Arlington’s signature program celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday attracted large crowds to Kenmore Middle School this weekend.
A little rain at the end didn’t dampen the spirits of attendees or the success of Arlington HistoryFest, which earned an estimated 2,000 attendees on Saturday. Sponsored by the Arlington Historical Society, it represented the major local effort connected with the national birthday celebration.
Later this year, Arlington will mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and salute the efforts of public-safety personnel who saved innumerable lives at the Pentagon that day.
No police officers, sheriff’s deputies or fire department personnel lost their lives at the Pentagon that day. But last Friday’s Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremony was a reminder that many would carry physical and emotional scars of 9/11 with them for years to come.
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.
USCIS administers immigration benefits. In the time-honored tradition of government agencies since the days of Ur and Uruk, USCIS uses forms to collect, store, and interpret information. Immigrants complete these forms in order to obtain benefits. Most U.S. citizens have no idea what reams of paperwork these forms require. An ordinary green card application is comprised of ninety-seven pages of bare forms, which typically are supported by several hundred pages of supporting documents.
In better times, forms are a necessary evil. In the times we actually live in, forms are just another weapon with which to thwack your political opponents.
In the second iteration of the Trump Administration, USCIS has discovered a new, extremely petty way to make immigrants’ lives more difficult – by releasing new form versions which make utterly minute changes, and then decrees that yesterday’s official version is obsolete as of today.
The Office of Management and Budget, by the way, requires that all government forms have an ‘edition date’ and an ‘expiration date.’ USCIS evades this neatly by making the expiration date purely notional – the form can be valid after the expiration date, and it can be decreed obsolete at any time before or after the expiration date. (The edition date is notional, too – in the first months of the Trump Administration, USCIS persistently released forms backdated to January 20, 2025, seemingly just for the inaugural vibes.) The forms altered in the last two weeks are highlighted below.
Arlington Public Schools officials are urging school families to take extra care in the wake of a series of cyberattacks against a key online resource used by the school system.
The school system uses Canvas, a learning-management system for teachers and students that parents can access on a limited, opt-in basis.
Looking for a fall activity that gets you moving and builds real confidence? EvolveAll Martial Arts and Training Studio is offer free classes for youth and adults during it’s upcoming Intro Week, September 14-19.
EvolveAll, Arlington’s martial arts and fitness community off Columbia Pike, is once again opening its doors for a full week of free trial classes — and youth classes are one of the highlights. Kids ages 5-15 will get to try hands-on martial arts instruction designed to build discipline, focus, and self-defense skills in a supportive, age-appropriate environment.
Dems Eye Court Overhaul — Virginia Democrats are exploring an “audacious and possibly far-fetched” proposal to replace the entire state Supreme Court by lowering judges’ mandatory retirement age, the New York Times reported, in response to Friday’s ruling that struck down their redistricting map. Former Rep. Jim Moran, who represented Arlington for 24 years, called the idea “just a bridge too far.” [NYT]
Pentagon City 5K Closures — Sections of S. Joyce Street and Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City will be closed from 8–10:30 a.m. this Sunday (May 17) for the Girls on the Run 5K. The race starts at 8:30 a.m. [Arlington County]
D.C. Golf Course Deal — D.C.’s three public golf courses will remain open after the Interior Department and the National Links Trust reached an agreement Friday night. The deal gives the nonprofit a new long-term lease, with the federal government overseeing renovations — though key details about the proposed East Potomac overhaul remain unresolved. [NBC 4, Washington Post, WJLA]
Health Officials on Alert — Virginia has reported 20 measles cases so far this year, with public health officials warning of an expected uptick as summer travel season begins. Separately, a Virginia traveler who was aboard a cruise ship with a deadly hantavirus outbreak has returned home and is being monitored by state health officials. [Virginia Mercury]
Push for Braille Ballots — Tate Jordan, a legally blind Prince William County voter, is pushing for Braille ballots in Virginia after struggling to cast a provisional ballot in last month’s special election. “Every person has a right to vote, and it was a loss of my independence as a person,” he told NBC Washington. He’s working with state Sen. Danica Roem (D) on the change. [NBC 4]
It’s Monday — Expect a 30% chance of rain through the early afternoon, otherwise mostly cloudy skies with a high near 67 and a north wind around 10 mph. Skies clear overnight, with a low around 45. [NWS]
New Legal Notice — Applicant seeks wine/beer on/off-premises, mixed-beverage license; 30-day objections. [Public Notices]
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.
Event location
Bluemont Park
329 N Manchester St.
arlington, Virginia 22203
Join us for the LLT 5K Run/Walk, a community-powered fundraiser supporting Empower Latina and our mission to uplift, empower, and create opportunities for Latina women and girls. Whether you run, walk, or cheer from the sidelines, your participation helps make a meaningful impact. Lace up, show up, and empower Latina!
A stabbing in the Arlington Heights neighborhood sent a man to the hospital with serious injuries Saturday night.
It happened around 8 p.m. on the 300 block of S. Fillmore Street, between Columbia Pike and Route 50. A man was stabbed in the neck during a fight inside a house, according to scanner traffic. Police, already on scene after being dispatched there an hour-and-a-half earlier for another fight, reportedly encountered blood-splattered walls and found the injured man.
A police standoff inside a Columbia Pike 7-Eleven ended with gunfire.
Around 9 p.m. several ambulances were dispatched to the standoff on the 3600 block of Columbia Pike, after reports of shots being fired. One person — the wanted man who barricaded himself in the store — was reported to be shot multiple times by police and critically wounded. Medics were also sent to treat at least several officers for unspecified injuries.
Good Friday 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 — May 8, 2026.
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Today, expect a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. It will be cloudy in the morning, turning mostly sunny by afternoon, with a high of 74°F. Southwest winds will reach around 11 mph, with gusts up to 21 mph. On Saturday night, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7 p.m. The sky will then be mostly clear, with a low of 56°F and a light southwest wind. See more from Weather.gov.
“Difficulties in life are intended to make us better, not bitter.”
– Dan Reeves
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
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. 👋
A threat that turned out to not be credible prompted a lockdown at two Arlington schools Friday morning.
It happened shortly before noon at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and nearby Alice West Fleet Elementary, after a caller threatened imminent violence, according to scanner traffic.
A Falls Church burial ground nearly as old as the nation itself will soon have its history explored in a new tour series throughout the coming year.
A series of monthly walking tours will explore Oakwood Cemetery and the lives of some of those interred there. The first tour will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 24, followed by a series of monthly tours planned through November.
