Author: ARLnow.com

Board Meetings Could Start Later — Arlington County Board Saturday meetings in 2025 would start an hour later, 9:30 a.m. vs. the current 8:30 a.m., under a proposal coming to Board members Saturday. Any decision won’t be final until the body’s organizational meeting on Jan. 6. [Arlington County]

GMU Law Lawsuit — “Two law students at George Mason University… have filed a free speech and due process lawsuit against the school president and other leaders, saying their constitutional rights were violated after raising concerns about putting tampons in men’s restrooms.” [WTOP, Virginia Mercury]

Ribbon Cutting for Hopkins Clinic — From state Sen. Barbara Favola: “Proud to welcome @HopkinsMedicine to Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood. This center offers primary & speciality care to patients, including walk-ins. It’s located on bus & metro lines in one of our most densely populated areas, taking a step in improving equitable access to care.” [Twitter]

Follow ARLnow on Bluesky — ARLnow will soon start posting local news headlines regularly on Bluesky, the fast-growing social network that just crossed the 15 million user mark. ALXnow and FFXnow are also on the service. [Bluesky]

Local GOP Greets Trump — From Arlington GOP Chair Matthew Hurtt: “Excited to welcome @realDonaldTrump back to the White House today. @goparlington and our friends were out in force as his motorcade made its way onto the White House compound for his historic meeting with @JoeBiden.” [Twitter]

Torri Huske Back on Campus — “An exemplary student, Huske took a gap year last year to prepare for the Olympic Games and returned to Stanford in September. Though she isn’t quite sure of her long-term career goals yet, she will be a design major working in engineering and sustainability.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Hacking Event for Parking Data — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Hey Arlington nerds: Do this Nov. 16 parking-data hacking event. Please note: this is an in-person multi-person experience so prepare accordingly.” [Twitter]

Some Optimism for More Snow — ” It would be going out on a limb to forecast a cold and snowy winter. But we’re not convinced this winter will be a total bust. In fact, we’re projecting more snow than last winter (8 inches) and perhaps the most since 2018-2019 (16.9 inches). And we don’t expect it to be as mild as most recent winters. We’re predicting that temperatures will end up close to the norm.” [Capital Weather Gang]

It’s Thursday — Expect rain in the afternoon, with cloudy skies and a high of 52°F. Winds will be east at 5-8 mph, and there’s a 70% chance of precipitation, potentially up to a quarter of an inch. Tonight, rain will continue until 4am, accompanied by patchy fog and a low of 45°F, with east wind around 7 mph. The chance of precipitation increases to 90%, with potential amounts between a quarter and half an inch. [NWS]

ACPD Announces DUI Arrests — “On Saturday evening, officers conducted a DUI Saturation Patrol, a detail designed to make our roadways safer by identifying, stopping and apprehending drivers who are under the influence. During the detail, officers conducted 28 traffic stops which resulted in 4 DUI arrests, 1 Open Container arrest, 3 Reckless Driving summonses and issued 17 traffic summonses.” [Twitter]

Fmr. Airline Exec Dies in Arlington — “Ben Baldanza, who turned a small money-losing airline called Spirit into a profit-making powerhouse through a combination of ultralow prices, bare-bones service, outrageous marketing and a no-apologies approach to customer complaints, died on Tuesday at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 62.” [New York Times, Skift]

Bishop Talks Abortion Initiatives — “Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia, who chairs the USCCB’s committee on pro-life activities, told Catholic broadcast company EWTN last week that his committee will discuss the election results, particularly state ballot initiatives where the anti-abortion movement has a losing record.” [Associated Press]

Amazon Office Return Causes Stir — “Amazon CEO Andy Jassy reportedly told employees last week that the company’s stricter return-to-office policy was not put in place as a way to ‘backdoor fire’ employees. At an all-hands meeting on Nov. 5 Jassy told employees that the company’s new five-day-a-week policy for corporate employees was aimed at improving company culture… The headcount at its HQ2 in Pentagon City totaled 8,000 as of the start of the year.” [WBJ]

New Nature Center Hours — Arlington’s two nature centers, Long Branch and Gulf Branch, are now operating on their expanded operating hours. The new hours, which took effect yesterday, include weekday hours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Saturday hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday hours from 1-5 p.m. [ARLnow]

Fairfax Co. Cracking Down on Races — “Police Chief Kevin Davis and other officials warned at a press conference last week that those caught drag racing on Fairfax County streets will be found and prosecuted to the extent of the law. ‘This is not youthful indiscretion,’ Davis said. ‘This is a brazen street race that does, can, and will cost people their lives.'” [FFXnow]

Meager Local Snow Outlook — “There’s good news and bad news for snow fans in our Storm Team4 winter outlook. First, the bad news: It’s not looking like we’ll see all that many snowflakes this year. Now, here’s the good news (again, assuming you’re a fan of snow): We’re not ruling out the possibility of a white Christmas.” [NBC 4]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 52 with a north wind at 7 mph, shifting to an eastward direction in the afternoon. As night falls, the sky will become mostly cloudy and temperatures will drop to around 37 degrees. [NWS]

Meteor Seen Over Arlington — From Dave Statter last night: “The view of a meteor at 7:48 p.m. ET looking north from near the Pentagon in Arlington.” [Twitter]

Home Inventory Tightens — While nine of 11 major jurisdictions in the region saw higher year-over-year home inventory on the market in October, Arlington’s total available properties declined 19.6% to 288 at the end of the month, according to new data. Loudoun County posted a small inventory decline, but all other localities were up. [Bright MLS]

Arlington Greens Look to 2025 — With the 2024 elections now history, the Arlington Green Party is gearing up for next year. “Arlington Greens in 2025 will look at individual candidates’ positions on a case-by-case basis on the issues that have traditionally been of interest to us, such as affordable housing and the environment,” party leader John Reeder told ARLnow. Greens endorsed one candidate, School Board contender James “Vell” Rives, in 2024. –Scott McCaffrey

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 56 degrees, accompanied by a north wind blowing at 13 to 15 mph and gusts reaching up to 24 mph. The clear night will bring a low around 33 degrees, with a north wind at 7 to 9 mph and gusts up to 18 mph. [NWS]

Robbery in Ballston — “At approximately 2:34 p.m. on November 7, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male suspect entered the business and inquired about purchasing merchandise. The suspect then threatened an employee with a knife, stole cigarettes and subsequently fled the scene on foot.” [ACPD]

VSP Encrypts Radio Channels — From Dave Statter: “Last night at 6:51 p.m., @VSPPIO radio channels became encrypted. This means the public will be much less informed about the work of Virginia State Police troopers here in Northern Virginia and throughout the Commonwealth. At a time when police agencies should strive to be more open and transparent this is pulling down the blinds.” [Twitter]

Rosslyn Crash on Camera — Also from Statter: “Red light runner: Another one at N. Lynn St. and eastbound Langston Blvd. in Rosslyn, VA, leads to another crash. The walls for the construction site make it a blind intersection reducing any chance of the vehicle on Langston to be able to avoid the white car on Lynn.” [Twitter]

Trump Rally in F.C. — A “Trump Victory Celebration” is scheduled today at the Eden Center in Falls Church, from 1 p.m. “into the night,” according to the Arlington GOP. Trump visited the Vietnamese American strip mall in August. [Twitter]

It’s Monday — Scattered showers before 7am. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 73. Southwest wind 8 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph. Tonight: Clear, with a low around 48. Northwest wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 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.