Changes to the form used to seek historic-district status for Arlington properties may make the process more onerous for applicants.
That was the view of a number of Historical Affairs & Landmark Review Board (HALRB) members, who were informed of the change by staff on Feb. 19 — three months after the revisions went into place.
Close Call at DCA — “There was a close call between two planes at Reagan National Airport on Tuesday morning — just a month after a midair collision between an Army helicopter and a commercial jet over the Potomac River killed all 67 people aboard… An incoming American Airlines flight from Boston was told to perform a ‘go-around’ maneuver by an air traffic controller to make sure there was enough space between the incoming flight and a departing flight that was using the same runway.” [WTOP, Dave Statter/Bluesky]
Teens Rob Ballston Biz — “Four juvenile male suspects in their teens entered the business, consumed food items and subsequently exited without payment. When confronted by an employee outside of the business, Suspect One brandished what appeared to be a firearm at the employee before all four suspects fled the scene on foot. No injuries were reported.” [ACPD]
New Funding for Arlington Startup –“Famed Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz has made another local defense tech investment, leading a $6.2 million funding round for Rune Technologies, an Arlington startup developing military logistics software… CEO David Tuttle and Chief Technology Officer Peter Goldsborough founded Rune in 2024 after previously working at Anduril Industries, a defense tech contractor headquartered near Los Angeles.” [WBJ]
Beyer Blasts Bezos — “As someone who values the essential role the Washington Post plays in our region, Jeff Bezos’ interference with the Post’s mission grieves me. It undercuts good reporters who work there, and jeopardizes the faith of his readers.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]
Clare and Don’s Construction Woes — “As Broad and Washington fully opens, the owners of a neighboring restaurant reflect on what they learned after operating through the proposal and construction phases of the major mixed-use development project. Lessons learned include the need for strong support from City staff and government for small businesses.” [Falls Church Pulse]
It’s Thursday — There’s a chance of rain, primarily before 4pm. Otherwise, expect cloudy conditions with a high temperature near 65. Southwest winds of 9 to 13 mph will shift to the west, and wind gusts may reach 22 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%. Thursday night, anticipate partly cloudy skies and a low temperature around 39. West winds will persist at around 11 mph, with potential gusts of up to 22 mph. [NWS]
Over 200 people packed a standing-room-only town hall yesterday (Tuesday) to discuss how federal workforce cuts are personally impacting Arlington residents.
The event for federal employees and contractors came as Arlington County is considering an $11.5 million increase to its budget stabilization reserve in response to ongoing federal shake-ups.
Arlington leaders say they haven’t forgotten they owe the Crystal City area a library.
“It’s on our to-do list,” County Manager Mark Schwartz said at the County Board’s Feb. 22 meeting.
Facing ongoing gentrification issues, Arlington’s historically Black communities are trying to preserve the social cohesiveness that helped residents triumph over past struggles.
“It used to be [that] when something happened, the community coalesced. It’s not what it used to be — some people don’t want to be bothered,” said Wilma Jones, who has written extensively about her Halls Hill/High View Park community.
County Board members on Tuesday night voted 4-1 to advertise a 1-cent increase to Arlington’s real-estate tax rate.
That compares to no increase proposed by County Manager Mark Schwartz, and would, if fully adopted, raise a typical homeowner’s tax bill 4.7% year-over-year.
An Arlington woman is facing several charges after a hit-and-run crash in the Virginia Square area.
The incident started around 9:15 a.m. this past Saturday. Archived traffic camera video (via SafetyVid) shows a car heading southbound on N. Quincy Street, past Arlington Central Library, before barrelling into an SUV stopped at the traffic light at Fairfax Drive.
DCA Delays for Marine One — “Airline passengers have experienced serious disruptions at Washington’s Reagan National Airport because of new rules that trigger runway closures when President Donald Trump flies to and from the White House aboard his helicopter, according to people aware of the restrictions, flight tracking data and federal records.” [Washington Post]
Mom Discusses Locker Room Encounter — “When McDougal first walked into the locker room and saw Cox fully undressed, she admitted she wondered if she had misread the situation. For a brief moment, McDougal said, she was tempted to think Cox wandered into the wrong locker room and then ‘felt stuck.’ The alternative — that Cox had deliberately entered the girls’ locker room knowing there would be dozens of under-aged girls changing before swim class — was too appalling to wrap her head around.” [IW Features, Fox News]
Tesla Buyer’s Remorse — “Protests against DOGE have taken place almost weekly and Tesla showrooms have also been picketed, including ones in Georgetown, Arlington and Owings Mills, Maryland… For some Washington residents, the political baggage associated with owning a Tesla has become too great.” [Washington Post]
Falls Church ADU Latest — “On February 19, 2025, the Planning Commission, in its final work session on accessory dwellings (ADs), provided individual Commissioners’ views on six key issues that need to be resolved.” [Falls Church Pulse]
Metro Ridership Recovery Continues — “Metro says this morning’s rush hour was the highest number of weekday rail rush hour trips since pre-pandemic. Yesterday was the highest Monday rail ridership in 5 yrs. The agency expects to carry over 1 million passengers a day on rail/bus soon.” [Adam Tuss/X, NBC 4]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 63 degrees, accompanied by a 6 to 8 mph west wind that will shift to the south in the afternoon. On Wednesday night, the skies will see increasing clouds, and the temperature will drop to around 49 degrees. The south wind will maintain a speed of 6 to 8 mph. [NWS]
An Arlington memorial fund has raised nearly $10,000 in honor of a teen figure skater killed in last month’s mid-air plane crash over the Potomac River.
The Edward “Eddie” Zhou STEM and Figure Skating Enrichment Fund aims to honor two of the late teenager’s passions by supporting Northern Virginia middle and high school-age figure skaters with interests in STEM. One of Zhou’s friends, 15-year-old Charlotte Mount, started the fund this month with the goal of carrying on his memory.
Plans for more public seating, real-time transit displays and a new food truck court are included in a proposed changes to a highly trafficked area in Courthouse.
Respondents have until Sunday, March 2 to provide feedback on a new concept design for the “mobility hub” near the Court House Metro station. This area includes the Arlington County government headquarters at Courthouse Plaza, Strayer University, The Commodore Apartments and the county’s large surface parking lot.
A former Washington-Liberty High School coach has been acquitted of two sex crime charges involving a former player.
George Porcha, who was the head girls basketball coach at the Arlington school from 2000-03, still faces another trial for similar charges this spring.
ARLnow’s Alexandria sister site ALXnow is getting a new publisher.
Ryan Belmore, an award-winning news publisher, editor, and journalist, will be taking over as ALXnow publisher on March 1, under an innovative operating agreement with Arlington-based Local News Now LLC.
