Pentagon Memorial Closed Today — “The National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial will be temporarily closed to the public from 3 a.m. through 12 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 11, with the exception of any victim’s families, survivors, or survivor’s families, in support of the 25th Anniversary 9/11 Observance Ceremony.” [Department of War]
Metro Pausing for Silence — Metro’s general manager said all trains and buses will stop for one minute at 9:37 a.m. today, the moment American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon, as part of a moment of silence marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks. [Tom Roussey/X]
Pentagon Center Still Unbuilt — The Pentagon is the only one of the three 9/11 attack sites without a visitor center, and the four-acre lot for its planned $100 million education center remains empty. A groundbreaking is scheduled for tomorrow, with the center now projected to open in 2029. [Washington Post]
Rescuer Recalls Pentagon Search — Retired Army Master Sgt. Mark Williams entered the burning Pentagon with an elite rescue team hours after the attack, searching for survivors and for his mentor. “It took me 20-something years to be able to say, I did my best, and I tried,” he said. [WJLA]
Evacuating the Pentagon — Renae Ditmer was working in the Pentagon basement that morning. “The nearly 25,000 people that had evacuated the building in less than two minutes filled every square inch of the northeast side of the building down to the Potomac River,” she wrote. [ICT]
Senators Push DCA Flight Cuts — Sens. Tim Kaine (D) and Mark Warner (D) will introduce a bill next week to cap arrivals at Reagan National at 28 per hour. “The convenience of 535 members of Congress can’t outweigh the safety of 25 million people who use that airport,” Kaine said. [Washington Post, Tim Kaine/X]
Rosslyn Towers Plan Abandoned — Snell Properties is asking Arlington County to terminate its approved plan for two residential towers totaling 740 units on N. Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn. “The total development cost of the project now significantly exceeds the estimated completed value,” its land use attorney wrote. [WBJ]
USS Arlington Crew Runs 5K — U.S. Navy Capt. Vince Libosi and 50 sailors from the USS Arlington visited the Pentagon Memorial on Sept. 5 and ran in the annual Arlington Police, Fire, Sheriff & ECC 9/11 Memorial 5K, taking first place in the Military Teams category. The ship retains close ties to its namesake community. [RunWashington]
Bus Fare Evasion Dips — Metro says the share of bus riders not paying dropped from about 74% to 63% after an enforcement effort, but remains too high. Evasion runs 79% in Maryland and 73% in D.C., compared with 37% in Virginia, the agency told its board. [Tom Roussey/X]
Arlington Transit Growth Lags — Arlington Transit ridership grew 1.1% in the last fiscal year while Alexandria’s DASH climbed 10%, according to state data presented to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. The General Assembly has directed a study of whether to merge ART, DASH, CUE and Fairfax Connector. [ALXnow]
Flags at Half-Staff Today — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has ordered U.S. and Virginia flags flown at half-staff on all local, state and federal buildings in the commonwealth in memory of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the attacks. Flags will be lowered at sunrise and remain there until sunset. [Press Release]
Data Centers Drive Emissions — The Washington region is less than halfway toward its goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions 50% from 2005 levels by 2030, and data centers are the prime culprit, according to Council of Governments data. Data centers accounted for about 11% of regional emissions in 2023. [FFXnow]
Dominion Merger Hearings Set — The State Corporation Commission has ordered three in-person hearings on the proposed $67 billion NextEra-Dominion merger, the first Nov. 5 in Richmond. “This is not a case that, under normal circumstances, would warrant remote, in-person hearings. But this is not a normal case,” Commissioner Samuel Towell wrote. [Virginia Mercury]
It’s Friday — Rain showers are possible this morning, mostly before 9 a.m., with a 40% chance of precipitation. Then mostly cloudy skies and a high near 82. Winds will be light out of the northeast around 6 mph. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 68. [NWS]
New Legal Notice — Applying for wine wholesaler/importer license; objections due within 30 days. [Public Notices]
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