Arch Harms ‘Cannot Be Avoided’ — “Federal officials acknowledge that President Donald Trump’s planned triumphal arch will unavoidably harm historic sites if built as planned, but they say the project must move forward.” The Park Service wants local preservationists to sign an agreement on the Memorial Circle project by Monday. [Washington Post]
Drone Halts DCA Flights — “Airline pilots reported seeing a drone flying over the runway and taxiway of Reagan National Airport, prompting delays for travelers.” A traveler posted about a ground stop just after 8 p.m. Wednesday. [ABC News, Justin Wolffing/X]
Yellow Line Down This Weekend — “Metro announced Yellow Line service will be shut down Saturday, Sept. 19 and Sunday, Sept. 20. That’s due to planned bridge and track rehabilitation, according to the transit agency.” No stations will close, and the shutdown repeats next weekend. [ALXnow]
Silver Status for EV Charging — Arlington received Silver designation from the national Charging Smart program for adopting policies that expand EV infrastructure. The county now has 51 Level 2 charging ports at nine locations. [Arlington County]
Judge Blocks Surprise Demolition — “A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it as President Donald Trump has threatened.” The order followed photos of Trump examining a printout seemingly headed “Kennedy Center DEMOLISHED.” [Associated Press, Washington Post]
Anguish Over Kennedy Center — From arts critic Philip Kennicott: “Trump hasn’t just destroyed a building, or an arts center. He has dispersed a community… multiple communities who discovered each other every night, when the big modernist marble box came alive with lights, people, bustle and art.” [Washington Post]
Merger Sweetened for Virginia — Dominion Energy and NextEra, seeking approval to merge, have pledged 600 new jobs and a doubling of residential bill credits in Virginia. “Both companies share the mindset that data centers need to pay their own way,” NextEra CEO John Ketchum said. [FFXnow]
Top Democrat Blasts Data Centers — Virginia Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas (D) said she will push sweeping new regulations on data centers. “For God’s sake, this is unconscionable. I don’t know how we let it get this far out of hand,” Lucas said. [NBC 4]
Drought Watch Resumes — The Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin restarted daily drought monitoring this week after river flows at Point of Rocks, Md., fell as low as 1,506 cubic feet per second, the lowest reading in more than a month. [Capital Weather]
It’s Friday — Expect partly sunny skies today with a high near 85 and a north wind around 8 mph. Tonight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 64. [NWS]
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