BREAKING NEWS — Pedestrian Struck on Four Mile Run Drive
(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) A 15-year-old boy suffered critical injuries when he was struck by a car on the 4500 block of South Four Mile Run Drive, police said Wednesday evening.
The accident occurred around 3:30 p.m. The driver of the striking vehicle stayed on the scene, according to police spokesperson Det. Crystal Nosal.
Nosal said police are continuing to investigate the accident. As of 5:30 p.m., the westbound lanes of Four Mile Run Drive had reopened, but the eastbound lanes were still closed.
Based on initial reports from the scene, the victim was said to have been bleeding profusely from the head after he was struck by the black Honda heading eastbound on Four Mile Run Drive. The car’s front windshield appeared to have suffered heavy damage as a result of the collision. A parked car also suffered damage to its rear driver’s side window, apparently as a result of the accident.
A shoe lay across the street from where the victim was struck. A black backpack also could be seen near the point of impact.
Police were seen interviewing a group of school-aged children shortly after the accident occurred.
Update at 5:55 p.m. — All lanes of Four Mile Run Drive are now open.
Update at 9:30 p.m. — Wakefield High School principal Dr. Chris Willmore sent the following letter to parents this afternoon.
Dear Wakefield Parents:
I wanted to inform you about an incident that happened this afternoon. While walking home from school, a Wakefield student was seriously injured when he was hit by a car near the 4500 block of Four Mile Run Drive.
The student was transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital with serious injuries. Parents were notified and are at the hospital with the student.
The Arlington Police Department is investigating the cause of the accident.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 703-228-6700.
Sincerely,
Dr. Chris Willmore
Principal
Ebbin and Englin Introduce Anti-Bullying Bills in Va. House
Two local state legislators introduced twin bills today that would make bullying a crime and better equip public schools to protect bullying victims.
“Every child deserves to feel safe at school,” said Del. David Englin, a bill sponsor who represents parts of Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County. “A child who doesn’t feel safe can’t learn well and live up to his or her potential.”
Another bill sponsor, Del. Adam Ebbin, cited the suicide of a bullied York County, Va. teenager as evidence of why the legislation is necessary. According to Ebbin, who also represents parts of Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax, the York County sheriff’s office refused to investigate the teen’s bullies because there’s no law on the books outlawing bullying.
“This is outrageous, it must be changed,” Ebbin said. “No student in Virginia should be afraid to attend school.”
Del. Ebbin’s bill, HB 1576, deals with criminal and civil penalties for bullying. According to a press release, it would:
- Make bullying a Class 1 misdemeanor
- Give victims the right to sue bullies who are sanctioned or found guilty
- Provide for expulsions
- Require that bullying causing injury be reported to the Commonwealth’s Attorney
Del. Englin’s bill, HB 1575, is called the Anti-Bullying Responsibility Act. According to a press release, it would:
- Add more specificity regarding bullying, harassment, and intimidation to the codes of student conduct required of local school divisions
- Require schools to have appropriate procedures in place to separate victims from bullies
- Change teacher training in bullying intervention from an optional to a required part of in-service training
- Require that incidents of bullying, harassment, and intimidation be reported to division superintendents
- Hold school administrators responsible for implementing anti-bullying procedures outlined in local policies
Volunteer Opp: Work at Arlington’s MLK Day Celebration
Arlington will be holding its 42nd annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. next weekend.
The event is being held at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center Auditorium (3501 Second St. S.) on Sunday, Jan. 16 from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. It will feature a keynote address from Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, a local civil rights leader who worked with Dr. King, as well as musical performances and other entertainment.
The organizers need volunteers to help make the event a success. They’re looking for greeters, green room monitors and an artist to assist with the production. Contact Milada Weaver at 703-228-4730 if you’re interested in volunteering, or see more information about the opportunity here.
Library to Hold eReader Clinic
If you unwrapped one of those hot new tablet devices over the holidays, you’re probably looking for ways to make the most of it without breaking the bank by buying a virtual bookcase-full of eBooks.
Well, if you have a Nook, an iPad, a Sony Reader, or another compatible device, you can actually “borrow” eBooks for free from the Arlington Public Library.
For more information on how the system works, the library is holding an eReader clinic tomorrow night. Library technology gurus will be on hand at the Central Library auditorium starting at 7:00 p.m. Thursday to show how to use the library’s eBook system and to answer frequently-asked questions.
One important caveat: Amazon’s Kindle does not work with library eBook downloads.
Meet Your Neighbor, the Food Stylist
In the latest installment of the county-run Arlington Virginia Network’s “Food for Thought” segment, host Katie Greenan interviewed local resident Lisa Cherkasky, who has made a 25-year career out of preparing food to be photographed.
Cherkasky has an eclectic set of tools for making food look good, from spraying Armor All on bread to prevent it from drying out to using glycerin to make meat look juicy.
She also runs a local food blog, Lunch Encounter, which recently profiled the Waffle Shop on Mt. Vernon Avenue in the Arlandria section of Alexandria.
Morning Poll: Rate Your Experience With Comcast
Last night I had my most horrid Comcast customer service experience to date, and that’s really saying something. I’ll spare the details, but suffice to say that it was an hour and a half of my all-too-rare free time that I’m not getting back.
It’s not so much that the Comcast customer service agents themselves are that bad, it’s just that the customer service system in which they operate seems to be designed with the sole purpose of minimizing cost at the expense of producing meaningful solutions to customers’ problems and complaints.
Comcast has a partial monopoly in Arlington. Sure, Verizon FiOS and satellite TV are available to single family homes and certain apartment buildings and condos. But for many apartment and condo-dwellers, Comcast is the only game in town. The only option for those folks in the event of an unresolved grievance is to either grin and bear it, cancel service and forgo cable and/or internet altogether, or complain to the county’s cable administration office and hope for the best.
Competition is a customer’s best friend — a point of leverage in disputes. With any luck, FiOS will continue making inroads and internet-based TV will continue evolving into a viable alternative. Until that time, however, Comcast will continue to exasperate and frustrate those for whom going without internet or cable television service is not an option.
Rate your Comcast experience below, and feel free to vent in the comments. Who knows, maybe someone in a regulatory position will be listening.
Morning Notes
Westover Beer Garden Saga Continues — Several months into the battle between the county zoning office and the Westover Market beer garden, a final resolution still has not been reached. Tens of thousands of dollars have been allocated to building new code-compliant restrooms, but more must now be spent constructing a restaurant separate from the grocery section. County regulators “are doing their best to make me a Republican,” market manager Devin Hicks told the Falls Church News-Press.
Fun and Games at the Library — The Westover Library will host a game-playing get-together for all ages this afternoon. From 2:30 to 5:00 p.m., players will face off in board games, card games and Nintendo Wii. More from the Arlington Public Library blog.
Brgr:Shack Wants to Open This Month — A new “better burger” joint is hoping to open soon in Ballston. The efficiently-named Brgr:Shack, located across from the Ballston Metro, was originally slated to open in the fall. They’re now eying a January opening, according to TBD.
Flickr pool photo by Team Rank
