Good morning, Arlington. Dana here. It’s Friday, September 17: National POW/MIA Recognition Day and quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ 26th birthday.

Morning Status

• Today’s Weather: ⛈ Patchy fog before 10 a.m. Scattered showers and thunderstorms after 11 a.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 82.
• Tomorrow’s Weather: ☀️ Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
• Sunrise:  6:47 a.m.
• Sunset:  7:08 p.m.

What We’re Covering Today

Morning Notes

• ‘Kindness Yard Sale’ in Penrose — “Susan Thompson-Gaines wants to spread kindness. This weekend, she’s doing it through a big yard sale at her house. She says it’s hard to miss the home she shares with her husband, David — it’s the yellow house with purple trim at the corner of South Second and South Fillmore streets in Arlington… what makes this yard sale different is that the proceeds are all spent on acts of kindness.” [WTOP]
• Flood Cleanup for Pike Businesses — From WUSA 9’s Matthew Torres: “A dental hygienist sent me this other video of the flash flooding in Columbia Pike in Arlington. Their business had to close today as they clean up the water that seeped through. Other businesses are having to do the same thing.” [Twitter]
• More Vaccinations Added to State Stats — “Today, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has incorporated vaccination data from jurisdictions in Maryland. Virginians who received vaccinations in Maryland that were not reported through the Virginia Immunization Information System are now included in the locality and statewide dashboards. The updated data reflects an increase in COVID-19 vaccine first dose rates of 0.33% Alexandria, 0.46% Arlington, and 0.39% Eastern Shore.” [Virginia Dept. of Health]
• AFAC Gets Donation from Library Program –“Representatives of the Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL), together with the Arlington Public Library and Arlington County Department of Technology Services, presented a check for $4,525 to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). The donation represents the number of Library readers who successfully completed the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge. The Library’s popular Summer Reading program helps children avoid the ‘summer slide.'” [Arlington County]
• Fmr. County Board Member Dies — “Jay Edwin Ricks, 88, passed away at home in Arlington, Virginia on July 18, 2021 due to complications of Parkinson’s Disease… In 1967, Jay was elected to the Arlington County Board where he served until 1971. During this time, he was active in transportation issues and Vice Chairman of Metro during the critical phase of planning the Metro system.” [Legacy]
• Local Church Adapts to Pandemic — ‘As another wave of the pandemic comes at us, we are different as a congregation,’ said the Rev. Amanda Poppei, senior minister at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, Virginia… Poppei’s congregation began hosting outdoor events in spring 2021, including a handbell parade to ring in Pride Month in June and a Flower Communion in May, which they intentionally designed as a multiplatform event.” [UUWorld]

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

Public Works Roadeo: Arlington public works staff held a “roadeo” Thursday at Long Bridge Park to demonstrate their skills handling Bobcats and snowplows, fixing water main leaks and assembling water meters. Winners will advance to state and regional competitions.

Easing the Planning Workload: Planning Commission members are pushing for a simpler solution for townhouse and duplex owners, who, by virtue of some zoning quirks, have to go through the laborious Site Plan Review process for certain types of renovations. The Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development, meanwhile, is struggling under a heavy workload. The department has a number of planning studies. the Missing Middle Housing Study, and day-to-day oversight of zoning applications on its plate, according to director Anthony Fusarelli.

Officers Leaving ACPD: The number of sworn police officers on the streets in Arlington has dipped below 300 amid retirements and officers leaving for more lucrative positions, including at Amazon’s HQ2. We’ll have exclusive reporting on what some officers are calling a “mass exodus.”

New Stores at Pentagon City: Several new stores have opened in Fashion Centre at Pentagon City recently, with a few more on the way. Newly open restaurants include: Levi’s, Vince, Casa Furniture, and Day and Night Cereal Bar. Restaurants coming soon are: Sante’s Restaurant and a new Subway franchise.

And in case you missed it, here’s what we covered Thursday but didn’t plan in advance: 

Columbia Pike Blocked by Flooding: Columbia Pike was blocked by floodwaters at S. Greenbrier Street amid heavy rain Thursday afternoon. At least one car was stuck in the high water, near the 55 Hundred apartments, just west of the county line, prompting a water rescue operation. Other traffic could be seen turning around. Firefighters successfully rescued the driver of the vehicle that was stuck, according to scanner traffic.

Pike Bus Stop Change: Changes have been made to the bus shelters that are to be installed along Columbia Pike. A shelter custom-designed for the project was found to be structurally unsound, prompting the county to instead opt for prefabricated shelters. The move should save around $7 million.