Author: ARLnow.com

Teens Charged in Mob Assault — Two teens were charged with malicious wounding by mob after a group riding e-scooters allegedly attacked someone on S. Joyce Street in Pentagon City on July 24. “The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital,” police said. [ACPD]

Crystal City Startup Raises $22.6M — “Istari Digital Inc., an Arlington defense tech startup developing software that unifies complex engineering tools, is nearly halfway toward its goal of raising $40 million from outside investors.” The company, founded in 2022, has raised $62.7 million to date. [WBJ]

Arlington’s Homegrown Chains — Six Arlington-based restaurant chains made the Washington Business Journal’s ranking of the region’s 30 largest locally based food and beverage chains. South Block placed highest at No. 6, with 21 D.C.-area locations, followed by District Taco, Lebanese Taverna, Pupatella, Big Buns and Pho 75. [WBJ]

Slug Lines Coming to I-66 — “I-66 connects residential communities throughout Northern Virginia with major employment centers in Rosslyn and Washington, D.C.,” a spokesperson for the I-66 Slugging Network told FFXnow. The carpool network launches in September, with Rosslyn among four drop-off points. [FFXnow]

Smoky Skies Return — “Yep, the wildfire smoke is back… Partly because the origin is further away, air quality concerns at the ground are much lower than 10 days ago.” The plume is drifting in from fires in Oregon and British Columbia. [Capital Weather]

Severe Storms Possible Today — “A strong cold front will approach and move through the area on Tuesday… Some storms during the afternoon and evening could be severe.” The area is at a Level 2 out of 5 severe risk, with damaging wind gusts the main threat. [Capital Weather]

It’s Tuesday — Expect a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms today with a high near 85 and south winds of 6–14 mph, gusting to 20. Rainfall of three quarters to one inch is possible. Storms should taper off after midnight, with a low around 69. [NWS]

New Legal Notice — ABC permit application for on-premises caterer: wine, beer, mixed beverages. [Public Notices]

Want more local news from around the region? Check out our newest sister site, WSHnow.

Suspicious Truck Closes Street — “N. Utah Street north of Ballston is back open after the earlier suspicious vehicle investigation, for a large rental truck parked on the bridge over I-66. The investigation coincided with a presidential motorcade back from the Trump golf club in Loudoun County.” [ARLnow/X]

Amtrak Tours Long Bridge Site — “Several Amtrak representatives recently toured… the Long Bridge Project site, which by the end of 2030 will create a new two-track rail bridge, along with two new bicycle and pedestrian bridges. The project will increase capacity and reliability along a corridor that currently operates at 98% capacity during peak hours.” [Amtrak/X]

Cyber Startup Valued at $1.2B — “Twenty, an Arlington-based startup focused on cyber warfare, announced that it has received an additional investment of $30 million from Khosla Ventures at a valuation of $1.2 billion. The company has now raised a total of $168 million.” [Potomac Tech Wire]

So Many Arlingtons — “Genuinely why does every major city have a suburb named Arlington. DC, Boston, Dallas, Chicago… like what’s up with that,” an X user said in a post that has drawn more than 300,000 views. [@crocsinwinter/X]

National Guard Housing Deal — “Placemakr Inc.… has inked a $292 million deal with the National Guard Bureau to supply as many as 2,000 units for troops mobilized as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia.” The company operates a building on N. Glebe Road and has proposed converting 125 units in a new Rosslyn tower. [WBJ]

Alexandria Crime Spike — “Over the last couple weeks, we have seen a significant spike in crime… that is felonious assaults, where we have had persons with knives, and none of them have been connected,” Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire told ALXnow. Overall crime is down 13% year-to-date, he said. [ALXnow]

Data Centers Flicker the Grid — “Just before 8 a.m. Wednesday, electricity flickered on and off for about 10 minutes. An engineer’s data says it happened throughout the Eastern half of the U.S., from Chicago to Boston and Miami.” Dominion Energy said equipment on a line serving Loudoun County data centers failed, switching them to backup power. [NBC 4]

Beyer Blasts New Tariffs — “His tariffs, like his foolish war with Iran, are an illegal and ill-advised usurpation of congressional authority that will do lasting damage to our country,” Rep. Don Beyer (D) said after President Trump announced new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on dozens of countries, including key U.S. trading partners. [Press Release]

DEQ Seeks Public Input — Virginia environmental regulators are gathering public feedback on how to engage environmental justice communities during project permitting, under a new law from Del. Kathy Tran (D). The agency must issue updated guidance by the end of the year. A second town hall is set for July 29 in Virginia Beach. [Virginia Mercury]

Three-Year Degrees Explored — “Virginia higher education leaders are exploring a three-year bachelor’s degree, joining a growing national push to shorten college.” So far, 11 of the state’s 16 public universities and four private colleges have expressed preliminary interest. Officials hope to launch two 90-credit programs in spring 2028. [Axios]

Boys Falling Behind — “By 5th grade boys are already starting to show a disinterest… Our boys are 1.5 times more likely to drop out and never complete high school due to lack of interest,” Del. Josh Thomas (D) said. He chairs the new Virginia Boys and Men Advisory Commission, which held its first meeting Monday. [WTOP]

Dental Staffing Strains — “Virginia’s dental offices continue to face staffing challenges, and a new report suggests the situation is not improving, according to the Healthcare Workforce Data Center.” The report found the state has more dentists than dental hygienists, a ratio that can delay patient care. [12 On Your Side]

It’s Monday — Expect a mostly sunny morning with a high near 88, then scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Winds will be light out of the south and the overnight low will be around 70. [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.

Rosslyn Tower Sold — JBG Smith sold the 377-unit Central Place Residences to Boston-based Berkshire Residential Investments for $206.25 million. A covenant leaves open a future condo conversion, which would make the 355-foot building the region’s tallest condo tower. [WBJ]

Cloud Firm Opens Crystal City HQ — Knox Systems opened its Washington-area headquarters in Crystal City, consolidating its security and risk operations teams closer to federal agencies. Fresh off a $25 million funding round, the company employs nearly 70 and projects 30% headcount growth by year’s end. [Press Release]

Clean Air Cred — Arlington ranks among the nation’s 10 cities with the cleanest air, with good air quality on 84% of days despite the recent bout of hazardous wildfire smoke. Clean air is one metric behind the county’s ninth straight fittest-city title. [Capital Weather]

Rejoin D.C.? — “There is another way for Arlington to become a city,” the D.C. Council posted, responding to ARLnow’s report that the county couldn’t pursue cityhood until at least 2032. [Council of DC/X]

Fairfax Schools Curb AI — Fairfax County Public Schools will bar elementary students from using generative AI, keep tablets and laptops out of preschool and kindergarten, and prohibit personal devices during class. The school board approved the restrictions, which include narrow exceptions, at its July 16 meeting. [FFXnow]

It’s Friday — Look for mostly sunny skies with a high near 83 and a light northeast wind of 1–8 mph. Skies turn mostly cloudy overnight with a low around 66. [NWS]

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