‘Fire Station 8 Saved My House’ — “Before anyone could call 911, a firefighter, Lt. Murphy, at Fire Station 8 saw the flames at my house from the glass-enclosed stairwell of the station. He alerted the rest of the firefighters and they jumped in the truck and headed down Langston Boulevard to find the fire. Before they even received the call!” [Wilma Jones]

Bipartisan Report on DCA Crash — “A congressional panel examining January’s fatal midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet found fault with the military’s procedures for operating in the airspace around D.C., according to a report issued Monday.” [Washington Post]

Role of City Lights in Crash — “Though a cause has yet to be determined, and investigators expect to release their findings early next year, one factor could have been the bright skyline around the airport. The National Transportation Safety Board has examined whether those lights could have made it more difficult for the helicopter crew to keep tabs on the plane and whether night vision goggles it believes the crew was using could have made their difficult task even more challenging.” [Washington Post]

Funding for Legal AI Tool — “BriefCatch, an Arlington startup, is hoping to change that narrative with its legal writing assistant tool, and it just scored $6 million in new funding to ramp up hiring and product development centered on its flagship product. BriefCatch embeds directly into Microsoft Word or Outlook to offer real‑time editing suggestions tailored to legal prose. It also offers optional features designed to help lawyers sharpen arguments and improve clarity.” [WBJ]

Burglary in Arlington Heights — “At approximately 12:09 p.m. on December 22, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect forced entry into the residence, causing property damage, stole jewelry and electronics and subsequently fled the scene. Responding officers conducted a canvass of the area for the suspect yielding negative results.” [ACPD]

ACPD Captain Gets FBI Training — “#FBIWFO congratulates @ArlingtonVaPD Capt. Matthew Puia on his recent graduation from the FBI National Academy.” [FBI WFO/X]

F.C. Affordable Housing — “To us, the greatest achievement of the City of Falls Church government in the last period has been its resolve around affordable housing such that units in new mixed use and residential projects designated as “affordable” in the proffering process not only now approach 10 percent or even higher of all the units in a project, but that, even more importantly, that they are maintained as “affordable” in perpetuity, and not just for 10 or 15 years.” [FCNP]

Decline in DUI Deaths — “Across Northern Virginia, alcohol/drug-related fatalities decreased from 40 in 2023 to 34 in 2024, according to the 22-page report. Among other major Northern Virginia jurisdictions: Alexandria saw no fatalities in that category in 2023 or 2024. Arlington’s rate declined from six to one.” [FFXnow]

It’s Friday — Rain is likely between noon and 4pm, followed by a chance of sleet after 4pm. The day will be mostly cloudy with a high near 35. Friday night, expect rain mixed with sleet before 10pm, turning to rain until 1am, with a slight chance of drizzle afterwards. The low will be around 35. [NWS]