One person is dead and another is fighting for their life after a serious crash Monday afternoon at a Ballston intersection.
Traffic camera footage (below) shows a gray pickup truck traveling eastbound on Wilson Blvd before slamming into another vehicle — which had just turned onto Wilson from N. Vermont Street — around 2:40 p.m.
The Arlington County Board has approved $18 million in revenue bonds to support the redevelopment of the Goodwill on S. Glebe Road.
The funding will benefit AHC Inc., which is partnering with Goodwill to develop affordable housing on the site, located at 10 S. Glebe Road in the Alcova Heights community.
LGBTQ+ advocates are lobbying the Arlington County Board for a resolution safeguarding against potential attacks on their rights.
Dozens of activists packed the Board’s meeting room on Saturday to decry recent developments at the federal and state level, including President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting gender identity and “gender ideology.” They argue that such actions threaten the wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people everywhere.
Falls Church officials are nearing a decision on an ordinance that would make it easier to build accessory-dwelling units.
A vote on the ordinance is expected in late March or April. At a Council work session last week, however, there was a split between elected leaders and top staff on how much remaining public input is advisable before the matter goes to a vote.
Flyover Planned Today — From Arlington Alert: “A United States military aircraft flyover is scheduled for Monday, January 27, at 3:11 PM at @ArlingtonNatl. While there will be an increase in air traffic noise, there is no cause for alarm.” [Twitter]
Mom Recounts Sex Offender Encounter — “‘We finished class, we walked into the women’s locker rooms, and immediately, as we turned the corner, we saw an individual who was an individual man, as I saw it in the women’s locker room, completely naked, facing the doorway… There had to have been at least a dozen other small girls and moms scattered about the room,’ she said.” [WJLA]
Scooter Approval Latest — “Arlington County has announced the approved shared micromobility vendors for 2025. Bird, Lime, and Spin will continue providing e-scooters, making it easy for residents and visitors to get around in a convenient and sustainable way… This year, Arlington County has approved 1,600 e-scooters.” [Arlington Transportation Partners]
Costs Forcing People Out of N. Va. — “Northern Virginia’s high cost of living is driving more residents to leave for areas where their money stretches further, a new report shows… Those leaving are often young adults, middle-income families and first-time homebuyers, many of whom are struggling to afford housing in the region.” [FFXnow]
Summer Day Camp Guide — “Temps may be chilly, but the heat is on to register for summer camps. They fill up fast in this area, and some have already opened for registration. Trying to get a handle on the vast array of options in and around Arlington? We’ve rounded up information on nearly 40 day camps where kids from tots to teens and with all abilities can thrive.” [Arlington Magazine]
AI Spend May Benefit Region — “‘This $500 billion [effort] reflects that this is going to be a generational change coming and a wave of innovation that could be much, much greater than the internet, and now the investments are being made to build that out,’ Jordan Blashek, president and chief operating officer of Arlington startup investor America’s Frontier Fund, told me.” [WBJ]
It’s Monday — Expect a partly sunny day that will eventually transition into full sunshine, with temperatures peaking around 45°F. Winds will come from the southwest, blowing at 5-10 mph. For Monday night, anticipate an increase in cloud coverage and lows near 31°F, while the southwest wind continues at 7-10 mph. [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 or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Falls Church officials used the recent unveiling of “Saigon Blvd” signage to reaffirm support of the city’s immigrant and second-generation communities.
More robust efforts to eradicate invasive plant species are in the works at Arlington Public Schools.
Core to the effort is collaboration with the county and community volunteers.
Falls Church’s ongoing redevelopment spurt could next focus on 15 acres of mostly industrial land in the community’s West End.
City leaders have invited a contingent from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to Falls Church for a look at what the city calls its Gordon Road Triangle.
A delivery driver is behind bars after police say he accosted a woman and masturbated in front of her while on the job.
The incident happened around 3 p.m. Thursday along Columbia Pike in the Arlington Mill neighborhood.
A lack of commercial properties in Arlington’s development pipeline is having a negative impact on the community’s tree canopy.
The Arlington County government’s Tree Canopy Fund last spring had “essentially run out of money” and was being kept alive by a one-time, $250,000 appropriation from County Board members.
Overnight Water Main Break — From Arlington Alert: “I-66 Tunnel Near N Nash St… I-66 EB lanes are closed to traffic. Follow signage and seek alternate routes…. Closure – Midnight to 4 A.M. [Twitter]
Prosecutor Blasts GOP Tweet — From Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti: “It is reckless and irresponsible for the Arlington Republican Party to ask the federal government to target Arlington democratic officials for criminal prosecution. As prosecutors, my staff and I are often subjected to threats of violence. It’s not a laughing matter.” [Bluesky]
GOP Reports Phone Harassment — From the Arlington GOP: “We just received a 2nd harassing phone call. The area code was Indiana-based. We found that those who call to harass us often ‘spoof’ other phone numbers, meaning it is difficult to track who is actually making the calls. No mind. We will continue to defend women and girls.” [Twitter]
Video: Driver Strikes Cyclist — From Dave Statter: “Another crosswalk collision. Traffic-camera shows a bicyclist being struck at S. 15th and S. Fern in Pentagon City yesterday. Injuries reported as non-life threatening.” [Twitter]
Bakeshop Opening in Vienna — “Bakeshop, which got its start 15 years ago in Arlington, is taking over the storefront at 421 Maple Avenue that was vacated last summer by Skorpios Maggio’s Greek Family Restaurant.” [FFXnow]
ART Ridership Levels Rising — Arlington Transit (ART) bus ridership was up 8.1% year-over-year for the first five months of the county government’s fiscal year. The passenger count was 1,076,198 for the July-through-November period in 2024, up from 995,894 during the same period in 2023 and from 857,847 in 2022. Figures were presented Jan. 14 to the county government’s Transit Advisory Committee. –Scott McCaffrey
It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with a high of around 33 and northwest winds at 5 to 9 mph. Friday night will be mostly clear with lows around 15 degrees. Northwest winds at 5 mph will become calm after midnight. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by ksrjghkegkdhgkk
A set of 25 new license plate cameras are scheduled to go live in Arlington in coming weeks.
The cameras, from the surveillance company Flock Safety, provide more information than the county’s existing license plate readers, which have been in use since 2012.
