The Arlington County Board has joined a chorus of regional voices asking Dominion Energy to be more judicious in tree removal efforts.
The Board unanimously voted on Tuesday in support of a resolution calling on the energy company to avoid draconian efforts to manage the landscape along Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Regional Park and adjoining power lines.
The D.C. area’s restaurant community is warning of closures as economic pressures and federal actions raise fears of less spending and higher costs.
Impacts may be less severe in Arlington and Falls Church than in D.C., as some businesses are considering leaving the District for “better deals” in Northern Virginia. However, Shawn Townsend, president of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW), cautioned that Arlington restaurants remain vulnerable to issues involving federal job cuts, rising costs and a possible meals tax increase.
Ousted AIM CEO Alleges Bias — “[Kernodle] points the finger at basically everyone else: the county board and staffers who balked at her request for funds, the AIM board of directors, volunteers at WERA, and even the media outlet ARLnow … ‘my grave mistake was telling people that’s what my goal was. I told them I was going to undo White patriarchy and White privilege through the media.'” [Washington City Paper]
Armed Robbery of Lighter — “The male victim was outside when the male suspect approached him and asked for a lighter. The victim loaned the suspect their lighter and the suspect began to walk away with it. When the victim verbally confronted the suspect, he lifted his shirt exposing what appeared to be a firearm before fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]
Limbo for Feds — “All over the country, fired federal workers got a bit of good news this week — they’re getting their jobs back. For now, anyway. The recently rehired could soon become the newly re-fired, and the productivity of the entire federal workforce is taking another hit.” [Axios]
Architect for DCA Project — “On Wednesday, the airports authority board awarded an initial two-year contract not to exceed $35 million to Houston architecture and engineering firm PGAL Inc. to provide design and planning services for a new concourse within Terminal 1 at DCA.” [WBJ]
Plea in Classified Doc Case — “A civilian electrical engineer for the Department of Defense pled guilty today to unauthorized removal and retention of classified material. According to court documents, Gokhan Gun, 51, of Falls Church… without permission, removed at least five classified documents from his Department of Defense workspace.” [DOJ]
Gov: Va. Can Take Over for DOE — “Governor Glenn Youngkin and Virginia education leaders expressed support for the Executive Order issued by President Donald J. Trump returning education to the states. The Executive Order directs U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to take all steps within her authority to return education to the states.” [Press Release]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny and breezy conditions with a high of 57 degrees and northwest winds blowing between 17 to 21 mph, gusting up to 36 mph. Friday night will have increasing clouds and a low of around 37 degrees. The west wind will calm to 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]
The spotlight is on South Arlington in an upcoming episode of WETA’s local real estate television series, “If You Lived Here,” which airs next week.
The episode and season finale showcases three homes in the Four Mile Run area and in the Fairlington and Claremont neighborhoods. Part of the series’ fourth season exploring D.C.-area homes, the episode premieres this Monday, March 24.
A Georgetown scholar living in Rosslyn has been detained by immigration authorities, prompting an outcry, including from Arlington’s congressman.
The arrest happened Monday night at the Rosslyn home of Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national, as first reported by Politico. It has continued the national debate about the intersection of free speech and immigration, which started with the arrest of a pro-Palestinian Columbia graduate student.
Arlington County’s water pipes are receiving their annual cleaning starting next week, bringing temporary changes to tap water’s taste and odor.
Starting Monday and continuing through May 5, tap water will be treated with chlorine instead of chloramine “to clean water mains and clear them of any flow issues.”
Over $400,000 in funding for immigration-related services is included in a package of grants that the Arlington County Board approved for local nonprofits this week.
However, one Arlington-based organization focused on immigrant communities — the Ethiopian Community Development Council — pushed back at a County Board meeting on Tuesday after a selection panel declined to recommend funding the nonprofit. Board members declined to bend the rules to help, but said they would help the group find additional streams of funding and other support.
County Approves Grants — “On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the Arlington County Board awarded grants totaling more than $1.8 million to 23 nonprofits serving Arlington. This funding was awarded as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) equity-based grant program, RACE to Rebuilding Trust & Community.” [Arlington County]
Arlingtonians Protest Cuts — “Parents and teachers across the country, including the DMV, are standing against cuts to the U.S. Department of Education. It’s part of the National Education Association’s ‘Walk-In to Protect Our Students and Families.’ … Parents and students at Barcroft Elementary School stood outside Wednesday morning expressing their concerns about dismantling the Department of Education and how it could hurt students, families, and teachers, especially at Title I schools.” [DC News Now]
Pedestrian Struck Tuesday Afternoon — A pedestrian was struck by a driver along Washington Blvd, near ramps to and from the GW Parkway. Initially reported to be unconscious by 911 callers, the pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to U.S. Park Police. [ARLnow/X]
ACFD’s Busiest Rescue Truck — “In 2024, Rescue 109 was our busiest Rescue in Arlington with 1,928 calls. Our Rescue Companies are staffed with 4 personnel that are all trained to a specific specialty team. R109 is part of the Hazardous Materials Team and responds to all incidents that involve victim rescues.” [ACFD/X]
D.C. Cherry Blossom Update — “Mild weather is hastening the development of D.C.’s famed cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin. On Wednesday, the National Park Service said the blossom buds reached their third stage: extension of florets.” [Capital Weather Gang, National Mall NPS/X]
It’s Thursday — Expect cloudy conditions and rain showers after 2pm with a high of 71°F, accompanied by a southeast wind of 9-15 mph, gusting up to 24 mph, and a 90% chance of precipitation. Rainfall amounting to a quarter to half an inch is possible. On Thursday night, showers will mainly occur before 2am, with lows around 37°F, a northwest wind of 11-18 mph, and gusts up to 37 mph. There’s an 80% chance of precipitation with similar rainfall amounts. [NWS]
Add hotel-occupancy rates to the Arlington County government’s growing list of economic concerns.
Projections for the next 60 days suggest Arlington’s hotel-room usage will be down 15% from a year before and expected hotel revenue down 12%.
Arlington neighborhoods have long held what amounts to veto power over the installation of new sidewalks, but that may soon change.
County Manager Mark Schwartz recently told two advisory panels he is interested in developing a countywide sidewalk plan to fill in gaps — and potentially override the views of individual communities.
A proposal to redevelop a Lyon Village church as affordable housing for LGBTQ+ seniors continues to get pushback from some neighbors.
Clarendon Presbyterian Church has been seeking to redevelop its property at 1305 N. Jackson Street in partnership with True Ground Housing Partners. Conceptual site plans filed last May depict a six-story building with 102 units, as well as a church and childcare center totaling 8,530 square feet.
Arlington prosecutors have declined to pursue charges against a convenience store employee accused of slashing an alleged shoplifter with a knife.
The 24-year-old employee faced two misdemeanor charges stemming from the Dec. 16 incident, in which he allegedly pursued and confronted two men who left a 7-Eleven in Arlington Heights without paying for beer and other items.
