• Virginia will finally let you buy legal weed. Just not yet. Budget legislation signed Monday clears the way for up to 350 licensed cannabis shops statewide, with sales starting in 2027. Five years after decriminalizing possession, Richmond is closing the loop. Virginia legalizes retail marijuana sales
• NORAD is running low-altitude exercises over the region overnight through Thursday. Expect loud aircraft between midnight and 5:30 a.m. Not a drill you'll sleep through. ARLnow on the NORAD exercise
• Brace for potentially record-breaking heat. Forecasters say this week's temperatures could land among D.C.'s hottest ever recorded. Hydrate, check on neighbors, and don't leave anything alive in the car. Washington Post forecast

• Judges can now electronically slow down speedsters. A new Virginia law taking effect gives courts authority to require electronic speed control devices for the worst offenders, targeting the triple-digit crowd that has plagued state highways. WTOP on the new speeding law
• The feds are eyeing an exit from Reston and Franconia. A federal review board is weighing whether to offload parts of the USGS headquarters campus and a Franconia warehouse. Big implications for Fairfax's federal real estate footprint. FFXnow on the federal review
• Loudoun has a new deputy county administrator. George Govan steps into the role, adding another senior hire to LoCo's growing bench. Loudoun County announcement

• Vienna police are warning parents about kids souping up e-bikes. Modifications are pushing the bikes well past legal speed limits, and officers say the crash risk is climbing fast. Vienna PD warning
• A motorcyclist died Monday at a Braddock Road intersection with a grim history. The Burke crash happened at Kings Park Drive, the same spot as a fatal 2022 collision. Fairfax police are investigating. FFXnow on the Braddock Road crash
• Arlington man charged in fatal Seven Corners hit-and-run. Hein Quang Le, 63, faces a felony charge in the pedestrian death last month. FFXnow on the arrest
• Someone stole eight pit bull puppies in a burglary. Police are searching. Yes, really. Washington Post on the puppy heist

• The federal downsizing story is more complicated than the doom takes suggest. Eighteen months in, some Arlington analysts see resilience in the local labor market even as headline numbers bounce around. ARLnow on the jobs picture
• Another Arlington office building is becoming apartments. Conversion work is underway at 3601 Wilson Blvd in Virginia Square, the latest in a growing pile of office-to-residential flips. ARLnow on the Wilson Blvd conversion
• Fairfax wants a serious look at landing a Tysons conference center. At Chairman Jeff McKay's request, the Board of Supervisors is commissioning a strategy review. Tysons boosters have chased this idea for years. FFXnow on the Tysons conference push
• Barnes & Noble is scouting a new Loudoun location. The bookseller keeps expanding while everyone else keeps predicting its death. The Burn on the new store

• Royal Biryani House targets an August opening in Loudoun. The Burn
• VDOT holds a design hearing July 13 for Ashburn and Sterling intersection improvements. Loudoun County
• July Fourth guide: where to catch America's 250th festivities across the DMV. WTOP and Arlington Magazine
• Loudoun Fire & Rescue announces a round of promotions and org changes. LC-CFRS
• An Arlington teen launched a local restaurant review site. Arlington Magazine

Northern Virginia is running hot in every sense: heat dome incoming, fighter jets overhead, weed shops on the horizon, and a holiday weekend that wants your attention. Buckle up and drink water.

That's your Wednesday. See you tomorrow.

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