By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal prosecutor in Virginia whose monthslong mortgage fraud investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James has not resulted in criminal charges resigned Friday under pressure from the Trump administration.
Democrats, Republicans and the Forward Party made their case to the electorate this morning (Friday) as early voting kicked off across Arlington and statewide.
“When we vote, we win,” County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said at the Arlington Democrats early-voting kickoff event held at Courthouse Plaza. It attracted about 65 attendees.
A sidewalk chalk protest at the North Arlington home of a top Trump administration official became a talking point for powerful Republican voices this week.
The Sunday demonstration around the home of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller involved a handful of activists writing in chalk on sidewalk slabs with messages like “hate has no home in Arlington,” “no white nationalism” and “Stephen Miller is destroying democracy.”
“Reclining Liberty,” the iconic artwork gracing the front lawn of the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington for the past two years, is staying put.
Members of the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) on Sept. 17 voted 9-0 to allow the 25-foot work featuring the Statue of Liberty in repose to remain in front of the circa-1910 former school building at 3550 Wilson Blvd.
Flyover Planned This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct an aircraft flyover in the National Capital Region (NCR) over The Pentagon on Friday, September 19, 2025, at 10:45AM.”
Federal Prosecutor Being Fired? — “President Donald Trump is expected to fire the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia after his office was unable to find incriminating evidence of mortgage fraud against New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to sources… Administration officials have told Siebert of Trump’s intention to fire him, sources familiar with the matter said. Siebert’s last day on the job is expected to be Friday.” [ABC News]
Defense Firm Opens New Office — “Teledyne FLIR Defense, part of Teledyne Technologies Incorporated (NYSE:TDY), held an opening event yesterday for its new office in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Virginia, minutes from the Pentagon.” [BusinessWire, WBJ]
Crystal City-Based PBS ‘Optimistic’ — “PBS CEO Paula Kerger told Axios Media Trends Live on Thursday she is optimistic about government funding after being included in a continuing resolution proposal.” [Axios, Axios/X]
Profile of a Six-Plex Project — “In spite of an ongoing court challenge brought by nine single-family homeowners, some EHO permits have been allowed to continue due to separate individual court rulings. One of the most promising EHO examples under construction is a six-plex on 3802 14th Street North.” [GGW]
Beyer Blasts Trump TV Threat — “The Trump Administration has declared war on the First Amendment. They’re getting people fired for expressing opinions. He’s bullying the press with lawsuits and government powers to silence critics, and targeting political opposition. Americans’ freedom of speech is at risk.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]
Digital Equity Grants — “At its September Meeting, the Arlington County Board voted to award $500,000 in the inaugural round of digital equity grants to seven community organizations. Through these community partners, the County will realize key recommendations of the 2024 Broadband Study and key goals of the Digital Equity Initiative.” [Arlington County]
July’s Passenger Count Down at DCA — July’s passenger enplanements of 1.09 million at Reagan National Airport were down 6.5% year-over-year and off 7.6% from budget projections, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority officials said this week. Weather issues and the economic impact of federal-government downsizing were largely to blame, officials said. Traffic was up 5.7% to 1.4 million at Dulles. –Scott McCaffrey
Poor Marks for Local Airports — “Airline passengers traveling in and out of the D.C. region’s two main airports are not all that happy with their experience these days. That’s according to a passenger survey released this week by J.D. Power, which found that among 27 large airports in North America, Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport ranked among the lowest in customer satisfaction.” [WBJ]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny conditions and a high of 87 degrees accompanied by a light northwest wind. Moving into Friday night, skies will turn partly cloudy with a low of 64 degrees. [NWS]
Police are conducting a death investigation along Four Mile Run after a body was found this afternoon.
Arlington County police responded to a wooded area near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Four Mile Run Road around 2:15 p.m., after someone reported finding a body near the creek.
A new affordable housing building with 432 units broke ground at the Crystal House complex yesterday (Wednesday).
“The Sweeney” — named after two True Ground Housing Partners founders, Jean and Jack Sweeney — is among the largest affordable housing projects to break ground in National Landing in decades, according to True Ground.
Yorktown High School will see an increased police presence today after a bomb threat was made against the school.
Arlington County police responded to the school around 3:30 a.m. Thursday, shortly after becoming aware of a threat being posted online, according to an ACPD spokesperson.
The Falls Church Planning Commission will soon change from being a final decision-maker to an advisor for some new development projects in the city.
The shift in responsibility comes in response to new state laws, which took effect July 1 and aim to speed up the creation of new housing across the commonwealth. Under the new rules, many localities must move from planning commission approval of projects to staff approval of development plans.
The Rosslyn Business Improvement District is seeking to bolster its neighborhood’s public amenities with a new pop-up park that opened yesterday (Wednesday).
NOW, which the Rosslyn BID installed, is a new half-acre public park located around a pair of offices at 1401 Wilson Blvd and 1400 Key Blvd. Slated for eventual redevelopment, the revamped site includes urban gardens, a terraced event space and “pet relief area.”
Investigation: DCA Too Busy — “Now the FAA’s failure to act on warnings that too many planes were being squeezed into the airport has emerged as a crucial focus of investigations into the crash, which killed 67 people. The crescendo of arriving and departing planes during the busiest periods — including a scheduled peak around the time of the crash — reduced the margin of error for air traffic controllers and pilots to dangerous levels.” [Washington Post]
Va. Sens. Calls for Fewer Flights — “What do you tell 67 families who have lost their loved ones? What do you tell America’s flying public? We have fought against adding more flights at DCA for years because safety has to be the first and top priority. While many risk factors must be reevaluated, Congress needs to start by rolling back the additional flight slots it forcibly crammed into last year’s FAA Reauthorization Act.” [Press Release]
Another Robbery in Ballston — “At approximately 10:48 p.m. on September 16, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery by force. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect entered the business, grabbed cigarettes from behind the counter and walked towards the exit of the store without payment. When confronted by an employee, the suspect struck the employee before fleeing the scene on foot with the merchandise.” [ACPD]
Award for Parks Department — “Arlington County’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) has won the 2025 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management. This win celebrates not only DPR’s dedication and innovation, but also the staff, partners, and community members who make Arlington’s parks a place where everyone can thrive.” [Arlington County]
Va. Dems Outraise GOP — “Spanberger raised $14 million during July and August and has $12.2 million left in the bank, compared with $5.2 million raised by Earle-Sears, who has $4.9 million in cash… Democrats out-raised Republicans overall on a Nov. 4 ballot that also includes lieutenant governor, attorney general and all 100 seats in the House of Delegates.” [Washington Post]
Arlington > LA Weather — “Los Angeles more humid than DC this month! It’s been a great September — even with yesterday’s… dreariness.” [CWG/X]
It’s Thursday — Expect a mostly cloudy day to eventually clear up and become sunny, with temperatures reaching a high near 82°F and a mild north wind at about 5 mph. As for Thursday night, the skies will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to a low around 62°F. A gentle west wind of around 5 mph will begin after midnight. [NWS]
A firefighter was hospitalized after battling a house fire in Ballston Wednesday evening.
The fire broke out in the attic of a home at the corner of Washington Blvd and N. Stuart Street.
