Author: ARLnow.com

Clement Qualifies for Ballot — Independent Audrey Clement has qualified to be on the Nov. 3 Arlington County Board ballot, election officials confirmed to ARLnow. Clement has been running for local office as a protest candidate since 2011, typically for County Board but on two occasions for School Board. Last November, she finished second in the five-candidate County Board race, receiving 15% of the vote to 65% for Democrat Takis Karantonis. —Scott McCaffrey

Nvidia Backs Clarendon Startup — Arlington software startup ORAN Development Co. (2300 Clarendon Blvd) has raised $45 million in a round led by Nvidia and Booz Allen Hamilton’s venture arm to develop software that turns cell towers into mini data centers. AT&T, Nokia and Cisco also invested. [WBJ]

AeroVironment Buys ESAero — Arlington-based defense tech company AeroVironment has acquired California-based Empirical Systems Aerospace for approximately $200 million, its second major deal following the $4.1 billion purchase of BlueHalo in 2025. [Potomac Tech Wire]

Caffè Nero’s Compass Makeover — Caffè Nero, the European coffee chain that won Compass Coffee’s assets at auction for $4.76 million, is taking a slow approach to rebranding the local shops. The company plans to close the Rosslyn location (1201 Wilson Blvd) briefly next week to repair plumbing damage from before the sale. [WBJ]

Vision Zero’s Cautionary Snail — Arlington County is offering free Vision Zero lawn signs featuring a “Cautionary Snail” mascot to remind drivers to slow down. Supplies are limited. [Arlington County]

Pentagon City Skating Ends — “Time to garage the zamboni and put the ice skates away for the winter. Spring is here!” [CartChaos22202/X]

Restaurant Burglary Arrest — An Arlington man, 27, has been charged with burglarizing Pupatella Pizza in Merrifield’s Mosaic District last August and Churasuko in Tysons in March, stealing alcohol and cash, according to FCPD. [FFXnow]

Peak Bloom Declared — “PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! PEAK BLOOM! It’s official! The cherry blossoms are opening & putting on a splendid spring spectacle.” [National Mall NPS/X]

Warner: Moratorium ‘Idiocy’ — Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called a proposed national moratorium on AI data center construction “idiocy,” saying it would give China an edge in the AI race. The moratorium was proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). [Axios]

D.C. Federal Task Force Extended — The House voted 218-206 to extend Trump’s D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force through 2029. The bill, sponsored by Rep. John McGuire (R-Va.), seeks to codify the executive order that ramped up federal law enforcement and immigration arrests in D.C. [Washington Post]

Helicopter Flight Stats — Military, air medical and law enforcement helicopters average about 91 flights per day in the D.C. area, according to a new GAO report that recommends military operators improve community outreach about noise impacts. [PoPville, Martin Austermuhle/X]

It’s Friday — Expect rain throughout the day with a high near 64 degrees, though temperatures will fall to around 50 by the afternoon. Winds out of the north at 9–13 mph with gusts up to 22 mph. A dramatic cooldown follows overnight, with a low around 33 and rain likely before 2 a.m. [NWS]

Arlington’s Fudd Lights Up Tourney — Arlington native Azzi Fudd tied her career high with 34 points and hit 8 three-pointers as top-seeded UConn routed Syracuse 98-45 in the second round of the NCAA women’s tournament. The undefeated Huskies (36-0) face North Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Friday. [ESPN, Yahoo Sports]

Grenade Report at Eden Center — Falls Church police and bomb units from ACPD and ACFD responded to Eden Center Wednesday afternoon after a report of a grenade in the parking lot. The scene was cleared and businesses and roads reopened by 3 p.m. [Fox 5]

Bullet Found in Home — A woman in the 800 block of S. Greenbrier Street heard a loud noise Monday afternoon and found damage to her ceiling and a bullet on the floor, according to police. No injuries were reported and the investigation is ongoing. [ACPD]

DCA: Get There Early — Reagan National is urging spring break travelers to arrive early and check live TSA wait times at flyreagan.com. TSA staffing gaps from the DHS shutdown have made conditions unpredictable at area airports, with lanes suddenly closing and triggering major backups. [Reagan Airport/X, Axios]

Custis Trail Repaving Ahead — Sections of the Custis Trail will be repaved starting March 30, with work running through mid-April. The project covers the stretch from N. Oak Street to Langston Blvd, including through Hayes Park and Lyon Village. [Arlington Infrastructure/Bluesky]

N. Va. 40 Under 40 Announced — The Leadership Center of Arlington and Leadership Fairfax have named 40 honorees for 2026, including leaders from Arlington County government, ACFD, VHC Health, the Rosslyn BID and more. A virtual celebration is set for April 14 with an in-person reception at Caboose Commons in Fairfax. [Leadership Center]

Spanberger Rejoins ERIC — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has started the process of reentering the Electronic Registration Information Center, the voter roll data-sharing program that Virginia left under former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). Virginia was a founding member of ERIC under Gov. Bob McDonnell (R). [Virginia Scope]

Redistricting Reshapes Spanberger — The fight over Virginia’s congressional redistricting referendum has overshadowed Gov. Spanberger’s affordability agenda, according to the Washington Post, and recast her moderate image just two months into her term. [Washington Post]

Peak Bloom Approaches — “Despite a sunny afternoon and patches of blue sky, the cherry blossoms remain at Stage 5: Puffy White. Peak Bloom can’t be far away.” [NPS/X]

Blossoms Blooming Locally — Cherry blossoms bloom throughout Arlington, too — not just at the Tidal Basin. Here’s where to find them.

New Legal Notice — A 117.1-foot antenna collocation is proposed; comments on potential impact to historic properties are due in 30 days. [Public Notices]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 75 degrees and southwest winds at 9–13 mph, gusting up to 25. Clouds increase overnight with a 50% chance of light rain and a low around 57. [NWS]

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

Juvenile Assaulted Near Rosslyn — A juvenile was assaulted Sunday afternoon near 16th Street at N. Quinn Street by another juvenile known to him, according to police. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and declined medics at the scene. The suspect fled on foot. [ACPD]

Space Flight Boosts Edtech Firm — Aisha Bowe’s flight to space last April aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard boosted her Arlington company Lingo after federal DEI crackdowns chilled demand for its coding kits. Arlington and Fairfax county schools began purchasing the kits for extracurricular programs, and Lingo has sold more than 10,000 nationally. [WBJ]

Wakefield Grad Up for TV Award — Wakefield High School alumnus Christian Yosef’s short film “Trife,” about a father and son experiencing homelessness, has been nominated for the Television Academy’s 45th College Television Awards. Yosef wrote and directed the film while earning his MFA at USC. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in North Hollywood on Friday. [Arlington Magazine]

Washingtonian’s Arlington Guide — Washingtonian published a neighborhood guide to Arlington featuring new restaurants, shops and things to do, including Oasis the Listening Bar in Clarendon, the Pinball Basement in Rosslyn and the Wandering Shelf mobile bookshop. [Washingtonian]

New Kayak Launch on Four Mile Run — “Congrats to the Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation and the City of Alexandria on the new kayak launch just across from Arlington’s Water Pollution Treatment Plant. More multi for multimodal.” [Arlington DES/X]

Housing Fair Next Month — Arlington’s annual Housing Fair is set for Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m.–4 p.m. at the Walter Reed Community Center. The free event connects residents with mortgage lenders, real estate agents and housing resources. No RSVP required. [Arlington County]

ICE at DCA, IAD — ICE officers arrived at Reagan National Airport earlier this week, and were also at Dulles International Airport early yesterday to assist with security checkpoints, as TSA workers remain unpaid during the government shutdown. A senior ICE official said officers will check IDs and assist with crowd control but are not trained to operate X-ray screening machines. [Andrew Leyden/X, Fox 5, NBC 4]

Falls Church City Manager to Retire — Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields on Tuesday announced plans to retire. He has served in the post since 2007 and was assistant city manager before that in a local-government career spanning 23 years. Shields’s expected retirement date is Sept. 4. City Council members in coming days plan to detail plans for the search for a replacement. [Falls Church News-Press]

Vape Crackdown on Governor’s Desk — Attorney General Jay Jones (D) is backing the Vape Enforcement Act, two bills that would restrict vape shops to selling only FDA-authorized or FDA-pending products. “If they continue to break the law, they are going to lose their license,” Jones said. The bills are on the governor’s desk. [WJLA]

Offshore Wind Hits Milestone — Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project is now sending power to the grid after its first commercial turbine was switched on Monday. The project, the largest offshore wind farm in the U.S., is about 70% complete and will produce 2.6 gigawatts when finished. [Virginia Mercury]

March Rainfall Below Average — D.C. has received 1.79 inches of precipitation this month, a bit below average, while Dulles is at 2.61 inches, about three-quarters of an inch above average, according to the Capital Weather Gang. Interstate 95 has been roughly the dividing line between wetter conditions to the west and drier to the east. [CWG/X]

It’s Wednesday — Expect partly sunny skies today with a high near 60 degrees and south winds at 3–9 mph. Tonight turns mostly cloudy with a low around 49 and south winds around 8 mph. [NWS]

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No ICE at Area Airports — No ICE officers were visible at Dulles, Reagan National or BWI on Monday as the Trump administration deployed immigration agents to 13 other U.S. airports to supplement TSA during the partial government shutdown. DHS said it would not confirm officer locations “for operational security reasons.” [WTOP, Jake Sherman/X]

New O’Connell Leader Named — Bishop Michael Burbidge has appointed Jonathan Brand as the next head of school at Bishop O’Connell High School, effective July 1. Brand, most recently head of school at Grymes Memorial School in Orange, Va., replaces Bill Crittenberger, who is retiring. [Arlington Diocese]

Reminder: Parkway Resurfacing — Resurfacing work on the GW Parkway between Spout Run and Alexandria is set to begin this week. [ARLnow]

Arlington County Survey — More than 1,200 Arlingtonians have taken the 2026 Resident Satisfaction Survey so far, and the county is encouraging more to weigh in before the March 31 deadline. [Arlington County/X]

Clarendon Author’s Debut — Clarendon resident Rebecca Morrison’s debut YA novel, “The Blue Dress,” releases today from Macmillan Publishers. The loosely autobiographical book tells the story of a 12-year-old Iranian immigrant navigating racism and disordered eating. [Arlington Magazine]

Arlington in 1930 — The “Our Man in Arlington” column looks back at the news stories Arlingtonians were reading about in March 1930, including a County Board rezoning controversy and referendums that led to the adoption of the county manager form of government. [FCNP]

Peak Bloom This Week — “This weekend’s warm weather pushed the Yoshino cherry trees to Stage Five: Puffy White. The blossoms are coming out, we’re just waiting on them to open. We expect Peak Bloom this week!” [National Mall NPS/X]

It’s Tuesday — Expect a cooler day with sunny skies and a high near 52, well below yesterday’s 65. North wind at 2–7 mph. Overnight lows drop to around 37 under partly cloudy skies. [NWS]

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