Two people were stabbed at an Arlington County facility Monday afternoon.
The stabbings happened at Sequoia Plaza, the office complex along Washington Blvd that houses some county departments and the headquarters of Arlington Public Schools. Initial reports suggest that the incident happened at an Arlington Dept. of Human Services office.
Two men are facing allegations of assaulting first responders in separate incidents in Virginia Square and Pentagon City last week.
The first incident started around 4:30 p.m. Friday, a block away from the Virginia Square Metro station. A shoplifting suspect led officers on a brief foot chase, fled on a Metro train, exited at East Falls Church and then ran on the tracks before being taken into custody nearby, according to Arlington County police.
With three years of a sometimes harrowing transportation-improvement effort coming to a close by the end of the year, the Columbia Pike corridor is primed a new chapter of growth.
“We are, together, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel” on road, transit and pedestrian/bicyclist upgrades up and down the 5-mile corridor, said Hui Wang of the Arlington Department of Environmental Services.
Key Bridge Marriott Demo Underway — “The Key Bridge Marriott is being taken down before it can crumble away on its own. The Rosslyn property, declared a public nuisance last spring by Arlington County after it shuttered during the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequently fell into disrepair, was returned to its owner last week for demolition… Celtic Demolition is now on site as work has begun.” [WBJ]
Hope Bill Wins Committee Passage — After first voting 9-5 to kill it, members of the Virginia Senate Committee on Local Government on Monday reversed course, voting 8-7 on a party-line vote to move Del. Patrick Hope’s measure on Arlington governance changes forward. The action came despite total opposition by Republicans and concerns from some Democratic lawmakers about facets of the bill. —Scott McCaffrey
Rec Activities, Libraries Closing Early — Arlington libraries and activities at Dept. of Parks and Recreation facilities are among the closures starting at 3 p.m. due to the winter storm. Schools are also dismissing early. [Arlington DPR/X, Arlington Public Library/X]
Parking Plants at DCA — “A new plan to expand Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport’s parking garage will add about 1,400 parking spaces.” [NBC 4]
Valentine’s Day Events at HQ 2 — “Love is in the air at Amazon HQ2, and we are excited to invite you and your readers to a day of family-friendly festivities for the whole community. On Friday, February 14th, come to Met Park and enjoy giveaways, tasty food, creative crafts, and great photo opportunities.” [Press Release]
It’s Tuesday — Snow is expected mainly after 1pm with a high near 34, while the calm wind will transition into a southeast breeze around 6 mph in the afternoon. Precipitation chances are at 90% with a potential 1-3 inches of new snow. By Tuesday night, the low will be around 31, and the east wind will become northeast after midnight at about 6 mph. There’s a 100% chance of precipitation with an additional 2-4 inches of snow accumulation possible. [NWS]
As safety restrictions tighten around Reagan National Airport, Arlington’s congressman is pushing to ensure this doesn’t mean more aircraft noise over residential areas.
Following last month’s fatal midair collision between a military helicopter and a commercial jet, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced new guardrails on flights around the airport.
A history-making Black female leader retired Friday after a 30-year career at the Arlington County Fire Department.
Tiffanye Wesley — the department’s first Black female lieutenant, captain, battalion chief and deputy chief — celebrated her last day at the agency surrounded by dozens of friends and fellow firefighters.
A former community activist is set to spend the next 30 years in prison after being convicted of sexually assaulting two women he lured into his car in Clarendon.
Julio Basurto, who was convicted of two counts of abduction with intent to defile plus two other sexual offenses, was sentenced Friday to 140 years in prison, though all but 30 years of his sentence are suspended.
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.
A 20-year-old Arlington man is facing several charges after a pair of crashes along Route 50 that were caught on camera.
It happened around 5 p.m. this past Wednesday on Route 50 near Rosslyn.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The Trump administration’s aggressive push to cut government jobs is reverberating in the early stages of this year’s race for governor in Virginia.
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.
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]
