Good morning, Arlington. Dana here. It’s Friday, August 20: National Radio Day and Demi Lovato’s 29th birthday.

Morning Status

• Today’s Weather: Showers and fog likely in the morning. Possibility of storms in the afternoon. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 81.
• Tomorrow’s Weather: A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning. Partly sunny, with a high of 85.
• Sunrise: 6:24 a.m.
• Sunset: 7:49 p.m.

What We’re Covering Today

Morning Notes

• APS Getting EV Buses — “Arlington Public Schools (APS), working collaboratively with the County’s Department of Environmental Services (DES), will receive a $795,000 grant from the state, to be spent on three fully electric buses (EV buses) that will replace three with diesel engines. The EV vehicles, each with a capacity of some 65 passengers, will be equitably assigned to routes throughout Arlington. Currently there are no EV buses in the APS fleet of 200. The vehicles slated for replacement each travel some 8,000 miles a year.” [Arlington County, Gov. Ralph Northam]
• No PARK(ing) Day This Year — “PARK(ing) Day is an annual international event where the public collaborates to temporarily transform drab parking spaces into small parks… Due to continuing COVID-19 issues, Arlington County will not participate in 2021 PARK(ing) Day. We hope to welcome participants back in 2022.” [Arlington County, Twitter]
• USS Arlington to Help in Haiti — “The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) departed Naval Station Norfolk to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to Haiti in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) led mission, Aug. 17.” [Navy]
• Arrests in Ashton Heights Armed Robbery — ” The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing the arrest of three suspects in an armed robbery that occurred during the early morning hours on Wednesday, August 18… At approximately 1:08 a.m., police were dispatched to the report of a robbery that had just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the two male victims and a witness were sitting at a bus stop in the 700 block of N. Randolph Street when the three suspects approached.” [ACPD]
• Arlington Org Deals with Afghanistan Fallout — “The young women of Ascend were used to spending their days doing yoga, preparing for mountain climbing excursions and teaching women at mosques in Kabul how to read… After the Taliban swept through Afghanistan this week, retaking control after two decades as the Afghan government collapsed, most of Ascend’s participants have been sheltering at home in fear of reprisal. Some have destroyed documents that would associate them with the Arlington, Va.-based nonprofit group, and are pleading for assistance from its leadership to help them find refuge in other countries.” [Washington Post]
• Arlington Bishop Talks About Trans Youth — “The topic of transgenderism is discussed routinely in the news, on television shows and in schools. This prevailing ideology — that a person can change his or her gender — is impacting Catholic families, too, said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington… Burbidge knows many will be criticized and ostracized for their belief that men and women cannot change their sex, but he asks the faithful to speak out anyway. ‘We cannot be silenced. The mandate to speak on this issue clearly and lovingly is greater than ever,’ he said.” [Catholic News Service]

The following are preview of stories we’re planning to cover later today. Note that some stories may be pushed back, depending on the day’s news. 

County Fair: The Arlington County Fair kicked off Wednesday afternoon complete with rides, games and deliciously-caloric fair food. More fun is ahead this weekend including goat yoga classes and the pie eating championship.

Mysterious Bird Disease: Reports of sick and dying birds seem to be decreasing across the region. ARLnow checks in with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington as well as state officials about what they’ve observed over the past several weeks and if it’s safe to once again put out bird feeders (at this point in our reporting, it sounds like yes).

Afghan Resettlement: A few organizations in Arlington are helping resettle Afghan refugees, whom the U.S. military has been evacuating to the States as the Taliban takes over the country. They share what folks here can do to help. This isn’t the first time Arlington has welcomed refugees fleeing a war: Clarendon used to be known as Little Saigon because of all of the Vietnamese refugees who settled there after the war.

Arlington Historical Figure: Rear Admiral Presley Marion Rixey, Surgeon General in the U.S. Navy, friend to President Theodore Roosevelt and also his “White House Physician,” owned a significant amount of land in North Arlington. If it was not for him, and his generosity, the Washington Golf and Country Club wouldn’t exist, and Marymount University wouldn’t have the statuesque, columned Main House it boasts today. We explore the life and the legacy of Rixey in Arlington.