Unemployment claims in Northern Virginia rose 7.1% between January and February, new data shows — offering a first glimpse of the impacts of mass federal layoffs.
A total of 53,394 people in the region were counted as unemployed and looking for work in February as sweeping job cuts began going into effect.
Massive retaliatory tariffs that went into effect today before abruptly going on pause have left Eden Center businesses rethinking pricing and fearing for the future.
The Falls Church shopping center with over 120 family-owned businesses relies heavily on sales of imported goods from Vietnam, China and numerous other countries that have ridden an economic rollercoaster over the past week.
At least for the time being, a new executive order on election matters is unlikely to impact Arlington.
Virginia “already does” many of the things included in the executive order that President Donald Trump signed on March 25, county registrar Gretchen Reinemeyer said.
The Arlington County Board approved funding for a pair of big-ticket infrastructure projects on Saturday.
Officials accepted a $20.7 million grant from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, advancing plans for a second entrance to the Crystal City Metro station. They also awarded a contract of $9.6 million to rebuild the Arlington Ridge Road bridge over Four Mile Run.
An immigration operation at a cluster of Ashton Heights apartments last week left many residents on edge and concerned for themselves and their neighbors.
On Thursday morning, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attempted to enter several apartment buildings as part of an investigation. An ARLnow reporter witnessed agents loudly banging on doors in one building before leaving the building to interview several passersby.
The D.C. area’s restaurant community is warning of closures as economic pressures and federal actions raise fears of less spending and higher costs.
Impacts may be less severe in Arlington and Falls Church than in D.C., as some businesses are considering leaving the District for “better deals” in Northern Virginia. However, Shawn Townsend, president of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), cautioned that Arlington restaurants remain vulnerable to issues involving federal job cuts, rising costs and a possible meals tax increase.
A Georgetown scholar living in Rosslyn has been detained by immigration authorities, prompting an outcry, including from Arlington’s congressman.
The arrest happened Monday night at the Rosslyn home of Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, as first reported by Politico. It has continued the national debate about the intersection of free speech and immigration, which started with the arrest of a pro-Palestinian Columbia graduate student.
Over $400,000 in funding for immigration-related services is included in a package of grants that the Arlington County Board approved for local nonprofits this week.
However, one Arlington-based organization focused on immigrant communities — the Ethiopian Community Development Council — pushed back at a County Board meeting on Tuesday after a selection panel declined to recommend funding the nonprofit. Board members declined to bend the rules to help, but said they would help the group find additional streams of funding and other support.
Add hotel-occupancy rates to the Arlington County government’s growing list of economic concerns.
Projections for the next 60 days suggest Arlington’s hotel-room usage will be down 15% from a year before and expected hotel revenue down 12%.
Obtaining real-time data on the impacts of federal downsizing continues to pose a challenge for groups across the D.C. area.
The Northern Virginia Regional Commission has added a section tracking initial unemployment claims on its website. The most recent data as of March 16 show that statewide initial unemployment claims rose from 2,881 the week ending March 1 to 4,036 the week ending March 8.
Forceful debate over Arlington County’s approach to a recent surge in immigration enforcement dominated a County Board meeting this weekend.
Following extensive public comments and shouted chants and boos from dozens of advocates, several Board members raised the possibility of once again revising county policy on when local police can contact federal law enforcement.
A relatively brief Arlington County Board meeting on Saturday involved discussion of local glass recycling and traffic calming on 1st Road S.
As officials are in the midst of determining the county’s budget and wrestling with various other thorny issues involving President Donald Trump’s administration, this week’s agenda was unusually light.
