Snow falling on Freddie’s and the 23rd Street restaurant row in Crystal City (Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar)

Second Victim Pulled from Potomac — “U.S. Park Police confirms that a second body has been recovered from the icy waters of the Potomac River following a crash on Arlington Memorial Bridge Thursday night. The individual was pronounced dead at the scene.” [Fox 5, Twitter]

Deer Rescued from River — “The Brandywine Valley SPCA Animal Control team, D.C. police and D.C. Fire rescued a deer stranded on the Potomac River Thursday. The deer was seen near the Key Bridge just after 8 a.m. by community members. They alerted animal control, and they coordinated with emergency responders.” [Fox 5]

Statement on W-L Pool Arrest — “Equality Arlington, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of the LGBTQ+ community, echoes the shock, grief, and outrage of Arlington residents that a serial sex offender was able to access the Washington-Liberty pool… It is shameful that certain individuals and organizations have chosen to use this incident to advocate for policies that discriminate against transgender residents instead of focusing on solutions that would prevent prolific sex offenders from having access to facilities that should be safe for all to use.” [Equality Arlington]

Dine and Dash Attack — “4800 block of 1st Street N. At approximately 6:37 p.m. on January 16, police were dispatched to the report of an assault just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect and female suspect dined at the business before exiting without payment during which the female suspect assaulted an employee. The suspects then fled the scene in a white sedan.” [ACPD]

Video: Driver Strikes Pedestrian — From Dave Statter: “Minor injury as a woman walking a dog was hit by an SUV on S. Eads at S. 23rd Street in Arlington. It happened just before 4:30 p.m.” on Saturday. [Twitter]

Wegmans Cart Mystery — “I have zero clue how a ⁦@Wegmans⁩ shopping cart ends up in Pentagon City. I think the nearest store is over five miles away in Alexandria, VA!” [Twitter]

ICYMI: Property Values Rise — “Residential property assessments are up 3.7% year over year, while commercial property values are largely flat… the county said that the continued rise in home values shows ‘the attractiveness of the Arlington community.'” [ARLnow]

Federal Workforce Orders — “President Trump signed executive orders Monday freezing the hiring of federal workers and mandating a full-time return to in-office work for government employees… The hiring freeze applies to all positions in the executive branch except for the military and other categories like national security, public safety and immigration enforcement, per the order.” [Axios]

F.C. School Budget Request — “While Falls Church City Public Schools (FCCPS) Superintendent Dr. Peter Noonan is requesting a 6.3 percent increase in revenue from the City Council in next year’s FCCPS budget, his reasons are sound.  Extensive development in the City of Falls Church has created a student enrollment boom.” [Falls Church Independent]

It’s Tuesday — Flurries possible after 10am, with a cloudy high of 22 and west wind at 5-7 mph. At night, there’s a slight chance of snow showers before midnight, with clouds clearing and a low of 9 but wind chill values as low as -3. The wind becomes northwest at 5-10 mph in the evening, while there’s a 20% chance of precipitation. [NWS]

Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. Industrious offers a warm, welcoming and distraction-free workspace. ARLnow has called Industrious home for years, enjoying fresh coffee, quiet offices and a friendly front desk staff. With several Metro-accessible Arlington locations, Industrious lets you focus on what you do best.

Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar


A sex offender is facing numerous charges after he allegedly exposed himself inside the girls’ locker room at the Washington-Liberty High School pool.

The incident on Monday, Oct. 21 is coming to light now and receiving national attention after WJLA reported that Richard Kenneth Cox was allowed to access the girl’s locker room at the W-L aquatics center, which is open to the public for certain portions of the day, after identifying as a transgender.


Arlington’s Tenant-Landlord Commission plans to look into potential updates of the county government’s tenant-relocation guidelines.

There’s an opportunity here,” chair David Timm said at the body’s Jan. 8 meeting. “Even if there’s nothing that desperately needs revision, there are things we can improve upon.”


On the fifth anniversary of an unsolved Ballston homicide, police are renewing requests for tips as the victim’s family continues to offer a $50,000 reward.

Today (Friday) marks five years since police were dispatched to an apartment building on the 800 block of N. Randolph Street in early 2020. They found 24-year-old Scott Ratigan inside his bedroom, “suffering from trauma to the upper body.”


The Falls Church City Council has voted to pursue eminent domain in order to build the city’s first traffic circle.

Several Council members voiced unease at the idea of setting unwelcome precedent, but ultimately took the gloves off on Monday in an 18-month battle to obtain a key easement.


The Pentagon, Pentagon City and the Air Force Memorial (courtesy photo)

New Police Cameras — “In the fall, 25 Flock Safety License Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras and six Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras were installed across Arlington County. Officers are expected to be trained on the technology around late January when the program will be fully operational.” [ACPD]

JetBlue Resumes Flights to NYC — “JetBlue Airways Corp. will resume a suspended route at Reagan National Airport amid a broader expansion effort announced Wednesday. Once-daily flights between DCA and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York will begin on March 30. JetBlue stopped the route in January 2024; it previously flew three daily flights between the two airports.” [WBJ]

POTUS Farewell Event at Ft. Myer — From the Dept. of Defense: “@SecDef Lloyd J. Austin III and Chairman of @thejointstaff Air Force @GenCQBrownJr, host an Armed Forces Farewell Tribute in honor of @POTUS Joe Biden at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va.” [Twitter]

MLK Day County Closures — “Arlington County Government offices and services are operating on modified schedules for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Inauguration Day on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025… Trash/Recycling/Yard Waste Curbside Routes – Regular collection. Parking – Permit parking is always in effect unless specifically noted on the sign. Meters are not enforced on holidays.” [Arlington County]

Inauguration Closures Along I-395 — “The Virginia Department of Transportation will support Virginia State Police for bridge and ramp closures from Virginia into Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20… From 12:01 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20 through the conclusion of Presidential Inaugural events, the following will be in effect.” [VDOT]

Tribute Event This Weekend — “Arlington will honor the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a special tribute on Sunday, Jan. 19, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Wakefield High School. This celebration will feature an inspiring blend of storytelling, music, dance.” [Arlington County]

No Publishing Monday — Besides potential breaking news coverage, ARLnow will not be publishing on Monday due to the federal holiday.

Long Bridge Project Latest — “The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) today announced the selection of the Long Bridge Rail Partners… as construction partner for the Long Bridge Project-South Package. VPRA separated the Long Bridge Project, a new two-track bridge across the Potomac River, into two procurements, a North Package and a South Package.” [Press Release]

Meridian HS to Play in Tysons — “The baseball diamond on the campus of the new Meridian High School in Falls Church will not be ready for the start of the Mustangs’ baseball season… [Coach P.J. Anderson] has secured the Capital One turf field in McLean for the first six of our home games for the varsity team.” [FCNP]

Snow Chances Rising for Sunday — From the National Weather Service: “Confidence is increasing for the potential of accumulating snow Sunday across the area. If this threat materializes, it may cause travel disruptions.” [Twitter]

It’s Friday — Expect sunshine and a high around 40 degrees, with west winds at 5 to 9 mph shifting to southern winds in the afternoon. By Friday night, clouds will increase and temperatures will drop to around 30 degrees. [NWS]


A vehicle ran off the Arlington Memorial Bridge and into the Potomac River.

A two-vehicle crash shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday caused a pickup truck to smash through the side of the bridge and into the river around mid-span.


Arlington’s top prosecutor is voicing opposition to a bill that would broaden requirements for federal law enforcement to detain undocumented suspects.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti issued a statement today (Thursday) arguing that mandating detention of people charged, arrested or convicted for theft-related crimes under the Laken Riley Act would run contrary to public safety interests.


A local man has been arrested and accused of setting a series of small fires outside of restaurants along Crystal City’s 23rd Street restaurant row.

The Arlington County Fire Department announced the arrest Thursday afternoon, identifying the suspect as Timothy C. Pollock.


Fluctuating temperatures in recent weeks have led to a spate of water main breaks in Arlington.

Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 15 alone, the county saw 33 breaks, county spokesperson Katie O’Brien told ARLnow. The county’s water main break map shows issues scattered across numerous neighborhoods, some affecting well over 100 people.


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