It’s a warm end to what started as a cold week.

With summer knocking on the door, there is a sense of both hope and foreboding in the air. We might be getting close to a gradual return to normal life, at last, but what if things go horribly wrong?

Via Twitter, here’s a scene tonight that probably doesn’t portend good things:

Ultimately, there is no crystal ball to tell us how things will turn out — we’ll just have to take it one day at a time, as we’ve been doing for the past two months.

One thing we are able to state with certainty: the most-read articles on ARLnow over the past week.

  1. Governor Allowing N. Va. to Reopen After Memorial Day
  2. Arlington Asks for Pause on N. Va. Reopening Amid One-Week Slowdown in New Cases
  3. APS Preparing for Possibility of Virtual Classes in the Fall
  4. Six Additional Coronavirus Deaths in Arlington Reported Overnight
  5. County Board Considers Mask Mandate but Hamstrung by Dillon Rule
  6. Police Investigating Suspicious Death Near Ballston
  7. Walk-In COVID-19 Clinic to Open on Columbia Pike Tomorrow
  8. Zip Code Data Shows Elevated Case Level Along Columbia Pike
  9. APS Class Sizes Will Increase by One in the Fall

Feel free to discuss those or other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a nice weekend!


Another week of business as abnormal has come and gone, as Arlington continues to adjust to life during a pandemic and prepare for a gradual reopening of the state.

Not helping matters is the generally wet and cool weather, which has been keeping people inside when the outdoors and sunshine might be what we need most right now — other than a vaccine, obviously. More May-like temperatures appear to be a week away.

Here are the most-read articles of the past week on ARLnow:

  1. Grocery Store Fight Leads to Suspect Stop on Route 50
  2. Zip Code Data Shows Elevated Case Level Along Columbia Pike
  3. What’s Next: Virginia Reopening as Cases Hit Peak in Arlington
  4. Arlington Coronavirus Cases Up 135 Since Friday (May 4)
  5. Arlington’s Mexican Restaurants Were Swarmed on Cinco de Mayo
  6. Governor: Easing of Business Closures May Be in Sight
  7. New Mexican Restaurant Opening Tuesday in Shirlington
  8. New Ballston Quarter Promotions Aim to Support Restaurants and Food Banks
  9. Nationwide Search Finds New APS Superintendent in Fairfax County

Feel free to discuss those or any other topics of local interest in the comments.

And for your weekend viewing, here is a video conversation we had with Arlington Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Kate Bates last night.

Fireside Chat with Kate Bates of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce

Last night ARLnow sat down for a fireside chat with Kate Bates, President and CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. We discussed the state of the business community during the pandemic, what the future might look like, and the work Kate and the Chamber are doing.

Posted by Arlington Now on Friday, May 8, 2020


May has arrived, and with it some warmer, sunnier weather — at least for now.

The past week saw literally more local news than we could cover, so we’ll be trying to catch up on some of the stories we have not gotten to yet on Monday.

In the meantime, here are the most-read stories from the past week:

  1. Police: Man Threw Dogs from Apartment Balcony
  2. Blue Angels, Thunderbirds to Fly Over Arlington on Saturday
  3. Driver Charged in Serious Crash on N. Glebe Road
  4. AWLA: Rabid Fox Attacked Two Cats in Fairlington
  5. Protest Against Rent Planned Along Columbia Pike Friday
  6. Arlington Coronavirus Deaths Rise as Cases Approach 1,000
  7. Just Reduced Properties in Arlington (April 29)
  8. N. Glebe Road Blocked By Serious Crash
  9. Arlington County Summer Programs Cancelled

Feel free to discuss those or other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a safe and healthy weekend!


After a week’s hiatus, the weekend discussion post is back.

Given the lack of a post last weekend, we’ll take a look back at the most-read Arlington stories of the past two weeks.

  1. N. Glebe Road Blocked By Serious Crash
  2. Food Giveaway Causes Huge Traffic Jam on Columbia Pike
  3. Clarendon Trader Joe’s Closed Again As More Local Store Employees Test Positive
  4. Police Investigating Death Behind Fairlington Fire Station
  5. Former County Board Member Erik Gutshall Has Died
  6. Arlington Restaurants Open for Takeout and Delivery
  7. APS Plan to Delay Teaching New Material Until Fall Irks Some Parents
  8. Local Restaurant Sues Insurance Company Over Lack of Business Interruption Payment
  9. Metro to Close Silver Line This Summer

Feel free to discuss those stories or anything else of local interest in the comments. Have a nice weekend!


A holiday weekend is here, though for many it will not be quite the same with social distancing and without travel.

For those who celebrate it, we hope you had a happy Passover or will have a happy Easter. And no matter your faith, we hope you have a nice weekend — with any luck, one that includes a meal from a local restaurant.

It’s been a long week, so without further ado here are the most-read articles of the week:

  1. Person Found Dead in Metro Tunnel Near Pentagon City Station
  2. Another Big Jump in Arlington Coronavirus Cases as County Encourages Masks (April 7)
  3. Arlington Restaurants Open for Takeout and Delivery
  4. Coronavirus Cases in Arlington Now Above 200 (April 6)
  5. Serial Flasher Arrested After Incident in Virginia Square
  6. Arlington Restaurants Embrace Newfound Ability to Deliver Cocktails
  7. Arlington Ranks as No. 1 Place for Working from Home
  8. Coronavirus Cases in Arlington Now Above 250 (April 8)
  9. Helicopter Assists with Early Morning Search for Robbery Suspect in Clarendon
  10. Erik Gutshall Resigns from County Board

Feel free to discuss those stories or anything else of local interest in the comments.


Another week of social distancing, and it’s still not clear how many are to go.

Earlier this week Gov. Ralph Northam said Virginia might see a surge of coronavirus cases as late as the latter half of May. That could push our at-home isolation well into to summer.

Let’s hope that our distancing efforts pay off and we resume some semblance of normal life before that.

Here are the most-read articles on ARLnow this week:

  1. Virginia is Now Under a Stay-at-Home Order
  2. Police: Store Employee Charged After Shooting Would-Be Thief
  3. Clarendon Trader Joe’s Closed After Employee Tests Positive for Coronavirus
  4. Photos: Drug Bust Near Columbia Pike
  5. Store Owner Goes on Fox News to Blast Decision to Charge Employee for Shooting
  6. Reported Coronavirus Cases in Arlington Top 100
  7. Arlington County Announces First Coronavirus Deaths
  8. Ask Eli: Impact of Coronavirus on the Real Estate Market, Part 4
  9. County: Clap for Healthcare Workers Tonight at 8 p.m.

Feel free to discuss those stories, or anything else of local interest, in the comments.

And now here it is, your moment of zen.


It’s a beautiful end to a busy but — if we’re going to be honest — pretty nerve-wracking work week, with hospitals filling and economic calamity hanging in the balance.

Fortunately, with regard to the latter, temporary relief is on the way for people and small businesses in the form of a newly-passed $2 trillion stimulus package. With continued social distancing measures, hopefully the worst of the medical side of the coronavirus crisis will be over in weeks and not months.

Here are the most-read ARLnow articles of the past five days:

  1. Another Jump in Coronavirus Cases in Arlington, Fairfax County (March 25)
  2. List: Arlington Restaurants That Are Offering Delivery or Takeout
  3. Bracket Room in Clarendon is Closing for Good
  4. Here’s What Happens When There’s a Coronavirus Case in an Apartment Building
  5. Governor Announces New Closure Orders for Schools, Businesses
  6. Arlington Grapples with Community Transmission of Coronavirus
  7. Athletic Fields, Dog Parks, Playgrounds Closing in Arlington
  8. El Pollo Rico Now Delivering for the First Time

Feel free to discuss those stories and anything else of local interest in the comments.


About This Post — Due to lots of coronavirus-related news, we have a number of non-disease-related local links that we haven’t been able to get to over the past two weeks. We’re running a one-time Weekend Morning Notes post to clear our queue. This will replace the usual weekend discussion post.

Arlington Cherry Blossom Walk — “Cherry blossom season in the D.C. area is a wonderful time of year, and taking in the blossoms is a beloved tradition. WalkArlington has created a walk featuring a few of our favorite locations in Arlington where you can appreciate the blooms and enjoy all that springtime in Arlington has to offer.” [WalkArlington]

Median Signs Promote Census — “What is good for the goose apparently is not good for the gander – if, that is, the gander is the Arlington County government. Those driving the roadways of Arlington in recent weeks no doubt have seen a flurry of median signage calling attention to, and promoting participation in, the federal census.” [InsideNova]

Local Cat Makes Headlines –“An adorable cat with a jaw deformity can’t help but always stick her tongue out – and her owner has insisted she wouldn’t have her pet any other way. Pretty Kitty, five, from Arlington, Virginia, can only open her mouth a ‘small amount’, and has her tongue always sticking out thanks to the way her jaw formed.” [Daily Mail]

Instant Runoff Voting for Arlington? — “Voters in future Arlington County Board elections could find themselves using the ‘instant-runoff’ method rather than the current ‘winner-takes-it-all’ manner. Both houses of the General Assembly have approved and sent to Gov. Northam a measure allowing Arlington to conduct its County Board races using instant-runoff voting, also known as ‘ranked-choice’ voting.” [InsideNova]

Arlington-Based Textile Brand Profiled — “From a plant-filled studio in Arlington, Diana Johnson translates ideas in her head to paper by lettering, illustrating and painting. Using her background in graphic design, Johnson is able to transform her artwork digitally into handcrafted products like pillows, clutches, greeting cards and, most often, prints to add a little color to any space.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Green Valley Looks Forward — “Low-level sales of marijuana and other substances in the Green Valley community in the 1960s grew into a full-fledged, open-air ‘drug supermarket’ by the early 1980s, with the intersection of 24th Road South and Shirlington Road ground zero for the illegal operations. On March 7, leaders of the community looked back at those days, and committed themselves to ensuring a better future for their community.” [InsideNova]

Chamber Acquires ‘Awesome Women’ –“Awesome Women (AWE), the professional networking group founded in Arlington in 2014 that now has six chapters throughout the DC area, announced today that it will become a program of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce later this year. The Arlington Chamber will offer women-only networking events beginning in the fall, and will call the new program the Arlington Chamber Chapter of AWE.” [Arlington Chamber of Commerce]

Victim of Pentagon Stabbing Identified — “The man who was fatally stabbed Monday morning on the platform of the Pentagon Metro station has been identified as a 25-year-old from Northwest Washington, a spokesman for the transit agency said. Sean Ronaldo Golden, who lived near the District’s Brightwood Park neighborhood, died shortly after arriving at George Washington University Hospital, a report provided by Metro says.” [Washington Post]

New Pho Restaurant Opens on Columbia Pike — Pho Harmony, a carry-out Vietnamese noodle restaurant, has opened on the 3200 block of Columbia Pike. [Twitter]

And now here it is, your moment of zen…

https://twitter.com/wamu885/status/1241206140475768832


Daylight Saving Time is this weekend, so we’ve moved the clocks forward and published the weekend discussion post a bit later than usual.

The official time change happens early Sunday morning, when clocks will “spring forward” an hour and everyone will lose an hour of sleep. While you’re setting the clocks forward, don’t forget to check and replace your smoke alarm batteries.

Now, here are the most-read articles of the week:

  1. Dominion Hills Mansion With a Curious History Could be Headed to Market
  2. Northside Social: The Epicenter of the Arlington Dating Scene?
  3. Stores Picked Clean of Hand Sanitizer, Face Masks Throughout Arlington
  4. Bus Stop Demolished, Cars Smashed on N. Barton Street
  5. Sugar Shack Donuts on Columbia Pike to Rebrand as Plant-Based Cafe
  6. County Board Member Gutshall Hospitalized
  7. Arlington County Officials Hold Coronavirus Q&A
  8. Democratic Primary Turnout in Arlington Exceeds 2016
  9. APS Preparing for ‘Possibility of School Closures in the Future’

Feel free to discuss those stories, the time change, or anything else of local interest in the comments.


It’s time again for the rarest of holidays: Leap Day.

Whether you’re expecting a visit from Leap Day William, doing something you wouldn’t normally do all the other 1,460 days in between, or just going about your daily business, we hope you have a unique and Leap Day-worthy Saturday — and a great start to March.

Here are the most-read articles of the past week on ARLnow:

  1. Man Accused of Trying to Blow Up Car in Pentagon Parking Lot
  2. Three Arlington Streets Tagged With New $200 Speeding Fine
  3. Video: Timelapse of Pentagon City Warehouses Being Torn Down for HQ2
  4. APS to Close for Super Tuesday Primary
  5. Redevelopment of Pike Shopping Center May Come as Early as Next Year
  6. Video: Caps Star Nicklas Backstrom at Home in Arlington
  7. Daycare Closure Signals Clarendon Development May Be Nearing Construction
  8. SWAT Team Makes Drug Arrest Near Virginia Square Metro
  9. New Cigar Store Rolls Into Ballston

Feel free to discuss these stories or any other topic of local interest in the comments.


It’s been another week of weather ups and downs — and plenty of local news of note.

Here are the most-read stories of the past five days:

  1. Democratic Presidential Hopeful Pete Buttigieg Coming to Arlington
  2. Redevelopment Plan for Courthouse ‘Landmark Block’ Appears Ready to Move Forward
  3. With Lots of Redevelopment Coming, County Expected to Re-Examine Clarendon Plan
  4. New Home of H-B Woodlawn Closed After Sprinkler Mishap
  5. Construction Underway on New ‘World of Beer’ in Ballston
  6. Crash, Road Rage Incident Leads to Arrest of Alexandria Man
  7. New Streets Coming With New Marriott Redevelopment in Rosslyn
  8. Morning Notes (Feb. 18)
  9. East Falls Church Metro Parking to Close for Most of the Year

Expect news from this weekend’s Arlington County Board meeting, as well as even more development-related news, next week. In the meantime, feel free to discuss the articles above or any other topics of local interest in the comments.

Have a sunny weekend!


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