Fence Falls on Metro Tracks — “I-66E and Metro have been shut down for a while near the East Falls Church Metro Station. Apparently fencing came down from the Washington Blvd. overpass onto the roadway and the rails. Metro confirmed a short time ago power is down allowing the fence to be cut.” [Dave Statter/X, WMATA/X]
Bar Goes Bananas After Buzzer Beater — The University of Maryland’s thrilling buzzer beater to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament electrified the crowd at Four Courts in Courthouse last night. [Ireland’s Four Courts/X]
Deluge of Delays at DCA — “Delays at Reagan National Airport tripled and cancellations spiked in the wake of January’s deadly collision between a passenger plane and a military helicopter. Last month, 34 percent of flight arrivals were delayed — compared with 11 percent in February 2024. And more than 7 percent of flights were canceled, compared with half a percent last year. Delays have dropped in recent weeks, but since the crash more than 1 in 4 flights were late.” [Washington Post]
Layoffs at Local USAID Contractor — “An Arlington nonprofit focused on ensuring free and fair democratic elections around the world is laying off dozens of employees in the wake of the Trump administration’s moves to shutter one of its main funders, the U.S. Agency for International Development. The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) eliminated 48 positions on March 2.” [WBJ]
Falls Church Tax Rate May Fall — Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields tonight is expected to propose a 2.5-cent drop in the real-estate tax rate for fiscal 2026, bringing it to $1.185 per $100 assessed valuation. The median tax bill for city homeowners would still rise about $400, or 3.4%, owing to increasing assessments. –Scott McCaffrey
Fmr. Federal Prosecutor Dies — “Former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber was found dead in Alexandria on Saturday morning, police said. She was 43… Police believe the death was the result of a longstanding medical issue, a friend of the family told NBC News.” [NBC News, Jared Serre/X]
Va. Jobs for Feds Questioned — “In public appearances, the governor has been touting 250,000 unfilled jobs in Virginia as a way forward in a state that is home to more federal employees than almost any other. But an analysis of the openings shows little overlap between available private-sector jobs and the high-paid federal ones being lost in terms of salary, health insurance and other benefits.” [Washington Post]
Region’s Unemployment Rate Up — The DC metropolitan area’s unemployment rate for January was 3.1%, according to new Bureau of Labor Statistics data, up from 2.8% in December and 2.9% in January 2024. The number of those counted as unemployed (111,226) across the metro area was up 9.6% from a year before. –Scott McCaffrey
It’s Monday — Expect showers mainly before 8am, followed by cloudy skies eventually clearing to become mostly sunny with a high near 66. Southwest winds will be between 9 and 11 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. There is a 60% chance of precipitation, with rainfall likely less than a tenth of an inch. For Monday night, anticipate increasing clouds and a low around 43, accompanied by west winds ranging from 8 to 10 mph. [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.
