News

Arlington ended 2025 with 23% more residents unemployed than at the start of the year.

In December, 4,676 Arlington County residents were looking for jobs and 147,611 were employed in the civilian workforce, equating to a 3.1% unemployment rate. That’s a sharp increase from January 2025, when 3,814 were unemployed for a jobless rate of 2.5%.


News

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This week marks the 67th anniversary of the integration of Arlington’s Stratford Junior High School by four Black seventh-grade students: Lance Newman, Michael Deskins, Gloria Thompson and Michael Jones.


News

The number of Arlington residents counted as unemployed spiked 51% year-over-year in newly released state jobs data.

A total of 5,370 Arlingtonians were recorded as seeking jobs in November, according to figures reported Wednesday (Jan. 21) by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. That’s up from 3,561 in November 2024.


News

Concerns about monitoring and managing chemicals at Arlington County’s Water Pollution Control Plant have prompted a public hearing this week.

The hearing is a follow-up to a public comment period last September and October, where advocates sought amendments to the draft permit related to limitations and best management practices for PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances), also known as “forever chemicals.”


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.


Schools

County education leaders are still evaluating new accountability ratings that showed a mix of success and shortcomings among Arlington schools.

Eight Arlington schools were categorized as “Needs Intensive Support” under new rating system and first results released earlier this month by the Virginia Department of Education, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members at their Dec. 18 meeting.


News

An affordable housing complex on Columbia Pike has been added to the Virginia Landmarks Register, setting the stage for possibly achieving historic status.

The Barcroft Apartments community, located near the corner of S. George Mason Drive and S. Four Mile Run Drive, was one of eight properties added to the Virginia Landmarks Register by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources on Dec. 11.


News

Arlington’s county manager is holding off on a firm stance regarding local control of roads currently controlled by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT).

County Manager Mark Schwartz told the Arlington County Civic Federation that he hasn’t ruled out the idea of the county assuming responsibility for Glebe Road and Langston Blvd, which are among the network of local roads under state control.


News

Some Falls Church leaders are expressing concern over a possible General Assembly measure that would take away local power to regulate parking in development projects.

Such a measure could be introduced by Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37), who represents the city in the upper house of the legislature. The topic was among the key points discussed at the Nov. 7 meeting of the City Council’s legislative committee.


News

Arlington Economic Development is pursuing new options to market the county as a travel destination after the county attorney’s office halted its original plans.

At issue is whether Arlington County could use a 2021 state law to set up a tourism improvement district, or TID, to fund promotional efforts on behalf of the county’s hospitality industry. The county currently pursues such efforts in-house through the Arlington Convention and Visitors Service.


News

Joblessness in Arlington County is up 38% year-over-year in new state data, and local officials are warning that federal layoffs will likely bring further increases.

A total of 5,413 Arlington residents were recorded as seeking jobs in August, according to data released yesterday (Wednesday) by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. That’s compared to 3,932 unemployed residents in August 2024.


Schools

Arlington Public Schools was near the top of the pack in both the state and in Northern Virginia in its test scores for the 2024-25 school year.

APS trailed the Loudoun school system in the five broad Standards of Learning categories last school year, but outperformed Fairfax and Prince William counties and the city of Alexandria. It topped the averages statewide in each category.


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