Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. The ARLnow staff byline is used for the Morning Notes and reporting done by an editor or other member of our full-time staff.
Raindrops fall on ornaments on Shirlington's Christmas tree (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Federal workers will get two additional days off this holiday season, thanks to an executive order just issued by President Donald Trump.
The order directs executive branch agencies to close on Wednesday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 26 — the days before and after Christmas Day, which falls on Thursday this year. Combined with the Christmas holiday itself, most federal employees will enjoy a five-day weekend from Dec. 24-28.
The Arlington Public Schools Syphax Education Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A “threatening email” has prompted additional police patrols around schools in Arlington.
The email was sent to “multiple school divisions and institutions of higher education across Virginia” and “there is no indication of a specific or credible threat to any APS school,” Arlington Public Schools said in an email to families Thursday afternoon.
Flags blowing in the wind at Arlington County government headquarters (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A Wind Advisory has been issued for Arlington and much of the D.C. area.
The advisory will be in effect tomorrow (Friday) afternoon and evening. According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts of up to 55 mph are expected.
Looking up at holiday lights in a tree along N. Glebe Road (staff photo)
Federal Job Loss Tally — “Over the past year, an estimated 41,500 federal jobs in the D.C. region have been eliminated, according to a report released this week by George Mason University’s Stephen Fuller Institute for Research on the Washington Region’s Economic Future. That includes about 15,000 jobs that have been lost since August, either through deferred resignations or layoffs, and had not shown up in previously released data.” [WBJ]
Lower Local Spending — “Consumers are spending less in the DMV — and D.C. is taking the biggest hit, according to a new Brookings report… Four years of regional consumer data show declines across both visitor and local spending. Local spending this year is just 1.1% below 2024.” [Axios]
GW Parkway Speed Camera Bill — “Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today introduced legislation that would allow for revenue generated from speed camera enforcement on roads within the National Park System, such as the George Washington Memorial Parkway, to be reinvested for safety improvements, road maintenance, and related infrastructure needs in the parks where violations occur.” [Press Release]
Arrest After Vape Store Theft — “Two employees of a local business in Arlington CHASED and HELD DOWN a theft suspect at N Barton Street & Ninth Street until police arrived to take the male into custody.” [DMV Live/FB]
Another Theft Arrest — “Police in Arlington, Virginia nabbed a lululemon Grand Theft (FELONY) suspect, who stole over $1,000 worth of clothes from the popular store on King Street in Alexandria.” [DMV Live/X]
Near Starbucks at DCA — “Our coffee game just got bigger with the opening of a new Starbucks near Gate C25. Come and enjoy your favorite seasonal brews and specialty drinks.” [Reagan Airport/X]
Compass Bankruptcy ‘Likely’ — “Compass Coffee has agreed to voluntarily relinquish its Ivy City roasting plant and will likely file for bankruptcy by Dec. 31… It’s unclear whether the homegrown coffee chain with about two dozen locations intends to liquidate or restructure its debts through the bankruptcy process and how those plans could impact its local stores.” [WBJ]
Rain and Wind Tonight — “A strong cold front will cross the area Thursday night through early Friday. As it does so, broken lines of heavy showers and perhaps a couple thunderstorms whip up the potential for gusty winds across the region, especially between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. … Jeff Halverson, Capital Weather Gang’s severe weather expert, notes the potential for gusts as high as around 50 mph.” [CWG]
It’s Thursday — Rain chances increase after 4pm, with increasing clouds and a high near 54. Winds will shift south at 5-8 mph in the morning. Thursday night will see rain as temperatures rise to around 55 by 3am, accompanied by south winds at 8-17 mph and gusts up to 29 mph. New rainfall amounts ranging between half and three-quarters of an inch are expected. [NWS]
Rain is likely after 4pm, with increasing clouds and a high near 54. Morning winds will shift south at 5-8 mph. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation. Thursday night will see temperatures rise to around 55 by 3am, accompanied by south winds at 8-17 mph and gusts up to 29 mph. Rain is expected, with a 100% chance of precipitation and new rainfall amounts ranging between half and three-quarters of an inch. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Every artist was first an amateur.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
A 33-year-old D.C. man is facing an array of charges after a violent incident in Crystal City last night.
The alleged assault happened shortly before midnight, near the intersection of 23rd Street S. and S. Eads Street — at the start of Crystal City’s restaurant row.
FILE - Salvage crews work on recovering wreckage near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday he won’t allow operations in the airspace over the nation’s capital to revert back to the way they were before January’s deadly aircraft collision near Reagan National Airport.
Administrator Bryan Bedford told the House aviation subcommittee he won’t forget the 67 people who died when an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River.
A spectacular sunset Saturday night, as seen from the Arlington Ridge neighborhood (courtesy David Rogers)
Melwood Touts Development Plan — “Finding appropriate housing if you have a disability can be difficult and expensive in the D.C. area. Melwood is hoping to help change that once the nonprofit converts its Arlington, Virginia, headquarters into a mixed-use building focused on inclusive housing.” [WTOP]
Towing Complaints Go Viral — “Just shopped at Giant on Washington Blvd. They towed the cars of 3 other strangers alongside mine while we were all inside. We all have our shopping bags and receipts. One lady had a child and not enough money to pay the $150 and she was left out in the cold, fortunately a young man helped her out and took her to the advanced towing location and paid for her tow.” [Reddit]
New Arlington Officers — “Monday, December 15, 2025 marked a significant milestone for Arlington County Police Department’s 11 newest officers as Session 153 graduated from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy.” [ACPD]
Beyer Blasts Economy — “This disastrous jobs report makes it clear that this is not an ‘A++++ economy’ as President Trump claimed, it’s an economy at risk of sliding into recession. Trump’s tariffs are most to blame for the hiring slump.” [Press Release]
Command Shakeup at Pentagon — “Senior Pentagon officials are preparing a plan to downgrade several of the U.S. military’s major headquarters and shift the balance of power among its top generals, in a major consolidation sought by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, people familiar with the matter said.” [Washington Post]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny conditions today, with a high near 49. The southwest wind of about 7 mph will shift west in the afternoon. For Wednesday night, the sky will be partly cloudy, with the temperature dropping to around 30 degrees. [NWS]
Expect mostly sunny conditions today, as the temperature reaches a high near 49 degrees. The southwest wind of about 7 mph will shift west in the afternoon. For Wednesday night, the sky will be partly cloudy, with the temperature dropping to around 30 degrees, accompanied by a light and variable wind. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thanks for reading! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum.
Snow on a holly bush in a North Arlington neighborhood (staff photo)
Va. School Ratings — “According to the VDOE, about 1 in 4 public schools in the state are rated as distinguished, or exceeding expectations. Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia have the highest percentages of top-rated schools at 31 percent and 28 percent, respectively, the data shows. Thirty-eight percent of public schools in Fairfax County and 46 percent in Loudoun County rated as distinguished, while Arlington County saw about 34 percent of schools in the top category.” [Washington Post]
Arlington’s Top Library Books — “2025 was another excellent year for Arlington readers with over 3.6 million checkouts. Arlington’s reading choices span a wide array of genres, including cookbooks, romance novels, biographies and picture books. We listened to eAudiobooks, read on our phones and stacked paper books on our nightstands…Two titles had more than 4,000 checkouts this year: “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros [and] “The Women” by Kristin Hannah.” [Arlington Public Library]
Teens Hospitalized After Fight — “The two juvenile female victims were outside when the two known juvenile female suspects approached them. Suspect One yelled at Victim One before pulling her to the ground and assaulting her. Victim Two attempted to intervene in the altercation when Suspect Two pulled her to the ground and subsequently assaulted her. The suspects then fled the scene. The victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to an area hospital.” [ACPD]
Some Hopeful Economic Signs — “The government shutdown undoubtedly took a toll on the local economy this fall, but signs are emerging that the economy could be turning a corner after a challenging year marked by mass layoffs of federal workers, diminished local investment and steep declines in awards to government contractors.” [WBJ]
Fatal Crash Near Fairlington — “Around 8 a.m., APD shut down a portion of King Street between Menokin Drive and N. Quaker Lane to respond to the two-vehicle crash. Two men were injured and transported to a hospital, where one of them later died. The other driver remains hospitalized with serious injuries, according to APD.” [ALXnow]
Seven Corners Water Tower Replacement — “Fairfax Water has applied to replace an existing water tank in the Seven Corners Apartment complex (6122 Willston Drive). The application, submitted on Nov. 24, requests that the county grant Fairfax Water the ability to replace a 75-year-old, 200,000-gallon water tank with a 1-million-gallon tank.” [FFXnow]
Mulling Youngkin’s Future — “During an interview with The Associated Press, Youngkin insisted that he’s not looking ahead to after he’s replaced by Democrat Abigail Spanberger next month. But there’s little doubt that he’s been preparing for a post-Trump future that has not yet arrived, leaving someone long considered to be a potential Republican star without a clear next move.” [Associated Press]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 37 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds. The night will be mostly clear, with lows around 28 degrees. [NWS]
