News

H-B Teacher is a Grammy Finalist — “It’s the same feeling Podolski said he hopes to create for his choir students at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program in Arlington, Virginia. He won’t accept it when someone tells him they can’t sing, and he strives to help everyone find their voice. A parent nominated Podolski for the 2026 Grammy Music Educator Award for those efforts, and he learned last week he’s a finalist for the prestigious recognition.” [WTOP]

Stepped Up DUI Patrols — “The annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign aims to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roadways through a two-pronged approach of education and enforcement. From December 12, 2025 – January 1, 2026, motorists nationwide can expect to see increased messaging about the dangers of driving under the influence, coupled with increased saturation patrols to identify and apprehend impaired drivers.” [ACPD]

Robbery Along Columbia Pike — “1100 block of S. George Mason Drive. At approximately 10:31 a.m. on December 8, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery by force. Upon arrival, it was determined two suspects, one juvenile male, and one juvenile female, entered the business, concealed merchandise and exited the store without payment. When confronted by an employee outside of the store, the male suspect shoved the employee and fled the scene with the female suspect.” [ACPD]

Winter Salt Discussion — “On January 21 and 23 2026, join representatives from the D.C. Metro Region for two mini-webinar events to learn how you can take action around your community to stay safe and reduce salt impacts to the Potomac and other DC area water sources. From January 26-30, 2026, Winter Salt Week will hold numerous national webinar events as well as local events in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia region.” [Arlington County]

Beyer Bill on Data Center Power — “Rapid data center construction to meet power demands from AI platforms is driving electricity prices up sharply, while Republicans’ big bill slows the construction of energy projects. Our bill would generate policy changes to lower costs for the American people.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]

Spectacular Sun Pillar — “What the what? The sunset over Arlington looked like it was straight out of a sci-fi movie.” [CWG/X]

It’s Wednesday — There’s a chance of rain between 8am and 2pm, with cloudy skies and a high near 45. Expect south winds of 11-14 mph, gusting up to 25 mph, and a 40% chance of precipitation. The night will be mostly cloudy, with lows around 32 and west winds of 10-13 mph, gusting up to 20 mph. [NWS]

D.C. Late to Bridge Crash — “When the DC units got to the crash in Virginia on I-395N just before the bridge, they discovered @ArlingtonVaFD was on the scene. Arlington had been dispatched 22 minutes earlier. That was 7 minutes before DC was sent to the wrong bridge. That speaks to the complete lack of coordination OUC has with neighboring jurisdictions.” [Dave Statter/X]

Robbery in Rosslyn — “Two female victims were outside the business when they were approached by the male suspect who asked them for cigarettes, when they refused, the suspect allegedly displayed a knife and both victims left the area and went inside the business. The suspect followed the victims inside the store, encountered a third victim, displayed a knife, collected merchandise and subsequently exited the business without payment.” [ACPD]

Odd Airport Press Conference — “Pull-up competition between Secretaries Kennedy and Duffy” at Reagan National Airport, during a press conference announcing grants for family-friendly improvements to U.S. airports. [Washington Post, CSPAN/X, Sec. Sean Duffy/X]

National Airport Models — “LEGO vs Gingerbread DCA. Which one is better.” [Reagan Airport/X]

Officials Seeking State Transit Funds — “Northern Virginia’s local and legislative leaders are preparing for a full-court press — and perhaps an uphill battle — in wringing additional transit funding out of the General Assembly.” [ALXnow]

More Homes in Tysons? — “If Tysons continues to evolve from commercial suburb into Fairfax County’s urban core, as planners hope, it will need more than 10,000 new homes by 2040 to accommodate the influx of residents, a recently released study found.” [FFXnow]

Upcoming Snow Chances — “With this cold pattern set to continue through at least early next week, any system that develops has some potential to produce wintry precipitation. At the moment, we’re tracking three systems that could pass near the D.C. area now through the weekend… The third system, on track to come through between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, could be more impactful.” [CWG]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 35 with calm winds turning south at 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Tonight, it will be mostly cloudy with a low around 30 and south winds at 8 to 10 mph. [NWS]

Big Crowd for Wreath Event — “Each year, before Wreaths Across America Day, family pass holders visit Arlington National Cemetery to honor their loved ones by placing a wreath at their grave or columbarium niche. This year, 2025, marked the most-attended Family Pass Holder Day since the event’s inception, and we would like to express our deepest apologies for the delayed entry into the cemetery and to those who were unable to participate today.” [ANC/X, ARLnow/X]

Looking for Hit-and-Run Driver — “This is video from a hit and run crash on N. 26th Street between N. Glebe and N. Wakefield around 6 p.m. Saturday. The white Toyota truck with a contractor rack struck and totaled a parked car. It continued east toward Military Road with significant right front damage.” [Dave Statter/X]

Regional Water Warning — “New research from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin shows the region’s water supply could fail to meet the area’s needs by 2030, in the event of an extreme drought. Changing weather patterns and increased water would strain the Potomac River, which serves as the primary — and, in some cases, sole — water supply for water companies in D.C., Virginia and Maryland.” [WTOP]

Data Center Power Bill — “Virginia lawmakers are considering legislation that would give utility companies authority to delay service to the state’s largest power users, which could have ramifications for data center development in Northern Virginia. A draft bill… seeks to amend the state’s duty‑to‑serve statute by explicitly allowing utilities to postpone providing service to customers whose demand is expected to exceed 90 megawatts — enough power for about 27,000 homes.” [WBJ]

New Legal Notice — ABC application: restaurant selling alcohol on/off premises; 30-day objections. [Public Notices]

It’s Monday — Expect a slight chance of snow from 8am to 2pm, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 32. The northeast wind will be 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 20 mph, and a 20% chance of precipitation. Monday night, the clouds will gradually clear, and the temperature will drop to around 20. The north wind will be around 6 mph, becoming calm in the evening. [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.