Author: ARLnow.com

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]

Iraqi Visit Grounds DCA — New details have emerged about Tuesday’s ground stop at Reagan National, when security for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s visit halted flights for hours. “Commercial flights were postponed from taking off or landing at the D.C.-area airport from 11 a.m. ET until around 3 p.m. Over 300 flights were delayed and at least 126 flights were canceled, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware.” [CBS News, Dave Statter/X]

JBG Smith Exits Rosslyn — JBG Smith is poised to sell Central Place Residences, a 31-story, 377-unit apartment tower atop the Rosslyn Metro station at 1800 N. Lynn Street, to Boston-based Berkshire Residential Investments for a price expected to top $200 million. The deal would mark the Bethesda-based developer’s full exit from the Rosslyn market. [WBJ]

Drifting at the Pentagon — “Someone had fun at 3:30 this morning at a Pentagon parking lot on Army Navy Drive,” Dave Statter posted Wednesday, sharing video of the pre-dawn drifting. He wondered whether it was the same driver who used to do the same thing at the intersection with Eads Street before police caught him near the Pentagon. [Dave Statter/X]

O’Connell Runners Defend Titles — The Bishop O’Connell boys cross-country team is gearing up to defend two 2025 championships this fall. Last year’s squad first won the Virginia state Catholic crown, then captured the Division I state championship for the first time in 25 years. It has many key performers returning. [RunWashington]

MWAA Taps Airport Advisers — The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority awarded a combined $50 million in contracts to HNTB, Accenture and EY to help oversee coming infrastructure projects at Reagan National and Dulles. The work is expected to include replacing Reagan National’s aging Terminal 1 “banjo” concourse and a $22 billion overhaul at Dulles. [WBJ]

Who Pays for Power Lines — Consumer advocates and Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s (D) administration are pushing state regulators to make data centers pay for the high-voltage transmission lines that serve them, part of a Dominion Energy case over how power line costs hit customer bills. The State Corporation Commission has until Aug. 1 to decide. [Virginia Mercury]

Heat Slows Amtrak Trains — Amtrak has added temperature-related speed restrictions across the Northeast, including the D.C. region, as extreme heat grips the area. Trains may run at reduced speeds and face delays between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. through Friday, and affected customers have already been notified. [Fox 5]

Business Optimism Ticks Up — Optimism among N. Va. business leaders is improving, though some worry about taxes and the state’s new paid family and medical leave program, according to a second-quarter survey from the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce and PR firm Pinkston. About three-quarters are optimistic about their company’s performance, up from 67% in the first quarter. [FFXnow]

Youngkin Joins Venture Studio — Former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) is returning to dealmaking, joining venture studio Red Cell Partners as a partner, chairman and board member, he told Axios. Youngkin, who left as Carlyle co-CEO in 2020 to run for governor, said the role will take one to two days a week and reiterated he has no plans to run for president in 2028. [Axios]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 100 and heat index values as high as 104, along with areas of smoke between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Winds will be light from the northwest at 3–8 mph. Overnight, a slight chance of evening showers and thunderstorms gives way to a partly cloudy low around 77. [NWS]

There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.

Photo courtesy Dave Statter

CoStar Taps New CFO — Arlington-based CoStar Group announced that CFO Christian Lown is leaving after two years, to be replaced July 31 by Robin Rossmann, a seven-year company veteran who leads its European operations. The change comes as CoStar’s stock has fallen 57% this year amid investor concerns over spending on its Homes.com platform. [WBJ]

Meet the Pentagon Police Chief — The Pentagon Force Protection Agency released a video interview with Steven Taylor, chief of the Pentagon Police, in which he discusses his vision for the department, his commitment to supporting officers and his leadership philosophy. [Pentagon Force Protection Agency]

D.C. Considers Robotaxis — A D.C. Council bill to allow commercial robotaxis drew hours of testimony Monday, with rideshare drivers warning of lost income and disability advocates citing newfound independence. District approval could be a prelude to autonomous rides in Arlington and N. Va., which ARLnow examined earlier this year. [WTOP]

License Plate Cameras Destroyed — A 21-year-old Alexandria man faces charges after allegedly using a baseball bat to destroy multiple Flock Safety license plate reader cameras across the city in mid-June, including some near Fairlington. Police identified him after a camera flagged his damaged Subaru Forester and later found a metal bat inside the vehicle. [ALXnow]

Emergency Landing Near Reservoir — A military helicopter based at Joint Base Andrews made a precautionary landing near the Georgetown Reservoir in Northwest D.C. on Monday night after the crew observed “vibrating mechanical sounds.” All four crew members were safe. The reservoir feeds the Washington Aqueduct, which supplies Arlington, and officials said water service was unaffected. [NBC 4]

Virginia Posts Budget Surplus — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced that Virginia closed fiscal year 2026 with a $936.3 million general fund surplus, as revenues grew 6.7% — or $2.09 billion — over the prior year. The adopted two-year budget already banks $585.5 million of that surplus toward fiscal 2027. [Press Release]

School Standards Delay Rejected — The Virginia Department of Education said its rejected bid to postpone tougher reading and math benchmarks by two years grew out of legislative mandates and watchdog recommendations. The Board of Education blocked the delay in a 7-0-1 vote last month, keeping a four-year phase-in of higher cut scores that began this year. [Virginia Mercury]

Virginia Pushes Solar Discounts — Virginia is partnering with the nonprofit Switch Together to cut the cost of home solar arrays through a bulk-buying reverse auction, which Spanberger touted as a way to lower utility bills. The group says it trims about $6,300 off a typical system, and the offer runs in more than 100 localities through Oct. 15. [Virginia Mercury]

Wildfire Smoke Drifts In — Smoke from wildfires in Ontario and Minnesota is spreading toward the Mid-Atlantic and could thicken near the surface around D.C. and Maryland on Wednesday and Thursday, cutting visibility and air quality and possibly holding temperatures down a degree or two. Forecasters compare the potential haze to the region’s June 2023 smoke event. [Fox Weather, Tony Pann/X, NWS New York/X]

Space Jellyfish Dazzles Region — A predawn SpaceX Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral early Tuesday created a glowing, jellyfish-like plume visible across the D.C. region under clear skies. The effect happens when a rocket’s high-altitude exhaust catches sunlight while the ground below remains dark. [Capital Weather]

It’s Wednesday — Sunny and hot today with a high near 102 and a heat index as high as 104. West winds run 5–10 mph, and skies stay partly cloudy overnight with a low around 79. [NWS]

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