Author: The Associated Press

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FAA head pledges no rollback of D.C. airspace safety measures amid defense bill fight

By The Associated Press and ARLnow.com
FILE - Salvage crews work on recovering wreckage near the site in the Potomac River of a mid-air collision between an American Airlines jet and a Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said Tuesday he won’t allow operations in the airspace over the nation’s capital to revert back to the way they were before January’s deadly aircraft collision near Reagan National Airport.

Administrator Bryan Bedford told the House aviation subcommittee he won’t forget the 67 people who died when an airliner collided with an Army helicopter over the Potomac River.

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NTSB, elected officials blast safety exception for military flights around DCA

By Dan Egitto and The Associated Press
A US Coast Guard helicopter flies over the Potomac River near the Lincoln Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A proposed exception to restrictions on military flights around Reagan National Airport is prompting outcry among some federal officials.

U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D) and five other members of Congress representing Virginia joined the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), as well as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, in crying foul yesterday (Wednesday).

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Arlington native named 2026 Rhodes scholarship winner

By ARLnow.com and The Associated Press
Sydney Barta at the White House (photo via Sydney Barta/IG)

A Stanford student and Paralympian who grew up in Arlington has been named a 2026 Rhodes scholar.

Sydney E. Barta of Arlington, Virginia, is a Paralympian and member of the track team at Stanford University, who studies bioengineering and sings in the Stanford acapella group “Counterpoint.” As part of the prestigious scholarship, Barta plans to study musculoskeletal sciences.

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Federal workers question whether the longest government shutdown was worth their sacrifice

By The Associated Press
Federal workers stand in line to pickup meals from the World Central Kitchen, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Jessica Sweet spent the federal government shutdown cutting back. To make ends meet, the Social Security claims specialist drank only one coffee a day, skipped meals, cut down on groceries and deferred paying some household bills. She racked up spending on her credit card buying gas to get to work.

With the longest shutdown ever coming to a close, Sweet and hundreds of thousands of other federal workers who missed paychecks will soon get some relief. But many are left feeling that their livelihoods served as political pawns in the fight between recalcitrant lawmakers in Washington and are asking themselves whether the battle was worth their sacrifices.

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President Trump signs government funding bill, ending shutdown after a record 43-day disruption

By The Associated Press
The Capitol is seen at nightfall on day 22 of a government shutdown in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed a government funding bill Wednesday night, ending a record 43-day shutdown that caused financial stress for federal workers who went without paychecks, stranded scores of travelers at airports and generated long lines at some food banks.

The shutdown magnified partisan divisions in Washington as Trump took unprecedented unilateral actions — including canceling projects and trying to fire federal workers — to pressure Democrats into relenting on their demands.

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Senate is poised to take the first steps to end 40-day shutdown, with Va. senators divided on deal

By The Associated Press and Angela Woolsey
The Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is voting on the first steps to end the 40-day government shutdown Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who wanted to continue the fight.

The group of three former governors — New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan and Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine — said they would vote to reopen if the Senate passed three annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding until late January. Senate Majority Leader John Thune endorsed the deal Sunday night and called an immediate vote to begin the process of approving it.

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Struggling D.C. area economy takes another economic hit from the government shutdown

By The Associated Press
Clients line up outside the Arlington Food Assistance Center in Green Valley, Nov. 2024 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the combination of the longest government shutdown, the mass firings of government workers and a fresh cut in federal food aid, the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington is bracing for the swell of people who will need its help before the holiday season.

The food bank, which serves 400 pantries and aid organizations in the District of Columbia, northern Virginia and two Maryland counties, is providing 8 million more meals than it had prepared to this budget year — a nearly 20% increase.

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DEVELOPING: Major delays at Reagan National Airport amid flight cuts

By ARLnow.com and The Associated Press
Plane at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Reagan National Airport is “expecting significant delays and cancellations through this evening due to air traffic reductions.”

The airport urged those with flight reservations “to monitor their flight status closely with their airline,” according to a social post Friday afternoon. As of 5 p.m., the FAA listed average flight delays of four hours at Reagan National, attributing the delays to “staffing” issues.

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NEW: Reagan National and Dulles are among the airports set for flight cuts

By The Associated Press and ARLnow.com
The departures lanes at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to the airlines.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it would reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

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Federal cuts are affecting the finances of most Virginia voters, poll finds

By The Associated Press
Alonzie Scott, a recently retired federal worker, is seen at an Arlington, Va., polling center on Tuesday, Nov. 4th, 2025. (AP Photo/Helen Wieffering)

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Not everyone who voted in Northern Virginia in Tuesday’s election has felt the impact of President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal government, but even many who haven’t said they have colleagues or neighbors who are dealing with the consequences.

“I’ve seen so many federal families lose their jobs, lose their income, lose their certainty here,” said Karina Valdez, who voted at the Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center in Arlington.

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Government shutdown becomes the longest on record as fallout spreads nationwide

By The Associated Press
The Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown has entered its 36th day, breaking the record as the longest ever and disrupting the lives of millions of Americans with federal program cuts, flight delays and federal workers nationwide left without paychecks.

President Donald Trump has refused to negotiate with Democrats over their demands to salvage expiring health insurance subsidies until they agree to reopen the government. But skeptical Democrats question whether the Republican president will keep his word, particularly after the administration restricted SNAP food aid, despite court orders to ensure funds are available to prevent hunger.

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