News
A broken down trash truck on 26th Street N., overflowing with cardboard boxes (courtesy Anne Wilson)

Bennett-Parker Gets Key Endorsements — Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) on Thursday picked up endorsements from Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) and Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) in her quest for the seat being vacated by Ebbin in February. “Our commonwealth will be stronger with Elizabeth Bennett-Parker in the Virginia Senate,” said Ebbin, who is resigning to take a position in the incoming Spanberger Administration. Spanberger called Bennett-Parker “a dedicated and effective leader who listens and delivers.” [Bennett-Parker for Senate]

Wreaths Out This Weekend — “Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) and Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery (SAHNC) in Washington, D.C. will hold their annual removal of wreaths, known as Wreaths Out, on Saturday, Jan. 10, beginning at 8 a.m. Thousands of visitors are expected to help remove approximately 265,000 wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery… The high volume of visitors at ANC may create traffic congestion and delays on nearby streets and at the cemetery’s entrances.” [ANC]

Suspect Arrested After Foot Chase — “S. Frederick Street at Columbia Pike. At approximately 7:44 p.m. on December 30, officers observed a wanted suspect (associated with case number 2025-12190211) traveling in a vehicle and conducted a traffic stop at Columbia Pike and S. Frederick Street. The suspect ran from the vehicle and, following a foot pursuit, he was taken into custody. During a search of the vehicle, a firearm was recovered.” [ACPD]

ACPD on Capitol Plaque — “Senate… approves resolution to (finally) hang Jan 6th plaque honoring police,” including the Arlington County Police Department. “It’ll hang in US Senate (w/ approval of GOP Leader John Thune) until Architect of Capitol finds permanent location.” [Scott MacFarlane/X]

Childhood Vax Rates — “D.C.’s child vaccination rate doesn’t meet the herd immunity threshold, per new data analyzed by the Washington Post… D.C.’s vaccination rate for kindergarteners sits at 92.7%. The only other DMV jurisdiction to fall below the 95% herd immunity threshold is Alexandria City (88.3%).” [Axios, Washington Post]

Ruthie’s Second Location Opening Soon — “It doesn’t appear to be long before a local favorite will begin serving diners in Fairfax Corner. Ruthie’s All-Day, a restaurant brand offering Southern comfort food, is targeting March to open its newest location — its first in Fairfax County.” [FFXnow]

D.C. Traffic Camera Changes? — “The Transportation Department is seeking to scrap the use of automated traffic enforcement cameras in Washington, a move that would cost the city millions in lost revenue but would likely be cheered by many drivers in the nation’s capital. The proposal, authored by DOT and sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget… seeks to outlaw speed, red light and stop sign cameras throughout the city as part of the upcoming surface transportation bill.” [Politico, Washington Post]

Credit for Compass — “An affiliate of Robert Haft, the longtime D.C. businessman and father of Compass Coffee CEO Michael Haft, has agreed to loan his son’s company up to $450,000 to ensure it has enough cash to follow through with its restructuring.” [WBJ]

More on Golf Course Takeover — “The National Links Trust retained Williams & Connolly to help fend off a Trump takeover of Washington’s historic public golf courses, sources familiar with the matter (who were not authorized to speak on the record) tell Axios… the president wants golf course architect Tom Fazio to redesign East Potomac, with a potential new name: ‘Washington National Golf Course.'” [Axios]

It’s Friday — Rain is possible after 4pm with clouds increasing and a high near 56. South winds between 6-10 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. On Friday night, rain is more likely after 1am, with temperatures dropping to around 49. Southwest winds of 5-8 mph will shift northwest after midnight, and there’s a 70% chance of precipitation. New precipitation amounts could range between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Thursday 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 — Jan 8, 2026.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌦️ Friday’s forecast

Rain is possible after 4pm with clouds increasing and a high near 56. South winds between 6-10 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. On Friday night, rain is more likely after 1am, with temperatures dropping to around 49. Southwest winds of 5-8 mph will shift northwest after midnight, and there’s a 70% chance of precipitation. New precipitation amounts could range between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Success is not just about making money. It’s about making a difference.”
– Kathy Ireland

🌅 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.


Sponsored

This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Victoria Khaydar, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.

On April 16 – just yesterday – The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) publicly released its precedent decision in Matter of M-K-, 29 I&N Dec. 556 (BIA 2026), the immigration case of Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student, Mahmoud Khalil. Though the decision was originally issued on April 9, 2026, its designation and publication today as binding BIA precedent makes it significantly more consequential, because the ruling now is binding precedent within the immigration court system. (more…)


News

A reported single-vehicle crash took out a pole and a sidewalk bench in Clarendon this afternoon.

Police responded to the intersection of N. Highland Street and Clarendon Blvd around 3:10 p.m. after the driver of a blue Toyota sedan struck the light pole just outside of Four Sisters Grill.


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.


News

A Fairlington-area bakery’s sign advertising a conservative political club has left a bad taste for some local residents.

The sign posted in the window of Great Harvest Bread Company at 1711 Centre Plaza has attracted hundreds of comments on the Reddit page for Northern Virginia and the private Fairlington Appreciation Society Facebook group this week.


News

Arlington police and firefighters teamed up to rescue a distraught man on a lower rooftop of the Axios building in Clarendon this morning.

Police were called to the office tower at 3100 Clarendon Blvd — headquarters of the national news organization and previously of ARLnow — just before 10:30 a.m. for a report of a man on a fourth floor rooftop suffering a possible panic attack.


Sports

Despite days of preparation under their new head coach, the Washington-Liberty Generals came away unsatisfied in a recent match against a perennial Liberty District girls basketball power.

The visiting Generals led the Langley Saxons by five points early in the third quarter, but lost 49-41 to the defending district and 6D North Region tournament champions in the Jan. 5 high-school contest.


News

Northern Virginia lost 8,200 jobs as the commonwealth shed tens of thousands of federal workers between November 2024 and November 2025, new data shows.

Non-farm employment in Northern Virginia was down 0.5% as of November, according to data that the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement reported yesterday (Wednesday). The commonwealth as a whole, meanwhile, had lost 22,400 federal jobs year-over-year — an 11.5% decrease.


Around Town

A jewelry store billed as “a real-life Etsy shop by women entrepreneurs” is relocating from Maryland to Ballston.

Dov & Company is targeting a February opening on the first floor in Ballston Quarter (4238 Wilson Blvd), across from Drybar, according to signage posted in the mall.


News

A news organization with coverage focused on the region’s senior population is starting 2026 under new ownership.

The Beacon Newspapers Inc. reported Jan. 7 that the print and online publications have been purchased from owners Stuart and Judy Rosenthal by the company’s longtime executive vice president, Gordon Hasenei.