Author: ARLnow.com

First Day of School — Arlington Public Schools students head back to class today. Changes this year include an iPad pilot program at six elementary schools, the new Grace Hopper Center at the Career Center and Arlington Community High School’s move into Amazon’s HQ2 campus.

DCA Couldn’t Hear Marine One — “Reagan National DCA air traffic control could not hear Marine One… and had to rely on other helicopters… to relay communications” as President Donald Trump flew to Andrews Thursday, photographer Andrew Leyden said. It came the same day an NTSB report detailed radio failures before an Aug. 4 close call. [Andrew Leyden/X]

Flag Honors Fallen Officer — “Members of ACPD & ACFD stood together in remembrance as Rear Admiral David Walt… presented the family of our fallen brother, Corporal Barry Foust, with a flag ceremoniously flown aboard the USS Arlington in his honor.” Foust died in May of 9/11-related cancer. [ACPD/X]

Arlington Tech Firms Ranked — Three Arlington companies made WBJ’s list of the region’s 40 top-performing small technology companies. C3 Integrated Solutions, on Wilson Blvd, ranked fifth with $56.89 million in 2025 revenue, followed by Enterprise Knowledge at No. 18 and Thorben Consulting at No. 33. [WBJ]

Nearby Measles Exposure — “The Virginia Department of Health was notified about a confirmed measles case involving an out-of-state resident who traveled through Northern Virginia.” Potential exposure sites are four businesses along Sunrise Valley Drive in Reston on Aug. 16. [ALXnow]

Beyer Blasts Hains Point Chopping — “Trump has wrecked many iconic D.C. sites, and now he’s taking an axe to trees in East Potomac Park, including historic cherry trees,” Rep. Don Beyer said. More than 60 trees have come down ahead of a golf course overhaul the Interior Department calls routine maintenance. [Rep. Don Beyer/X, Washington Post, NBC 4]

I-95 Express Lanes Study — VDOT is studying making the I-95 express lanes two-way at all times, instead of inbound in the morning and outbound in the afternoon. Operator Transurban said the change would increase capacity by approximately 140%. The project is likely years away. [NBC 4]

Immigration Fears in Schools — “You come on Monday and, like, someone’s gone and everybody doesn’t know where they are,” a teen told the News4 I-Team, which found declines in multilingual student enrollment and a rise in absenteeism at districts across the D.C. area. [NBC 4]

Amendment Court Fight Promised — “If the amendment passes, we would seek to be in court as soon as possible to ask the court to overturn the result,” said Josh Hetzler, a lawyer challenging the ballot language for Virginia’s reproductive rights amendment. [Virginia Mercury]

Lightning Seen From Arlington — “Not a drop of rain fell in DC Thursday evening, but a line of slow-moving thunderstorms just north of the city put on a spectacular light show.” Photographer Kevin Ambrose captured dozens of flashes from the Marine Corps War Memorial.  Another storm rolled through the county Sunday night. [Capital Weather]

It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies today with a high near 92 and light northwest winds of 1–5 mph. Overnight will be partly cloudy with a low around 76. [NWS]

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.

Eads Street Burglary Arrest — A man was arrested after allegedly assaulting people in a residential building lobby in the 1900 block of S. Eads Street early Wednesday, then forcing his way into a neighboring building and assaulting a victim again, police said. He faces burglary, assault and battery and destruction of property charges. [ACPD]

Courthouse Robbery Reported — A man was robbed in the 2100 block of Clarendon Blvd early Tuesday. Police say a suspect approached, struck the victim and stole an undisclosed amount of cash before fleeing. Officers canvassed the area without success and the investigation is ongoing. [ACPD]

Spy Case Guilty Plea — A former Defense Intelligence Agency cybersecurity specialist who monitored insider threats pleaded guilty Wednesday to an Espionage Act charge, admitting he tried to trade classified records for citizenship in a friendly foreign country. Nathan Laatsch was arrested last year after an FBI sting in an Arlington park. [ALXnow, Washington Post]

Lottery Impostor Scam Warning — The Virginia Lottery says people have been offered money in exchange for personal information by someone claiming a connection to the agency. It says it never pays for personal data or asks for photos, driver’s licenses or banking details, and is working with law enforcement. [Press Release]

Renters Warned of ICE Activity — Housing Alexandria told residents of an Arlandria property to stay inside and not open building doors to strangers after ICE activity in the area. ICE said it arrested 1,328 people across Virginia and Maryland this month, including at least four in Alexandria. [ALXnow]

Hispanic Enrollment Slips — Fewer Hispanic students are enrolling in Virginia and Maryland public schools amid stepped-up immigration enforcement. Maryland Department of Education data shows statewide Hispanic K-12 enrollment down 0.6% after four years of post-pandemic growth, with Montgomery County down more than 3%, or over 1,800 students, compared to 2021. [Fox 5]

Governor Rips ICE Tactics — Spanberger criticized federal immigration enforcement after a two-week operation that DHS said netted more than 1,300 arrests in Virginia and Maryland, roughly 400 of them people with a criminal conviction or charge. She said agents’ “actions are sowing fear and degrading a lot of trust.” [WUSA 9]

Governor Vows Change After Escape — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has promised changes after a man committed to a Fairfax County mental health facility — found not guilty by reason of insanity in a 2019 killing — used a weekend pass to board a one-way flight to Tajikistan from Dulles in July. [Fox 5]

Two-Way Express Lanes Eyed — VDOT is studying whether to run the I-95 express lanes in both directions at all times, instead of the current inbound-morning, outbound-afternoon setup, and to extend them south past Fredericksburg. Fairfax County Board Chair Jeff McKay (D) has long called the one-way design a problem. [NBC 4]

VRE Weighs Event Trains — VRE is weighing more weekend service for festivals and sporting events after running Sunday trains for the Freedom 250 IndyCar race in D.C., which drew more than 550 riders. CEO Katie Choe said the agency is in talks with Amtrak and CSX about trains for events like next year’s NFL draft. [WBJ]

Bring Your Own Power — PJM, the regional grid operator serving Virginia, has asked federal regulators to require new data centers and other large customers to supply their own power to the grid. Those that don’t would be first in line to move onto backup generators or cut usage when the grid is strained. [Virginia Mercury]

It’s Friday — Patchy fog and a slight chance of showers before 8 a.m., then partly sunny with a high near 88 and a slight chance of afternoon thunderstorms. Northwest winds will be light, at 1–5 mph. Expect mostly cloudy skies overnight with a low around 70. [NWS]

New Legal Notice — Certificate request for passenger/NEMT transport; protests due Sept. 15. [Public Notices]

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Virginia Lands Meta Millions — “Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction.” The settlement guarantees $353 million for Virginia, Attorney General Jay Jones (D) said. [FFXnow]

Wonder Blankets the DMV — “The food tech company says the DMV is one of its fastest growing markets, with more than 30 locations planned by year’s end.” Wonder, which has a Rosslyn location, last week launched robot delivery from its Potomac Yard kitchen. [Axios]

Alexandria Joins Dominion Merger Case — The city has filed as a participant in State Corporation Commission proceedings on Dominion Energy’s proposed $67 billion merger with NextEra Energy. “Many Alexandrians are already struggling and finding it difficult to pay their utility bills because of rising energy costs,” Mayor Alyia Gaskins (D) said. [ALXnow]

Crossing Guard Cuts Draw Fire — Fairfax County high schools opened without dedicated crossing guards this year, a cut expected to save about $1.89 million. Supervisors this week directed staff to identify fixes after a school board member said of traffic at one school, “What I saw was danger.” [FFXnow]

Severe Storms Possible — “A dip in the jet stream and approaching cold front will encounter a steamy air mass in the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday. The result could be scattered strong to severe storms that are mainly capable of isolated damaging wind and large hail. Heavy rain and some flooding may also occur.” [Capital Weather]

It’s Thursday — Mostly sunny with a high near 90 and a chance of showers and thunderstorms, some of which could be severe. Chance of precipitation is 40%, with south winds at 6–9 mph. Storms could linger into the evening before an overnight low around 70. [NWS]

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