The Arlington County Board has voted to advertise a 2-cent increase to the real estate tax rate, slightly higher than the rate proposed in this year’s budget draft.
If enacted in its entirety, the jump would increase the county’s tax rate to $1.053 per $100 assessed valuation, adding a further tax burden on homeowners already facing higher assessment values.
VHC Health has a new training center for staff following a sizeable donation from a local couple.
The 2,200-square-foot Arlene Evans and Barry Dewberry Simulation Center, made possible through a $3 million gift from Evans and Dewberry, aims to mirror real-world clinic environments, hospital officials said on Feb. 12:
Hot Startup Opening Arlington ‘HQ2’ — “Clarksburg autonomous vehicle system developer Forterra has expanded to a new office in Arlington’s Courthouse neighborhood following an infusion of hundreds of millions in investor capital over the past few months. The more than 21,000-square-foot office at 1515 N. Courthouse Road… [will] eventually scale up to serve 300 workers by the end of the year in roles relating to government relations, product development and engineering.” [WBJ]
Flyover This Afternoon — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an Aircraft Flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at approximately 1PM.”
McAuliffe May Make Rep. Run — “Multiple sources are saying that former VA First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe is considering a run for the new VA07 (assuming the redistricting amendment passes, of course).” [Blue Virginia/X, Brandon Jarvis/X]
Va. Primaries Delayed — “Virginia voters will need to wait another roughly two months before they can cast ballots for the state’s primaries, according to the Virginia Board of Elections. This year’s primaries will not occur on June 16, but rather on Aug. 4, after state legislators passed House Bill 29, which was signed into law on Feb. 20, officials said.” [WJLA]
ACFD K-9 B-Day — “Happy 2nd Birthday, K9 Joker! Arlington’s accelerant detection K9 and partner to DFM Josh Runion, Joker helps investigators determine fire origin and cause across the region.” [ACFD/X]
Changes to Fairfax Casino Bill — “A bill to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino is advancing through the Virginia House of Delegates after undergoing some significant changes from the version passed by the state Senate earlier this month.” [FFXnow]
A Long, Cold Winter — “This is DC’s most severe winter so far since 2009-2010 Each of D.C.’s winter months have been colder than normal and snow and ice have been on the ground for long stretches. Taking everything together, the Midwest Regional Climate Center’s Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index ranks this winter so far right on the borderline between severe and extreme.” [CWG/X]
More Snow Increasingly Likely — “Guess we need to talk about it! We get to near 60 in most spots on Saturday, but colder air works in and BOTH the GFS (left) and the Euro (right) show a good chance for snow on Monday. It’s not a huge storm, but could be impactful Monday night into Tuesday.” [Doug Kammerer/FB, CWG/X]
It’s Thursday — Rain is likely, roughly between 10am and 4pm, with mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature of about 45°F, along with a gentle 3-6 mph northeasterly breeze. For Thursday night, anticipate partly cloudy conditions and a low temperature near 32°F. [NWS]
There’s more local news to explore. Check out WSHnow, with stories from around the region.
A trapped driver was pulled from a flipped car and taken to the hospital after a crash Wednesday afternoon near the East Falls Church Metro station.
First responders were dispatched around 3:15 p.m. for a report of crash involving one person stuck inside an overturned vehicle, at the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Sycamore Street.
Supporters of Arlington youth gymnastics turned out last night (Tuesday) to press county leaders on planned cuts to local programs.
A $1.7 billion budget proposal from County Manager Mark Schwartz calls for shuttering the Arlington Aerials and Arlington Tigers, along with community gymnastics programs, at Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center. The programs, operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation, do not recoup costs through user fees, Schwartz and staff have said.
Reagan National Airport recorded its lowest annual passenger count in three years in 2025, even as Dulles International Airport set an all-time record.
Just under 24.9 million passengers traveled through DCA last year, down 5.3% from 26.3 million in 2024, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) reported yesterday (Tuesday) — confirming preliminary numbers released last month.
A driver accused of striking two pedestrians near Ballston and then fleeing the scene has been arrested.
Zai Atwater, 24, was taken into custody in D.C. over the alleged road rage incident, the Arlington County Police Department announced today.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered a Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address yesterday (Tuesday), questioning whether the president was improving affordability and keeping Americans safe.
Spanberger took aim at Trump’s policies including tariffs, the One Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress, federal immigration enforcement tied to the deaths of two Americans, federal workforce reductions through DOGE, withholding of the Epstein files, and the threat of a war with Iran.
Falls Church city leaders appear to have a little more budget breathing room over the coming months compared to surrounding jurisdictions.
At a Feb. 23 City Council meeting, finance officials estimated 4% revenue growth in fiscal year 2027 without increasing tax rates. It was a figure Mayor Letty Hardi called “very, very rosy” compared to the situations in Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County.
ACPD Starting Pay Among Highest — “Interesting: The range of starting salaries and hiring bonuses for different police forces in the Washington region range pretty widely. But the federal forces generally outpace local ones. Supreme Court Police start at $83k with $50k of hiring bonuses; MPD is $75k and $25k.” [Martin Austermuhle/X]
Housing Lawsuit Bill Tabled — “Among a slate of bills lawmakers introduced this year to address housing stock and affordability issues was House Bill 447 by Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax. It aimed to curb people filing lawsuits to stall housing developments by fine-tuning requirements for legal challenges against local government land use decisions.” [Virginia Mercury]
Data Center Tax Bill — “Senate Democrats in Virginia are pushing to end the tax incentive largely credited with driving the surge in data center development across the commonwealth, arguing the lucrative tax break is costing the state billions… Proponents of the incentive say ending the exemption will damage Virginia’s economy and cost local jurisdictions revenue.” [WBJ, VPM]
Biz Groups Worry About Bill Costs — “Virginia business costs set to rise as Gov. Spanberger is expected to sign paid family leave and minimum wage hike bills. Business groups worry about competitiveness but are aligned with Spanberger on housing/affordability measures. Paid leave would offer 12 weeks off, funded by employer/worker contributions starting 2028.” [ARLnow/X, WBJ]
MoCo Cutting Gymnastics, Too — “Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School gymnastics instructor Paula Shaibani stood in front of the Montgomery County school board Thursday in Rockville carrying the message of a community frustrated with the district’s recent decision to stop offering girls gymnastics as a varsity-level sport at the end of the academic year.” [Bethesda Today]
More Snow on Tap — “In addition to a barely noticeable chance of flakes early Wednesday and another light inconsequential rain with maybe some wet snow mix Thursday, a potentially bigger and perhaps multipart event looms early next week. We could see a few rain or snow showers from it as soon as late Sunday. Larger waves of wintry weather currently look to arrive Monday as well as Tuesday.” [CWG/X]
It’s Wednesday — There’s a slight chance of snow before 8am, followed by a slight chance of rain between 8am and 10am. Skies will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny, and the temperature will reach a high near 55. The southwest wind will blow at 10 to 14 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy with a low around 37, as the west wind shifts to 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]
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Flickr pool photo by Rob Pegoraro
A coalition of D.C.-area representatives is seeking more funding for infrastructure upgrades as authorities continue to monitor the effects of a massive sewage spill in the Potomac.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) was among 14 members of Congress from the region who requested federal funding today (Tuesday) to rehabilitate and modernize the burst Potomac Interceptor. The delegation is also seeking additional funds for wastewater infrastructure nationwide following a recent briefing on efforts to repair the sewer line and mitigate health risks.
The House failed to approve a bill Tuesday that was crafted after last year’s tragic midair collision near Washington D.C. to require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems to prevent such crashes. The collision of an airliner and an Army helicopter killed 67 people.
The National Transportation Safety Board has been recommending such Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast systems to be installed since 2008. The bill that already passed the Senate would have required aircraft to be equipped with a system that can receive data about the locations of other aircraft. The complementary ADS-B Out system that broadcasts an aircraft’s location is already required.
