Wilma Jones, President of the John M. Langston Citizens Association ,sat down with Jo DeVoe to discuss Plan Langston Boulevard, community history, and historic preservation efforts in the Halls Hill neighborhood.

Eli Tucker of the Eli Residential Group sat down with ARLnow editor-in-chief Scott Brodbeck to discuss the current state of the Arlington real estate market, in light of high mortgage interest rates, as well as the impacts of new Missing Middle policies and Amazon's HQ2.

Eli has been ARLnow's real estate columnist since 2015.

Rahmein, Scott, Jo, and James discussed some of the top stories in Arlington for the week ending Sept. 29, 2023.

Discussed this week:

• Revamped, food-centric Crystal City Water Park set to open next week
• New study sees surge of people living alone in Arlington
• A $4 million renovation of Ballston Wetlands Park is officially complete — and beavers returned for the occasion
• Metro 29 Diner reopening after sewer line repairs
• APS to pause middle school boundary process for one year
• Big Tony's Pizzeria & Dive Bar opens in Clarendon, replacing Bronx Pizza
• UPDATED: Large police response at Yorktown HS after threatening phone call
• Wakefield High School sees second student death this year

Scott, Jo, and James discussed some of the top stories in Arlington for the week ending Sept. 22, 2023.

Discussed this week:

• County poised to require drivers to come to a full stop for pedestrians in crosswalks
• Cookie purveyor Chip City could open next month in Clarendon
• Heads up: There's a flaming pile of trash in the middle of Wilson Blvd
• Missing teen found by tow driver who previously talked man down from ledge
• NEW: Judgment in Missing Middle lawsuit likely one month away
• Arlington man arrested in connection to Lyon Village hit and run
• Amid shutdown fears, Rep. Don Beyer emotional letters from government workers

Rahmein, Jo, James, and Scott discussed some of the top stories in Arlington for the week ending Sept. 15, 2023.

Discussed this week:

• At long last, Astro Beer Hall to open in Shirlington next Tuesday
• Covid cases on the rise in Arlington, but so far lower than last year
• Crystal Drive was closed for several hours yesterday due to utility company accident
• Cleveland-based 'loaded fries' eatery launches delivery-only kitchen near Clarendon
• Nottingham 'swing space' proposal puts cart before horse, says county-wide PTA
• Morning Poll: How do you feel about duplexes?
• Arlington art teacher and parent learns to 'walk with cancer' after a diagnosis upended her life
• County Board, community leaders recommend tweaks to strengthen draft Plan Langston Blvd plan

Jo, James and Scott discussed some of the top stories of the week in Arlington as the busier fall news cycle gets started.

Discussed this week:

• Manhunt for escaped D.C. murder suspect underway just across from Arlington
• Under construction Centurion Lounge at DCA shows new signs of progress
• Ireland's Four Courts is planning to reopen this week
• Some neighbors fought a duplex, and won, as county approves more Missing Middle homes
• More than half of South Arlington families struggle to afford basic needs
• Woman cited after car towed with kids inside
• Arlington has spent $150,000 on fencing at local parks to help quiet the pickleball pop
• Stick shift foils attempted carjacking in Ballston

Jo, James and Scott discussed some of the top stories of the week in Arlington. It's the late August news doldrums but we still had plenty to talk about.

Let us know what you think about this format, as we continue to prepare for the official podcast relaunch. Email feedback to [email protected]

Discussed this week:

• An acoustic fence is coming to Walter Reed pickleball courts
• Suspects armed with 'AK-47' rob man after rear-end crash
• Panera Bread looks to replace former Cosi in Ballston after three-year vacancy
• Persistent one-word graffiti spree around Arlington is vexing neighbors
• Police respond to attempted kidnapping of Ronald McDonald
• Arlington actor bids farewell to 'To Kill a Mockingbird' Broadway tour
• Power being restored after 10,000 in dark around Pentagon City and Crystal City
• ACPD to conduct road safety campaign as students go back to school next week

We're still rehearsing and testing the format for our revamped ARLnow Podcast, but wanted to give listeners a preview of what we're working on. Jo, James and Scott were joined this week by guest host Rahmein Mostafavi.

Let us know what you think... email feedback to [email protected]

Discussed this week:

• New Ikea location in Pentagon City to open tomorrow
• One year after fiery crash, Ireland's Four Courts now aims to open in early September
• "Tropical glam bar" Coco B's hoping to open this weekend in Clarendon
• Numerous crashes block I-395 after truck hit-and-run suspect steals Arlington ambulance
• DCA to change its roads, add parking and build a new rental car facility
• Dominion Energy says burying power lines in Arlington complex and costly
• Crash involving overturned vehicle blocking N. Glebe Road at I-66 ramps
• New vape shop wafts in to prominent Wilson Blvd storefront in Courthouse
• Introducing the new ARLnow merch shop
• Preview of some of next week's stories

After a multi-year hiatus, ARLnow's podcast is returning. Our first test episode recording turned out pretty well, so we decided to let you listen to it.

It starts with a discussion of some local news of the week, then transitions to a discussion about local news reporting and journalism as a career. The episode features ARLnow founder Scott Brodbeck, reporter/editor Jo DeVoe, incoming reporter/editor James Jarvis, and Peter Berlizov, a local high school student who showed up for a tour of our office and got roped into interviewing ARLnow's staff for the podcast.

Let us know what you think of this format by emailing [email protected]!

We talked with Telly Tucker, the new head of Arlington Economic Development, about Friday's reopening, what's going on with the local economy, the plight of small businesses during the pandemic, and the growth of tech companies in Northern Virginia.