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.
Firefighters on scene of brush fire along Army Navy Drive (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
Firefighters battled a large brush fire today on the 1800 block of Army Navy Drive, in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood near Pentagon City.
Smoke from the fire, which broke out around 2 p.m. Wednesday, could be seen on traffic cameras along I-395. Initial reports suggest that a sizable, quickly spreading brush fire burned a shed, several power poles and a number of trees, while threatening some homes.
N. Glebe Road closed due to struck gas line (staff photo)
A portion of N. Glebe Road is closed in both directions after a construction crew struck a gas line.
The busy arterial road is closed between Old Dominion Drive and Rock Spring Road after a 3-inch gas line was reportedly struck by a construction crew using an excavator near Marymount University and Washington Golf and Country Club.
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church (via Mount Olivet/Facebook)
One of Arlington’s oldest churches is celebrating a full reopening three and a half years after a devastating fire forced the closure of nearly half of its usable space.
Mount Olivet United Methodist Church will mark the completion of restoration work with a May 2 event titled “In Full Bloom: A Community Celebration of Renewal.” The community is invited from 2-5 p.m.
Tulips at the Netherlands Carillon with the Rosslyn skyline in the background (Flickr pool photo by Brian Gannon)
DCA Workers Demand Action — TSA workers at Reagan National are urging passengers to pressure Congress to end the DHS shutdown, now in its 59th day. Nationally, more than 500 TSA employees have quit since the shutdown began, and remaining workers say their next paycheck is uncertain despite a March executive order covering past pay periods. [DC News Now]
Rosslyn Offices Eyed for Sale — Beacon Capital Partners is emptying a pair of Rosslyn offices at 1501 and 1515 Wilson Blvd to prepare them for sale. The County Board on Saturday is set to vote on terminating its lease at 1501 Wilson, where Arlington Transportation Partners occupies the 11th floor, because the landlord is planning to redevelop the property. [WBJ]
TRACON Safety Alarm — Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) led a group of DMV lawmakers in pressing the FAA for answers on equipment failures at the Potomac TRACON facility in March that caused evacuations, hospitalizations and ground stops at DCA, Dulles and BWI. Rep. Don Beyer (D) was among those signing the letter. [Press Release]
ACPD Detective Retires — The Arlington County Police Department is celebrating the career of Detective S. Lafley, who retired last week after serving the Arlington community with distinction for more than 27 years. [ACPD/X]
Earth Month by the Numbers — Arlington is highlighting its environmental progress this April, including 1.3 million electric miles logged by county vehicles, 1,020 trees planted, more than 300 residential solar installations and a 49.5% recycling rate. [Arlington County]
Inova Hospital Tops Out — The final structural beam was placed atop Inova Alexandria Hospital at Landmark on Monday, a milestone for the 1.1 million-square-foot project at the former Landmark Mall site. The four-building campus is targeting completion in 2028. [ALXnow]
Ruthie’s Heads to Fairfax — Ruthie’s All-Day, the Arlington Heights Southern comfort restaurant, opens its second location at Fairfax Corner today with dinner service starting at 5 p.m. Lunch hours are expected to expand next week. [FFXnow]
Spanberger Amends Key Bills — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) amended bills on paid family leave, recreational cannabis and housing ahead of a Monday midnight deadline. She is proposing to delay cannabis sales to July 2027 and signed a bill requiring all localities to allow accessory dwelling units. [WBJ]
Suicide Decriminalized — Gov. Spanberger signed a bill Monday night abolishing the centuries-old common law crime of suicide in Virginia. The bill takes effect in July 2027 and requires the Bureau of Insurance to review the implications for insurance in the commonwealth. [WTOP]
‘Toothless’ ICE Amendments — Fairfax state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37) is criticizing Gov. Spanberger’s amendments to bills restricting ICE enforcement near courthouses, hospitals and schools, calling the changes “toothless, a right without a remedy.” [FFXnow]
Potomac ‘Most Endangered’ — The Potomac River has been named the most endangered river in the country for 2026 by American Rivers, citing this year’s massive sewage spill and the rapid expansion of data centers across the region. [WJLA]
D.C. Golf Courses in Limbo — The future of D.C.’s historic public golf courses remains uncertain after the Interior Department terminated a nonprofit’s lease to manage them. Arlington resident Alex Dickson is among those suing the Trump administration over the changes and dirt being dumped from White House renovations on East Potomac Park’s course. [WAMU]
Record Heat on Tap — Today and Thursday could bring record highs as temperatures surge to the low to mid-90s, roughly 25 degrees above the mid-April average. The current April 15 record in D.C. is 89 degrees. [Washington Post]
It’s Wednesday — Expect a sunny and unusually hot day with a high near 93 degrees and light southwest winds at 2–8 mph. Overnight lows drop only to about 71 under partly cloudy skies. [NWS]
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Expect sunny weather with a high near 93°F and southwest winds ranging from 3 to 8 mph, with gusts up to 18 mph. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to about 71°F and southwest winds between 5 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama
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.
Redistricting signs outside of the Bozman building in Courthouse (Flickr pool photo by Alan Kotok)
Even before Virginia voters decide on a new congressional map, Democrats are piling in to run for districts proposed under a redistricting plan that is designed to give their party a near sweep of the state’s U.S. House seats.
The latest entrant is Olivia Troye, who was an aide to former Republican Vice President Mike Pence and has become a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. She announced today (Tuesda)y that she’ll run in Virginia’s newly created 7th Congressional District, which would include much of Arlington, joining an already crowded field.
“Hello Spring” sign at The Crossing Clarendon shopping center (courtesy George Brazier)
Columbia Pike Hazmat Response — Arlington firefighters responded to a hazardous materials incident in the 1500 block of Columbia Pike involving a leaking pipe with an unknown substance. Crews identified the substance as methyl pentanol and quickly mitigated the leak. [ACFD/X]
Bunny Hop Road Closures — ACPD will conduct road closures in Lyon Park and Ashton Heights on Saturday for the annual Bunny Hop 5K. Closures along N. Irving Street, N. Highland Street, N. Pershing Drive and adjacent streets will run from approximately 6:30–10 a.m. Columbia Gardens Cemetery will have a delayed opening at 9:30 a.m. [Arlington County]
Custis Trail Reopens — Bicyclists and pedestrians will have a smoother time on a roughly two-mile stretch of the Custis Trail after milling and repaving work concluded yesterday (Monday). This was two days earlier than originally anticipated, thanks to good weather. The affected area was closed in three segments beginning on March 30. —Dan Egitto
Reporter Heads Out — ARLnow and FFXnow reporter Jared Serre announced that this is his last week with the sites. “Being able to work for the Northern Virginia community… has been an incredible privilege. Thank you, always, for reading,” Serre said. [Jared Serre/X]
Falls Church Signal Woes — A traffic signal arm so corroded it can’t hold additional signage sits at the intersection of W. Broad and N. West Streets in Falls Church, which is also facing a $700,000 cut in street maintenance funding. “This is more of a public safety problem than some potholes,” Mayor Letty Hardi said. [Falls Church News-Press]
Troye Eyes VA-07 Seat — Olivia Troye, a former homeland security staffer to Vice President Mike Pence, appears to have filed to run for the 7th Congressional District as a Democrat. Troye has supported Democratic presidential candidates in recent elections despite describing herself as a Republican in the past. [Jared Serre/X]
Alexandria SRO Deal Hearing — A public hearing will be held Thursday on a revised agreement between Alexandria City Public Schools and the police department governing school resource officers. The proposed changes include removing a controversial designation of SROs as “school officials” with access to student records. [ALXnow]
School Phone Ban Tightened — Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) signed a bill last week strengthening restrictions on student cell phone use in Virginia’s K-12 schools. The law, from state Sen. Stella Pekarsky (D-Fairfax County), requires a complete bell-to-bell ban including breaks and lunch periods, taking effect July 1. [FFXnow]
It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 89 degrees and southwest winds gusting up to 18 mph. Tonight’s low drops to around 69. [NWS]
Want more local news from around the region? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow.
UConn guard Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings in the first round of the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Azzi Fudd is on her way to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft with a $500,000 payday waiting for the former UConn star. A record-setting six UCLA players followed her into the league.
“I’m not really sure I have words to describe that feeling, what that meant,” Fudd said of getting drafted. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in. It’s nothing I could have imagined. The feeling of sitting with my family, with Morgan (Valley), hearing your name called, go up there. Such a surreal feeling,”
It will be mostly sunny with a high of about 89°F, and a southwest wind will increase to 5 to 10 mph in the morning, with gusts potentially reaching 18 mph. Tuesday night, expect partly cloudy skies and a low of around 69°F, with southwest winds at 5 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.” – Winston Churchill
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.
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
A 28-year-old Arlington man has been arrested and charged with attempted rape after allegedly assaulting a woman who was waiting for a rideshare in Clarendon over the weekend.
Luzvin Garcia Moran is being held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Facility on charges of attempted rape, abduction with intent to defile and assault and battery, according to ACPD.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks at her inauguration at the Virginia State Capitol, Jan. 17, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced today that she did not sign dozens of tax bills into law — because the General Assembly never passed them and they never reached her desk.
Monday’s announcement came hours before the 11:59 p.m. deadline for the governor to act on more than 1,000 bills that did pass this session, and two days after President Donald Trump accused Spanberger of imposing a wave of new taxes.
