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A $25 minimum wage in D.C. could shift business to N. Va., restaurant association says

By Emily Leayman
Outdoor seating at Padaek restaurant (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A $25 minimum wage proposal in D.C. could push some restaurant workers into Northern Virginia in the short term and, in the long term, potentially drive businesses to relocate as well, the head of the region’s restaurant association says.

The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington — an outspoken opponent of D.C.’s Initiative 82, which sought to phase out the tip credit for tipped workers — is opposing One Fair Wage’s proposal to raise the District’s minimum wage to $25 per hour by July 2029.

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News

What a possible $25 D.C. minimum wage could mean for the region’s restaurant industry

By Emily Leayman
The dining room of Locket in Rosslyn (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A ballot measure to substantially increase D.C.’s minimum wage would undoubtedly have major effects on Arlington’s neighbor, but the region-wide impacts are murkier.

One Fair Wage’s proposal to raise the District’s minimum wage to $25 per hour by July 2029 has earned support from labor advocates seeking to make D.C. more affordable for the working class, but criticism from business owners worried about going out of business or having to lay off employees.

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News

What would it take for Arlington to get Waymo robotaxis?

By Dan Egitto
A Waymo spotted in the Safeway parking lot on Langston Blvd (courtesy Jennifer Galloway)

The day might be coming when self-driving lifts will roam the streets of Arlington — but a couple legislative decisions would have to happen first.

Waymo, Google’s self-driving taxi arm that has been expanding in several other metro areas, has had its eye on the D.C. area for a while.

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News

Closure of Roosevelt Bridge ramp from Route 50 goes into effect next week

By Dan Egitto
Traffic on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge at the exits for Route 50 and the GW Parkway in 2021 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Repairs on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge will bring a detour to a heavily trafficked commuter route beginning this weekend and continuing for several months.

Starting on Sunday, Feb. 15, the bridge’s capacity will be reduced from three lanes to two lanes in each direction, and the Arlington Blvd eastbound ramp will be closed through early June.

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Around Town

Projections on Washington Monument end tonight with fireworks display

By Dan Egitto
Fireworks going off near the Washington Monument on Dec. 31, 2025 (via Freedom 250/YouTube)

Fireworks will be going off on the National Mall this evening (Monday) in celebration of the United States’ 250th birthday.

The fireworks display will culminate six nights of projections on the Washington Monument that have sought to turn the historic structure into “the world’s tallest birthday candle.”

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News

Amid Kennedy Center turmoil, two Arlington theater companies broke sales records in 2025

By Dan Egitto
A performance of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at Signature Theatre earlier this year (via Signature Theater/Instagram)

During a year of shake-ups and flagging sales at the Kennedy Center, several performing arts groups in Arlington enjoyed significant success in 2025.

Leaders of local groups say that it’s difficult to tell whether they’ve directly benefited from this year’s upheaval across the Potomac, which most recently included a vote to rename D.C.’s premier performing arts center as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” last week.

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News

Performing arts venue across the Potomac from Arlington may be renamed the ‘Trump-Kennedy Center’

By The Associated Press
The Kennedy Center, as seen from Arlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s handpicked board voted Thursday to rename Washington’s leading performing arts center as the Trump-Kennedy Center, the White House said, in a move that was quickly denounced as a “disgrace” by the Democratic leader of the House, who is on the board.

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the vote on social media, attributing it to the “unbelievable work President Trump has done over the last year in saving the building. Not only from the standpoint of its reconstruction, but also financially, and its reputation.”

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News

New bus route will reconnect Shirlington to D.C. starting next week

By Dan Egitto
The Shirlington Transit Center (via Arlington County)

A new bus route will offer Shirlington residents a direct connection to D.C. during rush hour.

The new A29 route will run between Van Dorn Street Station and Metro Center via the I-395 express lanes, with stops at Beauregard Street, Mark Center and Southern Towers in Alexandria in addition to the Shirlington Transit Center.

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Around Town

Clarendon’s Wilson Hardware could get new branding under D.C. nightlife entrepreneur

By Katie Taranto
Wilson Hardware at 2915 Wilson Blvd in Clarendon (file photo)

An entrepreneur behind some big names in D.C.’s nightlife scene has turned his attention to Arlington, taking the reins of a Clarendon restaurant.

Antonis Karagounis became the new owner of Wilson Hardware earlier this month at 2915 Wilson Blvd, where he intends to introduce a different, as-yet-unnamed restaurant concept in the new year.

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News

TRAFFIC ALERT: Key Bridge closed again Friday

By ARLnow.com
Key Bridge closure Friday morning (via traffic cam)

As happened during last night’s rush hour, Key Bridge again closed to traffic heading into D.C. Friday morning.

The closure was announced at around 10:15 a.m. and appears to be associated with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington. The Ukrainian embassy is in Georgetown, near the entrance to the Key Bridge. The bridge was also closed for a few hours in August due to a Zelensky visit.

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News

Arlington streetcar critics take victory lap over D.C.’s plans to kill similar project

By Scott McCaffrey
DC streetcar makes a nighttime run on opening day in 2016 (via DC Department of Transportation)

Former critics of abandoned plans to build a streetcar on Columbia Pike are seeing vindication in the looming demise of a similar piece of infrastructure in D.C.

After D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced plans last week to phase out the District’s 2.2-mile H Street streetcar line, some Arlington commentators are drawing parallels to former plans for a 5-mile system between Pentagon City and Skyline.

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Around Town

Acclaimed D.C. Ethiopian restaurant searches for Arlington location

By Katie Taranto
Table full of Eatopia dishes (courtesy of Eatopia)

Fresh off a successful first year in D.C., a family-operated Ethiopian restaurant lauded as one of the best in the region is planning a potential new Arlington location.

Eatopia Eatery, which The Washington Post recently named one of the region’s best Ethiopian restaurants, has been searching for an Arlington space since October, owner Surafel Gizachew told ARLnow. It would be the restaurant’s second outpost, joining the U Street location that debuted last April.

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