Dems Pick Primary for County Board Race — Arlington Democrats on Wednesday opted to use a state-run primary rather than party-run caucus to select their 2025 County Board nominee. The primary will take place in June if it is needed. Incumbent Board member Takis Karantonis has informally indicated he will seek re-election, but no other candidates have yet stepped forward. –Scott McCaffrey
Gas Leak on the Pike — Traffic restrictions are in effect at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Barton Street following the discovery of a gas leak. Crews from Washington Gas discovered the leak on Wednesday while switching service from the existing pipe to a new pipe. No evacuation is needed, but only one travel lane will be open at S. Barton Street between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today. –Dan Egitto
Crashes Caught on Camera — From Dave Statter: “Two crashes, same intersection: The intersection of Langston, Kirkwood, and Spout Run this afternoon.” [Twitter]
Arlington Company Eyes Expansion — “An Arlington-based company backed by funding from the United Arab Emirates hopes to become a dominant player in the growing padel sports craze sweeping the country. Epic Padel is focused both nationally and in Greater Washington, where it has identified a pair of Northern Virginia sites for new venues featuring the fast-growing racket sport, considered a cross between tennis and squash. And zooming out, it aims to have courts in 50 metro areas by 2030.” [WBJ]
Axios HQ Makes Acquisition — “[Clarendon-based] Axios HQ, the leading internal comms solution powered by Smart Brevity® and AI, has acquired Mixing Board, a community of the nation’s top comms, brand, and marketing leaders focused on advancing their industries.” [BusinessWire, WBJ]
New CEO for Rosslyn-Based Nestle — “Nestle USA, the Rosslyn-based U.S. division of Swiss global food and pet care giant Nestle SA, has tapped Marty Thompson to be its new CEO and U.S. market head. He will start in his new role in January, according to Thursday’s announcement. Thompson will assume Nestle USA’s top spot after serving as the president of Nestle Coffee Partners.” [WBJ]
F.C. Facing Budget Gap — “While a lot of variables and as-yet-unknown factors prevail for now, the Falls Church City Council and School Board got together for their annual early-December launch of a new annual budget cycle at City Hall Monday, and learned that, at least for now, to meet current projections will require about a 4 cent increase in the real estate tax rate next year.” [FCNP]
Nearby: Amazon Fresh Opening Soon — “Amazon Fresh is coming to Bailey’s Crossroads. The e-commerce giant announced today that the newest location of its grocery store chain will open in the Crossroads Center shopping center next Thursday, Dec. 12. Located at 5811 Crossroads Center Way, the 40,000-square-foot store will feature Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ shopping.” [FFXnow]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and temperatures reaching a high of 37 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 11 to 14 mph and gusts as high as 23 mph. During Friday night, the skies will be mostly clear, and temperatures will drop to a low of around 24 degrees. A west wind of 6 to 8 mph will also be present. [NWS]
