Author: ARLnow.com

Beyer Meets With Postmaster — “I’m relieved that after meeting with the Arlington Postmaster, USPS has committed to clearing the backlog of undelivered mail by early next week. A new manager has already been hired and authorized additional resources, including hiring more staff, to prevent further delays.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]

Lawsuit Over Arch — “A group of Vietnam War veterans has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block President Donald Trump’s proposed “Independence Arch,” a massive monument planned for Memorial Circle between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, argues the 250-foot structure would obstruct the historic line of sight between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery.” [WJLA]

Sewage Spill Blame Game — “Federal officials have been aware of problems with what’s known as the Potomac Interceptor — the sewage line that carries 60 million gallons of wastewater between Virginia and Maryland daily — for several years. The National Park Service has been working to address the deteriorating quality of the Potomac Interceptor since at least 2022… DC Water is overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency, not Maryland or D.C. The land where the pipe broke is managed by NPS.” [NOTUS]

Latest on Repairs — “DC Water says crews have successfully reached the damaged section of the Potomac Interceptor, which caused a sewage spill that they’ve been working to clean up for a month.” [Fox 5]

Wardian on TV — “Seven 50ks, seven days, seven continents. That is what Arlington’s very own athlete Michael Wardian just accomplished and set a world record while he did it & now he’s on Good Day DC to tell us all about it!” [Fox 5]

Cybersecurity Firm’s New Office — “The ink on a 14,100-square-foot office lease in Arlington for cybersecurity training firm KnowBe4 Inc. is barely dry, and CEO Bryan Palma is already thinking about expanding the Clearwater, Florida-based company’s local footprint. Palma and company will formally open the new office at 4075 Wilson Blvd. in Ballston on Monday, but growth projections have him thinking bigger.” [WBJ]

ARLnow Founder’s AMA Today — “Hey NoVA, there’s a lot happening in the local news world right now, and I’d love to talk about it. Got questions about local journalism, the business of covering your community, or the future of local media in an AI-driven world? Ask away.” [Reddit]

London Chain Buying Compass — “Compass Coffee, the beleaguered D.C.-based chain, may soon have a new owner. London-based giant Caffè Nero submitted the winning bid Thursday to purchase most of the assets of Compass, a homegrown business launched more than a decade ago by a pair of U.S. Marines. Compass filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.” [Washington Post]

Real Estate Market Shifting — “For the first time in more than a decade, the pendulum is now swinging in favor of those looking for a home in the nation’s capital. “Washington, D.C. is a buyer’s market,” Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin, said. “There are 22% more homes for sale than there are buyers interested in buying those homes.”” [WTOP]

Late Bloom Likely — “Peak cherry blossom bloom could arrive later than recent years thanks to D.C.’s record-breaking cold… There’s no official peak projection yet, but Litterst says bloom will likely come “later in the season than we’ve seen for the last few years.”” [Axios]

Winter Storm Rising — “In their latest update, the National Weather Service has DC at a 10-30% chance of “exceeding winter storm warning criteria” while they’re as high as 50-80% chance north of down in central and northeastern Maryland.” [Mike Thomas/X, Doug Kammerer/X]

It’s Friday — Expect rain mainly before 10am, accompanied by areas of fog lasting until noon, with the day’s high temperature reaching around 57°F. The east wind, blowing at 5-8 mph, will shift to southwest in the afternoon. Friday night, skies will be mostly clear and the low temperature will be around 40°F, with a west wind of 6-8 mph. [NWS]

Trump Worried About Stinky River — “White House press secretary said during a Thursday briefing that President Donald Trump is “worried” that the Potomac River could smell like poop come time of Washington’s “America 250” festivities. Leavitt said the sewage leaking into the Potomac River is a “problem we want to fix,” especially as the nation prepares to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday.” [WJLA]

District Declares Emergency — “D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has declared a local public emergency regarding the sewage spill in the Potomac River, according to the Mayor’s Office. The declaration allowed her to also make a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration request, which could bring in federal support to help respond to the disaster.” [NBC 4, Washington Post, Virginia Mercury]

Half Dozen Compass Bidders — “Caffè Nero is facing off this week against five other bidders to acquire Compass Coffee’s remaining assets as D.C.’s largest homegrown coffee chain restructures under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.” [WBJ]

Arlington Firms Expanding West — “A pair of Arlington-based technology companies are planning new offices in Fairfax County, collectively promising over 300 new jobs. First, the space tech manufacturer Umbra announced last Thursday (Feb. 12) that it will expand to Reston, opening a 20,000-square-foot office expected to host over 100 employees. Then, defense contractor Grvty revealed yesterday (Tuesday) that it will establish a new corporate headquarters in Tysons.” [FFXnow]

Pothole Patrol Underway — “Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) crews are already actively working to locate and repair potholes as we enter the time of year known for seeing more cracks and crumbles on the roads. Motorists can do their part in keeping the roads safe by reporting potholes and workers safe by moving over to give them room to work.” [Press Release]

Bishops Praise Suicide Bill’s Failure — “Two Virginia bishops are hailing the halt of legislation that would have legalized assisted suicide in that state. “Human life is sacred and no one should ever be abandoned or discarded,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington and Bishop Barry C. Knestout of Richmond in a joint Feb. 18 statement.” [OSV News, Diocese of Arlington]

Another Hat in the 7th Ring — “Del. Dan Helmer, a Democrat who has represented southwestern Fairfax County in the House of Delegates since 2020, is once again running for Congress. The 44-year-old announced his candidacy today (Wednesday) to represent the newly-drawn 7th Congressional District — a sprawling “lobster-shaped” district that includes Helmer’s Fairfax home while stretching east to Arlington County, west to Augusta County and south to Goochland County.” [FFXnow]

Lunar New Year Celebration — “Hundreds of community members gathered Tuesday afternoon at the Eden Center in Falls Church, Virginia, to welcome the Lunar New Year and pay homage to Vietnam.” [WTOP]

Caesars Looks at N. Va. — “Caesars Entertainment Inc. is prepared to kick the tires on a Fairfax County casino if the gaming bill currently before the General Assembly secures final passage.” [WBJ]

Va. Marijuana Market? — “As soon as this fall, it could be a lot easier for you to get your hands on marijuana in Virginia… However, opponents are worried about mental health and public safety.” [WJLA]

Lower Air Quality — “Why has our air quality only been “moderate” lately? We’ve gotten a bunch of questions about this. The short answer: stagnant air. Winds have been very light, which means the atmosphere hasn’t been mixing much. When air just sits in place, fine particles from tailpipes and other sources build up near the ground instead of dispersing. That same stagnant setup is also why we’ve had fog the past few mornings.” [CWG/X]

Snow Likely, Big Snow Less So — “Both the European and American ensembles are at an above 90% chance of “flakes falling” in DC…while both are a little above a 50/50 shot at a “disruptive” snowfall (2″+)…which is up from the other day. What is down is the “big storm” odds. Hovering around a 10% shot at 8″ or more.” [Mike Thomas/X]

It’s Thursday — Expect fog to clear by 9am and rain to begin after 3pm, with a high near 48°F. An east wind of 5 to 10mph accompanies an 80% chance of precipitation, with potential rainfall between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. Thursday night continues with rain and patchy fog both before midnight and after 1am, with a low around 42°F, east wind 6 to 9mph, and a 100% chance of precipitation. [NWS]

Arlington’s 22205 Among ‘Hottest’ — “Anyone who’s thought about buying or selling a house in Northern Virginia knows the real estate market in our region is strong. But which areas are the most in demand? Check out our ranking of the Top 20 Hottest Zip Codes in Northern Virginia.” [N. Va. Magazine]

No Impact on Streams, So Far — “While the sewage discharge is not expected to impact Arlington’s stream water quality, the County’s bacteria monitoring program is collecting additional samples on Four Mile Run to supplement understanding of any impacts in the area. To date, this sampling has not shown an impact on Arlington streams, with low levels of E. coli bacteria.” [Arlington County]

Final Report on Crash Near DCA — “Ghe NTSB found that the crash was caused by the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) placement of a helicopter route so close to the runway approach at DCA, combined with heavy airport traffic and inadequate safety systems and training.” [Fox 5, Axios]

Bridge Repairs in EFC — “The EB Washington Blvd left lane along the bridge over I-66 by the East Falls Church Metro station will be closed from 9:30 am Wed 2/18 until 11:59 pm Sat 2/21 for bridge repair work.” [VDOT/X]

Library Back Open After Water Leak — “Courthouse Library will reopen with its standard hours beginning Wednesday, February 18. We thank you for your patience as we worked to reopen this location.” [APL/X]

County Conducting Survey — “Arlington County is conducting its seventh Countywide, statistically valid community survey to understand the community’s satisfaction with County services and programs, as well as overall perceptions of the local government.” [Arlington County]

Va. Redistricting Vote Coming Soon — “In just three weeks, Virginia voters will have the chance to start casting ballots in a special election on a constitutional amendment to redraw the commonwealth’s congressional districts. Two groups have already formed: Virginians for Fair Elections, which is trying to win approval for the amendment, and Virginians for Fair Maps, which is pushing a no vote.” [NBC 4]

Region in Severe Drought — “How are we in a severe drought after all of the snow and ice? The 6–9 inches that fell Jan. 25 equaled only about 2 inches of rain. And because it has melted slowly, that moisture has trickled into the ground over weeks. Even with that storm, we entered January nearly 10 inches (of rain) below normal after six straight dry months.” [CWG/X]

Snow Storm Chance — “Multiple models are signaling the potential for significant snow in the northern Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Sunday, including the D.C. area, while some models show just lighter snow or rain. As of today (Tuesday), confidence in accumulating snow for our region on Sunday is too low to change any plans.” [CWG/X]

It’s Wednesday — Fog expected is before 9am, followed by mostly cloudy condition and a high temperature near 58°F. There is a slight chance of rain after 2pm. Southwest winds will be 5 to 10 mph, with gusts of up to 20 mph, and a 20% chance of precipitation. For Wednesday night, the clouds will gradually clear, leading to a low temperature around 43°F. [NWS]

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