News

College Degrees Galore — A viral social post ranked U.S. counties by share of white adults age 25 and older with at least a bachelor’s degree, putting Arlington (88%), Falls Church (86%) and Alexandria (83%) in the top five nationally, behind only Washington, D.C. (93%) and New York (86%). [Siddharth Khurana/X]

Police Memorial Today — The Arlington County Police Department and Sheriff’s Office will hold a ceremony this morning at 8 a.m. honoring the seven Arlington law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. The event will take place at the Justice Center Plaza (1425 N. Courthouse Road), with a road closure on N. Courthouse Road between 14th Street N. and 15th Street N. from 7–9 a.m. [Arlington County]

New 7th District Contender — Adam Dunigan, a former Marine and CIA case officer, has submitted more than 1,400 petition signatures to compete in the primary for Virginia’s newly redrawn 7th Congressional District. Dunigan’s campaign says it has raised $144,676 from individual donors without accepting money from corporate PACs, special interests or party committees. [Press Release]

Highway Shopping Cart — “Quite the scene on I-395N around 3:00 this morning. A woman pushed a shopping cart right in the middle of the highway from Route 1 up to Boundary Channel. Others driving by tried to intervene until @VSPPIO arrived. A trooper quickly disrupted her journey.” [Dave Statter/X]

Good Company Wins SBA Award — The U.S. Small Business Administration will recognize Ballston-based Good Company Doughnuts & Café as the 2026 Small Business Person of the Year for N. Va. during a ceremony today. The award recognizes co-founders Charles Kachadoorian and Kate Murphy, whose company has expanded from a single Arlington café in 2019 to multiple locations across D.C. and N. Va. [Press Release]

Arlington Foster Parents Honored — Arlington’s Sara Kirwin and Joseph Calizo were named among the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ 2026 Foster Parents of the Year. The couple has fostered 15 children in 10 years and currently cares for two teens. [MWCOG]

Falls Church Tax Cut Likely — The Falls Church City Council reached a consensus at Monday’s work session to drop the real estate tax rate by a half-penny, slightly below the recommendation of City Manager Wyatt Shields, who advocated for no change. The largely symbolic reduction will save taxpayers just over $50 on average. The Council is expected to formally adopt the budget Monday night. [Falls Church News-Press]

Spanberger Open to Service Taxes — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) said she’ll consider taxing everyday services in the state, including gym memberships, dog walking and streaming services, to raise “revenue that’s necessary.” Proposals to tax such services failed to pass the General Assembly this year, but Spanberger told Richmond’s ABC News affiliate she might sign similar measures in the future. [Washington Times]

Va. Resident on Virus Ship — “The Virginia Department of Health says one Virginia traveler who was aboard a cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has returned home and is under public health monitoring… The traveler “is currently in good health, not showing any signs of infection,” the department said.” [Fox 5]

It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies today with a high near 71 and west winds of 2–10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Overnight will be mostly cloudy with a low around 54. [NWS]

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Ballston Hotel Redo Funded — “The team behind a long-planned development at the Holiday Inn site in Ballston has assembled a $195 million financing stack and could get work underway as soon as this summer.” The shuttered hotel and adjacent office building will be replaced by a 420-unit residential development. [WBJ]

Housing Holds Despite DOGE — “The Northern Virginia housing market is not going to fall off the cliff… What we’re seeing right now is basically price stability, probably through this year,” GMU economist Keith Waters said. Arlington’s median single-family sale price was $1.3 million in 2025, up from $1.29 million the year prior. [Arlington Magazine]

Free Wash for Teachers, Nurses — Mr Wash is offering free exterior car washes to teachers and nurses with valid work IDs at all 11 of its locations through Friday, May 8. [Press Release]

Bike to Work Day Nears — “Bike to Work Day 2026 is coming up on Friday, May 15.” Arlington has five morning and two afternoon pit stops where registered riders can pick up a 2026 T-shirt, giveaways and refreshments. [BikeArlington]

Fairfax Prosecutor Under Federal Probe — “The Trump administration has launched an investigation into the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office over its handling of cases involving undocumented immigrants as defendants.” Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano serves on a multi-prosecutor task force with Arlington’s Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, who was subpoenaed by a House committee earlier this year. [FFXnow]

Defense CEO Paydays Climb — “Top executive pay at four of Greater Washington’s five largest defense contractors rose in 2025 during the first year of the second Trump administration.” Arlington-based Boeing and RTX both saw their CEO pay packages rise, to $23.5 million and $24.8 million respectively, as Pentagon spending grew 17% year-over-year to $1.01 trillion. [WBJ]

Memorial for Crash Victims — “Alexandria leaders will install a memorial bench next month at Rivergate City Park honoring the 67 people who died in last year’s mid-air collision over the Potomac River.” The memorial includes the bench, newly planted trees and a plaque with the victims’ names. [ALXnow]

F.C. Eyes Affordable Housing — “By a 5-1 vote late Monday night, the Falls Church City Council acted to retain a consultant to begin what will be the Little City’s next arduous voyage into the fretfully-choppy waters of potentially significant affordable housing.” The consultant will help redevelop the four-acre Virginia Village site on S. Maple Avenue. [FCNP]

FBI Raids Sen. Lucas’s Office — “The FBI on Wednesday raided the Portsmouth offices and a cannabis retail business co-owned by state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, the president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate and one of the most powerful Democrats in the state, as part of an ongoing corruption investigation.” Lucas was not arrested. [Washington Post, AP]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly cloudy skies today with a chance of rain showers after 8 a.m. and a high near 66. Northwest winds will be around 7 mph. Skies clear overnight with a low around 48. [NWS]

There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.

No Charges for Miller Activist — A Virginia woman who distributed leaflets disclosing the home address of top White House aide Stephen Miller will not face state criminal charges, according to court documents filed Tuesday by Arlington County’s top prosecutor. Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (D) said proceeding could risk having a “chilling effect on others wishing to engage in peaceful political protest.” [Washington Post, CBS News]

Rosslyn Dome Makeover — Boston-based Beacon Capital Partners has renovated the former Artisphere and Newseum theater dome at 1101 Wilson Blvd as part of a broader repositioning of the 24-story office building, where occupancy fell to 46% after the Spaces coworking offices closed. The renovated 220-seat venue will serve as a tenant amenity, but Beacon is open to a long-term lease for the right tenant. [WBJ]

Organics Pickup Help on Way — Arlington County has hired American Disposal Services to perform all curbside organics collections beginning Monday, May 11. The county said the additional contractor will help restore reliable performance after recent service issues. Yard waste and food scraps should continue to be placed out on regular collection days. [Arlington County]

Punch at Joint Base Gate — A former soldier was scheduled to appear in federal court Monday following his arrest for allegedly punching a military police officer in the face during a security stop at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall last week. The man fled on foot during a marijuana inspection at the Hatfield Access Control Point in Arlington. Officers later allegedly recovered a loaded handgun from his waistband. [Patch]

Click It or Ticket Returns — Arlington police are urging drivers to buckle up ahead of a national high-visibility seat belt enforcement campaign that runs from May 11 to May 31, coinciding with the Memorial Day holiday. NHTSA reports that nearly 50% of the 22,713 passenger vehicle occupants killed nationwide in 2024 were not buckled. [ACPD]

Marymount Wins Flag Football Title — The Marymount Saints captured the first-ever Jets ECAC Women’s Flag Football Championship with a 37-26 win over the Franciscan Barons in Sunday’s title game at the Jets training facility. Saints QB Jesenia Velez was named tournament MVP after amassing 253 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns. [New York Jets]

Buzz Over Beekeeping Rules — A new proposal to regulate beekeeping in Alexandria, which would limit the number of hives allowed on properties and create setbacks of 5 to 10 feet, has drawn criticism from local beekeepers. “Honeybees are pollinators and beneficial to the landscaping of our city,” wrote former beekeeper Alex Crawford-Batt. [ALXnow]

Toxic Metals in East Wing Debris — Debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing that was dumped at the nearby East Potomac golf course has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, according to an interim report by a Virginia engineering firm. More than 30,000 cubic yards of excavated soil had been transported to the site as of last month. [WTOP]

Potomac Testing Expands — Months of water quality testing has shown E. coli levels in the Potomac River are back to normal after January’s massive sewage spill, but advocates say continued monitoring is critical. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network’s monitoring program is expanding from 28 sites to 37 this season. [WTOP]

It’s Wednesday — Expect rain showers most of the day, with a high near 78 and southwest winds of 15 mph gusting to 30 mph. Showers and thunderstorms are likely in the evening and overnight, with a low around 55. [NWS]

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