Local food security organizations are seeking donations and urging caution as uncertainty continues to hang over food assistance in Virginia during the government shutdown.
While federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is expected to come to a halt on Saturday unless lawmakers strike a deal, Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) announced a plan yesterday for a stopgap measure to make sure people can still eat.
Arlington County police are investigating another series of airbag thefts.
The thefts were reported Tuesday morning on the 2000 block of S. Eads Street in Crystal City. Police say the suspect — or suspects — smashed windows on six parked Hondas overnight and stole the vehicles’ airbags.
Falls Church officials plan to start looking into options for limiting or banning the use of gas-powered leaf blowers within city limits.
Among the issues remaining to be determined, likely early next year, is whether city leaders already have the power to enact a prohibition — or if they must wait for approval from the state government.
Surprise Blue Angels Flyover — “The Blue Angels were spotted over parts of D.C. and surrounding areas midday on Tuesday… D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said the flyover was to celebrate the Navy’s 250th Birthday, which was on October 13.” [Fox 5, Andrew Leyden/X, ARLnow/X]
Latest on Redistricting Battle — “The amendment’s release followed hours of heated debate in the state Senate earlier on Tuesday, where Democrats and Republicans clashed over the timing and legality of advancing the proposal, introduced after more than a million Virginians have already voted… Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Tuesday argued that the Democratic proposal violates the state Constitution’s intent that voters have a meaningful say before such measures move forward.” [Virginia Mercury, Press Release, Press Release]
Feds Facing Financial Strains — “The federal government shutdown led 658,000 civilian employees to miss out on their first full paychecks on Friday. The average federal worker makes more than the average U.S. worker, but many are still struggling financially.” [Axios]
Va. Emergency SNAP Plan — “VENA benefits will be issued weekly, not monthly, in hopes the federal shutdown will end soon. For example: If a household normally receives $200 for a monthly benefit, a $50 benefit will be issued on a weekly basis. Recipients and households should adjust to this new schedule and plan accordingly.” [Press Release]
Bus Brandishing in Buckingham — “Between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on October 20, the male suspect boarded a transit bus and engaged the driver in a verbal dispute. As the suspect was exiting the bus, he made threatening statements and displayed what appeared to be a firearm before fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]
Acquisition for AI Firm — “Istari Digital, an Arlington-based developer of infrastructure enabling AI-directed workflows across teams, tools and classification levels, said it has acquired Dgraph, a graph database most commonly used for building knowledge graphs, from San Francisco-based owner Hypermode.” [Potomac Tech Wire]
Rosslyn’s CoStar Keeps Growing — “CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, analytics, and 3D digital twin technology in the property markets, announced today that revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2025 was $834 million, up 20% over revenue of $693 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2024. Net loss was $31 million.” [BusinessWire]
It’s Wednesday — Isolated showers are expected before 10am and after 2pm, with otherwise partly sunny skies and a high of 57°F. Winds from the northeast at 8-10 mph, gusting up to 18 mph, and a 20% chance of precipitation. On Wednesday night, expect rain and possible thunderstorms after 5am, a low of 51°F, east winds at 9-13 mph with gusts up to 21 mph, and a 90% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
The Falls Church City Council is considering a major increase to a pool of funding to support local residents facing short-term financial difficulties.
City staff originally proposed adding $20,000 to $25,100 previously allocated for an assistance fund that provides eligible households with up to $1,000 in support per year.
Election offices in Arlington and Falls Church are on the lookout for any glitches with the U.S. Postal Service handling official election-related mail.
A relatively small number of ballots from the office of Falls Church registrar David Bjerke were mailed but had not yet reached residents who requested them, Bjerke reported at an Oct. 23 meeting of the Falls Church Electoral Board.
Despite high office vacancy rates, several of Arlington’s major commercial corridors have some of the highest commercial real estate prices in Northern Virginia, new data shows.
Rosslyn, Ballston, National Landing and Clarendon/Courthouse/Virginia Square were the only sub-corridors of Northern Virginia with asking rates above $40 per square foot in third-quarter figures reported last week by Savills Research & Data Services.
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, said Monday that she would not oppose a push by the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature to redraw congressional districts ahead of next year’s midterm elections.
Virginia Democrats earlier in the day began taking steps to change the state’s constitution to allow for a new congressional map, a change that must ultimately be approved by voters before it becomes law. The change is designed to counter President Donald Trump’s push to create more partisan districts in several Republican-run states.
Leaf Blower Ban Feedback — “Arlington County is considering prohibiting the use of gas-powered leaf blowers with a possible phase-out period of up to three years. Your input is essential in shaping how we move forward. Share your thoughts in this questionnaire by October 29. The County is also hosting an Electric Leaf Blower Webinar on October 29 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM.” [Arlington County]
Scam Alert from ACPD — “Community members have reported receiving voicemail messages from individual(s) claiming to be Arlington County law enforcement wanting to discuss an urgent legal matter. REMINDER: ACPD and @acso_va will never call, email or text to solicit funds or collect fines.” [ACPD/X]
Marymount Raising Money — “Marymount University in Arlington has launched a $50 million fundraising campaign it says will set the private Catholic university up for a new era. The effort, tabbed “Momentum: The Campaign for Marymount,” has already raised more than $20 million over the past three years, the university said Friday. The new funds will be used to increase access to scholarships and financial aid, expand learning and innovation spaces on the campus.” [WBJ]
Amazon Corporate Layoffs — “Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning on Tuesday, as the company pares expenses and compensates for overhiring during the peak demand of the pandemic, according to three people familiar with the matter. The figure represents a small percentage of Amazon’s 1.55 million total employees, but nearly 10% of its roughly 350,000 corporate employees.” [Reuters]
It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching near 57 degrees, accompanied by a northeast wind at 10 to 14 mph and gusts up to 24 mph. On Tuesday night, there is a 30% chance of showers primarily after 2am, with mostly cloudy conditions, a northwest wind around 9 mph, and a low of 45 degrees. [NWS]
The 2026 General Assembly session could bring another political tug-of-war between some County Board members and a state legislator representing the local community.
The past two years saw debate over the appropriate sequence of events in tackling any major change to Arlington’s governance structure.
A pair of notable crashes Sunday morning temporarily closed lanes and kept Arlington first responders busy.
The crashes happened amid preparation for, and then during, the 2025 Marine Corps Marathon, which closed numerous roads in other parts of the county.
A 32-year-old man is facing charges after police say he made threats while wielding a boxcutter in a Metro station over the weekend.
It happened just before 7 a.m. Saturday at the Ballston Metro station. Police say they were dispatched after reports that a man was “throwing items at people” in the station. The man allegedly threatened an arriving officer while holding a boxcutter, leading to a taser being used to subdue him.
