A group trying to jump the Metro turnstiles in Pentagon City assaulted an officer and led police on a series of foot chases Tuesday night.
The wild incident started around 7 p.m., when Arlington County police were dispatched for as many as eight people reportedly loitering in the mall and refusing to leave. Shortly thereafter, as the group was said to be leaving the mall, a Metro Transit Police officer was allegedly assaulted by a “a group of individuals attempting to fare evade.”
In the months since a circuit court judge struck down Arlington’s Missing Middle zoning changes, one of the initiative’s core goals appears to have backfired.
Beyond increasing the county’s overall housing stock, one of the main stated intentions of Missing Middle was to address a trend of developers tearing down existing single-family homes to replace them with larger, more expensive single-family homes.
The Falls Church City Council is keeping the door open to maintaining the same tax rate in the coming fiscal year.
Council members unanimously voted on Monday night to advertise a maximum tax rate of $1.21 per $100 assessed valuation — unchanged from the current rate.
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]
Though federal workforce reductions will likely cause fluctuations in office space this year, Northern Virginia’s most sought-after properties are expected to remain valuable.
A new data analysis from Savills US notes some “encouraging signs of recovery” in the first quarter of this year, but anticipates a bumpy ride for the region’s commercial properties as shakeups at the federal level play out.
A 42-year-old Arlington man is facing several charges after police say he threw a rock at a fire truck last night.
ACPD was dispatched to the intersection S. Walter Reed Drive at 19th Street S. just after 6 p.m. Tuesday after a firefighter reported that a man standing at a bus stop was throwing rocks at passing vehicles, including their fire truck.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) continues to throw his support behind federal job cuts and heightened tariffs, despite many Virginia officials’ and economists’ warnings of economic fallout.
In a CNBC interview yesterday (Monday), Youngkin acknowledged the pain that President Donald Trump’s economic decisions have already caused many Virginia residents. However, he argued that the layoffs are in the United States’ long-term interests and argued that tariffs will accelerate investments across the United States, including in Virginia.
Planned changes to local preservation guidelines have some local officials concerned about needless bureaucracy as well as loopholes for developers.
Several members of the county’s Park and Recreation Commission voiced skepticism after they received a briefing on proposed changes slated for Arlington County Board consideration in June.
Arlington County is looking for a new poet.
Applications for the county’s fourth poet laureate — responsible for writing original poems to be presented at public readings and displayed on ART buses — are due by June 2.
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]
A new directive to focus more on big-picture advocacy and less on specific projects has Arlington’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee seeking more guidance about its role.
Some committee members say they understand the reasoning behind County Manager Mark Schwartz’s request last month. However, they don’t want to give up entirely on providing input about individual projects or policies — which they see as an important public service.
Arlington’s congressman and several state legislators are hosting a town hall at Central Library later this month.
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer, state Sen. Barbara Favola and Dels. Adele McClure and Alfonso Lopez (all D) will participate in the program, to be held on April 29 at 6 p.m. in the Barbara Donnellan Auditorium (1015 N. Quincy Street).
