Arlington school bus on a snowy morning, Nov. 2018

Some potentially unwelcome news if you’re a K-12 student in Virginia: some in the legislature want to effectively end snow days.

From our Alexandria sister site ALXnow:

new bill could mean the end of snow days for Virginia public schools.

Currently, during severe weather conditions, schools have the option to switch to remote learning. House Bill 1666, pre-filed yesterday by Del. Danny Marshall (R-Danville) would change that to a requirement rather than an option: school divisions must declare unscheduled remote learning days to provide instruction and student services.

The school divisions are also not allowed to claim more than 10 unscheduled remote learning days per year without an extension granted by the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

While snow days are forever popular among students and teachers, the change is likely spurred on by concerns about learning loss in Virginia students over the last few years. Before disheartened teachers and students start shaking their fists at the state legislature, it’s worth noting that Alexandria City Public Schools had already started moving in that direction.

Last January, when a snowstorm made a mess of local roads, Alexandria city schools went into virtual learning mode, while Arlington Public Schools gave students a couple of days off.

What do you think of replacing snow days with virtual learning days? Right call to boost learning or wrong call that would take away a bit of childhood tradition and provide some restorative days off?


A fallen face mask, lost to the cold, wet sidewalk (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

APS Attendance Notification Change — “Beginning Tue, Jan. 17, we are modifying our attendance notification process. The changes will allow families to receive earlier and more frequent, real-time notice if their student has an unverified absence from school and/or has missed a specific class period.” [Arlington Public Schools]

Ranked Choice for School Board? — “Legislation introduced in Richmond would allow localities like Arlington to hold School Board general elections using a ranked-choice method in place of the existing winner-take-all process.” [Sun Gazette]

Legislators Select Circuit Court Judge — “The seven members of the Arlington delegation to the General Assembly have made their choice for Arlington’s next Circuit Court judge. Now they have to convince their 133 colleagues in Richmond to support him. Members of the delegation (three senators, four delegates) have announced their intention to support Daniel T.C. Lopez, currently chief judge of the General District Court, to succeed Circuit Court Judge William Newman Jr. upon the latter’s retirement later this year.” [Sun Gazette]

Eyes of Nation on DCA — CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla, in response to a photo of numerous TV cameras in a Reagan National Airport terminal during yesterday morning’s FAA system meltdown: “On the list of Most Recognizable Airport Gates, gotta be in the top 5, no?” [Twitter]

W-L Gymnasts Win Meet — “Led by Mara Gerardi’s second in the all-around with a 35.325 total score, the Washington-Liberty Generals won a recent girls gymnastics meet with a team score of 137.275.” [Sun Gazette]

YHS Boys Keep Winning on the Court — “The Yorktown Patriots (10-2, 3-0) continued their strong boys basketball season by winning two Liberty District games in recent days and were in a first-place tie in the league with the Marshall Statesmen.” [Sun Gazette]

Falls Church Identify Stabbing Suspect — “City of Falls Church Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of Gian Vi Nguyen, age 44, in connection with a non-fatal stabbing on January 5, 2023, in the 6700 block of Wilson Blvd. Photos of Nguyen are below. He is believed to be a resident of Maryland.” [City of Falls Church]

It’s Thursday — Rain in the evening and overnight. High of 63 and low of 41. Sunrise at 7:27 am and sunset at 5:08 pm. [Weather.gov]


Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Today we published 5 articles that were read a total of 5559 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jan 11, 2023.

  1. Just Reduced Properties in Arlington
  2. NEW: Amazon says HQ2 office towers and public park will open this summer
  3. Morning Notes

📅 Upcoming events

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

☔ Thursday’s forecast

Rain in the evening and overnight. High of 63 and low of 49. Sunrise at 7:27 am and sunset at 5:08 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Thought of the Day

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.


The ARLnow Afternoon Update email newsletter

Some 16,000 of you are big fans of our ARLnow Afternoon Update newsletter, giving us email open rates near the tippy top of industry averages.

The Afternoon Update, for the uninitiated, sends out headlines, links and article previews at 4 p.m. daily, for the past 24 hours of ARLnow content. It is the defacto local homepage for just shy of 10% of Arlington’s adult population.

Our ARLnow Press Club members, meanwhile, also receive an Early Morning Notes email at 3 a.m. daily, with the as-yet unpublished Morning Notes post and a preview of the stories we’re planning to cover that day. The open rate for the Early Morning Notes is even higher, suggesting that our members really enjoy starting their day by getting a quick look at what’s going to be in the local news that day.

Both the Afternoon Update and the Early Morning Notes are no-nonsense, with no cutesy prose or writerly musings to wade through to get the info you want.

Given the above, you might think that we’re maxed out in terms of email offerings. But, not wanting to rest on our laurels, we think there might be room for another — and wanted to get your thoughts on it.

We think some subset of readers would prefer to get their local news entirely in the email, in summary form. Think: Axios.

A possible solution would be a daily 8 a.m. email that has:

  • The entire Morning Notes post
  • AI-generated bullet point summaries of the past day’s articles

An example of the article summaries is below.

AI-generated article summaries

Would this be something you’d be interested in subscribing to if we were to launch it?

Let us know what you think in the poll and the comments.


Construction in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Lee Name Stays on Arlington House — “A 19th-century general has survived a 21st-century battle. Efforts during the recently concluded session of the U.S. Congress to remove Robert E. Lee’s name from the National Park Service’s Arlington House memorial failed to make much progress. And if it didn’t find success when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress, such a proposal is more unlikely now that Republicans control, albeit narrowly, the U.S. House of Representatives.” [Sun Gazette]

One Week for Comment on Parkway Plan — “The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public comment on a proposed plan and environmental assessment to improve the southern portion of the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Mount Vernon Trail. The project would improve safety and address maintenance needs along the parkway and the trail. Comments will be accepted through January 18th.” [National Park Service]

More Clarendon Fisticuffs — “3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 1:14 a.m. on January 9, officers in the area were approached by the witness reporting a late assault. The investigation determined approximately an hour prior, the female victim was inside an establishment when she became involved in a verbal dispute with three unknown female suspects, during which she was assaulted. The victim was transported to an area hospital for treatment of injuries considered non-life threatening.” [ACPD]

Civic Group Links Up with UK Community — “The Arlington Heights Civic Association (AHCA) recently approved a Friendship Community Relationship between the association and Bibury Parish, a community located in Gloucestershire, England… Bibury Parish is the home of the Village of Arlington, which appears to have been the namesake of Arlington House and, subsequently, modern-day Arlington County.” [Sun Gazette]

Metrobus Twitter Account Restored — “Twitter suspended the account of the D.C. area’s largest bus transit system on Tuesday for unknown reasons but restored it over six hours later. Metro officials said they weren’t told why the social media company suspended the account.” [Washington Post]

It’s Wednesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 47 and low of 34. Sunrise at 7:28 am and sunset at 5:07 pm. [Weather.gov]


Good Tuesday evening, Arlington. Today we published 5 articles that were read a total of 7160 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jan 10, 2023.

  1. Morning Notes
  2. Ask Eli: So you want a big yard in Arlington?
  3. Students from five APS schools to attend special Caps practice with Ovechkin

📅 Upcoming events

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

☔ Wednesday’s forecast

Possible light rain overnight. High of 46 and low of 41. Sunrise at 7:28 am and sunset at 5:07 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Thought of the Day

Trust your own judgement, but don’t forget to consider the advice of others, including those from AI systems.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.


MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Ballston (via Monumental Sports and Entertainment)

More than 800 Arlington Public Schools students are being invited to a special Washington Capitals practice later this week.

Caps star Alexander Ovechkin scored his 802nd career goal last month, passing Gordie Howe on the NHL’s all-time goals list. Now APS students will help Ovie celebrate the achievement.

“Ovechkin scored his 21st and 22nd goals of the season and the 802nd of his career Dec. 23 against the Winnipeg Jets at Capital One Arena, passing Howe (801) for second place on the NHL’s all-time goals list,” the Caps said in a press release. “Ovechkin now only trails Wayne Gretzky (894) for the most goals in NHL history.”

“To celebrate the historic milestone, Ovechkin will host more than 800 children from Arlington Public Schools for a celebration at the Capitals Jan. 13 practice,” the press release continued. “Fourth- through fifth-grade students from five Arlington schools will be in attendance at practice. All students will receive special Ovi 800 T-shirts from Ovechkin and the Capitals. Leading up to the visit, the classes will participate in 800-related number activities in their physical education and other classes, such as math and reading.”

Students will take photos with Ovechkin after Friday’s skate, the Capitals said.

It’s one of several community initiatives launched by the team to help mark the milestone, including a donation to the American Special Hockey Association, programming at local ice rinks, and Ovechkin granting “multiple wishes later this season through wish-granting organizations.”

Contacted by ARLnow, a Washington Capitals spokesperson declined to saw which APS schools are among the five that have been invited to the event.

“We are not disclosing which schools are attending,” the spokesperson said.


Possible Mystery Machine sighting on N. Glebe Road (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Apple Store Temporarily Closed — The Apple Store in Clarendon is closed at least through Friday, according to posted hours on the company’s website. No reason for the closure was given but construction is ongoing at The Crossing Clarendon shopping center, where it’s located. [Apple]

Local Civic Figure Dies — “A Democratic activist for over 40 years, Amy [Appelbaum] campaigned for local candidates, donated to many causes, and marched for the Equal Rights Amendment and reproductive rights. She was employed for two decades as an aide to state legislator James Almand and served on the Arlington Board of Equalization for Real Estate Assessments for ten years. Amy was recognized as a ‘Person of Vision’ by the Arlington County Status of Women Commission in 2004 for her community volunteer work.” [Legacy]

Plaudits for Retiring Sheriff — “‘Truly the gold standard for sheriff in Arlington is Beth Arthur,’ Faust said. ‘All I can say is ‘wow, what a career.” Faust praised Arthur’s ‘undying commitment – always fighting for the staff, always fighting for those who were in her care.'” [Sun Gazette]

One More Week for Initial Budget Feedback — “Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz is asking for your feedback on the FY 2024 annual budget. Weigh in online through Jan. 17.” [Twitter, Arlington County]

It’s Tuesday — Overcast throughout the day. High of 45 and low of 33. Sunrise at 7:28 am and sunset at 5:06 pm. [Weather.gov]


Good Monday evening, Arlington. Today we published 6 articles that were read a total of 17361 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jan 9, 2023.

  1. Unassuming Arlington eatery named region’s No. 1 casual restaurant by Washington Post
  2. A Korean fried chicken restaurant is coming to Virginia Square
  3. Crime report: Fights lead to shot fired in apartment building, bar patron arrested in Clarendon

📅 Upcoming events

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

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

🌥 Tuesday’s forecast

Overcast throughout the day. High of 45 and low of 35. Sunrise at 7:28 am and sunset at 5:06 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Thought of the Day

The most important thing you can do is to be kind to yourself.

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.


Arlington police and Virginia State Police on the Clarendon nightlife detail (file photo)

Arlington County police are investigating after someone fire a gunshot at an apartment building in the Shirlington area.

The incident happened Saturday night on the road that leads from Shirlington to Fairlington, during an apparent argument inside the building. No one was hurt and police are still investigating in an effort to find a suspect.

From today’s ACPD crime report:

SHOT FIRED, 2023-01070239, 4500 block of 31st Street S. At approximately 10:07 p.m. on January 7, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown after receiving reports of an argument and possible shot fired inside a residential building. Responding officers located damage to the ceiling of a hallway which was consistent with the discharge of a firearm. No injuries were reported. There is no suspect description. The investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing.

Also in today’s crime report, a Maryland man was arrested early this morning in the Clarendon bar district following a fight inside an establishment.

Police say the suspect left the area, returned, and then led police on a foot chase that ended in a struggle with officers and an arrest.

More from ACPD:

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-01090007, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 12:19 a.m. on January 9, police were dispatched to the report of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, it was determined a fight had occurred inside an establishment. While officers were investigating the circumstances of the incident, the suspect left the scene. A short time later, police were contacted again when the suspect returned to the area. As an officer approached the suspect to continue the investigation, he attempted to flee on foot but was stopped by another officer and a struggle ensued, during which the suspect was non-compliant, actively resisted arrested and assaulted an officer. With the assistance of additional officers, he was taken into custody. During a search of his person incident to arrest, suspected narcotics were recovered. [The suspect], 25, of Columbia, MD was arrested and charged with Obstruction of Justice, Assault on Police, Drunk in Public and Possession of Schedule I/II Controlled Substance.


Charga Grill on Langston Blvd (staff photo)

Charga Grill, at 5151 Langston Blvd, can blend in among the small, unassuming strip mall eateries that line Arlington’s stretch of Route 29.

But it was just the recipient of a very uncommon honor.

Washington Post food critic Tim Carman last week ranked Charga Grill as No. 1 on his list of the D.C. area’s 10 best casual restaurants of 2022.

He wrote of Charga’s eclectic menu and marquee dish:

Charga specializes in street food from around the world, with an emphasis on plates of chicken. Peruvian pollo a la brasa. South African peri-peri. And two specimens from Pakistan, Chaudry’s homeland: brined-and-smoked sajji chicken, and skinless charga chicken, which is steamed and flash-fried. The latter two birds alone are worth a trip to Charga. But Chaudry, along with his uncle Iqbal Chaudry, doesn’t stop at chicken. They also serve kebabs, curries, quesadillas and more. Their free-form approach might confound those who prefer tidy categories for their restaurants. But as with the customers who enter their establishment, Iqbal and Asad commit themselves to each and every dish on the menu.

Carman expounded upon Charga’s origins in a glowing January 2022 review.

Asad Chaudry still remembers the first time he tried charga. He had flown to Pakistan for his brother’s wedding in 2012, and as part of the trip, Chaudry’s mom took him to her former neighborhood in Lahore, where they waited, and waited, in line at one of the city’s famous street vendors for a chance to bite into its singular chicken.

Chaudry knew enough about the dish, sometimes spelled chargha, to know how to eat it: He used a piece of naan to tear off a generous hunk of meat from the bird. He garnished the combination with masala onions and then dunked the bite in mint chutney. “When I tried it, I was like, ‘Man, this is amazing,'” he tells me one afternoon over the phone. “I was like, ‘I got to learn how to make it.'”

Chaudry tried to learn as much as he could on the ground in Lahore, but he admits his grasp of Pakistan’s mother tongues is shaky. But he established one important fact during his brief educational tour nearly a decade ago: The chicken is typically steamed and flash-fried, not cooked on a rotisserie as he had initially guessed. From there, Chaudry and his uncle, Iqbal Chaudry, researched and tested recipes until they had exactly what they wanted: their own take on one of Lahore’s signature dishes.

Charga is also highly rated among diners on Yelp, with a 4.5 star review average between today and the first review in 2017.

Carman’s 2022 casual restaurant list included another Arlington-connected restaurant: La Tingeria — which got its start as an Arlington food truck and was nearly shut down by the City of Falls Church after setting up its brick-and-mortar location at 626 S. Washington Street — ranked No. 4.


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