Around Town

Good Friday 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 — Jun 19, 2026.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. WEATHER ALERT: Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Sunday night (24736 views)
  2. JUST IN: One critically hurt during house fire near East Falls Church (9550 views)
  3. Capital One bank closing on Langston Blvd today (8888 views)
  4. Morning Poll: Do you want the Trump arch to be built? (8799 views)
  5. Lego thieves pocketed $36K reselling collectible minifigures on eBay, police say (6984 views)
  6. Arlington homeowners to receive $30 rebates after months of ‘suboptimal’ trash collection (6010 views)
  7. Neighbors already arguing over operating hours at new Walter Reed pickleball complex (5258 views)
  8. New coffee shop, Rita’s Italian Ice plan to open in Cherrydale (5230 views)
  9. JUST IN: Fourth of July celebrations will close DCA runways, may cause flight delays (5167 views)
  10. ACPD: Officers were at White House UFC fight after invite to 9/11 first responders (5078 views)
  11. Self-driving robots start delivering Uber Eats orders in Arlington today (4940 views)
  12. Owner of shuttered Days Inn gets three more years to redevelop or sell (4506 views)
  13. NEW: State lawmakers urge Park Service to reject Trump’s arch near Memorial Bridge (4250 views)

📅 Upcoming events

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

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

☀️ Saturday’s forecast

It will be sunny with a high near 85°F and a west wind blowing at 7 to 13 mph, with gusts up to 22 mph. Saturday night will be mostly clear with a low around 65°F and a west wind at 3 to 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
– Mark Twain

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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. 👋


Sponsored

Address: 986 N. Powhatan Street
Neighborhood: Madison Manor
Type: 3 BR, 2 (+1 half) BA single-family detached – 1600 sq. ft.
Open House: Sunday, June 21, from 1 to 4 pm
Listed: $899,000

Noteworthy: Cardinal, Swanson, Yorktown school pyramid

Seller has prepped this cute cape cod with fresh paint, flooring, and lighting to enjoy while planning and saving for renovations. Desirable details include woodburning fireplace in the living room, deep one car garage and driveway, wood floors on two levels, main level bedroom, and two large bedrooms upstairs. Lower level den, full bath and laundry plus a big utility and storage room with space for workout equipment. Blocks to Madison Manor Park, bike and walking path to Westover Village and Ballston. Walk to East Falls Church Metro, neighborhood restaurants and shops, Dominion Hills Pool, Skate Park, and Upton Hills Regional Park.

An appealing home for those who value space and location — and an opportunity to make it their own

Listed by:
Betsy Twigg – Corcoran McEnearney
[email protected]
(703) 967-4391


Sponsored

Welcome to Kami’s Korner where we’ll take a deep dive into Arlington’s condominium market by focusing on what’s coming next. From emerging developments to shifting trends, this space will spotlight the opportunities and insights shaping the future of condo living in Arlington.

To understand where the market is today, let’s look at how the condo market has changed. What began as an affordable housing alternative for first-time homebuyers has become the pinnacle of true luxury urban living typical of a world-class city. Let’s explore the 20-year evolution of new condos in Arlington.

Early 2000s: Affordability Focused. Condominiums in the early 2000s were aimed primarily at first-time homebuyers. Affordability was key and this type of housing in Arlington wasn’t glamorous quite yet. The market was steady and interest rates, at just under 7% in 2001, were deemed attractive. Most buildings had 100- 200 units and the average size for a new condominium in Arlington was 950 sq ft.

Mid-2000s: Market Heats Up. In 2003 the market began to pick up speed, fueled by the abundance of financing and essentially loans that required no documentation or proof of affordability. During this time Ballston saw several apartment to condo conversions. Condo units were generally designed as apartments so unit sizes were smaller among all unit types. Finishes were acceptable but not great. This is when granite countertops became the epitome of quality.

New builds like Liberty Center in Ballston shifted the average size down while finish quality and livability of design improved. It was probably the best building of that generation. Like many others at that time there was a rush to buy and buildings were very successful in pre-sale. (more…)


News

A pair of good Samaritans rescued a kayaker knocked into the Potomac River without a life vest during a sudden thunderstorm last week.

The kayaker, an older man who has been paddling the Potomac for the last 25 years, had been caught off guard by heavy winds and rain on June 11. Forced out of his kayak by the waves, he was left stranded in the river and unsuccessfully tried to catch the attention of several other vessels before boaters Orlando Karpf and Madison Cutlip heard his cries for help.


Sports

Reaching state tournaments this spring season was something familiar for one Yorktown High School team, but a new experience for a second.

Getting there marked a first for the girls softball team, but was old hat for the previous state-champion boys lacrosse squad.


Opinion

From Italian subs stacked with imported cold cuts to slow-roasted turkey and beef cuts at local delis, Arlington has sandwiches for every palate.

Here are the nominees for “Best Sandwich Shop in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.

Did we miss your favorite spot? Write it in!

Voting will close in two weeks.

Voting for Best Pet Boarding in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 8:30 a.m.

Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Family Physician in Arlington. The results are now official:

  1. Dr. Kenneth J. Lin
  2. Dr. Arun Bansal
  3. Dr. Christopher M. Walsh

News

It could now be 2027 before any community task force is empaneled to consider structural changes to county governance.

A timetable put in place last December suggested that a task force could be appointed sometime in the second half of 2026. But getting past a number of procedural steps has taken longer than anticipated, County Board members were told at their June 17 meeting.


News

Falls Church could consolidate all Election Day voting in a single location, if the General Assembly supports doing so next year.

The city currently is divided into three voting wards, with two voting in different parts of the Falls Church Community Center and the third at Oak Street Elementary School.


News

Recent trends in Arlington’s hotel-occupancy and room rates are pointing modestly upward after a downturn in 2025.

For the first four months of 2026, the county’s hotel-occupancy rate was up 2% year-over-year, while the revenue per available room was up nearly 6%, according to new data.


News
Construction scaffolding in Ballston (courtesy George Brazier)

Car Windows Smashed — Police found 12 vehicles with their driver’s-side windows broken across several South Arlington blocks, including near 10th Street S. and S. Columbus Street, in a series of reports filed June 17. The vehicles vary in make and model and there are no suspect descriptions, according to police. The case remains under investigation. [ACPD]

Rosslyn Cyberwarfare Unicorn — Twenty Technologies, a Rosslyn-based startup, raised $100 million at a $1 billion valuation, becoming what it calls the first venture-backed cyberwarfare unicorn in America. The company builds offensive cyber tools for the Defense Department and intelligence community. “We’re building software that enables our war fighters, our elite cyberoperators, to move even faster,” CEO Joe Lin said. [WBJ]

JFK Agent Laid to Rest — Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent who threw himself over President Kennedy and the first lady after shots rang out in Dallas in 1963, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with military honors Thursday. Hill, who died at 93, served under five presidents. Asked why the family chose Arlington, his widow Lisa McCubbin Hill said, “There was no other place.” [Arlington National Cemetery]

Juneteenth Holiday Schedule — Arlington County government offices are closed today for the Juneteenth holiday. Trash, recycling and organics curbside collection will run on its regular schedule, and parking meters won’t be enforced, though permit parking remains in effect. [Arlington County]

Toilet, Not Trash Can — Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services tied the Wizards’ expected No. 1 NBA draft pick to a sewer-system reminder on social media. “If you go No. 1 or even No. 2, only flush paper from the roll alongside. Everything else is a threat to sewer lines. Let’s go Wiz!” [Arlington DES/X]

Chiefs Reaffirm Mutual Aid — Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn joined regional public safety leaders at an Alexandria Police Department summit Thursday, where chiefs reaffirmed a commitment to mutual aid. “I’m confident that if I need something and I call Pete [Newsham] or Tarrick [McGuire], they’re going to help me,” Penn said. [ALXnow]

Driest Spell Since 1941 — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) is urging Virginians to voluntarily conserve water as the state endures its driest period since 1941, with precipitation about eight inches below average. “All Virginians can play a role in protecting our water supply during this historic dry period,” she said. The Department of Environmental Quality reports 100% of the commonwealth in drought. [Press Release]

It’s Friday — Expect scattered rain showers before 10 a.m. today, then partly sunny skies with a high near 83 and northwest winds of 3–10 mph gusting to 20. Skies turn mostly clear overnight, with a low around 64. [NWS]

New Legal Notice — Convenience grocery store applying for off-premises beer and wine license. [Public Notices]