Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day. Many of you have the day off, so we're keeping this one short. Grab a coffee, enjoy the quiet, and here's what you need to know before the week ramps up.

• An Arlington fire memo lays bare the human cost of the Reagan National collision. An April 2026 memo from a county fire captain says the 20 responders who worked the Jan. 29, 2025 crash spent hours in freezing conditions handling mutilated and pediatric remains, then got "wholly inadequate" follow-up support. WTOP obtained the memo nearly two years after the midair disaster. WTOP exclusive
• A federal Head Start proposal would cut reserved slots for Virginia's homeless kids. The HHS plan would scrap the rule letting centers hold admission spots for homeless and foster children, who make up about 3% of slots, and would end families' ability to self-affirm homelessness. WTOP
• Fairfax County wants Richmond to carry more of the funding load. Board Chair Jeff McKay told the county's General Assembly delegation "the exhaustion level is getting real," naming school funding, dedicated Metro money, housing, and tax reform as 2027 priorities. FFXnow

• Government offices: Falls Church City Hall, government offices, and the Mary Riley Styles Library are closed. Arlington County does not observe this holiday; its facilities and libraries stay open.
• Schools: Arlington Public Schools students are off; it's a staff professional learning day.
• Parking: Arlington meters are not enforced.
• Trash & recycling: Arlington collection runs as normal.
• Transit: Metrorail runs a weekend schedule, 5 a.m. to midnight. Metrobus runs a Saturday plus supplemental schedule. Arlington Transit routes are unaffected. ARLnow

• Arlington Restaurant Week kicks off today and runs through Oct. 19. A good excuse to try that place you keep walking past.
• House-hunt the open houses. A rebuilt six-bedroom in McLean's Chesterbrook Estates is listed at $4.25 million, and a renovated four-bedroom in Arlington's Madison Manor is on at $1.499 million. Window-shopping is free. McLean listing · Arlington listing
• Take the history detour. Arlington National Cemetery holds the graves of two presidents. William Howard Taft got there 33 years before JFK, and he remains the only person to serve as both president and chief justice. A fitting walk for the long weekend. ARLnow

• Reston's Ebbitt House is targeting an early-November open at Reston Station, bringing the Clyde's Restaurant Group's Old Ebbitt pedigree out to Fairfax. The Burn
• Hot Pot Legend has closed for good at One Loudoun after nearly five years. The 5,300-square-foot corner space is already listed for lease. The Burn
• Reston Association has a board vacancy after at-large director and treasurer Matt Mullenix resigned effective immediately ahead of last Thursday's meeting. FFXnow

The holiday clears the calendar, but not the backlog: a fire crew still waiting on support two years out, a county still asking Richmond to pay its share. NoVA takes the day off the way it takes most days, with one eye on what's owed.

That's the briefing. Enjoy the day off if you've got it. See you tomorrow.

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