Author: ARLnow.com

Judge Nixes Some DOGE Firings — “U.S. District Judge William Alsup said at a court hearing that the personnel office — which serves as the federal government’s human resources agency — had no legal authority to direct the mass firings in conference calls and written communications last month. He added that individual agencies could downsize their staffs by following the steps laid out in the federal Reduction in Force Act, a process that administration officials have already put in motion.” [Washington Post]

Shutdown May Be Averted — “Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, on Thursday broke with many in his party and said he would vote for a Republican-written stopgap spending bill to keep federal funding flowing past a midnight deadline on Friday, making a forceful case for why Democrats could not allow a shutdown that most of them have demanded.” [New York Times]

ICE Touts N. Va. Arrests — “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and law enforcement partners apprehended 214 illegal aliens during an enhanced targeted enforcement operation focusing on transnational organized crime, gangs, and egregious illegal alien offenders in Northern Virginia March 1 to 13.” [ICE]

Wine Shop Opens in Crystal City — “Flight, a popular wine tasting, café and retail store in the D.C.’s Chinatown that closed last year after a decade, returns with a new location at Virginia’s National Landing on Friday. Now called Flight Wine Shop, it is owned and operated by Flight’s original team.” [WTOP]

Parent Night Out Options — “Need a night off? Let these local gyms and rec centers entertain your kids with water park fun, tumbling, arts and crafts and pizza.” [Arlington Magazine]

Closet Showroom Proposed in F.C. — “Econize Closets presented their revision of a site plan for a new design headquarters at 821 W Broad Street at the corner with S Spring Street, at the Planning Commission meeting on March 5, 2025. The basement level may be remote workspace with individual offices planned.” [Falls Church Pulse]

It’s Friday — Patchy fog will dissipate by 9am, leading to cloudy conditions that will gradually become mostly sunny with the temperature reaching around 59°F. Expect a northeast wind of 6-8 mph, shifting to southeast in the afternoon. Expect increasing clouds Friday night, with a low around around 44°F and patchy fog returning after 3am. [NWS]

Arlington Rents Still Rising — “Arlington, Virginia, experienced the largest year-over-year increase in asking rents last month, with a 12.1% rise. The average rent in Arlington now stands at $2,591. Bethesda, Maryland, is nearing $3,000 monthly, with a spike similar to Arlington’s.” [WJLA, Zumper]

NTSB: Close Calls, Radio Problems — “At a crucial moment, just 17 seconds before impact, the pilot and other crew members in the Black Hawk may not have received a key instruction from the air traffic controller guiding their flight. The controller told the helicopter pilot to pass behind the American Airlines plane. But, the NTSB said, according to information from the cockpit data recorder, ‘the portion of the transmission that stated ‘pass behind the’ may not have been received.'” [Washington Post, CNN]

Spring Allergy Season Underway — “Sneezing? Watery eyes? A general malaise? It could be the tree pollen. The D.C.-area tree pollen count climbed to 1504.8 grains per cubic meter of air in the latest update. Boosted by the well-above-average temperatures, that value is more than three times higher than yesterday’s count.” [CWG]

It’s Thursday — Patchy fog will clear by 10am, giving way to mostly cloudy conditions and a high around 59. A gentle northeast wind of 6 mph will be present during the day. The night will also remain mostly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to a low of 43. [NWS]

NTSB Recommends Helo Re-Route — “The National Transportation Safety Board issued urgent safety recommendations to permanently prohibit helicopter operations on Route 4 between Hains Point and Wilson Bridge when runways 15 and 33 are in use at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.” [ALXnow, NBC News]

Home Sales Down, Prices Higher — Arlington home sales totaled 146 in February, according to new figures from Bright MLS, the region’s multiple-listing service. That’s down from 161 a year before. Average sales prices were up in two of three market categories, rising 5.5% to $1,478,212 for single-family homes and 3.2% to $620,551 for attached properties but down 6.9% to $519,375 for condominiums. –Scott McCaffrey

Cherry Blossom Update — “Cherry blossom buds have reached first stage – GREEN BUDS – We think they’re going to advance thru stages FAST this year because of mild weather.” [CWG/X, CWG, NPS/X]

Local Spring Markets — “Head to these (mostly) open-air pop-up shopping venues to forage for deals on all kinds treasures, from live plants and consumable goodies to gently used children’s clothes, books, recycled household goods and handcrafted art pieces by women and minority makers.” [Arlington Magazine]

Free Lyft Rides This Weekend — “Offered by the nonprofit Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day SoberRide program will be in operation each evening (4:00 pm to 4:00 am) from Saturday, March 15th through Monday, March 17th (St. Patrick’s Day) as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers during this traditionally high-risk period.” [Press Release]

Lunar Eclipse Tomorrow — “The D.C. region along with all of North and Central America, and much of South America, will experience a total lunar eclipse late Thursday into early Friday.” [CWG]

It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high temperature around 61 degrees. The north wind will blow at 6-8 mph, eventually shifting to the east in the afternoon. As the night progresses, clouds will increase, and the low temperature will be around 44 degrees. [NWS]