News

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that people who sign referendum petitions generally can’t claim a First Amendment privilege for keeping their names secret. The ruling may affect the change-of-government petition currently circulating around Arlington.

Change-of-government critics have suggested that the names of petition signers should be made public.


Around Town

In an exasperated email sent to customers this morning, restaurant management claims they were misled by building owners about the ease with which they would be able to obtain an outdoor seating permit. The email bemoans the “mixed signals, confusion and thousands in lost revenue” caused by the year-long, fruitless effort to get a permit.

The homeowner’s association president for the townhouses across the street from the restaurant “has made it his personal goal to use his new position of HOA president to attack all of our seating,” the email says. The Clarendon-Courthouse Civic Association has also joined the effort to block outdoor seating, despite efforts to find a compromise, according to the email.


News

A quick public service announcement: If you’re going to file a false police report, you might want to first make sure you left the pot at home.

FALSE POLICE REPORT-ARREST 06/16/10, 1800 block of Wilson Boulevard. On June 16 at 10:45 am, a woman called police to report that she was robbed of currency. Investigation revealed that the woman actually gave the money to an acquaintance. Regena Sayles, 42, of Suitland, MD, was charged with Filing a False Police Report and Possession of Marijuana. She was held on a $3,000 bond.


News

About 25 police officers and SWAT team members invaded a quiet North Arlington neighborhood Thursday night for what was thought to be a barricade situation.

It started when a man who recently split with his girlfriend posted something to Facebook that made her think he might be suicidal, police said.


News

Virginia Won’t Cut Off Money to Metro — Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton says the $50 million per year the state pledges to Metro will not be cut off, after all. Connaughton had threatened to stop the annual payment unless the state were granted two seats on Metro’s Board of Directors. But after an outcry from local leaders, and a letter from Metro board members Chris Zimmerman (who’s also on the Arlington County board) and Catherine Hudgins, Connaughton and the McDonnell administration apparently had a change of heart. More from the Washington Post.

Career Center Wins State Accolade — The Arlington Career Center’s Automotive Technology Program has won the 2010 Virginia Governor’s Career and Technical Education Exemplary Standards Award. The program will receive $5,000 cash and a banner to display on the school.