News

Spotlight on Student’s Volunteer Work — “Aliyah went to New York in March to be interviewed on the Today Show, hosted by Jenna Bush Hager. At the end of an engaging interview about the Points of Light award, the hosts announced a wonderful surprise for Aliyah: Scholastic Books was donating $10,000 worth of books to her One Word Reading Initiative!” [FCNP, Today Show]

Theft from Shirlington Building — “2700 block of S. Arlington Mill Drive. On April 14, police received an online report for a late breaking and entering. It was reported that on March 14 at approximately 10:44 p.m., the two male suspects forced entry into a secured residential building, stole a key and mail and subsequently fled the scene in a black sedan.” [ACPD]

Police Week Approaching — “Members of the public and the media are invited to attend the Observance of Peace Officers Memorial Day. Friday, May 9, 2025. 8:00 a.m. Arlington County Justice Center Plaza located at 1425 North Courthouse Road.” [ACPD]

More Pentagon Turmoil — “Ullyot’s departure comes in the midst of a tumultuous week for the Pentagon. Three political appointees were put on administrative leave on Tuesday and Wednesday during an investigation into potential leaks, including two top aides to Hegseth and the chief of staff to Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg.” [Politico, Stars and Stripes]

F.C. Mulls Trash Fee — “In response to residents at Park Tower condominiums who have been asking the City to include them in the City’s solid waste services for several years, saying it was unfair that they pay taxes but do not receive the service, staff presented options last October to move to a fee-based trash service.” [Falls Church Pulse]

It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching about 77°F, accompanied by a south wind blowing at 7-16 mph and gusts up to 28 mph. The night will be partly cloudy, as temperatures drop to around 64°F. The south wind will persist at around 14 mph and may gust up to 22 mph. [NWS]

ACPD Arrests Sexual Assault Suspect — “A 35-year-old man is in custody after abducting a woman and attempting to sexually assault her in Seven Corners… Through security footage, detectives learned the suspect was driving a 2008 Ford Escape and had traveled to Arlington County. Arlington County Police were notified and located El Moctar Mohamed M’Bareck, 35, of Falls Church and took him into custody.” [FFXnow, FCPD]

State May Support ‘Microtransit’ Pilot — The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation has proposed spending $2 million in support of Arlington’s microtransit pilot program in the coming year. If grant funding is approved in coming months, county officials would need to provide a $500,000 match. —Scott McCaffrey

Exit Sign Fixed on I-395 — “Confirmation… that the Exit 8B 110N to Rosslyn sign on I-395S is finally positioned properly after the @VaDOTNOVA work overnight.” [Dave Statter/X]

GMU Student Visas Revoked — “More than a dozen international students at George Mason University have recently had their visas terminated or revoked by the federal government, the university says. The U.S. departments of state and homeland security apparently changed the statuses of 15 students without any involvement by or prior notice to university officials.” [FFXnow]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 64 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind at about 7 mph. For Thursday night, the skies will be partly cloudy with temperatures dipping to around 47 degrees. The calm wind will shift to a southerly direction at approximately 5 mph after midnight. [NWS]

VHC Names New Exec — “VHC Health has named Amy Ellis Hauser, most recently chief philanthropy officer at Conquer Cancer, to serve as president of the VHC Health Foundation… Hauser, a 22-year Arlington resident and mother of two, both born at VHC Health, said in a statement she is excited to return to VHC.” [WBJ]

Fare Evasion in Pentagon City — “Hello @wmata – Tons of fare evasion this afternoon exiting Pentagon City Station, 1655 hrs. Piggy-backing behind paying customers and jumping the turnstiles.” [CartChaos22202/X]

Mulling the Arlington Way — “One thread I have found in my history research is the theme of unhappiness with County Board decisions, with a tendency to proclaim that “the County Board is not listening to us.” This sentiment has been expressed as far back as the 1950s, in newspaper articles describing opposition to a zoning approval. This thread of unhappiness with Board decisions has resulted in a long history replete with lawsuits filed for all kinds of reasons.” [FCNP]

Beyer Blasts IRS Cuts — “Donald Trump and Elon Musk are hollowing out the IRS, rigging the system to make it easier for wealthy people to evade taxes, and costing the U.S. money that they will then use to justify trying to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]

Pentagon Team Getting DOGE’d — “Under pressure from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, nearly all the staff of the Defense Digital Service — the Pentagon’s fast-track tech development arm — are resigning over the coming month.” [Politico]

Leak Probe Targets Pentagon Advisor — “One of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s leading advisers, Dan Caldwell, was escorted from the Pentagon on Tuesday after being identified during an investigation into leaks at the Department of Defense.” [Reuters]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny and breezy conditions with highs near 59°F accompanied by a 14 to 21 mph northwest wind and gusts up to 34 mph. Tonight, the skies will remain clear, with lows around 40°F and a 6 to 11 mph northwest wind, gusting up to 22 mph. [NWS]