Route 50 at Columbus Street, looking east: closed from Edison to Park for a jackknifed truck and many stuck vehicles in 2022 (photo courtesy Michael Thomas)
Gov. Abigail Spanberger has declared a state of emergency ahead of this weekend’s snowstorm, which is expected to bring power outages along with heavy accumulation throughout Virginia.
The newly inaugurated governor signed an executive order today declaring an emergency “due to severe winter weather,” with the most severe impacts expected Saturday and Sunday. The D.C. area is likely to get more than 5 inches of snow, with double-digit accumulation also possible, according to a Winter Storm Watch issued today.
Carol Sauer at a bus shelter she frequently called home (courtesy Sauer family)
The recent death of a woman who spent much of the last two decades on Arlington’s streets is driving conversation on intervention options in Virginia.
Carol Ann Sauer — remembered as a friend and a “fixture to locals” who helped her at times, especially during bad weather — died from complications related to pneumonia and sepsis at VHC Health shortly before midnight on Dec. 31. She was 66.
A town hall for federal workers and contractors at Central Library in February (staff photo by Dan Egitto)
The number of Arlington residents counted as unemployed spiked 51% year-over-year in newly released state jobs data.
A total of 5,370 Arlingtonians were recorded as seeking jobs in November, according to figures reported Wednesday (Jan. 21) by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement. That’s up from 3,561 in November 2024.
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
An 18-year-old Arlington man is facing an array of charges after an incident in Fort Myer Heights that started with a noise complaint.
Officers were called to the 1600 block of 16th Street N. early Saturday morning and “encountered a group outside the building smoking marijuana in public,” according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.
Jay Jones is sworn in as Virginia Attorney General by the Hon. Lyn M. Simmons, chief judge of the Norfolk Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, Jan. 17, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)
Days after taking office, Attorney General Jay Jones (D) is reversing his predecessor’s position on the Trump administration’s fight against in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants.
Yesterday (Wednesday), Jones filed a motion to withdraw from an agreement that former Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) made with the U.S. Department of Justice in a bid to invalidate the Virginia Dream Act of 2020.
Last night’s sunset, as seen from the top of the Capitals Iceplex in Ballston (staff photo)
Shirlington Crow Watching — “We met the birders late Saturday afternoon on the rooftop level of a parking garage by Shirlington Library in Arlington. As the sun set, through binoculars we watched the distant horizon: Crows trickled, then poured into the area. Several thousand perched on trees along a ridge that formed a semicircle around the parking garage… This is a winter thing, through February, experts say.” [Washington Post]
Tysons Casino Bill Returns — “Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) is once again rolling the dice on legislation to allow a casino in Fairfax County. A bill that would add the county to Virginia’s list of localities eligible to host a casino was officially introduced yesterday (Tuesday) in the state Senate, which referred it to a Committee on General Laws and Technology. Numbered SB 756, the new bill is identical to one that Surovell brought forward in the General Assembly’s 2025 session.” [FFXnow]
Miyares Eyes 2029 Run — “Virginia’s outgoing top law enforcement officer, Jason Miyares, told fellow Republican attorney general to “stay tuned” on whether he’s planning to run for governor in 2029. For those who know Miyares personally, this update was unsurprising. As soon as he decided to run for reelection last time around, his plan was to run for governor in 2029 regardless of the 2025 result.” [National Review]
Latest on Weekend Snowstorm — “Computer models have come into relatively strong agreement that at least 6 inches is likely and that parts of the region could near or even surpass a foot. But… uncertainties remain. There is an increasing chance that snow could mix with and change to sleet and/or freezing rain for a time Sunday, lowering the ceiling on snow totals, especially south and east of D.C.” [CWG]
It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high near 51, with southwest winds at 7 to 10 mph shifting to the west in the afternoon and gusting up to 20 mph. As for Thursday night, it will be partly cloudy with a low around 29. [NWS]
County Board members JD Spain, Sr., and Susan Cunningham (screenshot via Arlington County)
Before Arlington moves to change its form of government, it needs to educate more residents on what the current structure is and why reforms might be needed, one County Board member believes.
“Walk down a street in Ballston, Columbia Pike, anywhere — most folks will look at you like a deer in the headlights” when governance is brought up, Julius “J.D.” Spain, Sr., said at the Jan. 13 Arlington County Civic Federation meeting.
County Manager Mark Schwartz (screenshot via Arlington County)
This week marks the 10-year anniversary of Mark Schwartz becoming Arlington’s county manager on a permanent basis.
Schwartz had been appointed to the role in an acting capacity in July 2015, and County Board members announced on Jan. 8, 2016 that they had decided to make the position permanent.
Nearly 7,000 homes and businesses are without power in and around Pentagon City on a frigid Wednesday morning.
The outage was first reported shortly after 8:30 a.m., encompassing parts of Pentagon City, Crystal City, Aurora Highlands and Arlington Ridge. In all, 6,902 Dominion customers were without power, according to the utility’s website.
A screening during the 2025 PathForward health fair for unhoused residents (courtesy PathForward)
Arlington government leaders appear willing to fill financial gaps if the federal government reduces housing grants to support vulnerable populations — but they don’t know how big those gaps might be.
“We’re not going to not find a way to fund it. We’re not going to let that all fall apart,” Board member Maureen Coffey said at the Housing Commission’s Jan. 15 meeting, which looked at impacts of current and future budget cuts to federal housing funds.
