News

Outlets Reject Pentagon Press Rules — “Fox News, the former employer of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, on Tuesday joined a chorus of news outlets refusing to sign an agreement with the Pentagon that could limit journalists’ rights to gather or report information not officially authorized for release.” [Axios, Associated Press, Washington Post]

Regional Economy on the Brink — “Twenty-two states are either in a recession or on the precipice of a downturn, according to an intriguing analysis from Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics… in trouble are the states most exposed to federal job cuts, like Virginia and Maryland. Unemployment in Washington, D.C., was 6% in August, the highest in the country.” [Axios]

Controllers Giving Flyers to Fliers — “‘Hi – good morning. I’m an unpaid air traffic controller.’ That’s what a worker said as he approached travelers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Tuesday morning. As the government shutdown hits the two-week mark, Tuesday is the first day air traffic controllers won’t get a full paycheck, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. On Oct. 28, they won’t get paid at all.” [NBC 4]

Arlington Restaurants on TV — “Chamber President & CEO Kate Bates and Chair-Elect @bismahahmed_ joined @fox5dc to kick off the start of #ARLRestaurantWeek, hosting a speed tasting of three meals from La Posada, Maison Cheryl, and Celtic House.” [Arlington Chamber/X]

Police Plan Community Meetings — “The Arlington County Police Department’s (ACPD) Community Engagement Division invites the public to the fall quarterly community meetings covering community issues, crime prevention tips and quality of life concerns.” [ACPD]

WETA Radio Weathers Cuts — “WETA, with its offices down the road in Shirlington, has been on the air 24-7 through the thick and thin over many years here, through the Great Recession and the Covid pandemic, with comforting voices spinning the hits, so to speak, from Handel, to Haydn, to Mozart to Beethoven… the station has had to lay off five percent of its staff and folks hope there will be no more if the public steps up to help.” [FCNP]

Local Firm Sells Unit — “Trident Maritime Systems, an Arlington-based developer of integrated maritime systems, said it has sold its UK business to Alexandria-based private equity firm DC Capital Partners.” [Potomac Tech Wire]

No Plastic for Leaf Collection — “Mr. Autumn Man Knows: Leaves placed in plastic garbage bags can’t be composted and won’t be collected. Place leaves and other yard waste at the curb only in paper bags and the green curbside cart.” [Arlington DES/X]

New Legal Notice — Convenience store seeks off-premises beer and wine license; 30-day objections. [Public Notices]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 70 degrees with a north wind at 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. For Wednesday night, the skies will remain clear, and the temperature will drop to around 45 degrees. The north wind will persist at approximately 9 mph. [NWS]

Rise in Federal Retirements — “This mass exodus — unprecedented in its scale — includes 154,000 federal employees who accepted buyout offers and were largely removed from the payroll as of the end of last month. Some of those are among nearly 105,000 employees who took regular retirement during the fiscal year that ended in September, an 18 percent surge from the previous year.” [Washington Post]

Pedestrian Struck By SUV — “File this under, “This could have been a lot worse.” Indications are there were no serious injuries when a car crossed into oncoming traffic, clipped another car, ran onto the sidewalk, and hit a person who tried to get out of the way. This was during the noon hour at N. George Mason and Wilson.” [Dave Statter/X]

Pepper Sprayed in Pentagon City — “1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 6:04 p.m. on October 11, police were dispatched to the report of an assault. The preliminary investigation indicates the teenage female victim was approached by two teenage female suspects who are known to her and with whom she has had an ongoing dispute. The suspects assaulted her and discharged pepper spray before fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]

Renovated Hospice Center — “Diane and David Guernsey, longtime community supporters and advocates for hospice care, joined Capital Caring Health to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Guernsey Center for Caring in Arlington, Virginia. Their generous gift made the renovation possible, helping expand access to compassionate, nonprofit hospice care across the region.” [WJLA]

Rise in Va. Revenue — “Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that general fund revenues increased 5.1 percent ($374.4 million) year-over-year through the first three months of Fiscal Year 2026 and that for the month of September, total general fund revenues increased 2.7 percent ($87.6 million) versus September last year.” [Press Release]

More EDVA Turmoil — “Maggie Cleary — the senior Justice Department prosecutor who briefly led the powerful US attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia last month before Trump ally Lindsey Halligan took over — has been removed from the office, according to two people familiar with the matter.” [CNN]

Reminder: Restaurant Week — “Over 80 Arlington restaurants plan to offer discounts, specials and prix fixe meals from Oct. 13-20 as part of the yearly promotion by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. Participants range from fast-casual to formal dining.” [ARLnow]

Candidate Essay Recap — Yesterday, ARLnow published “Why you should vote for me” essays from candidates for public office in competitive Arlington races, including: Del. Patrick Hope (House of Delegates, 1st District); Del. Adele McClure (House of Delegates, 2nd District); Monique “Moe” Bryant and James ‘Vell’ Rives IV (School Board); and Bob Cambridge, Jeramy Olmack, and Carlos “DC” De Castro Pretelt (County Board). After our submission deadline, we received links to candidate essays from Audrey Clement (County Board) and Wendy Sigley (House of Delegates, 2nd District). Incumbent Arlington County Board member Takis Karantonis did not submit an essay.

It’s Tuesday — The weather will be mostly cloudy and reach a high near 70, accompanied by a north wind at 11 to 14 mph, gusting up to 22 mph. Tuesday night will see mostly clear conditions, with temperatures dropping to around 54 and a north wind around 8 mph. [NWS]

Beyer Blasts Federal Layoffs — “The mass firings Russ Vought and the Trump Administration announced today are cruel, illegal, and yet another attack on our economy. This is a disaster for Virginia, intentionally inflicted by President Trump and his Republican allies. These firings are also already being fought in court.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]

Cox Emailed School Board Member — “According to an email obtained in the FOIA, “Riki Cox” sent an email to Arlington School Board Member Kathleen Clark on October 28, 2024. Cox told Clark that if people complained of a transgender person using the female-designated showers at APS, the complainers should be invited to use single locker rooms, and Cox wanted to know where Clark stood on the issue before Cox cast his vote.” [WJLA]

Rives Reacts to Cox Emails — “Newly revealed email exchanges between a sex offender and School Board Member Clark demonstrate how our gender policy fails. Arlington Schools are endangering girls and denying their rights under Title IX. Our board needs to set specific expectations of who can be in a girls’ facility.” [Rives for School Board/Facebook]

Brandishing on Arlington Border — “4600 block of King Street. At approximately 3:27 a.m. on October 8, police were dispatched to the report of a weapons violation. Upon arrival, a witness reported observing a male suspect exit a vehicle and approach another vehicle. A verbal dispute ensued during which the suspect allegedly displayed a firearm.” [ACPD]

Police Reminder About Scams — “The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) is raising public awareness about national and reoccurring scams and ways the community can spot, avoid and report them. ACPD is cautioning the community to remain alert when receiving unsolicited calls, emails or text messages and sharing tips to help keep your personal information and finances safe.” [ACPD]

Ten-Miler Runs Through Arlington — “Thousands of people came out for the Army 10-Miler on Sunday after it was uncertain if the event would happen due to the government shutdown. ” [NBC 4]

FCPD Chopper Denied by ATC — “The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) rule changes regarding helicopters flying near Reagan National Airport (DCA) have been widely praised by safety advocates, but an incident early Friday morning raises questions about whether the rules need to be tweaked for police helicopters.” [WJLA]

New Legal Notice — Wholesale beer license; objections due within 30 days. [Public Notices]

It’s Monday — Patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before 11am, then showers likely after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 62. North wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Tonight, expect patchy drizzle with a chance of showers before midnight, then a chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. North wind 10 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. [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.