Accidental Shooting in Crystal City — “Police determined that a male was inside handling a firearm when it discharged unintentionally. The person suffered a minor injury and was taken to a hospital for treatment.” The shooting happened around 5:45 p.m. Friday in an office building on the 1200 block of S. Clark Street. [Fox 5]
Charging Costs Vote Coming Tuesday — County Board members on Saturday removed a proposal to increase costs at county-run electric-vehicle charging stations from that day’s consent agenda, moving it to a public hearing to be held Tuesday, Oct. 20 no earlier than 6:30 p.m. The staff proposal calls for increasing fees 72% to help recoup higher energy and capital costs. —Scott McCaffrey
Prepping for Faith in Housing — “Arlington County is initiating zoning changes to allow by-right affordable housing on properties owned by religious and other nonprofit organizations…” The state law takes effect Jan. 1, but County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti (D) said local funding will still be needed for such projects to move forward. [WBJ]
Deputy County Manager ‘Loaned’ — County Manager Mark Schwartz announced Friday (Oct. 16) that Aaron Miller, the deputy county manager for public safety, will serve as an “executive on loan” at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, overseeing a “major regional initiative” on emergency preparedness. Miller will remain a county staffer during the unspecified length of the loan, Schwartz said. —Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Cyclist in ICU — Tofik Beshir, 19, an Arlington native who recently won the USCX cyclocross series title, remains in intensive care after a head-on crash with a car while training near his North Carolina college. “His injuries are consistent with brain shear trauma and he is not conscious yet,” according to a GoFundMe for his medical care. [Cyclingnews, GoFundMe]
No Kings Rallies Push Early Voting — Saturday’s No Kings protests focused on early voting. The group We of Action Virginia gathered at three locations across Arlington. “They marched to polling locations to mark the first time early voting was open on a weekend in Arlington.” [NBC 4]
Same-Sex Marriage on the Ballot — Ballot Question 2 would remove Virginia’s unenforceable 2006 same-sex marriage ban and enshrine marriage equality in the state constitution. Arlington couple Ron Bookbinder and James Fisher, together for 38 years, are urging a yes vote, while the Diocese of Arlington is urging a no vote. [NBC 4]
Attempted Phone Robbery — Police are investigating after a man made threats toward a woman inside a business on the 3800 block of Cathedral Lane Thursday afternoon. “The suspect then attempted to take the victim’s cellphone but was unsuccessful before he struck her and fled the business on foot,” according to police. [ACPD]
Pedestrian Struck in Bailey’s Crossroads — “A woman suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a vehicle in Bailey’s Crossroads, Fairfax County police said.” The crash happened Friday evening at S. George Mason Drive and Leesburg Pike. The driver stayed at the scene. [WJLA]
Beyer Slams Sanctions Waiver — “Trump just waived all of the sanctions on Russia provided for in the Lindsey Graham Sanctioning Russia Act, just as I and others warned he would… Congress must fix this flawed law to stop Trump from capitulating to Putin and ensure that it truly supports Ukraine.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]
State Revenues Beat Forecast — Virginia’s general fund revenues grew 8.0% through the first quarter of the fiscal year and are running 3.2% ($253.7 million) ahead of forecast, according to the office of Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D). “One strong quarter does not make a trend,” Secretary of Finance Mark Sickles said. [Press Release]
Flu Showing Up Early — “We’re definitely seeing things a little earlier than normal,” infectious disease doctor Brandon Eilertson told Axios. In Virginia, 0.58% of emergency department visits in the week ending Oct. 10 were diagnosed as flu, compared with 0.11% around the same time last year. [Axios]
Trans Youth Services Still Paused — “Children’s hospitals in Virginia have kept transgender services for patients younger than 19 on hold for more than a year following President Donald Trump’s January 2025 executive order.” The next court date in a multi-state challenge to the order is Dec. 11 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. [Virginia Mercury]
Feds Send $50M for Grid Upgrades — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright was in Lynchburg Friday to announce a $50 million federal grant for upgrades to Appalachian Power’s Virginia grid. The utility plans to match the money, bringing the total to $100 million and adding an estimated 290 megawatts of transmission capacity. [WJLA]
Season’s Chilliest Morning — Yesterday (Sunday) brought the chilliest morning of the fall so far. “Temperatures dipped into the mid- to upper 30s across much of suburban Washington, with a few spots falling into the low 30s.” Reagan National bottomed out at 43, and this morning is expected to be nearly as chilly. [Capital Weather]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies today with a high near 65 and a north wind at 5–10 mph. Tonight will be mostly clear with a low around 48 and wind gusts as high as 18 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.
