Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign — ” This Thanksgiving holiday, the Arlington County Police Department is teaming up with [NHTSA] on the high-visibility Click It or Ticket seat belt awareness campaign. From November 23 to December 1, the law enforcement community will be working together to reduce the number of fatalities that occur when vehicle passengers fail to buckle up.” [ACPD]
Thanksgiving Travel Tips — “Almost 80 million people nationwide are expected to travel for Thanksgiving, per a AAA forecast — a record that shatters last year’s traveler record. Plan ahead so your (turkey) feathers don’t get all ruffled while in the security line at DCA or on I-95.” [Axios]
DCA Expects 2025 Passenger Growth — Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority officials are projecting 13.2 million passenger “enplanements” at Reagan National next year, a record total and nearly 11% above pre-pandemic counts. “We have very, very upbeat airline forecasts,” Jack Potter, president/CEO of the authority, said Wednesday as the authority adopted a $829 million budget to cover operations at National and Dulles in 2025. –Scott McCaffrey
Marymount Gears Up for 75th — “Marymount University is preparing to kick off its 75th anniversary celebrations that will begin in January 2025 and last throughout the year. Since it was founded as Virginia’s first Catholic college… in 1950, Marymount has transformed from a two-year college for women into a nationally ranked, comprehensive university.” [Marymount University]
Strike Averted at Local Hotels — “Hotel workers at four Northern Virginia Hilton hotels voted overwhelmingly last week to ratify a new four-year contract with historic wage gains of over 19 percent… [The agreement] became official during last week’s ratification votes at each of the four hotels: Hilton National Landing, Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, Doubletree Crystal City, and Embassy Suites Crystal City.” [Press Release]
New CEO for AWLA — “The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Lauren Lipsey as its new President & CEO. Lauren will officially begin her new role on November 22, 2024, succeeding Sam Wolbert, who will be moving from the area and stepping down on December 15, 2024.” [Press Release]
AFAC’s Meng Honored — For his service as CEO of the Arlington Food Assistance Center over the past 17 years, Charlie Meng on Wednesday was presented with the Inter-Service Club Council of Arlington’s 2024 Community Leader Award. Beyond leading the AFAC staff, “Charlie gives back so much to the community,” said Jeff Englander, who presented the award. –Scott McCaffrey
Gov. Takes on Kids & Phones — “Governor Glenn Youngkin today issued Executive Order 43, Empowering and Supporting Parents to Protect Their Children from Addictive Social Media & Establishment of the Reclaiming Childhood Task Force, to tackle a critical aspect of Virginia’s youth mental health crisis, the unrestricted use of cell phones and addictive social media platforms.” [Press Release]
It’s Friday — Scattered snow showers will transition to rain and snow showers between 11am and noon, followed by likely rain showers after noon. Expect increasing clouds, a high of 44, and a west wind at 10-15 mph with gusts up to 24 mph. Precipitation chance stands at 70% with negligible snow accumulation. For Friday night, anticipate scattered showers before 10pm, and then a gradual shift to partly cloudy skies with a low of 38. West wind will persist around 14 mph with gusts up to 24 mph, while the precipitation chance decreases to 40%. [NWS]
