to 2025.
By comparison, condo fees in Arlington increased by an average of just 32% from 2019 to 2025, making them a steep bargain for condo owners compared to other homeowners.
What Do Condo Fees Pay For?
For those who haven’t spent time studying condo budgets, some of the main expenses in a condo budget include:
- Maintenance, Emergency Repairs, and Utilities: general upkeep and operations of the building
- Reserves: a building’s savings account for major repairs or replacement of things like the roof, elevators, carpet, etc
- Property Management/Staff: contracts for a property manager, front desk, janitorial services, and engineer
- Master Insurance: this policy usually protects everything except your personal items and improvements within each unit
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Update at 3:40 p.m. — Lanes have reopened after the tanker was brought upright and towed away, according to VDOT.
Update at 3 p.m. — The southbound lanes of the highway are expected to remain closed until around 4 p.m., according to VDOT.
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Looking to enjoy “Barbie” while reliving those childhood slumber parties with your best friends? Alamo Drafthouse has you covered.
This Friday and Saturday, movie-goers can get dressed up in their pajamas and bring their pillows to the Crystal City location of the theater for late-night screenings of the blockbuster film. There will be Barbie-themed concessions, merchandise and photo ops.
Due to the extended period of extreme heat forecasted for the next several days in our area, the Civic Jam event originally scheduled for Friday, July 3, 2026, has been postponed to Friday, July 24, 2026.
Commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary of the United States of America at Civic Jam! Celebrate the City of Falls Church’s diverse community, civic engagement, and classic summer fun. Jam out to live, local music, sip on local brews, enjoy tasty treats and eats, and a full evening of festivities for all ages on Friday, July 3, 2026, from 6 to 10 p.m.
The long-awaited Westmont Apartments on Columbia Pike is now open and ready for move-ins, with a pair of restaurants setting up on the ground floor.
Developer Republic Properties Corporation announced last week that the 258,000-square-foot mixed-use building at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road had opened its doors. The project was first approved about four years ago.
Clarendon’s B Live is set to become a beach bar beginning early next month, while Coco B’s is set to finally open on the rooftop.
The live music venue and watering hole on Wilson Blvd is changing concepts, at least temporarily, and becoming a “divey beach bar popup,” co-owner Christal Bramson tells ARLnow. The shifting sands reflect what’s working at the former Whitlow’s space, Bramson says.
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(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) Get ready for three days of sweltering weather.
Ahead of high temperatures in the upper 90s — perhaps rising into the triple digits — paired with high humidity, the National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for Thursday and a watch for Friday.
WaPo Investigates Police Tackle — “Three policing experts who reviewed the dashboard-camera video and documents in the case told The Post the encounter was an example of how not to respond to a mental health crisis. Although all five officers who tackled Franklin had crisis intervention training that called for them to de-escalate the situation, they decided within minutes to forcibly take him into custody, the experts noted.” [Washington Post]
WSJ Weighs in on RCV — “Poor results aren’t always enough to halt a bad political experiment, so credit a Virginia county board for heeding the evidence on ranked-choice voting. This newfangled electoral system is all the rage among progressive reformers, but less beloved by voters. After trying it once, Arlington County did a fast reversal. The county board this month decided to return to ordinary, plurality voting for its November general election.” [Wall Street Journal]
Good Tuesday 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 — Jul 25, 2023.