News

Morning Notes for March 17, 2026

The Washington-Liberty vs. Yorktown hockey game over the weekend (staff photo)

Big Gusts Last Night — An intense line of storms Monday evening produced a 68 mph wind gust at Reagan National Airport — the strongest recorded there since 2019, according to the Capital Weather Gang. Temperatures dropped more than 20 degrees in under 30 minutes. Several trees came down in Potomac, Md. and a power pole was reported down in Alexandria. [CWG/X, WWG/X]

Monday Trash Runs Today — Arlington suspended curbside collection Monday due to the severe weather. Uncompleted Monday routes will run with regular Tuesday routes today. [Arlington DES/X]

Attempted Purse Snatching — A woman was entering a residential building in the 1800 block of Columbia Pike around 3 a.m. Saturday when two women approached and attempted to steal her purse, according to police. The victim ran away after a brief struggle and no injuries were reported. [ACPD]

Hurtt Keeps GOP Chair — Matthew Hurtt was the only candidate to seek the Arlington County Republican Committee chair’s post before the recent filing deadline, and will continue serving in that capacity through early 2028, party officials said Monday. Committee members will gather Monday, March 23 to plan strategy for upcoming elections. — Scott McCaffrey

Tysons Casino Bill Advances — The Virginia Senate voted 22-16 Friday to accept a revised casino bill that would allow a temporary facility near a Silver Line Metro station in Tysons without a voter referendum. Sen. Barbara Favola (D-Arlington) opposed the measure. All gaming revenue from the temporary facility would go to Fairfax County Public Schools. [FFXnow]

Kennedy Center to Close — The Kennedy Center’s board voted Monday to shut down operations for two years following this summer’s July 4 celebrations. The board also replaced Trump ally Richard Grenell with Matt Floca as CEO and executive director. [Associated Press]

Gas Prices Surging — The average price of regular gas in Virginia is $3.52 per gallon and rising amid the conflict with Iran, with the 26.9% national increase over the past month the largest since Hurricane Katrina, according to CNN. [Washingtonian]

D.C. Sheds 22K Fed Jobs — D.C. lost over 22,000 federal jobs in 2025 as a result of DOGE-driven workforce cuts, carrying $3.66 billion in annual pay, according to new OPM data. The city’s budget had anticipated the losses, projecting 40,000 fewer federal jobs by 2029. [WTOP]

It’s Tuesday — Mostly sunny skies today with increasing cloudiness, a high near 40 and west winds of 12–15 mph, gusting to 26 mph. Colder tonight with skies clearing and a low around 27. [NWS]

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