News

Beyer Blasts Trump on Iran — Rep. Don Beyer (D) called the president’s handling of the Iran conflict a “clown show,” posting that Trump “was awfully concerned about the ‘pallets of cash’ sent to Iran a decade ago, but is now going to give them nearly 10x that amount in the middle of a war.” In a separate post, Beyer called the president’s behavior “increasingly erratic” and “a clear and growing threat.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X, Rep. Don Beyer/X]

Redistricting Referendum Jitters — “It’s not a done deal by any means,” Rep. Beyer said of the upcoming Virginia redistricting referendum, adding that Democrats will need to persuade voters to “hold their nose on gerrymandering because this is a response to Trump’s gerrymandering.” [NBC 4]

AG Sues Over Tegna Merger — Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones (D) and seven other state AGs filed a lawsuit to block Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion takeover of Tysons-based Tegna, arguing the merger would reduce competition in local news. The FCC had approved the deal earlier the same day. [FFXnow]

Courthouse Market Expanding — The Saturday morning Arlington Farmers Market in the Courthouse parking lot is expanding by 4,000 square feet and nearly 20 tents for the season, beginning April 4. The market, contracted out to FRESHFARM, doubles SNAP benefits and accepts SFMNP. [Arlington County]

Remembering ‘Rusty’ Lynn — E. Russell “Rusty” Lynn Jr., 83, of Arlington, died Feb. 22. A Presbyterian pastor turned licensed clinical social worker, he worked at the Whitman-Walker Clinic during the AIDS crisis and married his husband Ed at Clarendon Presbyterian Church in 2015. A memorial service will be held April 18. [Washington Post]

That Loud Boom, Explained — The NWS says the loud “boom” heard Friday evening was a powerful positive cloud-to-ground lightning strike in Frederick County, Md. A temperature inversion near the ground acted “like an echo chamber,” making the already powerful strike seem even louder. [NWS/X]

Cherry Blossom Picks — The National Cherry Blossom Festival runs through April 12, and Axios has a local’s guide to the best events, including the Blossom Kite Festival (March 28), the Oxon Run Pinknic (March 29) and the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival (April 11–12). [Axios]

Guard Deployment Extended — The Pentagon is planning to keep National Guard members deployed in D.C. until 2029, the end of President Trump’s term. “It could be $1.6 million a day,” D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson said. “I don’t get the point.” [WJLA]

It’s Monday — Rain showers this morning taper off around 10 a.m., giving way to partly sunny skies with a high near 60. North winds 8–16 mph with gusts up to 29 mph. Tonight clears out with a low around 33. [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.

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Firefighters Warn on Cuts — The local firefighters union pointed to a call in which Rescue 102 was dispatched to a second alarm in Fairfax County: “If the proposed budget passes and Rescue 102 is cut… this would have left Arlington County with ZERO Rescue units available for our own residents.” [IAFF Arlington/FB]

Pentagon City Robbery — A man entered a store in the 1200 block of S. Hayes Street on Tuesday afternoon, asked to view merchandise and then shoved an employee when a display case was unlocked, stole merchandise and fled on foot, according to police. No injuries were reported. [ACPD]

Snowcrete Pile Finally Gone — Crews removed the last remnants of the “snowcrete” pile on 14th Street N. near N. Courthouse Road, nearly two months after January’s winter storm. The block had served as a dump site for snow removed from other roadways. [DC News Now]

Cape Raises $100M — Cape, an Arlington-based privacy-focused mobile carrier, raised $100 million in a Series C round co-led by Bain Capital Ventures and IVP. The company says it has “redesigned a telco from scratch” for government agencies and individuals concerned about surveillance. [Potomac Tech Wire]

Opower Alum Scales Carecubes — Carecubes, an Arlington-based startup founded by former Opower president Alex Laskey, raised $6.5 million in Series A funding for its pop-up isolation units designed to contain airborne infections in hospitals. The company has backing from DARPA and the CDC and customers across 13 states. [WBJ, Potomac Tech Wire]

School Traffic Enforcement — ACPD conducted “high-visibility enforcement and education in response to community complaints regarding traffic safety” around Yorktown High School and Dorothy Hamm Middle School on Thursday. [ACPD/X]

APS Employees of the Year — Arlington Public Schools named its 2026 employees of the year, including Kenmore’s Robin Stewart as Teacher of the Year, Jamestown’s Michelle McCarthy as Principal of the Year and Williamsburg’s Engelberto Zamora as Support Employee of the Year. [APS]

ACPD Community Meetings — Arlington police are hosting spring quarterly community meetings on March 24 at Macedonia Baptist Church (3412 22nd Street S.) and March 25 at Grace Community Church in Ballston Quarter. Topics include scam prevention and spring transportation safety. [Arlington County]

Dulles Mideast Flights Slashed — About two-thirds of flights from Dulles to the broader Middle East have been cancelled since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran began Feb. 28, according to MWAA. Middle East traffic accounts for about 10% of international travel through the airport. [FFXnow]

Shutdown Hits TSA Workers — A month into the DHS shutdown, TSA workers have missed paychecks, more than 300 airport security officers have quit and food banks across the region are stepping in to help. House Democrats are pushing to fund most of DHS while excluding immigration enforcement agencies. [Fox 5, Fox 5]

Winter Is (Finally) Over — The Capital Weather Gang has officially declared the winter of 2025–2026 over, after a season that was the coldest since 2002–2003. Highs are expected to surge into the 60s today and reach the 70s by Sunday. [CWG/X, Washington Post]

Drought Stabilizing — Most of the D.C. region remains in moderate drought, an improvement from the severe drought that covered much of the area from late December through mid-February, according to the Capital Weather Gang. About 2–2.5 inches of precipitation since March 1 has helped, but below-normal rainfall is expected through the rest of the month. [CWG/X]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 68, a big jump from the recent chill, but scattered rain showers are possible after 2 p.m. with south winds gusting up to 25 mph. Rain chances increase Friday night, with a low around 49. [NWS]

Days Inn Site for Sale — The site of a shuttered Days Inn at 2201 Arlington Blvd is on the market, entitled for an eight-story, 251-unit multifamily building. The 2.4-acre property was approved for redevelopment in July 2023 but the owner did not proceed. Cohn Property Group expects to issue a call for offers by mid-April. [WBJ]

Knox Eyes Crystal City — Cybersecurity startup Knox Systems is nearing a deal for office space in Crystal City that would house up to half of its planned 120-person workforce. The company, which helps tech firms meet federal cybersecurity compliance standards, recently closed a $25 million Series A round. [WBJ]

Memorial Bridge Closure Saturday — Memorial Bridge and Circle will close from 7–10 a.m. Saturday for the Rock ’n’ Roll Half Marathon. Visitors to Arlington National Cemetery should use the Route 110 exit ramp to access the cemetery via Memorial Avenue. [Arlington National Cemetery, ANC/X]

ACFD’s Busiest Engines — Arlington’s three busiest fire engines of 2025: E102 in Ballston led with 3,330 calls, followed by E105 in National Landing with 3,287 and E104 in Clarendon with 3,179. [ACFD/X]

Sands Capital Raises $1.1B — Arlington investment firm Sands Capital has raised $1.1 billion for its third global innovation fund, the largest raise of its kind in the firm’s 34-year history. The oversubscribed fund will target late-stage AI, industrial technology and infrastructure companies. [WBJ]

100KM Closes First Fund — Arlington venture capital firm 100KM Ventures closed its first-ever fund at about half its $25 million target, citing a tough fundraising climate for emerging managers and diversity-focused funds. The firm has made 11 investments so far in early-stage companies with diverse leadership teams. [WBJ]

F.C. Budget Update — Falls Church is expected to fare better than its neighbors as local governments across N. Va. confront budget shortfalls tied to federal layoffs, a weakening office market and the Iran conflict. A budget vote is expected in early May. By contrast, Fairfax County is projecting a shortfall approaching $300 million, while Arlington faces a gap of about $25 million. [FCNP]

Va. Session Wrap-Up — “The just-concluded Virginia general assembly session in Richmond, now with a Democratic Party “trifecta” in charge, turned out better than expected due to the fact that revenues to the state did not nosedive, due to federal program cuts, as many had feared. Falls Church’s state delegate Marcus Simon laid out the picture to the monthly luncheon of the Falls Church Chamber of Commerce at the Italian Cafe Tuesday.” [FCNP]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 55 degrees and a gentle south wind at 5 to 7 mph. Thursday night will be partly cloudy with temperatures dropping to around 40 degrees. [NWS]

There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.