Lightning Strikes Monuments — The brief New Year’s Eve thunderstorm produced lightning strikes that could be seen striking the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. [Bluesky, Bluesky]
Metro Steps Up Security — “On behalf of the Metro Transit Police Department, we are deeply saddened by the devastating events in New Orleans, and our thoughts are with all those affected by this senseless tragedy. While there are no known threats to Metro, MTPD has heightened security across the system out of an abundance of caution. Customers may notice an increased police presence as a result.” [Twitter]
Group Raises $30k for Nonprofits — The Arlington chapter of The Links, Incorporated, presented $30,000 in grants to support nonprofit organizations at its “Holiday Jingle & Mingle” celebration. “This is about more than grants — it’s about building relationships and creating pathways for change,” said Lavern Chatman, the organization’s community-partnerships chair. [Arlington Links]
D.C. Office Vacancy Ticks Down — “D.C.’s office vacancy rate is on track to decline — ever so slightly — for the first time in years, according to fresh quarterly numbers from real estate services firm JLL, though whether this about-face evolves into a trend is still to be determined. The District’s vacancy rate fell to 19.9% in the fourth quarter, down from 20% last quarter.” [WBJ]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high temperature near 40 degrees, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 11 to 16 mph and gusts up to 28 mph. For Thursday night, the conditions will be mostly clear with a low temperature around 29 degrees and a west wind at 6 to 9 mph. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar
