County Board members on Tuesday (Dec. 17) celebrated the 60th anniversary of Arlington’s neighborhood-conservation efforts, and lauded the work of the community’s public-health director.
60 Years of Neighborhood Conservation Celebrated: County leaders on Dec. 17 marked the 60th anniversary of the Arlington Neighborhoods Program.
An Arlington resident and former federal prosecutor is running for Virginia lieutenant governor.
Victor Salgado, the fifth declared candidate vying to be the Democratic Party’s nominee in November, knows he’s a political outsider. But he told ARLnow that possible federal policy changes inspired him to enter the political arena.
Plans for a four-sports-field complex on the campus of Kenmore Middle School have started working their way through the county government’s advisory process.
One of the key challenges still to be worked through as the process moves forward: How to manage parking issues around the new facility.
New Startup Hub in Crystal City — “A group of partners including JBG Smith Properties, Amazon Web Services Inc. and Virginia Tech plans to launch a 40,000-square-foot business incubator space and accelerator program in Crystal City next year to support defense tech startups. The still-to-be-determined space will also house an office for a San Francisco venture capital firm launching a fund to invest in young companies operating with this focus.” [WBJ]
Local Picked for Ambassadorship — “Congratulations to Arlington Republican… Leah Francis Campos on her nomination as the next US Ambassador to the Dominican Republic.” [Twitter]
‘Fill the Cruiser’ Deemed Success — From ACPD: “Our Community Engagement Division elves have been hard at work over the past week collecting Fill the Cruiser stationary boxes, sorting 4,400+ toys donated by our community & distributing them to groups & organizations across Arlington for children in need ahead of the holidays.” [Twitter]
ACFCU Gets Big Grant — “Arlington Community Federal Credit Union, a member-owned financial cooperative serving Arlington, Falls Church, Fairfax, and Alexandria, Virginia, is proud to announce they were awarded $960,000 from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Financial Assistance Award program.” [ACFCU]
Overhead View of Collected Leaves — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Don’t worry, the mystery drones are friendly and impressed by Arlington’s 50K cubic yards of leaves collected this fall by Solid Waste folks. Vacuum truck season has ended but yard waste is taken year-round from the green curbside cart and in paper bags.” [Twitter]
Officials Get Drone Briefing — “Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin received a classified briefing at the Capitol from the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and the FBI regarding the ongoing investigation into the unexplained drone sightings in Virginia.” [Press Release]
Va. to Get First Fusion Plant — “Virginia could soon make history as the home of the world’s first nuclear fusion power plant, state officials and private sector leaders announced Tuesday. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a fusion power company founded in 2018 in Cambridge, Mass., unveiled plans to build the groundbreaking facility on a 100-acre site.” [Virginia Mercury, New York Times, FCNP]
D.C. Adding Population — “The U.S. Census Bureau released new population data that shows the District of Columbia’s population grew by approximately 15,000 people from July 2023 to July 2024, bringing the city’s population to 702,250 residents. This marks the first time since 2019 that DC’s population has surpassed the 700,000 milestone.” [PoPville]
Death Investigation in F.C. — “Police were dispatched near the intersection of Park Ave. and N Washington St. for the report of an unresponsive male on the sidewalk. Bystanders were attempting life saving measures upon arrival… Based on the preliminary investigation, the death appears to be from natural causes and there is no apparent threat to the community.” [City of Falls Church]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly cloudy conditions with a high near 43, coupled with a 50% chance of rain. Later in the evening, the chance of rain will lessen to 30% before 1 am, while temperatures will dip to around 32. The northwest wind will increase to 6-11 mph with gusts up to 18 mph. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman
Parking compliance is up in Arlington, even as rates of parking tickets and traffic citations held relatively steady this year.
What’s behind the change? One new tool at law enforcement’s disposal this year, county and police spokespeople told ARLnow, is better data on where people are and aren’t paying to park.
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed a state budget plan on Wednesday to provide tax relief on tips and cars, measures his Republican administration touted as giving money back to middle- and lower-income workers.
A delivery driver was carjacked last night on the same block as Amazon’s HQ2.
The incident happened just before 6 p.m. on the 500 block of 14th Street S. in Pentagon City. Police say the driver tried to chase down his car after the suspect hopped in the idling vehicle and started driving away, but the suspect drew a gun and drove off.
A 78-year-old man has pleaded guilty to keeping explosives inside his Westover apartment.
Charles Wallace Peters faces a maximum of 10 years in prison following his Tuesday plea, according to Virginia statute.
Arlington County police are urging residents to remain alert to a variety of commonly reported scams this holiday season.
Residents are encouraged to be suspicious of unsolicited communications, avoid clicking suspicious links and regularly monitor their bank accounts for unauthorized activity.
County Manager Mark Schwartz has been directed to consider both program cuts and tax increases as he works to fill a fiscal 2026 budget gap currently estimated at $30 million to $40 million.
County Board members on Tuesday night (Dec. 17) voted unanimously to approve budget guidance providing Schwartz the ability to propose tax increases he deems necessary. That could include another increase to the real-estate tax rate.
Lawmakers who represent Arlington in Congress are speaking out against the collapse of a bipartisan plan to avert a government shutdown.
The stopgap budget deal was derailed Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump called on House Republicans to renegotiate, following sharp criticism of the deal by Elon Musk. House Speaker Mike Johnson is now scrambling to devise a new strategy before Friday’s funding deadline, while Musk — who is to head a government efficiency effort under the new administration — has said that “no bills should be passed” before Trump takes office on Jan. 20.
Local Businessman Admits Fraud — Arlington business owner Kiel Brendan Brandt, 34, has pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud after defrauding eight companies of over $2 million through his firm, Epsilon Acquisition Services, between 2020 and 2022. Brandt faces up to 20 years in prison and must pay nearly $2 million in restitution. [DOJ]
Advocates: Missing Middle ‘Is a Win’ — “Missing Middle zoning reform was delivering more mid-sized homes throughout Arlington. It was on track to create more starter homes and more places to downsize within neighborhoods that had limited options. In short, the policy was delivering on its promises, until it was invalidated by a judge on September 27, 2024. Notably, none of the hyperbolic concerns of the policy’s critics seem to have been happening.” [YIMBYs of Northern Virginia]
Stormwater Credit Applications Open — “Arlington’s Stormwater Utility credit application period is now open and ready for submissions. In Dec. 2023, the Arlington County Board formally adopted a new, fairer way to fund the stormwater management program by approving the County’s first-ever Stormwater Utility fee. The County Board took further action at its Dec. 2024 meeting to enhance the program by approving two new voluntary credit opportunities for single-family residential properties.” [Arlington County]
It’s Thursday — Expect a mix of clouds and sun with highs around 45 degrees and a northwest wind at 6 to 10 mph. As night falls, clouds increase and the temperature will drop to around 31 degrees. [NWS]
