News

APS May Lose Federal Funds — “The Department of Education said Friday it will start the process of suspending or cutting off federal funds to five Northern Virginia school districts: Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William. It follows the decision by the districts to reject the department’s demand that they change their bathroom and locker room policies for transgender students.” [NBC 4, Washington Post]

Pike Doc Project Profiled — “Working in one of the most diverse places in the country, Wolf and the rotating crew behind the Columbia Pike Documentary Project have been building the case, year after year, that their modest swath of storefronts and rising apartment buildings just outside Washington can be a model of American progress.” [Washington Post]

Flyover Planned This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct a flyover in the National Capital Region over Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, August 18, 2025, at 9:00AM.”

Pentagon City Signals Shifted — “Crash #3 did the trick: About 12 hours after I reported a third red light runner crash in less than a month, Arlington County made at least a temporary fix to the problem. This morning after rush hour, work crews better aligned the traffic signals for eastbound Army Navy at S. Hayes.” [Dave Statter/X]

Park Police Seek Cybertruck Vandal — “The USPP is looking to identify the suspect involved in a felony destruction of property incident that occurred at Columbia Island Marina on July 4 at about 11 PM.” [USPP/X]

Funding for RCV Outreach — “The Arlington County Board has concluded its Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Notice of Funding Availability process, and has awarded grants to two non-profits organizations, Challenging Racism and FairVote, for voter education and outreach efforts related to Ranked Choice Voting leading up to the November election. Both organizations will partner on these efforts, serving complementary roles.” [Arlington County]

It’s Monday — Showers are most likely between 2-5pm, with cloudy skies and a high temperature near 79°F. A northeast wind will blow at 10 mph, gusting up to 18 mph, and there is a 30% chance of precipitation. Monday night, expect another chance of showers mainly after 8pm, with a 30% chance of rain, mostly cloudy conditions, and a low temperature around 68°F. The northeast wind will be blowing at 6 to 9 mph. [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.

Guns to Sound This Morning — From AlertDC: “[Today] at 10AM, a total of 43 (LOUD) rounds will be fired from the Leutze Park Guns as part of a gun salute being conducted at the Washington Navy Yard.”

Another Pentagon City Crash — “Another crash with the misaligned traffic signals for eastbound Army Navy at S. Hayes in Pentagon City. The driver running the red light actually has a green light ahead of them over their lane. It’s a green arrow meant for the lane to their right. The red signal meant for their lane is over the lane to their left.” [Dave Statter/X]

Beyer Blasts Israel — “This move, on top of civilian starvation and killing in Gaza and a disastrous Gaza City attack plan, are proof of the Israeli government’s hostility to peaceful coexistence with Palestinians. I cosponsored the Block the Bombs Act in June because we can’t support this.” [Rep. Don Beyer/X]

Local Library History — “At first, small community libraries were formed by private organizations, beginning with a book collection in the 1890s stored in Carlin Hall in the Glencarlyn community. In 1923, a Cherrydale library was formed to operate in the Cherrydale School… Other community-initiated libraries were quickly formed, and in 1928 an alliance of 20 local organizations created the Arlington District Library Association. By 1936, a Department of Libraries was established by the County Board.” [FCNP]

School Starting Monday in F.C. — “The new school year is now upon us! Unlike even the more recent past when the year always began right after Labor Day, now it is commencing on Monday, August 18… FCCPS, it was noted on the second day of the convocation, has been ranked the Number One school division in the entire state of Virginia for six years in a row, as well as the Number One in the wider Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.” [FCNP]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high of 88 and light east winds of 6 mph. There’s a 30% chance of showers and storms, mostly in the afternoon. Friday night holds a slight chance of showers. The night will be otherwise partly cloudy with a low of 72 and a 20% chance of precipitation. [NWS]

Police Helos Kept Away from DCA — “After a search for a kidnapped child delayed several flights last week, air traffic controllers at Washington Reagan National Airport were instructed to stop letting police helicopter missions take priority over airline traffic.” [Washington Post]

VHC Expansion Update — VHC Health plans to submit final site plans in September for its 146-bed behavioral health and inpatient rehabilitation center, partnering with Lifepoint Health on the $160 million project that has doubled in cost from the original $80 million estimate. The county has switched from selling VHC the land at 601 S. Carlin Springs Road to offering a long-term lease instead, while VHC continues expanding with a $46-50 million main hospital addition and a $33 million freestanding ER along Arlington Boulevard. [WBJ]

More DUI Patrols — “From Friday, August 15, 2025 – Monday, September 1, 2025, motorists nationwide can expect to see increased messages about the dangers of driving under the influence, coupled with enforcement and increased saturation patrols to identify and apprehend impaired drivers. This campaign aims to drastically reduce drunk driving on our nation’s roadways through a two-pronged approach of education and enforcement.” [ACPD]

Flyover This Morning — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Military will conduct a flyover in the NCR over Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, August 14, 2025, at 11:10AM.” 

Dog Bite in F.C. — “The City of Falls Church Police and Animal Control are looking for a dog that bit a young woman on the leg on Saturday, August 9 around 4:15 p.m. on N. Oak St. between West St. and Lincoln St.” [City of Falls Church/FB]

Memory Helps Metro Officer — “A Metro transit police officer is being recognized for her hard work closing cases, using her photographic memory.” [NBC 4]

Another Challenger to Beyer — “Former Alexandria City Councilman Mohamed “Mo” Seifeldein announced Tuesday to reporters that he will seek the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, challenging five-term incumbent Rep. Don Beyer and positioning himself as a voice for economic change.” [ALXnow]

It’s Thursday — Expect scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon, with otherwise mostly sunny skies and a high near 89. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation. Thursday night brings a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low around 73. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick