Author: ARLnow.com

Tech Training Grant for MU — “Marymount University has received a grant to lead the development of NOVATech Works, a new regional initiative designed to strengthen Northern Virginia’s technology workforce and create clearer pathways into high-demand tech careers. This project is funded in part by GO Virginia, a state-funded initiative administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.” [Marymount University]

MLK, Jr. Day Closures — “Arlington County Government offices and services are operating on modified schedules for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. Trash/Recycling/Yard Waste Curbside Routes – Regular collection. Parking – Permit parking is always in effect unless specifically noted on the sign. Meters are not enforced on holidays.” [Arlington County]

Caps Host Kids With Disabilities — “A duo of Washington Capitals players hosted dozens of kids Wednesday afternoon to skate, shoot and save goals with them after practice in Ballston, Virginia. It is all an effort to empower kids with physical and developmental disabilities.” [WTOP]

F.C. School Budget Growth — “Dade said the 5.02 percent increase represents a “floor” for what the schools will need to receive during the coming budget process, which formally begins with his introduction of a proposed overall budget on February 10 and leads to the School Board’s budget ask to the City Council on March 10, ahead of the Council’s final budget adoption in early May.” [FCNP]

F.C. Biz Owners Lament No NYE Event — “One of the issues that drove the meeting was the poorly-notified fact that after two dozen years, the annual New Year’s Eve Watch Night celebration was called off, an annual event that helped fill a number of downtown restaurants… The City decided in finalizing its current fiscal year budget late last spring not to fund the event for this year, but local business owners were not made aware of the decision, one which puzzled most of them, until only a few weeks before it was supposed to happen.” [FCNP]

Local Leaders Talk Homeless Funding — “Leaders from across the D.C. region voted on Wednesday (Jan. 14) to ask Congress and the Trump administration to bring back predictability when it comes to funding homelessness response services at the local level.” [FFXnow]

Pole Problem in Douglas Park — “Roads in the area of S. Quincy Street and 16th Street South are currently [Thursday afternoon] closed due to a power pole fire. The electric utility is on scene and working with the Fire Department to mitigate the hazard. Avoid the area.” [ACFD/X]

Snow Possible This Weekend — “We are still monitoring a potential system that could bring snow to the region Sunday into Sunday night, but there remains high uncertainty in the forecast… if this track were to trend westward, this could set the stage for accumulating snow along the I-95 Corridor.” [WWG/X]

It’s Friday — Clouds will increase today, bringing a high temperature near 37 degrees and a southern wind of 7 to 10 mph. Tonight, there’s a 30% chance of snow showers after 1am. The low temperature will be around 32 degrees, accompanied by a southern wind at 8 mph. [NWS]

Democratic Nominee Selected — “Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) has been declared the winner in a firehouse primary for Virginia’s 39th District Senate seat, defeating three opponents with 70.6% of the 4,647 ballots cast. Bennett Parker received 3,281 votes, followed by former Del. Mark Levine with 807 votes (17.4%), Charles Sumpter with 321 votes (6.9%) and former Vice Mayor Amy Jackson with 238 votes (5.1%).” [ALXnow]

Legislative Session Underway — “The proposed redistricting amendment could go before the state’s voters as soon as April if it clears the Senate as expected. Democratic leaders promised Wednesday to unveil potential new maps by the end of the month… The measure was among a group of big-issue amendment proposals that advanced on largely party-line votes. The others would enshrine same-sex marriage, secure access to abortions and automatically restore voting rights to people who complete felony sentences.” [Washington Post]

Governor’s Last Address — “In his final State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday evening, outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin offered a sweeping defense of his four-year tenure, arguing that Virginia is stronger economically, fiscally and educationally than when he took office in January 2022, as he prepares to hand power to Abigail Spanberger, who will be sworn in as the state’s 75th governor this weekend.” [Virginia Mercury]

Youngkin Touts State Finances — “Virginia’s revenues are $1.2B ahead of forecast! The strong year-over-year increase is not noise, it’s real. It reflects strong job creation, rising incomes, healthy consumer activity, and disciplined fiscal stewardship.” [Gov. Glenn Youngkin/X]

‘Inn’ Comes to F.C. Woman’s Bedside — “A few weeks ago, [Chef Patrick O’Connell of The Inn at Little Washington] received an email from Falls Church resident Ashley Brumbaugh, 42. She was hospitalized at UVA Health Haymarket Medical Center while being treated for life-threatening liver disease. A devoted foodie and seasoned traveler, Brumbaugh found herself longing for the pleasures of fine dining she once enjoyed while globe-trotting and visiting Michelin-starred restaurants.” [N. Va. Magazine]

Good Samaritans Help Driver — “Let’s hear it for the kind people who stopped to help a driver apparently having a seizure in the intersection of Army Navy and S. Fern Street in Arlington a few minutes ago.” [Dave Statter/X]

Verizon Outage Resolved — “Verizon Communications said Wednesday night that it had resolved an hourslong, widespread outage that prevented customers from making calls and sending messages. The problem, which started at around noon Eastern time, affected wireless voice and data services for some customers, particularly in the eastern half of the country, a Verizon spokesman said. The company said at around 10 p.m. ET that the outage had been fixed.” [WSJ, USA Today]

Letter: No to Rent Control — “There is a more humane and sustainable way to address housing affordability in Arlington. Rather than lobbying Richmond for anti rent gouging powers, local leaders should focus on removing barriers to building more housing—streamlining zoning, easing density limits, shortening permitting timelines, and letting a variety of housing types emerge where demand exists.” [Letter to the Editor]

Letter: No to Killing Deer — “Arlington parks are beautiful sanctuaries, natural spaces of peace, relaxation, and learning. Arlington residents cherish the presence of deer in our parks and neighborhoods. Deer bring joy to our lives and enhance the quality of our entire community. Killing deer with guns and teaching our children that violence is an acceptable approach to resolving environmental challenges does not reflect the values of Arlington County residents.” [Letter to the Editor]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of 32 degrees with a west wind at 17 mph, gusting up to 30 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low of 22 degrees, a west wind of 9 to 14 mph, and gusts up to 26 mph. [NWS]

VRE Changes Take Effect — “A new bridge is being built across the Potomac River to handle rail traffic. But with construction comes travel delays. Some major impacts to Amtrak and VRE riders started Monday. A second span of Long Bridge will cross over the Potomac between D.C. and Arlington… The work is expected to last through 2030. A VRE commuter said she’s bracing for years of adjustments to her schedule, with some trains stopping and starting in Alexandria.” [NBC 4]

Va. Redistricting Process — “In what could be Democrats’ last wave of mid-cycle redistricting, the Virginia and Maryland legislatures will each convene on Wednesday with national party leaders pushing them to redraw congressional maps and net as many as five seats to help build an advantage ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.” [Washington Post]

New Va. Laws — “Here are some of the new laws Virginians should be aware of in 2026. Kids under the age of 16 are now limited to one hour per day on social media unless a parent consents to more (or less) time. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are required to verify age and set the default hour limit… If you text “STOP” or “UNSUBSCRIBE” to telemarketers they have to honor your request and remove you — for at least 10 years.” [Axios]

Spitting Suspect Charged — “N. Lexington Street at Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 7:25 p.m. on January 12, police were dispatched to the report of an assault. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was in the area when the female suspect approached the victim and allegedly spat on her before fleeing the scene… responding officers located an individual matching the description of the suspect near the scene and took her into custody. While in custody, the suspect spat on two officers.” [ACPD]

Sheriff’s Office Promotion — “Arlington County Sheriff José Quiroz has announced the promotion of Juan Gelabert to Chief Deputy of the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office. Chief Deputy Gelabert brings more than two decades of dedicated service to the agency and a deep, lifelong connection to the Arlington community.” [Arlington County]

Big Bucks for Local Solar Company — “Arlington solar company Summit Ridge Energy has secured a massive loan to fund the construction or operation of 20 solar facilities at a time when data centers are driving up demand for alternative sources of energy. The company closed a $290 million facility with the Tokyo-based Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group to fuel an expansion as energy demands skyrocket across the U.S.” [WBJ]

Hotel Occupancy Falls — “Greater Washington hotel occupancy dipped in October to levels not seen during that month since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, contributing to another decline in the CBRE REVIVE Regional Vibrancy Index. Ian Anderson, the senior director of research at the real estate firm CBRE, said he was surprised by the declines in hotel occupancy, but he said some of the October drop may be attributable to the government shutdown.” [WBJ]

Beyer Opposes Bill — “I can’t support funding a status quo that accepts Trump’s illegal, immoral demolition of USAID. This minibus also fails to constrain the abject stupidity of Trump’s threats to attack Greenland, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, etc. I will vote no.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X, Congressman Don Beyer]

Robbery at Home Depot — “The Home Depot, 6200 block of Seven Corners Center in Fairfax County— two males stole power tools and flashed a handgun at employees before fleeing.” [The DC MD VA Live/X]

It’s Wednesday — There is a slight chance of rain in the morning and late afternoon, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 52. Southwest winds will be around 6 mph. Rain is likely tonight before 1am, followed by a chance of rain and snow until 4am, then a slight chance of snow. The low will be around 25, with light winds becoming northwest at 6 to 11 mph and gusts up to 31 mph. There is a 70% chance of precipitation, but little or no snow accumulation is expected. [NWS]

Michael Wardian Still Racing — “On top of training up to six hours a day, the Arlington resident juggles a packed schedule as a husband, father of two teenage boys, and businessman… His brother, Matt, suspects Wardian’s ability to function on about five hours of sleep helps. ‘He ruthlessly prioritizes how he spends his time,’ says Matt… ‘He gets up early and runs, he runs at lunchtime, finishes work, and runs to his son’s game or practice.'” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Pickups Collide on I-395 — “Two white pickups met on I-395N at the express lane ramp across from the Pentagon this afternoon. The driver trying to take that left side ramp, even though they were in the right lane and beyond the entrance, is from a company whose motto includes “Safety” and “Damage Prevention”. Injuries not reported to be serious.” [Dave Statter/X]

More EDVA Drama — “A senior federal prosecutor in Virginia was fired after a disagreement about whether he would take charge of the Trump administration’s effort to reindict James B. Comey… Mr. McBride had been in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia for only a couple of months, temporarily serving as the top deputy to Lindsey Halligan after more than a decade as a federal prosecutor in Kentucky.” [NYT]

Local Record Store Floods — “Following significant flooding after a water leak this past weekend, a vinyl record store in Del Ray has closed for the foreseeable future and is considering a move. Crooked Beat Records owner Bill Daly told ALXnow today (Monday) that a pipe on the roof of the building burst, flooding the basement record shop at 2417 Mount Vernon Avenue with several inches of water and ruining merchandise.” [ALXnow]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 50, along with a calm wind turning south at 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. For Tuesday night, the sky will be mostly cloudy, accompanied by a low around 40. A southwest wind will blow at 8 to 11 mph, with gusts reaching up to 20 mph. [NWS]