Morning Notes

Amazon Prepping for HQ2 Phase 2 — “Amazon expects to break ground next year on the next stage, Holly Sullivan, the company’s vice president of worldwide economic development, said in an interview. PenPlace, she noted, is already an ‘active construction site,’ with staging ongoing. ‘We are continuing on that kind of a pre-permitting process with all indications of kicking that off next year,’ Sullivan said… Ask Amazon, and the only thing that’s changed around PenPlace, even slightly, is the timeline. A spokeswoman said no changes or updates are planned for the phase as it’s envisioned.” [Washington Business Journal, Bisnow]

Paper Makes County Board Endorsements — “Our picks? Let’s start with the honorable-mentions. Susan Cunningham and Tony Weaver almost made the cut into the top two. Both have some positions we can get behind, and both have experience in civic life. They are viable options who should not be overlooked by voters. But they were not our top selections. Instead, we are urging voters to choose Natalie Roy and J.D. Spain Sr.” [Gazette Leader]

Dental Donation for Free Clinic — “The Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation awarded the Arlington Free Clinic a $75,000 grant to support the clinic’s efforts to provide its patients with oral health care. The Arlington Free Clinic’s dental program began in 2015 with a part-time dentist. In 2017, a gift helped build a three-chair dental clinic that now provides onsite dentistry.” [Patch]

Arlington Baseball Standouts — “Four high-school baseball players from Arlington were chosen to the 2023 all-6D North Region first team for their performances during the spring season.” [Gazette Leader]

Local Ice Cream Shop Expanding — “An Arlington-based ice cream shop that brings together flavors from around the world is planting its flag in the Mosaic District to further an ambitious expansion plan. Mimi’s Handmade will take up residence in the Merrifield neighborhood at 2985 District Avenue, Suite 160, replacing 520 Ice Cream and Tea after the cafe closed late last year.” [FFXnow]

Va. AG Targeting Lead Gen Spam — “Attorney General Jason Miyares today joined a bipartisan coalition of 28 state attorneys general calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take a tougher stand against companies tricking consumers into agreeing to receive telemarketing and texts. ‘Sleazy ‘lead generators’ try to trick people into consenting to receive spam calls or texts from hundreds of companies they’ve never heard of and never want to hear from. We are asking the FCC to toughen the rules on consent requirements so Virginians only hear from organizations they agree to,’ said Attorney General Miyares.” [Press Release]

Smoky Day Photos — “D.C.’s tallest monument is hardly visible through the worst air pollution ever recorded in the area. A blanket of smoke from devastating wildfires in Canada coated D.C. and the Maryland and Virginia suburbs on Wednesday and Thursday. Here’s a look.” [NBC 4]

Code Orange Today — “The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality Alert Friday for Northern Virginia. A Code Orange Air Quality Alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups.” [National Weather Service]

It’s Friday — A slight chance of showers between 11am and 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Widespread haze. Patchy smoke. Mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Northwest wind 6 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8pm. Widespread haze before 1am. Patchy smoke before 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. [Weather.gov]