Morning Notes

Synetic Leaving Crystal City Venue — “Synetic Theater announced Thursday that it’s been asked to leave its Crystal City home of nearly 15 years by April 30 of next year…. the theater is ‘working to secure reliable local spaces to continue our work,’ and Managing Director Ben Cunis said in an interview that the theater is ‘in talks with Arlington County about what spaces we can use in the short and the mid-term.'” [Washington Business Journal, Synetic Theater]

Fundraiser for Crash Victims — “A friend of two people killed in a car crash in Arlington on July 4 is holding an online fundraising campaign to help their families with funeral costs. Furkan Avkan, 23, who was driving the car, and 21-year-old Habiba Harbaoui, a passenger in the car, both died in the crash.” [Patch, GoFundMe]

Superintendent’s Contract Renewed — “At today’s meeting, the Arlington School Board appointed Dr. Francisco Durán as superintendent for his second term, effective July 1, 2023. Dr. Durán has served as superintendent since June 1, 2020, and the new four-year contract extends through June 30, 2027.” [Arlington Public Schools]

New School Board Chair — From Cristina Diaz-Torres: “Earlier today, I was elected by my colleagues to serve as the Chair of the @APSVaSchoolBd. It is an honor to have earned their support and I am excited to take on the challenge of looking forward and charting a path for our schools and community!” [Twitter]

APS Pressing Pause on New Stuff — “If it plays out as announced, the 2023-24 school year at Arlington Public Schools could be a period where teachers, students, families and staff get a reprieve from what has been something of a never-ending series of new educational initiatives thrust at them. Superintendent Francisco Durán on June 22 told School Board members that, with one exception, there will be no major educational initiatives pushed forward for the coming school year.” [Gazette Leader]

Arlington’s New Poet Laureate — “Courtney LeBlanc has been selected as the third Poet Laureate of Arlington County. During her two-year appointment, the award-winning poet will serve as an advocate for poetry and the literary arts and will work to raise Arlingtonians’ consciousness and appreciation of poetry in its written and spoken forms… She is also the founder and editor-in-chief of Riot in Your Throat, an independent poetry press, and is a fellow at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts.” [Arlington County]

Robbery on Columbia Pike — “The male suspect entered the business and allegedly began concealing items when he was approached by an employee. The suspect made threatening statements towards the employee and fled the scene on foot with the stolen items. The suspect was located in the area and ran from officers before he was taken into custody. During the course of the investigation, it was determined the suspect was previously banned from the store and had stolen items on previous dates.” [ACPD]

ARLnow on Threads — For the Twitter adverse, ARLnow is on the new, rapidly-growing social network Threads. [Threads]

It’s Friday — A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Otherwise partly sunny, with a high near 89. Chance of precipitation is 50%. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Chance of precipitation is 30%. [Weather.gov]