Firefighters Warn on Cuts — The local firefighters union pointed to a call in which Rescue 102 was dispatched to a second alarm in Fairfax County: “If the proposed budget passes and Rescue 102 is cut… this would have left Arlington County with ZERO Rescue units available for our own residents.” [IAFF Arlington/FB]
Pentagon City Robbery — A man entered a store in the 1200 block of S. Hayes Street on Tuesday afternoon, asked to view merchandise and then shoved an employee when a display case was unlocked, stole merchandise and fled on foot, according to police. No injuries were reported. [ACPD]
Snowcrete Pile Finally Gone — Crews removed the last remnants of the “snowcrete” pile on 14th Street N. near N. Courthouse Road, nearly two months after January’s winter storm. The block had served as a dump site for snow removed from other roadways. [DC News Now]
Cape Raises $100M — Cape, an Arlington-based privacy-focused mobile carrier, raised $100 million in a Series C round co-led by Bain Capital Ventures and IVP. The company says it has “redesigned a telco from scratch” for government agencies and individuals concerned about surveillance. [Potomac Tech Wire]
Opower Alum Scales Carecubes — Carecubes, an Arlington-based startup founded by former Opower president Alex Laskey, raised $6.5 million in Series A funding for its pop-up isolation units designed to contain airborne infections in hospitals. The company has backing from DARPA and the CDC and customers across 13 states. [WBJ, Potomac Tech Wire]
School Traffic Enforcement — ACPD conducted “high-visibility enforcement and education in response to community complaints regarding traffic safety” around Yorktown High School and Dorothy Hamm Middle School on Thursday. [ACPD/X]
APS Employees of the Year — Arlington Public Schools named its 2026 employees of the year, including Kenmore’s Robin Stewart as Teacher of the Year, Jamestown’s Michelle McCarthy as Principal of the Year and Williamsburg’s Engelberto Zamora as Support Employee of the Year. [APS]
ACPD Community Meetings — Arlington police are hosting spring quarterly community meetings on March 24 at Macedonia Baptist Church (3412 22nd Street S.) and March 25 at Grace Community Church in Ballston Quarter. Topics include scam prevention and spring transportation safety. [Arlington County]
Dulles Mideast Flights Slashed — About two-thirds of flights from Dulles to the broader Middle East have been cancelled since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran began Feb. 28, according to MWAA. Middle East traffic accounts for about 10% of international travel through the airport. [FFXnow]
Shutdown Hits TSA Workers — A month into the DHS shutdown, TSA workers have missed paychecks, more than 300 airport security officers have quit and food banks across the region are stepping in to help. House Democrats are pushing to fund most of DHS while excluding immigration enforcement agencies. [Fox 5, Fox 5]
Winter Is (Finally) Over — The Capital Weather Gang has officially declared the winter of 2025–2026 over, after a season that was the coldest since 2002–2003. Highs are expected to surge into the 60s today and reach the 70s by Sunday. [CWG/X, Washington Post]
Drought Stabilizing — Most of the D.C. region remains in moderate drought, an improvement from the severe drought that covered much of the area from late December through mid-February, according to the Capital Weather Gang. About 2–2.5 inches of precipitation since March 1 has helped, but below-normal rainfall is expected through the rest of the month. [CWG/X]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high near 68, a big jump from the recent chill, but scattered rain showers are possible after 2 p.m. with south winds gusting up to 25 mph. Rain chances increase Friday night, with a low around 49. [NWS]
