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.
Whether you’re looking for a place to take relatives this holiday season or just looking for a nice night out with your family, Arlington has numerous family dinner spots to try.
Beaver moon rising over N. Glebe Road (staff photo)
Guidance to DCA Passengers — “As of November 6, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it is imposing flight reductions at busy airports around the United States. Airlines will reach out directly to affected customers regarding flight cancellations or rescheduling options… Double-check the status of your flight directly with your airline before coming to the airport.” [Reagan National Airport]
Va. Dems Plan for Power — “Virginia Democrats awoke Wednesday to a more favorable political landscape than they had dared imagine, their electoral victories for governor and other statewide offices combining with a massive new majority in the House of Delegates to enable any agenda they care to pursue… ‘The word of the day is restraint. We can’t overreach,’ [Del. Don] Scott said during a news conference in Richmond. ‘We have to be wise with the gift that the voters have given us to govern.'” [Washington Post]
N. Va. Powered Wave — “Virginia’s blue wave moved nearly every county to the left this week. In a state shaken up by federal job cuts, the Democratic wins offer a rebuke to President Trump’s first nine months in office. Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger — who campaigned on affordability — made big gains in Northern Virginia counties where President Trump did better than expected last year.” [Axios]
SoberRide Ridership Record — “A record-shattering 4,056 persons in the Washington-metropolitan area used the free safe ride service, SoberRide®, Halloween weekend as opposed to possibly driving home drunk. Last weekend’s ridership was the most ever for a single SoberRide® campaign in the program’s 34-year history.” [Press Release]
Snow Possible Monday — “We’re still watching the chance for some early-season snowflakes in the area as a serious blast of wintry air drops into the eastern United States early next week. A potent cold front passing through the region Sunday night will set the stage. Monday will be quite a shock after weekend highs around 70 degrees. Highs may only make it into the 40s, more than 10 degrees below average.” [CWG]
It’s Friday — Clouds will increase, reaching a high of around 61°F, with south winds of 8-15 mph and gusts up to 29 mph. Expect rain Friday night, primarily before 1am, as it becomes mostly cloudy with lows around 53°F. South winds will continue at 8-13 mph with gusts up to 23 mph. The chance of rain is 60%, with less than a tenth of an inch of new precipitation possible. [NWS]
Clouds will increase, reaching a high of around 61°F, accompanied by south winds of 8-15 mph and gusts up to 29 mph. Expect rain Friday night, primarily before 1am, as it becomes mostly cloudy with lows around 53°F. South winds will continue at 8-13 mph with gusts up to 23 mph. The chance of rain is 60%, with less than a tenth of an inch of new precipitation possible. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” – Milton Berle
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.
Legal notices in the final issue of the GazetteLeader newspaper, prior to its acquisition by ARLnow (staff photo)
ARLnow is now using Column, an industry-standard tech platform, to handle public notice submissions.
The new system replaces a more rudimentary process that did not allow for account creation, notice templates and publication previews. We have also significantly lowered the price of most notice submissions and are no longer charging extra for invoicing.
The departures lanes at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to the airlines.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.
Runners in Long Bridge Park in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A Reddit thread has locals debating whether (and why) people in our area appear noticeably more fit than those in other parts of the country.
From a user in the Northern Virginia subreddit, in a thread titled “Why is everyone here so thin/fit?”:
Did anyone here come from deeper south and realize the disparity in the size of the average person? I looked it up and at the city level, Arlington VA was names the fittest city in the USA for eight consecutive years and DC is always second place. Now I understand places like Colorado being fit because of the mountain hiking and outdoorsy culture but this is a congested urban area with chronically busy people and career hustle culture. We also have a lot of restaurants and bars and people go out frequently, and if I’m not mistaken there are some parts of this area (DC especially) that are high poverty “food deserts” which are actually typically associated with a higher obesity rate. Does it really just come down to walkability? What’s different about here?
That original post from last week sparked what is now a nearly 400-post-long discussion. Redditors pointed to several factors that might explain why folks here are fitter than elsewhere, including:
Wealth and education giving people access to better food, gyms, and healthcare
The area’s career-driven, Type-A culture that extends to fitness
Walkability and Metro use that naturally builds in thousands of extra steps per day (unlike car-dependent areas)
Extensive trail networks and parks
Corporate gyms and flexible work schedules;
Fewer high-sugar staples, like Southern-style sweet tea, in people’s everyday consumption
What we’re wondering in today’s poll, however, is not what’s causing this phenomenon — but whether you’ve noticed it specifically in Arlington.
Are Arlingtonians actually fitter than people in most other parts of the country, based on your observations?
Fall colors along a street near Jamestown Elementary (staff photo)
Beyer Touts Dem Win — “‘This is day one, when we take back our country from a dictatorship,’ U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) told the crowd. ‘This is the first step to taking back the House in 2026 … In the meantime, we have a powerful governor, lieutenant governor [and] attorney general, that will once again make Virginia the shining star in our wonderful country.'” [ALXnow, Rep. Don Beyer/X]
Beyer Statement on Tariffs — “The Supreme Court has a duty to uphold the law, limit the damage of the President’s nonsensical global trade war, and roll back this unprecedented and illegal power grab. The economic stagnation, job losses, business closures, and higher prices stemming from Trump’s taxes must end. New Dems urge the Supreme Court to take decisive action to block this lawless campaign and restore order to the balance of powers and the American economy.” [Press Release]
Warner Proposing AI Bill — “Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) announced they will introduce the AI-Related Job Impacts Clarity Act. This legislation would require major companies and federal agencies to report AI related layoffs to the Department of Labor to be compiled into a publicly available report.” [Press Release]
New Legal Notice — Retail restaurant/caterer applying for ABC on/off-premises alcohol license. [Public Notices]
Regional Drought Continues — “Rainfall in October was below normal, the fourth such month in a row, and November doesn’t look much different. Drought continues to expand and intensify across the D.C. area, and the forecast for this month offers little prospect for improvement. We’re expecting a relatively dry pattern to persist, with temperatures near or slightly above normal as the region transitions toward winter.” [CWG]
It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 57 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 22 mph. As for Thursday night, the weather will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to a low of about 38 degrees, with a light and variable wind. [NWS]
Expect sunny skies and a high of around 57 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 22 mph. As for Thursday night, the weather will be mostly clear and the temperature will drop to a low of about 38 degrees, with a light and variable wind. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
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.
Fire department response to apartment fire near Courthouse (courtesy Jacqueline Vicino)
Two dogs are safely back with their owners after being rescued from an apartment fire Wednesday night.
The blaze broke out around 6 p.m. in an apartment on the 2300 block of 11th Street N., in the Courthouse area. The fire was out by 6:20 p.m., according to the Arlington County Fire Department, but not before drawing a large emergency response.
Christmas arrives early at the Whole Foods in Clarendon Tuesday night (courtesy George Brazier)
Flyover Planned Today — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over the Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, November 5 at approximately 2:05PM.”
Key Elementary Break-In — “At approximately 11:27 p.m. on November 3, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary alarm at Escuela Key Elementary School. Upon arrival, it was determined the three male suspects allegedly made entry into the school before fleeing the scene on foot. Responding officers subsequently observed three individuals matching the description of the suspects walking in the area and took them into custody.” [ACPD]
ICE Blasts Arlington — “Officers with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C. field office apprehended Edgar Bernabe Estrada, 45, Oct. 20 in Arlington… Arlington County officials release criminal alien offenders back into their community to reoffend, rather than allowing ICE officers to arrest them while they’re in local law enforcement custody.” [ICE, ICE D.C./X]
Will All Feds Get Paid? — “The Trump administration is sending notifications to federal staff suggesting that only those who are working during the government shutdown will be paid when it ends, despite a 2019 law that also guarantees pay to furloughed employees.” [Washington Post]
BBC Highlights Stumbling Stones — “On a warm late-summer afternoon, just across the Potomac River from Washington DC’s marble monuments, I stood with an exuberant crowd of residents, civic leaders and history enthusiasts in Arlington, Virginia. A roar of applause rang out as two small bronze markers were unveiled in the pavement in front of a modest home, their surfaces etched with names and dates.” [BBC]
School Fitness Test Order — “Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order (EO) 55 to reestablish the Presidential Fitness Test in the Commonwealth’s public school divisions, reinforcing the Commonwealth’s commitment to whole-child wellness and academic excellence.” [Press Release]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 70, accompanied by a southwest wind of 7 to 16 mph, with gusts reaching up to 32 mph. Wednesday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 45. The southwest wind will blow at 13 to 16 mph but will shift to the northwest after midnight, with potential gusts as high as 43 mph. [NWS]
FILE - Democratic candidate for Virginia attorney general Jay Jones participates in the debate with Republican incumbent Jason Miyares in Richmond, Va., Oct. 16, 2025. (Mike Kropf/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, Pool, File)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrat Jay Jones was elected Tuesday as Virginia attorney general, riding a wave of voter dissatisfaction with the White House to overcome the revelation that in 2022 he sent widely condemned texts embracing violence against a fellow state lawmaker.
The former Virginia delegate defeated Republican incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares weeks after it emerged that Jones had texted a fellow delegate suggesting the then-House speaker should get “two bullets to the head.” Jones apologized for the private messages both in statements and at a debate in October.
