NextEra Energy is seeking to acquire Dominion Energy in an all-stock deal valued at about $67 billion, creating a massive power company as the energy needs of artificial intelligence drive demand higher in the U.S.
It is one of the biggest proposed mergers so far this year and would create the world’s biggest regulated electric utility business by market capitalization, the companies said on Monday.
Last week, we asked ARLnow readers a straightforward question: if given a binary choice, would you rather see Arlington County raise taxes or cut services in next year’s budget?
Of the more than 1,200 votes counted as of this morning, about two-thirds favor cutting services, while the remaining third would rather see another tax hike.
The County Board, in the budget it adopted last month, went the other way and raised the property tax rate by two cents to preserve the Cherrydale library, the county’s competitive gymnastics program and the Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center, among other items in the budget.
Baked into that poll, however, was an assumption: that the primary levers available to the Board are tax rates and service levels.
There’s likely no easy, conventional way to squeeze much additional productivity out of the county government machinery — already relatively technology forward in its approach and having undergone years of trimming around the margins. But there’s at least one other possibility on the table: doing more with less by leaning on a technology that has been reshaping just about everything else.
Arlington County government has already started experimenting with artificial intelligence. Last summer, the county quietly rolled out AVA — the Arlington Virtual Assistant — a chatbot connected to the main county website plus specialized sites for the library system, elections and Arlington Transit. Residents can use it to ask questions about parking tickets, library card fees and the like. Before that, the county implemented AI-enabled routing of non-emergency calls.
That’s a modest start. The broader question is whether AI tools could eventually take on heavier lifts — automating permit reviews, responding to public records requests and other service queries, summarizing public comments, coding backend county systems, or handling other back-office work that today requires county staff.
All of that is possible with existing AI technology — and happening at business large and small — it’s just a matter of implementing it effectively and being willing to weather the inevitable blowback. At a time when there’s a lot of AI skepticism, even small-scale uses of the technology in a public setting — for instance, W-L’s plan to have AI read names at high school graduation — quickly become controversial.
The skeptics’ case ranges from doubts about AI’s actual capabilities to concerns about environmental and social impacts. AI systems can also be biased, can hallucinate confidently wrong answers and can carry significant privacy implications when fed government data. Replacing experienced civil servants with software risks degrading services in ways that aren’t obvious until something goes wrong.
Still, with another tough budget year on the horizon and personnel costs a major driver of county spending, it’s worth asking whether efficiency-via-AI is an option locals would theoretically support, if it meant being able to avoid service cuts and tax hikes.
Summer in Arlington means packed farmers markets, community events and plenty of dogs enjoying the outdoors alongside their owners. For Chippin, a pet food company scaling the use of sustainable proteins, these summer traditions have been more than just a part of local life. They have helped shape the company’s growth.
Headquartered in Arlington since 2021, Chippin attends dozens of events across the DMV each summer. The company is inspired by the unique ability pets have to bring people together and spark conversations that might not otherwise happen. A simple “Would your dog like a treat?” has opened the door to discussions about everything from digestive health and food allergies to stories about flying invasive fish and the environmental impact of traditional protein sourcing.
Founded on the belief that environmental challenges can become opportunities for innovation, Chippin built a consumer brand around alternative proteins, including cricket protein and invasive silver carp. Their work with invasive carp has been supported by conservation leaders, including the World Wildlife Fund, as an example of how market-based solutions can address environmental challenges. By creating economic value for an invasive species, the company helps align ecological restoration with commercial opportunity.
As the company has grown, so has the opportunity. What began as a pet food brand is now evolving into a broader ingredient platform. This year, Chippin launched IGNIZA, an ingredient platform designed to unlock nature-positive proteins for the pet food industry, starting with invasive silver carp. (more…)
Falls Church leaders are feeling bullish on the city’s upcoming celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.
A mechanical bull, music, food and festive competitions are all in the works for the upcoming “Civic Jam” celebration, set for July 3 from 6-10 p.m. at Cherry Hill Park.
Board OKs Townhouse Plan — County Board members on Saturday voted 4-0, with JD Spain, Sr., abstaining, to approve the proposed 47-townhouse Waverly Ridge development at 2134 N. Taylor Street in Waverly Hills. The 2.8-acre site is located just south of Langston Blvd. and currently is home to several unoccupied single-family homes. An abandoned earlier plan had called for a senior-living facility on the site. —Scott McCaffrey
Apartment Stairwell Robbery — “The male victim was in the stairwell of a residential building when the two male suspects entered the building. One suspect approached and struck the victim with what appeared to be a firearm… The suspects then assaulted the victim further, threatened him with the firearm and demanded his clothing and personal belongings before fleeing the scene.” The incident was reported in the 900 block of S. Buchanan Street Thursday night. [ACPD]
Clarendon Offices For Sale — Two Clarendon office buildings at 3001 and 3003 Washington Blvd have hit the market as owner KBS Real Estate Investment Trust III winds down. “They’re winding down this REIT vehicle, and they’re returning their proceeds to their investors,” a Newmark exec told the Washington Business Journal. [WBJ]
Boulevard Opens on Wilson — “A polished American restaurant named Boulevard opened this spring along Wilson Boulevard, complete with a separate rooftop bar that’s giving a Tulum-meets-Mykonos vibe.” The 8,000-square-foot space at 2915 Wilson Boulevard, the former Wilson Hardware, features bao bun sliders, pasta, sushi rolls and a third-story rooftop bar called Solset. [Eater]
Plane Pizza Party — Passengers on a Southwest Airlines flight delayed at National Airport got an unexpected treat: the pilot “stepped off the plane, ordered pizza for the entire flight, then served it to each passenger himself,” the airline said. [Fox 5]
Douglas Park Garbage Faceoff — “Garbage standoff in Douglas Park: American Disposal faced off with Bates on the right to [s]ervice Randolph [Street].” [Amac/Bluesky]
Beyer Welcomes F.C. Return — “I was grief-stricken to lose Falls Church! I am very happy to have the opportunity to represent this wonderful community again,” U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) told the Falls Church News-Press. The April 16 redistricting referendum moves Falls Church back into Beyer’s 8th Congressional District, which spans “from Arlington to Yorktown” under the new map. [Falls Church News-Press]
Spanberger Signs Assault Weapons Ban — “Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has signed legislation banning the sale and manufacture of certain semi-automatic firearms, prompting immediate lawsuits from gun-rights groups.” The law, which takes effect July 1, makes it a misdemeanor to buy, sell, transfer, import or manufacture an “assault firearm,” defined to include semi-automatic rifles or pistols accepting magazines of more than 15 rounds. The NRA and U.S. Department of Justice have both filed or pledged legal challenges. It’s one of a number of bills signed by Spanberger last week. [WTVR, Virginia Mercury, WDBJ, WTOP]
Trump’s Heroes Garden Planned — “President Donald Trump plans to build an exhibit of statues featuring prominent Americans in a tightly regulated park along the Potomac River, potentially opening a new legal fight over whether his administration is ignoring the approvals process that typically governs Washington’s monumental core.” The National Garden of American Heroes would be built in West Potomac Park. Survey work has also begun at the proposed triumphal arch site between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. [Associated Press]
World-Record Fireworks Eyed — “Trump allies want to smash the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest fireworks show, planning over 30 minutes of pyrotechnics in D.C. this July 4.” Breaking the record — set in the Philippines in 2016 — will take more than 810,904 fireworks. The day has been declared a National Special Security Event, with the Secret Service taking the lead on coordinating security. [Axios]
Single-Stair Plan Advances — “This week, the state’s Board of Housing and Community Development advanced a proposal to allow single stairways in four-story buildings, setting it up for potential adoption in the next state code requirements.” Backers say the change could unlock housing on smaller lots, while firefighters have raised safety concerns. [Virginia Mercury]
Commercial Space Rebounds — “Commercial space across Greater Washington continues to fill up as companies move beyond remote work.” CBRE’s Ian Anderson said regional office, retail and industrial occupancy has risen for three consecutive quarters, totaling 3 million square feet, with the gains mostly concentrated in Northern Virginia. [WBJ]
Homelessness Ticks Up — “Homelessness in the D.C. region ticked up slightly from 2025 to 2026, according to a new report from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.” The region reported 9,790 people experiencing homelessness, up 131 or about 1% from 2025. D.C. saw the largest numerical increase, and Montgomery County saw the largest decline (down 26%). [WTOP]
It’s Monday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 95 today, with southwest winds 1–10 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. Overnight will be mostly clear with a low around 72. [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.
Friday, June 19, 2026
8pm (Doors open at 7)
Good Friday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — May 15, 2026.
Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.
Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
Here are the events planned for Sunday:
Expect sunny skies with a high of 84°F and calm winds shifting to southwest at 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Saturday night will be partly cloudy, with a low around 65°F and a southwest wind at 5 to 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
– Lao Tzu
The MonumentCam screenshot above is used with permission of the Trust for the National Mall and courtesy of EarthCam.
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. 👋
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Virginia’s bid to restore a congressional map that would have given Democrats a chance to pick up four seats in the closely divided House of Representatives.
The court’s order, issued without any noted dissent, is the latest twist in the nation’s mid-decade redistricting competition. It was kicked off last year by President Donald Trump urging Republican-controlled states to redraw their lines and was supercharged by a recent Supreme Court ruling severely weakening the Voting Rights Act that opened up even more winnable seats for the GOP.
A package of local street safety projects and the final draft design for upgrades to Doctor’s Run Park are both collecting public feedback through this weekend.
The deadline to submit input on all projects is Sunday. The street projects are intended to improve pedestrian safety on roads in Green Valley, Virginia Square and East Falls Church, while Doctor’s Run Park is expected to get a resurfaced volleyball court and updated playground equipment, among other changes.
The civic contributions of 70 women across multiple centuries were honored last weekend at the Falls Church Women’s History Walk.
“Their stories deserve to be remembered, celebrated and shared,” said Sally Ekfelt. She leads the Falls Church Women’s History Group, which sponsored the event at the historic Cherry Hill Farmhouse.
The true story of a local enslaved woman’s legal fight to earn her freedom was brought to life in a series of performances this spring.
The name “Julia Roberts” is connected in most people’s minds with the successful Hollywood actress. But an earlier Julia Roberts played a seminal, but until now largely overlooked, role in local, state and national history.
