Prosecutor Deposed by Congress — Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (D) faced nearly five hours of questions from the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, behind closed doors, as part of the panel’s investigation into her office’s immigration and prosecution policies. “I will not be intimidated into violating my oath of office to uphold the rule of law, nor will I be pressured into breaking faith with the values of the community that elected me,” she said. [WUSA9, NBC 4, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti/Bluesky]
Flaming Garbage Closes Street — A trash truck fire closed S. Fern Street near Costco in Pentagon City, between 12th and 14th Streets S., for an extended period Thursday afternoon. The flaming garbage was dumped in the loading dock area and on the street as firefighters battled the blaze, and a county excavator was brought in to help with the cleanup. [ARLnow/X]
Rosslyn Jazz Fest Returns — The Rosslyn Jazz Fest returns Sept. 12 with a lineup spanning Puerto Rican plena, New Orleans jazz, soul, funk and Afrobeat. Grammy-nominated ensemble Plena Libre headlines the free festival, which runs 1 to 7 p.m. at Gateway Park (1300 Langston Blvd). Now in its 34th year, the event also features food trucks, outdoor bars and lawn games. Tickets become available Aug. 1. [Patch]
NAACP Seeks Award Nominations — The Arlington NAACP is seeking nominations for 2026 branch awards, to be presented at the organization’s Freedom Fund Banquet on Oct. 10. Nominations are open through Aug. 15. [Arlington NAACP]
New Turf for Long Bridge — Arlington County will replace the synthetic turf at Long Bridge Park’s Field 4 on or around Aug. 3, swapping in organic wood-fiber infill, restriping the field and replacing corner flags. There may be parking impacts near the site during construction, but all other fields at the park will remain open. The project is expected to wrap this summer. [Arlington County]
National Guard Staying in D.C. — The Defense Department confirmed the National Guard will remain deployed in Washington through Inauguration Day 2029, over objections from D.C. leaders. More than 5,000 troops were sent to the city after President Trump declared a crime emergency last summer. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council have pushed to end the deployment, so far without success. [NBC 4]
Dominion Merger Review Begins — Virginia’s State Corporation Commission now has six months to review Dominion Energy’s proposed merger with Florida-based NextEra Energy after the utility filed its official arguments this week. The all-stock deal, valued at about $67 billion, would create a company serving 10 million customers across four states. The plan has drawn scrutiny from consumer advocates and Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi (D) over its potential impact on ratepayers. [Virginia Mercury]
It’s Friday — Wildfire smoke will linger over the area amid a Code Red air quality alert. Otherwise, expect mostly sunny skies today, with a high near 93 and light north winds of 1–5 mph. Overnight lows will fall to around 75, with a chance of showers and thunderstorms developing late. [NWS]
