• Springlike warmth returns to start the week, but enjoy it while it lasts. Temperatures climb well above seasonal norms through Wednesday before a sharp cooldown arrives. Get outside Tuesday if you can. Washington Post Capital Weather Gang

• A rare Siberian songbird touched down in Virginia and birders are losing their minds. The red-flanked bluetail, almost never spotted in the continental U.S., drew crowds of twitchers from across the region over the weekend. This is the kind of thing that makes the birding community sprint to their cars at 5 a.m. Washington Post

• The D.C. mayor's race is sharpening into a real contrast. Front-runners Trayon White and Robert White are drawing clear ideological lines, with diverging records on public safety, development, and city spending. NoVA residents who work in D.C. or depend on its services have a stake in how this plays out. Washington Post

• D.C.'s chief financial officer sits at the center of a $180 million dispute. The city's most apolitical official is now under intense pressure as a tax policy fight escalates between the mayor's office and the D.C. Council. The outcome shapes the city's budget picture for years. Washington Post

• A VMI graduate who reported racism at the school is now pushing to cut its Confederate ties. His lobbying effort targets monuments and traditions that critics say undermine the institution's credibility as a public military college. The fight puts Virginia's legislature and VMI leadership in an uncomfortable spotlight. Washington Post

• D.C. Metro Police is hemorrhaging officers to better-paying agencies. Federal law enforcement and suburban departments are pulling MPD talent with higher salaries and better benefits. The staffing drain hits a department already stretched thin on patrol coverage. Washington Post

• An autistic Maryland man called police for a wellness check on himself. Officers shot and killed him. The case is drawing sharp scrutiny over how law enforcement handles mental health and disability calls. Advocates say the outcome reflects a systemic failure in crisis response training. Washington Post

• Leesburg Gourmet is closing its downtown store. The specialty food shop has been a fixture in Loudoun's county seat. No word yet on what takes the space, but downtown Leesburg's retail mix keeps shifting. The Burn

• Curry Pizza House is coming to Loudoun and has set an opening date. The Bay Area chain, which fuses Indian flavors with pizza, has been expanding aggressively on the East Coast. Ashburn and Sterling residents have a new lunch debate incoming. The Burn

• A yoga instructor fled after a professor was murdered; a judge just handed down a sentence in the case. The story is as strange as it sounds. Washington Post

• A Jan. 6 plaque honoring Capitol Police was quietly installed at 4 a.m. The timing was not an accident. Washington Post

• An Ashburn trading card shop is growing fast, riding the national boom in collectibles. Local and worth knowing about. The Burn

• Bristol, Virginia lays legitimate claim to being the birthplace of country music. A solid road trip if you've never made it down. Secret DC

The weather is cooperating and the birds are interesting, but the undercurrent this Monday is institutional stress: police departments losing people, city budgets under pressure, and a D.C. mayor's race that will shape the region's urban core for years. NoVA is watching all of it closely, even if most people are just glad the sun is out.

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