Va. School Ratings — “According to the VDOE, about 1 in 4 public schools in the state are rated as distinguished, or exceeding expectations. Northern Virginia and Southwest Virginia have the highest percentages of top-rated schools at 31 percent and 28 percent, respectively, the data shows. Thirty-eight percent of public schools in Fairfax County and 46 percent in Loudoun County rated as distinguished, while Arlington County saw about 34 percent of schools in the top category.” [Washington Post]

Arlington’s Top Library Books — “2025 was another excellent year for Arlington readers with over 3.6 million checkouts. Arlington’s reading choices span a wide array of genres, including cookbooks, romance novels, biographies and picture books. We listened to eAudiobooks, read on our phones and stacked paper books on our nightstands… Two titles had more than 4,000 checkouts this year: “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros [and] “The Women” by Kristin Hannah.” [Arlington Public Library]

Teens Hospitalized After Fight — “The two juvenile female victims were outside when the two known juvenile female suspects approached them. Suspect One yelled at Victim One before pulling her to the ground and assaulting her. Victim Two attempted to intervene in the altercation when Suspect Two pulled her to the ground and subsequently assaulted her. The suspects then fled the scene. The victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to an area hospital.” [ACPD]

Some Hopeful Economic Signs — “The government shutdown undoubtedly took a toll on the local economy this fall, but signs are emerging that the economy could be turning a corner after a challenging year marked by mass layoffs of federal workers, diminished local investment and steep declines in awards to government contractors.” [WBJ]

Fatal Crash Near Fairlington — “Around 8 a.m., APD shut down a portion of King Street between Menokin Drive and N. Quaker Lane to respond to the two-vehicle crash. Two men were injured and transported to a hospital, where one of them later died. The other driver remains hospitalized with serious injuries, according to APD.” [ALXnow]

Seven Corners Water Tower Replacement — “Fairfax Water has applied to replace an existing water tank in the Seven Corners Apartment complex (6122 Willston Drive). The application, submitted on Nov. 24, requests that the county grant Fairfax Water the ability to replace a 75-year-old, 200,000-gallon water tank with a 1-million-gallon tank.” [FFXnow]

Mulling Youngkin’s Future — “During an interview with The Associated Press, Youngkin insisted that he’s not looking ahead to after he’s replaced by Democrat Abigail Spanberger next month. But there’s little doubt that he’s been preparing for a post-Trump future that has not yet arrived, leaving someone long considered to be a potential Republican star without a clear next move.” [Associated Press]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high temperature near 37 degrees, accompanied by light and variable winds. The night will be mostly clear, with lows around 28 degrees. [NWS]