Boats and the U.S. Park Police helicopter search the Potomac River the morning after the mid-air collision and crash (staff photo by James Jarvis)
Virginia’s two U.S. senators say they will try again to reduce air traffic and take other steps to address safety concerns at Reagan National Airport.
Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are throwing their support behind the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) final report into the January 2025 midair collision near the airport
Snow falling along a stretch of N. Glebe Road (staff photo)
Soccer in the Snow — “It’s going to take a lot more than this to stop soccer in Arlington. While it has been snowing hard for hours, it only recently started sticking to the grass in Crystal City and Pentagon City.” [Dave Statter/X]
Award for Marymount Athlete — “Marymount University women’s tennis player Francesca Loiseau received the 2026 NCAA Inspiration Award during the NCAA Honors Celebration last month in Washington. The award is presented to varsity letter-winners, coaches or administrators who have demonstrated perseverance, dedication and determination in overcoming a life-altering situation and become role models. Only one winner is selected each year across all NCAA divisions.” [Arlington Catholic Herald]
Next E-CARE Scheduled — “The spring 2026 Environmental Collection and Recycling (E-CARE) event is happening Saturday, March 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine, at Wakefield High School (1325 S. Dinwiddie St.) This free, biannual event allows Arlington residents to safely dispose of household hazardous materials (HHMs) and old electronics. Small metal items will also be accepted.” [Arlington County]
Letter: On Housing in Va. — “Virginia’s housing crisis has developed over decades, fueled by underbuilding and exclusionary zoning. Governor Abigail Spanberger’s recent executive order is a positive step toward increasing housing supply by streamlining permitting processes and removing outdated barriers. If we believe everyone deserves access to safe and livable housing, expanding supply must be part of the solution.” [Letter to the Editor]
Alexandria Tourism Slump — “Occupancy in Alexandria hotels is down year over year by about 3% for the period from July to December, according to Visit Alexandria. Revenue per available room is down even more, by about 9%, with midweek travel showing the most sluggish demand due to a drop in group and government business travel.” [WBJ]
Fairfax Casino Revenue — “A Fairfax County casino would produce an estimated $313.6 million in gaming revenue, delivering $62.1 million in local and state taxes, the county’s Department of Management and Budget said in a summary of a feasibility study it commissioned from the consultant MuniCap. That would send approximately $42.4 million in tax revenue to the Commonwealth and $19.9 million to the county under Virginia’s current tax rate for casinos.” [FFXnow]
It’s Monday — Snow is likely in the morning and it will be cloudy with a high temperature around 39°F. Expect a breezy northwest wind of 17 to 20 mph, gusting up to 33 mph. For Monday night, the sky will transition from mostly cloudy to mostly clear, as the temperature drops to around 23°F. The northwest wind will continue at 14 to 17 mph, gusting as high as 26 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.
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].
Question: How much of an impact do you think the ROAD to Housing Act will have on housing affordability in Arlington?
Answer: The Road to Housing Act became law ten days ago, with the stated goal of improving housing affordability in the United States.
I don’t see many policies in the Act that will improve affordability in the Arlington/Northern VA/DC Metro markets, outside of incentives for more affordable multi-family housing, but there are policies that should improve affordability in other markets that are more saturated with institutional investors that own swaths of single-family homes (e.g. Atlanta and Phoenix) and for manufactured/mobile homes.
The Local Conversation Needs to Change
If we are going to improve affordability in our market, most of the change has to be done locally/regionally, not nationally, but it requires a paradigm shift in how we discuss and solve for housing affordability.
Affordability Disconnect: Near Term Expectations Not Realistic
A disconnect between housing affordability expectations and reality prevents the right community and political conversations from happening. We expect/demand housing affordability immediately, ignoring the difficulty, and consequences, of achieving it that quickly.
Stable and healthy housing affordability is a long-term process requiring gradual change over a 10-15+ year period.
Demand-Side Solutions Won’t Work
Demand-side solutions, such as lower interest rates or easier financing, artificially inflate home values, as seen during the COVID-era housing boom and early 2000s. They are not a good long-term solution to affordability because they push values even higher (along with your property taxes) and affordability gets worse when rates/lending normalize and no longer provide artificially low monthly payments.
Supply-Side Solutions Are Not Immediate
Most policy discussions focus on supply-side solutions: building more/faster and denser housing (e.g. Arlington’s Missing Middle/Expanded Housing Option), incentivizing more existing home sales, or disincentivizing concentrated ownership by companies and individuals. Econ 101 tells us that more supply = lower prices = affordable housing (winner winner!).
This is the only path to stable, long-term housing affordability…BUT, at current interest rates, prices must drop 30-35% in the United States to become affordable, at current income levels. A 30-35% drop in home values would devastate the economy, so a supply-side solution won’t (shouldn’t) provide immediate affordability. (more…)
Snow covering Key Blvd near Courthouse (via traffic cam)
With heavy snow continuing to fall, Arlington Public Schools has decided to close Monday.
The snow day for Arlington students follows earlier decisions by nearby Fairfax County and Montgomery County to also close. D.C. schools, meanwhile, will open on a two-hour delay.
Local entrepreneur MaryBeth Powers is being featured on an episode of Women in Power, a series that highlights inspiring women whose passion, perseverance, and purpose have made a meaningful impact in their communities.
The episode shares the remarkable story behind Teddy’s Turmeric Tamer®, an all-natural daily wellness topper for dogs that was born from love and determination. After MaryBeth’s beloved dog, Teddy, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer and given just 2–4 weeks to live, she refused to give up hope. Through extensive research and a commitment to natural wellness, she created a unique blend of premium ingredients to support Teddy’s health. Teddy went on to enjoy three more years filled with love, comfort and quality of life.
Bring the whole family to Arlington Mill for an evening of laughs, basketball, and underdog determination with Goat.
This animated family comedy follows a determined young goat chasing his dream of becoming a professional basketball star. Before the movie, kids can enjoy face painting and family-friendly activities, making this one of our most kid-focused events of the summer.
Snow in Westover on Jan. 3, 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A Winter Weather Advisory has officially been issued for Arlington and much of the D.C. area, ahead of Sunday’s expected storm.
The National Weather Service is currently predicting 2-4 inches of snow accumulation. The flakes will mostly fall Sunday night and early Monday, with temperatures dipping below freezing after a cold rain for most of the day.
The Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)
WASHINGTON (AP) — A lawyer picked by judges to serve as the top federal prosecutor for a Virginia office that pursued cases against foes of President Donald Trump was swiftly fired Friday by the Justice Department in the latest clash over the appointments of powerful U.S. attorneys.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the firing of James Hundley on social media shortly after he was unanimously chosen by judges to replace former Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. While the law says that the district court may choose U.S. attorneys when an initial appointment expires, the Trump administration has insisted that the power lies only in the hands of the executive branch.
The weather will transition from mostly cloudy to sunny with temperatures reaching around 53°F and a northwest wind at 6 mph. For Saturday night, anticipate a 50% chance of rain starting after 1am, which may mix with snow after 4am. The sky will become increasingly cloudy as temperatures drop to approximately 35°F, accompanied by a light northeast wind. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln
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. 👋
Another winter storm could arrive in Arlington in a few days, but forecasts are still shaky going into the weekend.
As of this afternoon, the National Weather Service is predicting increasing odds of a winter storm warning going into effect on Sunday, and places Arlington at “elevated” risk for heavy snow and sleet.
Sloan, a junior competing at 190 pounds, wasn’t having much success before receiving the warning midway through the first period during the Feb. 12 6D North Region high-school wrestling tournament at Centreville High School.