Author: ARLnow.com

Treasurer Special Election Set — Circuit Court Chief Judge Judith Wheat on Friday set the special election for county treasurer to run concurrently with the Nov. 3 general election. The winner will serve the remaining year of the term of Treasurer Carla de la Pava, who resigned last week after 12 years in office. Kim Rucker, who was chief deputy under de la Pava and is serving as treasurer in the interim, is expected to run. —Scott McCaffrey

Sexual Battery Investigated — Police are investigating a sexual battery reported at a business on the 1100 block of S. Hayes Street in Pentagon City. A man approached a female employee in an employee-only area and touched her inappropriately before she pushed him away, according to police. No injuries were reported and the investigation is ongoing. [ACPD]

Hashmi Questions Dominion Merger — Lt. Gov. Ghazala Hashmi (D) is urging state regulators to take twice their usual time reviewing Dominion Energy’s proposed $67 billion merger with NextEra Energy, citing ratepayer concerns. In a July 6 letter to the State Corporation Commission, she asked that the companies answer 64 questions before the deal proceeds. The push comes as Dominion says customer bills will rise an average of $8 a month. [WJLA]

Mixed Grades on College Boards — Six months after Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) pledged to depoliticize the governing boards of Virginia’s public colleges, some Republicans accuse her of overreach after she ousted the head of Virginia Tech’s board and named more than 100 board appointees. Democratic lawmakers agree the appointment process needs fixing but differ on how. [Washington Post]

AI Boom Offsets Federal Cuts — D.C.-area firms drew $3.8 billion in venture capital over the 12 months ending in June, $1.8 billion more than the prior period, as an AI investment surge cushions an economy dragged down by federal cuts. The funding is largely concentrated in N. Va., according to CBRE. [WBJ]

Beyer’s Air Standards Bill — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Arlington) introduced the Modernizing Aeronautical Standards Act, which would direct NASA and other agencies to study whether U.S. aircraft design standards match today’s airspace conditions. The benchmark “has not been comprehensively reevaluated in nearly 50 years,” Beyer said. [Press Release]

It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies Monday with a high near 84 and an east wind of 2–7 mph. It stays mostly clear overnight, with a low around 65. [NWS]

New Legal Notice — Applying for off-premises wine and beer convenience store license. [Public Notices]

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.

Remembering Larry Wright — “The Arlington County Fire Department is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Firefighter Larry Wright, who died on July 9, 2026, following a medical emergency.” Wright joined the department in 2018 and was most recently assigned to Fire Station 9. [ACFD/X]

Rosslyn Robbery Investigation — Arlington County police obtained warrants for robbery and abduction after a man pulled out a firearm, struck the victim with it and demanded his phone passcode during a dispute inside a home in the 1000 block of Arlington Blvd on Tuesday night, according to a crime report. The two men knew each other, and the victim reported minor injuries. [ACPD]

Crash Caught on Video — Traffic camera video captured a crash yesterday afternoon at the intersection of Shirlington Road and S. Arlington Mill Drive near Shirlington. [Dave Statter/X]

NYT’s Arlington Condo Hunt — The New York Times’ The Hunt column followed Don Schroeder, 77, a retired news anchor who moved to N. Va. after his wife’s death and toured about 20 condos in and around Arlington, looking for a single-level place with room for his dog and 45,000 baseball cards. [New York Times]

SNAP Cuts Hit Region — Federal cuts to food assistance under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are starting to take effect across the region. An Urban Institute analysis estimates more than 230,000 families across D.C., suburban Maryland and N. Va. will lose some or all of their SNAP benefits once the law is fully implemented, with affected households in the Capital Area Food Bank region losing an average of $187 a month. [Washington Informer]

VRE Lands $25M Grant — The Virginia Railway Express won $25 million in federal grant money to add a fourth track at L’Enfant Station, which the commuter rail called “the most significant competitive federal grant” in its 37-year history. The new track will ease congestion where the Fredericksburg and Manassas lines merge as VRE works to boost service more than 63% by 2030. [WBJ]

Cannabis Budget Confusion — New budget language for legal cannabis sales set off days of confusion over whether Virginia’s marijuana penalties still applied, drawing conflicting guidance from prosecutors, lawmakers and State Police. Officials clarified that retail sales won’t begin until July 1, 2027, and that existing criminal laws remain in effect until then, after the Code Commission revised the language to reflect lawmakers’ intent. [Virginia Mercury]

It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny start with a high near 90, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m. Winds will be light out of the west around 7 mph. Overnight lows will drop to around 72, with a chance of storms lingering before 4 a.m. [NWS]

Sexual Battery in Pentagon City — A teenage girl was inside a business in the 1100 block of S. Hayes Street around 11 a.m. Tuesday when a man approached her from behind, grabbed her and fled, according to Arlington County police. Officers canvassed the area but did not find the suspect. [ACPD]

APS Phasing Out Toddler Program — For the second time in as many years, parents are urging Arlington Public Schools not to end the Integration Station, which offers toddlers with disabilities early intervention services. In a June email, The Children’s School said the district plans to “phase out the Integration Station partnership over the next few years,” with one grade phased out annually beginning in 2027. [WTOP]

Courthouse Tower Sold — The Commodore, a 423-unit high-rise with ground-floor retail next to the Court House Metro station, has changed hands. Berkadia arranged the sale, in a deal that closed June 30. Completed in 2023, the 20-story building is the tallest residential tower in Courthouse. [Press Release]

Flyover This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, July 9 at approximately 10 a.m.”

IIHS Wants More Self-Driving Studies — The Arlington-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says driver-assist features and robotaxis are helping prevent crashes but still need far more study. “We’re going to need a lot more data over a more extended period of time to really assess whether those systems are safe or not safe,” David Harkey, the institute’s president, said. [WTOP]

Arch Would Block Va. View — A federal commission is set to review President Trump’s plans today for a 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle, at the Virginia end of Arlington Memorial Bridge. Critics say the monument — 84 feet taller than columns proposed for the site a century ago — would reshape the skyline and block views of Virginia from the Lincoln Memorial. [Washington Post]

Kennedy Center in Limbo — The Kennedy Center was set to close for two years starting Sunday, but a court order is keeping it open for now. Executives say no new shows or concerts will be scheduled, and the building sat nearly empty this week as staff packed up and volunteers awaited word on the center’s next steps. [Washington Post]

It’s Thursday — Showers and thunderstorms are likely today, with a high near 88 and a 90% chance of rain. Storms should be heaviest in the afternoon, when a half to three-quarters of an inch is possible. They taper off overnight, with a low around 72. [NWS]

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

Arlington Firm Drills Into Md. — Arlington-based Dandelion Energy is scouting a Rockville site for a field office as new state incentives fuel demand for its residential geothermal systems in Virginia and Maryland. “We have enough scale now that we’re staffing permanent field leadership here, and transitioning to all permanent local crews,” CEO Dan Yates said. On Tuesday, Maryland awarded the company $1.3 million to bring systems to 129 homes. [WBJ]

Legal Weed on the Way — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) last week signed legislation creating Virginia’s recreational cannabis marketplace, with retail sales set to begin July 1, 2027. “For years, Virginians have crossed into D.C. and Maryland to buy legal marijuana. That changes next July, reshuffling where customers, tax dollars and businesses flow across the region.” [Axios]

DOGE Ends, Hiring Resumes — July 4 marked the end of the Department of Government Efficiency, and many federal agencies are now hiring again after more than 260,000 workers left, with effects felt acutely across the D.C. region. The government posted over 104,000 jobs in the first five months of this year, up from 68,900 in the prior five months. “In a lot of places, the administration is just trying to keep the lights on with this rehiring,” said NOTUS reporter Natalie Alms. [WAMU]

Potomac Fish Kill — Thousands of dead and dying fish turned up along a several-mile stretch of the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Md., upstream from the sewage pipe rupture that sent millions of gallons of raw waste into the river in January. The Maryland Department of the Environment says the die-off is not connected to that rupture and found no evidence of pollution, pointing instead to water temperatures in the mid-90s. The event began Friday and had subsided by Sunday. [Fox 5]

It’s Wednesday — Look for a mostly cloudy day with a high near 83 and isolated rain showers possible before 2 p.m. Winds will be light out of the southeast around 5 mph. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible overnight after 2 a.m., with a low around 71. [NWS]

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