County Gov’t Reopens — “Due to inclement weather, Arlington County Government facilities will open & judicial court proceedings will begin at 10AM on Wed., Jan. 28, 2026, unless otherwise stated. Libraries will open at 12PM. County facilities will close at 6PM.” [Arlington County/X, Arlington County]

Cemetery Still Closed — “Due to extremely cold temperatures, Arlington National Cemetery will be closed to the public and family pass holders through Wednesday, Jan. 28. Funeral services will continue as scheduled.” [ANC/X]

Snow Crews Thinned By ICE — “As homeowners in Fairfax and Arlington counties try to clear neighborhood streets, a snow removal business reports that their crews are operating at lower capacity. The reason: the labor-intensive job of digging through the thick ice and the fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity.” [WUSA 9]

Remembering Crash Victims — “The figure skating community in Northern Virginia is remembering the skaters, coaches and family members killed a year ago in the midair collision over the Potomac River… The plane was heading back from Wichita, Kansas, where many of the passengers had just participated in a national skating competition and development camp. Seventeen of them had ties to the Ashburn Ice House and the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington.” [NBC 4]

Brandishing in Courthouse — “the male victim returned to a parking garage where he had parked his vehicle and determined it was missing. A short time later, the victim observed the vehicle being driven by the male suspect inside the parking garage and confronted him. The suspect then exited the vehicle, brandished what appeared to be a firearm and subsequently fled the scene on foot.” [ACPD]

Leadership Change at Local Startup — “Arlington cybersecurity startup Shift5 Inc. has tapped an executive from defense contracting giant L3Harris Technologies Inc. to serve as interim CEO and president. Toby Magsig succeeds CEO and co-founder Josh Lospinoso, who announced a transition out of day-to-day operations and will instead focus on long-term planning.” [WBJ]

Barcroft Apts. May Be Deemed Historic — Having been named to the Virginia Landmarks Register late last year, the Barcroft Apartments soon will be considered by the National Park Service for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, county staff said at the Jan. 21 meeting of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board. A determination usually follows within 45 days, staff said. –Scott McCaffrey

Design Award Winners — “The Arlington County Board honored nine projects on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026, for the 2025 DESIGNArlington awards. The biennial program recognizes excellence in architectural and landscape design and public art, showcasing the best of Arlington.” [Arlington County]

Amazon Fresh Stores Closing — “Amazon is throwing in the towel on Amazon Fresh, announcing today (Tuesday) that it will close all locations in favor of a renewed focus on Whole Foods Market and other concepts. The last day of operation for Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores is Feb. 1.” [FFXnow]

Gun Bills Advance — “Democratic lawmakers on Monday advanced a sweeping slate of gun safety proposals — many of them previously vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin — as they test whether Virginia’s new Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, will take a more favorable view of firearm restrictions.” [FFXnow]

Voting Rights Ruling — “A federal judge in Richmond ruled last week that Virginia violated a post-Civil War law by automatically stripping the right to vote from everyone convicted of a felony, a decision that could restore voting rights to thousands of Virginians.” [Washington Post]

Possible Weekend Storm Update — “The majority of computer models suggest the storm will form too far east to bring substantial snow to the D.C. region, still reeling from 6 to 9 inches of cement-like snow and ice on Sunday and historically low temperatures. However, the American model — while mostly an outlier — does simulate substantial snow in D.C., and this slight possibility needs to be watched.” [CWG]

It’s Wednesday — Expect increasing clouds and a high near 22, along with wind chill values dropping to -1, accompanied by a west wind blowing at 5 to 9 mph. Wednesday night will be partly cloudy with temperatures dropping to a low of 6 and wind chill values as low as -3. A calm wind will turn into a northwest breeze around 6 mph after midnight. [NWS]