News

Morning Notes for April 13, 2026

Window reflections on a sunny spring day in Courthouse (courtesy George Brazier)

Foot Chase on Columbia Pike — A teen was arrested Friday night after a reported fight near Columbia Pike and S. Dinwiddie Street, according to police. The suspect allegedly pulled a knife during the altercation, then fled on foot before being caught behind a 7-Eleven. He faces charges including attempted malicious wounding, assault on a police officer and obstruction of justice. [Dave Statter/X, WUSA 9]

Meals on Wheels Lands $70M Gift — Crystal City-based Meals on Wheels America has received a $70 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The nonprofit, headquartered at 1550 Crystal Drive, supports roughly 5,000 community-based meal providers nationwide and says it will use the unrestricted funds to strengthen local provider capacity. [WBJ]

Pull-Up Busts GMU Pipe — A man admitted to doing a pull-up that burst a water pipe at George Mason University’s Mason Square campus (3300 Fairfax Drive) in late March, flooding the parking garage. He turned himself in to university police. “Moral of the story is ‘if you mess up, you fess up!’” a GMU police spokesperson said. [WTOP]

Snowcrete Finally Melts — The huge pile of snowcrete at the county’s N. Quincy Street property is now just a puddle, 75 days after the original storm. [ARLnow/X]

Cheese Cartel Opens — State Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37th) joined the ribbon cutting last week for The Cheese Cartel, a new cheese shop at Founders Row (922 W. Broad Street) in Falls Church. [Sen. Salim/X]

F.C. Housing Costs Questioned — The chair of Falls Church’s Economic Development Authority balked at costs tied to the planned Virginia Village redevelopment on S. Maple Avenue, which aims to boost the city’s affordable housing stock. A consultant proposal of $175,000 for a couple months’ work drew sharp criticism. [FCNP]

Va. Minimum Wage Headed to $15 — Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill that will incrementally increase Virginia’s minimum wage from $12.77 to $15 an hour by 2028. The N. Va. Chamber of Commerce had urged a veto, warning the increase could worsen inflation. [NBC 4]

Chick-fil-A Visa Luck — Chinese students and workers, including those in Northern Virginia, have embraced Chick-fil-A as a good-luck charm for U.S. visa applications because the name sounds like “check files” in Chinese. Some 3D-print the logo, embroider it on keychains or set it as their social media profile picture, hoping for H-1B lottery luck. [AP]

D.C. Eyes Driverless Rides — The D.C. Council plans to begin reviewing legislation by month’s end that would permit commercial driverless vehicle service. Waymo, which has about 25 test vehicles in D.C., is eyeing multiple depot sites that would each employ about 100 people. [WBJ]

Drought Deepens in Region — Most of the D.C. area remains in moderate drought after a dry March, and April is tracking below average for precipitation. Portions of Virginia near Richmond have slipped to severe drought, and the Capital Weather Gang says there’s not much rain in the near future. [CWG/X]

Region Preps for America 250 — D.C., Maryland and Virginia organizers are planning celebrations for the nation’s 250th birthday, including what they say will be the largest fireworks display in U.S. history on July 4. Events run from May through July, and Fairfax County is rolling out “Fairfax 250” wine. [WTOP]

It’s Monday — Expect partly sunny skies with a high near 83 and southwest winds around 14 mph, gusting to 26 mph. There’s a slight chance of afternoon rain showers. Overnight lows drop to around 63. [NWS]

Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.

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  • Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. The ARLnow staff byline is used for the Morning Notes and reporting done by an editor or other member of our full-time staff.