Graffiti on a passing train near Long Bridge Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Wreckage Recovered from River — “All major pieces from the plane and helicopter involved in the Jan. 29 collision near Reagan National Airport have been relocated… Officials had been offloading the helicopter wreckage and some plane debris from a barge on Friday. Investigators will have access to the debris in a secure hangar at Reagan National Airport.” [Patch, NTSB/X, NTSB/X]

Trail Reopening Soon — “Mount Vernon Trail remains closed btw 14th St Bridge + Four Mile Run. Daingerfield Island + Jones Point are also closed. Reopening is anticipated on Mon, Feb 10.” [BikeArlington/X]

FBI Leader Visits Gravelly Point — “#FBIWFO personnel were proud to host Acting Director Brian Driscoll yesterday at Gravelly Point where we continue to support our partners in response to last week’s aircraft collision. The acting director thanked everyone who has responded to the incident site.” [FBI Washington Field/X]

Hope Touts Bill Endorsements — “The Virginia NAACP, the Arlington Branch of the NAACP, and the Arlington Civic Federation each endorsed HB 2768 this week, calling on the Arlington County Board, Arlington Senators Barbara Favola and Adam Ebbin to “stand with us in strengthening democracy” by supporting the legislation to expand Arlington County’s ability to self-govern.” [Press Release, Del. Patrick Hope/X]

Crumbl Cookies Now Open — “Crumbl-Pentagon City will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., on Friday. Customers are invited to participate in the celebration.” [Patch]

Budget Debates in Richmond — “Virginia’s Democratic-led Senate and House of Delegates debated tax relief and economic stability Thursday before passing separate plans for amending the two-year state budget, laying the groundwork for negotiations by lawmakers on an eventual spending plan to send to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.” [Associated Press]

It’s Monday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 44, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 5 to 7 mph. As night falls, the sky will become mostly cloudy, with temperatures dropping to around 30. [NWS]

Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee, cleaning the fridge or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.


Falls Church officials appear split on whether it’s a good idea to impose a “second signature” requirement before vehicles are towed from private property.

But before the matter circles back to City Council members for a final decision, it will move through at least one advisory body and a public-review process.


Icy treetops in Arlington as seen on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 6 (courtesy Gale Harris)

Arrivals Slowed at DCA — “The Federal Aviation Administration plans to announce it is reducing flight arrivals at Washington Reagan National Airport to address safety concerns, after a deadly collision between a helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed 67 people.” [Reuters]’

Vigil for Crash Victims — “A crowd gathered in Old Town for a candlelight vigil to commemorate the 67 victims of a midair crash near Reagan National Airport last week. Among the speakers at the event were elected leaders from the region including Sen. Tim Kaine, Rep. Don Beyer and Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins.” [ALXnow]

Impeachment Won’t Start with Beyer — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) on Wednesday told Arlington Democrats he wouldn’t be the one to introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump. Such an action is “above my pay grade at the moment,” said Beyer, who added House Democrats would take their lead from Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader. –Scott McCaffrey

Resignation Plan for Feds Blocked — “A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to push out federal workers by offering them financial incentives, the latest tumult for government employees already wrestling with upheaval from the new administration.” [Associated Press]

Beyer Warns Against Resigning — “The legality of these offers is dubious. They are written by people who clearly don’t know the law or understand how the government works. They promise pay through September even though funding has only been appropriated through March. As you know, that’s not how this works.” [Press Release]

More Locker Room Visits Reported — “Arlington and Fairfax County said Tier III registered child sex offender Richard Kenneth Cox, 58, visited two schools and two county-owned recreation and fitness centers in their regions late last year… Cox visited Oakmont Rec Center in Fairfax County twice, shortly after he visited Washington Liberty High School.” [WJLA]

Gore Renting Out Arlington Home — “Former Vice President Al Gore has put his longtime Arlington, Va., home up for rent for an eye-watering $9,000 a month… The five-bedroom, four-bathroom Tudor-style abode, which was built in 1937, has been in wife Mary ‘Tipper’ Gore’s family since it was completed by her grandfather.” [MarketWatch]

Less Doom at Rosslyn Intersection — “Score one for the Bike Lobby, after literal decades (and almost 15 years of my own use after moving back to the area) the Intersection Of Doom finally has an unambiguous permanent No Turn on Red sign.” [Kenneth Deuel/Bluesky]

Local Immigration Workshop — “On Saturday Catholic Charities is hosting a naturalization workshop for immigrants at St Charles Catholic Church. The clinic is for immigrants who have a green card to assist with their application for citizenship. The clinic is from 10-12.” [Catholic Charities]

Snow Chances Upcoming — “We have two more winter storm chances to track over the next several days. The first, on Saturday, doesn’t look to be too impactful. The second, which is most likely to come Tuesday into Tuesday night, has better potential for significant snow, but it’s too early to jump to conclusions.” [CWG]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high of 47 degrees, accompanied by northwest winds between 8 to 11 mph and gusts reaching up to 20 mph. On Friday night, the sky will turn mostly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 31 degrees. The north wind will blow at 5 to 7 mph, eventually becoming calm overnight. [NWS]


The Arlington County Fire Department’s water rescue team did not respond to last week’s fatal midair collision, against the wishes of local firefighters, ARLnow has learned.

While first responders from throughout the D.C. area descended on the site of the devastating collision that killed 67 people on Jan. 29, ACFD personnel trained to respond to water emergencies did not receive permission to act. That is according to internal materials that this news site obtained through an anonymous source.


A state bill that would loosen restrictions on liquor sales is picking up support from members of Arlington’s restaurant scene.

Restaurants with mixed beverage licenses in Virginia are mandated to make at least 45% of sales from food and no more than 55% of sales from liquor-based mixed beverages. Senate Bill 1163 would lower the food sale requirement to 30%, allowing higher revenue percentages from liquor — something multiple restaurant owners told ARLnow they would welcome.


The results of an audit on Arlington Independent Media are out, revealing substantial gaps and errors in how the nonprofit handled some $2 million in county-provided funds.

The audit report appears to have been uploaded by Arlington County yesterday, the day after ARLnow reported on delays in its release. It suggests that AIM failed to provide adequate documentation for over $1 million in expenditures, including payments to dozens of third-party contractors.


The former Marriott Crystal City at Reagan National Airport is emerging from renovations as the National Landing Hotel Crystal City.

The hotel, part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio, “is slated to complete its transformative renovation and rebranding in May 2025.”


Here’s a little secret: dollar for dollar, promoted events on ARLnow are probably the best advertising value we offer.

Promoted events are highlighted in our event calendar, promoted on our homepage and also appear in our email newsletter starting about two weeks prior to the event.


Arlington Democrats now have two candidates vying for an open School Board seat.

Monique “Moe” Bryant and June Prakash formally kicked off campaigns Wednesday night (Feb. 5) at the monthly Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.


Sleet falling on the W&OD Trail (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Tribute Event for Crash Victims — “Figure skating champions and legends will glide across Capital One Arena ice next month as headliners of an exhibition to raise funds to support families of the victims of a midair collision near Reagan National Airport that killed 67, officials announced Wednesday. The March 2 tribute, titled “Legacy on Ice,” will be co-hosted by 1988 Olympic champion Brian Boitano.” [Washington Post]

Group Wants Trump to Investigate APS — “America First Legal (AFL) sent a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Education to investigate five Northern Virginia school districts for Title IX violations against female students. AFL argues that Alexandria City Public Schools, Arlington Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Loudoun County Public Schools, and Prince William County Public Schools have bathroom and locker room policies that violate Title IX and President Donald Trump’s Executive Order.” [WJLA]

Armed Standoff in Arna Valley — “ACPD has taken a suspect into custody in the 2600 block of 27th Road S. following an earlier report of a person with a firearm. No injuries were reported. Police remain in the area investigating the incident.” [ACPD/X]

Sen. Warner Sounds Alarm — “Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence… wrote to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles about the risks to our national security of allowing unvetted DOGE staff and representatives to access classified and sensitive government materials.” [Press Release]

Gov’t Leases in Question — “The General Services Administration and Department of Government Efficiency are reaching out to all agencies with ‘non-firm term leases’ in an initial step toward chopping the feds’ massive leased portfolio, a major D.C. law firm told its clients Tuesday.” [WBJ]

Federal Layoffs Likely — “The Trump administration is planning widespread layoffs among the federal workforce soon, leaving employees who don’t accept its deferred resignation offer at risk of losing their jobs.” [CNN]

Va. Bracing for Gov’t Downsizing — “House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) on Tuesday evening announced the formation of an Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions, a bipartisan panel tasked with assessing the economic fallout and crafting solutions to protect the commonwealth.” [Virginia Mercury/FFXnow]

Rosslyn-Based Politico Targeted — “The executive branch will stop spending money on Politico subscriptions after paying millions of dollars to the news outlet last year, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a briefing Wednesday.” [Axios]

It’s Thursday — Expect rain mainly before 1pm, with a high temperature near 49°F. Light southeast winds will shift to southwest at 5-10 mph in the morning, and may gust up to 20 mph. There’s a 90% chance of precipitation, with new amounts between a tenth to a quarter of an inch possible. For Thursday night, it’ll be mostly cloudy with a low around 40°F. Southwest winds at 6-8 mph will become northwest after midnight. [NWS]


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