Gov. Abigail Spanberger attends an inaugural ceremony after she was sworn in as Virginia's first female governor, at the Capitol in Richmond Va., Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026.(AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Amid a cold drizzle, Democrat Abigail Spanberger was sworn into office Saturday at the state Capitol as Virginia’s first female governor after centuries of men holding the state’s top office.
The inauguration of Spanberger, who defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin, marks a new chapter in Virginia as Democrats pull the levers of power in state government while Republican President Donald Trump sits in the White House in neighboring Washington.
Ballston power outage on Jan. 17, 2026 (via Dominion)
Nearly 3,000 homes and businesses in the Ballston area are in the dark on a chilly night.
The outage was first reported late Saturday afternoon. As of 5:30 p.m., Dominion’s website listed 2,801 customers without power, in an area roughly bounded by N. Glebe Road, I-66, N. Quincy Street and Wilson Blvd.
This regularly scheduled column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. If you would like to work with Eli and his team in Northern Virginia and the greater D.C. Metro area, you can reach him directly at[email protected].
Thank you to all who have served and to the families who have sacrificed or lost loved ones for our freedom. I hope you and yours have a special Memorial Day weekend with friends and family to celebrate our country and those we’ve lost defending it.
The Eli Residential Group donates annually to Arlington-based TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) in honor of Memorial Day. Since 1994, TAPS has provided comfort and hope 24/7 to those grieving a death in the military or veteran community, through a national peer support network and connection to grief resources, all at no cost to surviving families and loved ones.
If you are interested in donating to a great charity this Memorial Day, TAPS is a four-star rated charity on Charity Navigator with 87.5% of funds raised going towards program expenses.
Eli and his team believe that your real estate needs should be managed by advisors, not salespeople. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service.
Scattered snow showers will transition to rain showers between 10am and noon before the skies gradually clear up and become mostly sunny with a high of 47°F. A south wind of 8 to 10 mph and gusts up to 21 mph accompany a 50% chance of precipitation. On Saturday night, expect a chance of rain after 1am, mixing with snow after 4am, and a mostly cloudy sky with a low around 31°F. Light and variable winds will become northwest around 5 mph after midnight, with a 30% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The best way out is always through.” – Robert Frost
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! If you have something to say about an issue of local note not covered today, feel free to post it as a letter to the editor on our new forum. 👋
An attendee holds a sign at a rally of Washington-Liberty High students that followed a walkout (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A constitutional amendment to codify abortion access has cleared the last major hurdle before likely going to Virginia voters for a referendum in November.
Today (Friday), the Virginia Senate advanced an amendment to protect abortion in the Constitution of Virginia 21-18, following an earlier 64-34 vote by the Virginia House of Delegates. A simple majority of voters would need to vote in favor for the legislation to be approved.
Join Jadin O’Brien, Olympic athlete, 3x NCAA pentathlon champion and 10x All-American (heptathlon) winner for this in-person and virtual 5K. This event is sponsored by The Alex Manfull Fund to raise awareness and advance research on debilitating infection-associated neuroimmune disorders (including PANS and PANDAS) that affect young people. The 5K is part of the organization’s 36 Hours for PANS and PANDAS Advocacy in Motion event. Runners will receive a Finisher’s Medal, Technical (Drifit) Event Shirt and A Chip Timed Event. The event commemorates the life of Alex Manfull, who died at age 26 due to PANDAS. Susan and William Manfull established the Fund in their daughter’s name with the vision that no life ever again be cut short—or interrupted—by these illnesses. Learn more at TheAlexManfullFund.org.
GrillMarX's lower level bar (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
Falls Church Restaurant Week is back beginning next week, with the largest-ever number of establishments participating.
A record 66 restaurants will participate in the event Friday, Jan. 23 to Sunday, Feb. 1, offering restaurant week menus, special items and other exclusive offers. This is in addition to those participating in Metropolitan Washington Winter Restaurant Week, which returns on Monday.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia voters will decide whether to back a redrawn district map that favors Democrats in the tit-for-tat battle for the U.S. House after the left-leaning Senate advanced a proposed constitutional amendment on Friday that supports mid-decade congressional redistricting.
Such a congressional map has not been publicly released, though lawmakers say that will change by the end of the month. Officials have repeatedly vowed that voters would see a proposed map before the referendum is held, likely in April.
A 38-year-old Arlington woman has been charged with attempted arson after allegedly pouring gasoline in the office of an apartment building.
The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday on the 3200 block of 24th Street S. in the Green Valley neighborhood. That corresponds with The Shelton, an apartment building with a years-long history of resident complaints about safety and living conditions.
