Medical crews and hazmat teams were dispatched to the Pentagon this morning for a reported hazardous materials incident.
Initial reports reference “a positive anthrax system alert” around 9 a.m., along with “a suspicious odor” and at least one individual with chest pain in the inner courtyard. They also refer to a need for further lab testing.
As if it wasn’t humid enough already, Thursday will be even more sweltering as temperatures rise this afternoon.
A Heat Advisory has been issued for Arlington. That means hazardous conditions for those working outside and no outdoor recess for Arlington Public Schools students.
Is your home starting to feel a little too cozy?
Summer is often the time when many Arlington homeowners start to notice their homes feeling cramped, whether you have school-aged kids still at home, your college student has moved back in for the summer, or you’re preparing to welcome aging parents for an extended stay.
While it’s too late to complete a major renovation this summer, it’s the perfect time to start planning so you can live more comfortably next year. Your Arlington lot may be small, and Arlington zoning ordinances are notoriously tricky to navigate, but your property likely has untapped potential. You can maximize your lot through a side or rear addition, popping the top, adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) or outdoor living space, and/or finishing an underutilized basement.
With thoughtful planning, you can create the space your family needs while staying in the community you love, even on a small lot.
Before jumping into any addition or major renovation, it’s important to understand what your property can support and how your family’s needs may evolve over time.
One of the first steps is reviewing your plat (survey) to understand your buildable area, as one of the unique home-construction challenges in Arlington is that a majority of homes were built before current setback requirements were enacted, which impacts the scope of many construction projects. Setback requirements refer to the distance by which a home must be “set back” from the front, side, and rear property lines.
A word of caution: If your builder isn’t deeply familiar with Arlington’s setback rules and the available legal workarounds, your project can be derailed before it even starts.
As part of the strategic planning process, make sure you evaluate your long-term goals and create a master plan that accounts for all the spaces you intend to renovate. For example, renovating a basement without considering future plumbing, electrical, or HVAC needs can lead to unnecessary rework later.
And if you are undertaking a significant addition project, we generally recommend including a basement foundation, as it is not feasible to add one after initial construction is complete. Even if you choose to finish the basement later, it remains a more cost-effective way to add square footage than other areas of the house.
A thoughtful, whole-home approach helps create a smoother renovation process and a home that continues to meet your needs over time. Additionally, consider if you plan to live in your home late in your life – something we call aging in place. If so, knowing that is your long-term goal will influence your renovation project.
For many Arlington homeowners, a rear or side addition is the most straightforward way to gain usable square footage, as long as their plat allows for it. By adding square footage to your home, you can make space for a larger kitchen and family room, add a mudroom as your dedicated “drop zone” for all your kids’ sports equipment, and even add a main-level guest suite. Rear and side additions can be single or multi-story, even if you don’t pop the top on the existing structure.
One key consideration for a home addition in Arlington County, however, is understanding how the Department of Environmental Services calculates whether you are over or under 2,500 square feet of disturbed area. If your project clears, digs up, or grades more than 2,500 square feet of land, per their definition, you’ll be required to pay for extra county permits, civil engineering plans, and potentially expensive drainage systems to handle rainwater runoff.
When your lot coverage is limited by setback requirements, the only way to go is up!
We recently transformed an outdated 1,300-square-foot rental property in Highview Park into a spacious, modern home for a young family. Adhering to zoning guidelines required preserving the existing foundation, so we took the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home down to its foundation, expanded it slightly on the left side, and built up! The result is an essentially brand-new four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath custom home that boasts 2,916 square feet across three floors.
A new payment and processing system for Arlington parking tickets launched yesterday (Wednesday).
The new site is intended to make it easier for motorists to resolve citations. Users can enter either their ticket number, their license plate number or their vehicle identification number to view open tickets.
Nathan’s Cancer Slayers, a local Arlington fundraising team under Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, invites the community to Cocktails for a Cause — An Amalfi Coast Evening on Sunday, June 14 in Georgetown. ✨🍸
This inaugural silent auction will bring together friends, neighbors, and supporters for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a fun silent auction — all raising funds for childhood cancer research in honor of Nathan Fleming, an Arlington student who passed away from rhabdomyosarcoma in 2019, just one week after turning 18.
Construction of the 250-foot-high triumphal arch that President Donald Trump wants built near Memorial Bridge could occur 20 hours per day, year-round, as officials push to complete the project within three years.
That’s according to a preliminary assessment by the National Park Service.
If you are interested in learning more about Continuing Care Retirement Communities (also known as “Life Plan Communities”), whether for yourself or for a loved one, please join our free workshop on Tuesday, June 16 from 5:00-7:00 at the Arlington office of Long & Foster.
How do Continuing Care Retirement Communities work?
A Virginia law going into effect on July 1 will seal the criminal records of many people convicted of low-level offenses.
The commonwealth’s “Clean Slate” law is expected to automatically seal over 100,000 criminal records of Virginians who were once convicted of misdemeanors such as shoplifting, trespassing and distributing marijuana, but who haven’t reoffended in the past seven years. This will make make housing providers and many employers unable to access such records via criminal background checks.
Four Courts Braces for Crowds — Ireland’s Four Courts is preparing for World Cup crowds after being voted America’s best soccer bar by the Men in Blazers podcast. Staff are pulling furniture to pack in more fans and stocking up on chicken wings and Guinness. “Once the World Cup starts, it’s going to be like a Saturday every single day,” managing partner David Cahill said. [WTOP]
Flyover This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over the Lincoln Memorial Thursday, June 11, at approximately 11 a.m.”
Pop-Ups Touch Down at DCA — “The Market at DCA is bringing together local pop-up finds from Blondies Bakery Box and MelanBrand Skin … baked goods and natural skincare.” The pop-ups run through June 30. [Reagan National/X]
Pentagon City Car Carrier Drama — “Car Carrier Gate got very interesting during the noon hour. One driver who apparently didn’t get the word that deliveries and pickups are now to be done on mall property soon had a visitor from Arlington County. That was followed by three others. Their message was apparently pretty strong, considering they wouldn’t even let the driver enter the mall through the exit with his last car.” [Dave Statter/X]
UFC Card Closes Major Roads — A UFC event at the White House will bring a string of road closures and parking restrictions across downtown D.C. from Thursday through Monday. Memorial Bridge closes Friday evening, and stretches of I-395 and I-66 will be affected. D.C. police said all closures and times are subject to change. [WTOP]
Emergency Sewer Repairs Set — D.C. Water will begin emergency repairs Monday on 1,700 feet of the Potomac Interceptor sewer line in Maryland, work meant to protect drinking water intakes downstream. “Inspections found structural deterioration, including significant corrosion and exposed rebar that requires immediate attention,” according to D.C. Water. The repairs follow a January spill of roughly 240 million gallons. [WTOP]
Kaine Targets Teacher Shortage — Sen. Tim Kaine (D) introduced a bill creating a grant program to address the national teacher shortage and support early-career educators through mentoring. “It’s both an educational effectiveness program, but also a teacher retention program,” Kaine said. He is championing the Better Education Through Mentoring Act with Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut. [Virginia Mercury]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies today with a high near 96 and heat index values as high as 104. There’s a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m., with west winds 3–7 mph. Overnight lows drop to around 73, with thunderstorms possible before 1 a.m. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
Good Wednesday 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 — Jun 10, 2026.
Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Expect mostly sunny weather with a high of 96°F and heat index values reaching 104°F. There’s a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 PM, with west winds at 5 to 8 mph. Thursday night will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 73°F and a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before midnight. Winds will calm to 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
– Vince Lombardi
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
Thanks for reading! 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 portion of N. Glebe Road is closed near Chain Bridge due to a death investigation.
Initial reports suggest that someone jumped or fell from a bridge along the GW Parkway around 2:30 p.m. They were reportedly found near the Potomac Heritage Trail and pronounced dead on the scene.
County Board members are approaching a vote on whether to provide a historic designation at the Melwood property, where they previously approved an affordable housing project.
A final vote on the property at 750 23rd Street S., in Aurora Highlands, is likely to come at the Board’s June 17 meeting, following a required public hearing.
This Pride Month, DMV residents can double their support for local LGBTQ+ communities through a $10,000 matching gift to the Fund for Queer Causes.
Housed at Arlington Community Foundation, the Fund for Queer Causes is a 100% queer-advised fund that provides unrestricted grants to LGBTQ+ nonprofits across Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland.
