News
A view of D.C, Roosevelt Island, the Washington Monument and the Capitol, from Rosslyn (staff photo)

Thieves Pepper Spray Witness — “At approximately 6:36 p.m. on October 14, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined two female suspects entered the business, collected merchandise and exited the store without payment. A witness confronted the suspects as they entered their parked vehicle, during which the passenger, Suspect Two, deployed pepper spray before both suspects fled the scene in the vehicle.” [ACPD]

Flyover Scheduled Today — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, October 16 at approximately 11:10AM.”

More Federal Layoffs Planned — “The Trump administration could slash more than 10,000 federal jobs during the government shutdown, White House budget director Russell Vought said Wednesday. “We want to be very aggressive where we can be in shuttering the bureaucracy, not just the funding,” said Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget.” [CNBC, Axios, Associated Press]

Reporters Vacate Pentagon — “Nearly every Pentagon reporter from almost every major media outlet in America turned in their press badges Thursday, after refusing to endorse the Defense Department’s new rules that they say would make it impossible to do their jobs independently.” [Axios, WTOP]

No Info on Paused Federal Grants — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is not providing Virginia legislators or the public details of hundreds of millions of dollars of paused federal grants, according to records requests and documents acquired by VPM News and WAMU.” [VPM]

GOP Shows Reply Texts — “We texted Arlington Democrats earlier this week about an 11-year-old victim of Richard Kenneth Cox. Here are some responses from Arlington Dems and the original text.” [NSFW: Arlington GOP/X]

Beyer Tackling Energy Costs — “Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today led 21 U.S. Representatives representing districts within the PJM Interconnection service territory, the largest power grid operator in the United States, to demand that PJM take key steps to address skyrocketing energy bills for American households.” [Press Release]

Fintech Week in Pentagon City — “Promising to bring “the brightest minds in finance, technology, and regulation to explore the future of fintech,” DC Fintech Week got underway at Amazon HQ2 on Tuesday.” [DC News Now]

Doc Looks at W&OD Trail History — “A new PBS documentary is airing this weekend, and it features Northern Virginia’s own Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail… Harnik says the W&OD Trail — which partially opened in 1974 in the City of Falls Church with the help of NOVA Parks and Dominion Energy — was instrumental in pushing the national rails-to-trails movement forward.” [FFXnow]

Warm End to Month? — “Looking ahead at DC’s weather thru back half of October: Lots of highs in the 60s to near 70 — close to average or a little above. A few chances of rain (next one Sunday night); we need it!!! Watching tropics at end of month.” [CWG/X]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunny conditions and a high temperature around 62 degrees, accompanied by a north wind blowing at 9 to 14 mph and gusts reaching up to 26 mph. Thursday night will be clear with the temperature dropping to a low of around 42 degrees, while the north wind continues to blow at approximately 8 mph. [NWS]


Around Town

Good Wednesday 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 — Oct 15, 2025.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect sunny conditions and a high temperature around 62 degrees, accompanied by a north wind blowing at 9 to 14 mph and gusts reaching up to 26 mph. Thursday night will be clear with the temperature dropping to a low of around 42 degrees, while the north wind continues to blow at approximately 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
– Confucius

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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.


News

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is selling his Arlington home after it was repeatedly targeted by activists.

The nearly 6,000-square-foot house, custom built with interiors that “embrace a refined Southern California aesthetic,” is listed for $3.75 million. Located on a cul de sac adjacent to a park in a quiet northern Arlington neighborhood, it sold new in 2023 for $2.875 million, records show.

Miller, said to be “the architect of Trump’s hardline immigration policy,” is one of the administration’s most controversial figures. On at least two occasions this year, including most recently in mid-September, activists have written messages of protest in front of his house and in the nearby park.

“Stephen Miller is destroying democracy,” “stop the kidnapping,” we [love] immigrants,” “hate has no home in Arlington,” “no white nationalism,” and “trans rights are human rights” are among the chalk messages seen last month before being washed away.

The chalk messages were written just days after the assassination of Charlie Kirk in Utah, prompting Miller’s wife, the podcaster and former communications official Katie Miller, to post a message of defiance on social media.

“To the ‘Tolerant Left’ who spent their day trying to intimidate us in the house where we have three young children: We will not back down. We will not cower in fear. We will double down. Always, For Charlie,” she posted via X on Sept. 14, accompanied by a video of some messages being removed with a garden hose.

She subsequently posted a photo of “DEI enriches us all” written in chalk on a sidewalk, labeling it “the rallying cry of the losers of the Left.” Miller’s podcast, which launched in August, was often recorded in the home’s living room.

Several media outlets including the Daily Mail (UK) reported on the chalk protest and the Millers’ reaction to it. During an appearance on The Sean Hannity Show, Stephen Miller and Hannity asserted that the messages amounted to “terroristic threats.”

The family was subsequently seen moving out a couple of weeks ago, neighbors said, and the home was listed for sale on Oct. 7. An elaborate set of Halloween decorations were also removed. It is unclear where the family moved to.

“At this time, the house is on the real estate market as the Millers have moved,” the most recent edition of the neighborhood civic association newsletter reported.

A White House spokeswoman did not respond to ARLnow’s request for comment.

An organization claiming credit for the September chalk protest, Arlington Neighbors United for Humanity, has denied handing out leaflets or sharing personal information about the Millers while writing on the sidewalk in chalk. In an Instagram post, the group said members were “expressing our concerns about the harm being done to our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Arlington voted 77.5% to 19.5% for Kamala Harris over Donald Trump last year, though Trump improved his local numbers slightly over 2020.

During the first Trump administration, Miller’s then-home in the CityCenterDC development was targeted by activists who handed out faux “wanted” posters with his photo and address. Social media photos from a few months ago alleging that similar “wanted” signs were posted on utility poles in nearby neighborhoods could not be independently verified by ARLnow.

The family’s Arlington home remains on the market, according to online listing services, despite no “for sale” sign being posted.

The home has six bedrooms and 6.5 baths, and features carrara marble kitchen countertops, a “black leathered marble island,” a “boutique style dressing room,” a “spa inspired bath [that] includes radiant heated floors,” “a covered rear porch with retractable screens,” and “comprehensive security.”

“This is luxury living at its finest,” the listing said.

This is not the only protest in front of an Arlington home to make recent headlines. In 2024 pro-Palestinian protesters spent months camped out in front of then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s house on N. Chain Bridge Road. Earlier this year, pro-Palestinian protests targeted the north Arlington home of a foundation board member; protesters spray painted the driveway, posted flyers, banged pots and pans, and called the homeowner a “war criminal.”


Around Town

An Arlington Public Schools teacher is in the final rounds for a Grammy award honoring outstanding music educators.

Bill Podolski, the choral director at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, is one of 25 nationwide semifinalists for the 2026 Grammy Music Educator Award, announced last week. The accolade is bestowed on one music teacher each year who is honored during the week of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

“I truly was pinching myself, because I just couldn’t believe it,” Podolski told ARLnow. “I felt quite proud of it … but more than that, I’m super humbled by this.”

This year’s semifinalists represent 23 localities across 14 states. A list of 10 finalists will come out next month before the winner of the 2026 Music Educator Award is announced in February.

This award is open to all music teachers in the United States, from kindergarten to collegiate level. Teachers are invited to apply after receiving a nomination from a student, colleague or community member.

Podolski is currently in his 18th year at H-B Woodlawn, where he teaches music, co-directs student musicals and leads the school’s choral program in Rosslyn. He is also an executive board member of the Virginia Choral Directors Association.

He instructs five choirs and interacts with about 130 students each day, in addition to leading initiatives like the school’s public Community Chorus. He also collaborates with APS’ Eunice Kennedy Shriver Program to include students with disabilities in every concert.

Bill Podolski and students (via Arlington Public Schools)

At the core of Podolski’s passion for music education is an “inherent joy in singing.”

“There’s almost no greater joy, no greater expression of emotions, and that feeling of goosebumps than I have felt in singing,” Podolski said. “My quest is to share that experience with as many people as possible, and especially my students.”

Podolski was initially selected in the spring as one of 200 Music Educator Award quarterfinalists from a pool of over 2,000 nominees. He was nominated by a local parent, he said.

In his Grammy application portfolio, Podolski spoke about his goal of creating classrooms that encourage students to be more autonomous.

“How can I teach music in a way that is not me teaching them, but them discovering at their own paces?” he said.

This is not the first time a Northern Virginia teacher has been up for the prestigious award. Last year’s winner, Annie Ray, is the orchestra director and performing arts department chair at Annandale High School in Fairfax County.

The 68th annual Grammy Awards will take place Feb. 1, 2026.

Photo 2 via Arlington Public Schools


Announcement

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we thought we’d share 5 Steps to Ease Conflict & Reconnect this Valentines, from Stacey Cali, M.A., Resident in Counseling:

Do “Small Things Often”: Don’t wait for “Date Night”. Use more eye contact, really listen and show genuine curiosity daily.