News

Courthouse Hotel Project On Hold — “The owner of a hotel in Arlington’s Courthouse… now needs more time before it can start, intimating that the project still doesn’t pencil out… Sunburst Hospitality Corp. got the green light in October 2020 from local lawmakers to transform its 187-key Arlington Court Suites Hotel at 1200 N. Courthouse Road into 180 multifamily units.” [WBJ]

Local Impact of Downsizing Fed Gov’t — “According to Terry Clower, who monitors the local economy at George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis, that could be a disaster for the region… Massive reductions in federal jobs could hit DC like the closure of steel mills hit Midwestern company towns. ‘Forty percent of our economy is based one way or another on the federal government,’ Clower says.” [Washingtonian]

Crash Fells Pole in Pentagon City — From Dave Statter: “An odd crash a short time ago at S. 12th & S. Eads across from the Whole Foods. Car went into the Amazon construction site. Person taken to the hospital.” [Twitter]

New Spokesperson for ACFD — “The Arlington County Fire Department is pleased to announce the appointment of Captain Jamie Jill as its new Public Information Officer (PIO). Captain Jill brings a wealth of experience to the position, with 13 years of service in fire and EMS, as well as 11 years in public information.” [Arlington County]

LGBTQ+ Panel Eyes World Pride — Arlington’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Committee hopes to participate in D.C.’s upcoming spring World Pride celebration. Committee chair Samantha Perez says local involvement would welcome visitors while reassuring residents concerned about Trump administration policies. Several Arlington groups have already partnered with event host Capital Pride Alliance. –Scott McCaffrey

Soaking Rain Expected — “Most models, including a blend of models shown above, predict about 0.75 inches to 1 inch of rain in the D.C. region between Thursday night and Friday evening. While a shift in the storm track could still lower or raise the actual amount, we do seem likely to get some needed rain.” [Capital Weather Gang]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 48, with light winds becoming southwest at 5-7 mph in the morning. Thursday night will bring rain, primarily after 1 am, with a low of around 40 and a south wind at 6-9 mph. There’s an 80% chance of precipitation. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar

Buyouts Offered to Federal Workers — “The White House issued a memo Tuesday offering to pay federal workers who don’t want to return to the office through Sept. 30, as long as they resign by Feb. 6… The Office of Personnel Management described the offer as administrative leave with pay and benefits.” [Axios]

Senators Blast Trump Order — From U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine: “President Trump’s reckless and illegal order to stop all federal grant and loan programs will have an immediate and profound negative impact on Americans all over the country. This is money that builds roads and bridges, helps small businesses make payroll, and makes our communities healthier, safer, and more economically competitive.” [Press Release]

Dems Nix ‘No Tax on Tips’ — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to make Virginia the first state with a President Donald Trump-inspired ‘no tax on tips’ policy got stiffed by a House of Delegates panel Monday, suggesting that Democrats aren’t likely to pass the attention-grabbing campaign proposal.” [Washington Post]

Show Nearly Sells Out After Threat — From comedian Steve Hofstetter: “When I posted the video of the guy who threatened to shoot me if I proceeded with my show in Arlington, I was wondering if it would slow ticket sales. Nope. We sold 54 more tickets THAT DAY. That show is now inches from being sold out.” [Facebook]

Spotted in Arlington — From Sam Shirazi: “Lots going on today so something different. Saw a house in Arlington flying the flag of Greenland.” [Twitter]

Tysons Casino Bill Advances — “The push to allow a casino in Fairfax County has officially entered new territory… the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee voted 9-6 this morning (Tuesday) to report Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s (D-34) bill to add the county to Virginia’s list of eligible casino hosts to the full chamber.” [FFXnow]

MoCo Considers Housing Proposal — “Two Montgomery County Council members are planning to introduce legislation that would allow more residential building types – including duplexes, triplexes, townhomes and apartments – along the county’s transit corridors, with a requirement that 15% of the housing serve the local workforce.” [Bethesda Magazine]

Winter Weather Outlook — “Matt Rogers, who specializes in long-range forecasting, believes more wintry weather is possible around mid-February. ‘There’s a window from Feb. 10 to 20 for possibly resetting the pattern into a colder period,’ Rogers said. ‘But it shouldn’t be as severe as what we just we went through.'” [Capital Weather Gang]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 56 degrees, accompanied by breezy conditions, including a west wind blowing at 13 to 23 mph and gusts reaching up to 44 mph. The night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 30 degrees, a northwest wind at 8 to 16 mph, and gusts peaking at 30 mph. [NWS]

CNN Interviews WHS Students — From the Wakefield Chieftain: “Wow! @cnn is at Wakefield! @pamelabrowncnn interviews students and staff about the YONDR cell phone pouch program. Thanks for letting Broadcast students be part of the set up before the interview. WE LEARNED A LOT!” [Twitter, Twitter]

Bishop Blasts In Vitro — “In vitro fertilization (IVF) is ‘unjust and morally wrong’ and promotes eugenics, according to Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge. The Virginia prelate recently released a pastoral letter titled ‘The Christian Family, In Vitro Fertilization, and Heroic Witness to True Love.'” [LifeSiteNews]

Housing Is Hot in Falls Church — “Being raised here, it was like a very slow evolution in Falls Church City. We saw things happen in North Arlington, down in Clarendon. We saw things move into Ballston. And we were just kind of wondering, ‘Well, when’s it going to happen here?’ But now, I think we’re in it. It’s happening…. But, you have to pay for it to get in.” [Falls Church Independent]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies today with a high of around 52 degrees and west winds at 7 to 12 mph, increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon, with potential gusts up to 33 mph. The evening will bring mostly clear skies and a low of about 31 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds shifting to 5 to 9 mph from the southwest. [NWS]

Photo courtesy Dennis Dimick