Author: ARLnow.com

Clement on Spain’s Tax Exemption — “Should an elected official who does not pay property taxes, either as a homeowner or indirectly through rent payments to a landlord, have a say in discussing and setting tax rates in Arlington? That’s the question posed by County Board candidate Audrey Clement, who in an e-mail to supporters pointed out that the Democratic nominee for County Board uses a state law giving disabled veterans the ability to apply for property-tax exemptions.” [Gazette Leader]

School Board Elects New Chair — “The Arlington School Board held its annual organizational meeting for the 2024-25 school year and elected Mary Kadera as Chair and Bethany Zecher Sutton as Vice Chair. The terms for the new Chair and Vice Chair begin immediately and will continue until June 30, 2025.” [Arlington Public Schools]

Huske’s Olympic Confidence Grows — “Yorktown High School grad Torri Huske will represent the United States once again, and is a favorite to win gold in the 100 fly according to Swimming World Magazine. Huske qualified for her spot in two events at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials: the 100 fly and the 100 free. She says her experience representing the USA in Tokyo in 2020–and subsequent competitions on the international stage–will only strengthen her game this time around.” [Arlington Magazine]

ACPD Training Today — The Arlington SWAT team and other first responders will be holding a training exercise in the Old Glebe neighborhood this afternoon and evening. Such exercises are regularly held in neighborhoods, at vacant homes set for demolition, and involve realistic-seeming actions and gear, but no live ammunition.

It’s Tuesday — Expect a mostly sunny and hot day with a high near 97 and heat index values up to 106, along with a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. South wind will be at 5 to 7 mph. For Tuesday night, there’s a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, with partly cloudy conditions and a low of 79. The south wind will be 6 to 8 mph and precipitation odds remain at 20%. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Michael Coffman

Arlington’s Water Vulnerability — “[Last] week’s extensive boil water advisory for all of D.C. and most of Arlington, Virginia, demonstrated a major vulnerability in the national capital region’s drinking water supply. ‘They’re 100% dependent on one source,’ said Michael Nardolilli, executive director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin. And there’s only a one-day backup supply if something goes wrong.” [WTOP]

Standoff After Pistol Whipping — “The male suspect and male victim were involved in a verbal dispute inside a residential building during which the suspect allegedly produced what was believed to be a firearm and struck the victim with it. The victim was treated on scene by medics for non-life threatening injuries. The suspect remained inside the residential building and initially refused officers’ commands to exit the building. He subsequently exited and was taken into custody.” [ACPD]

Paper: Parents Project Power at APS  — “Anyone who has been around Arlington schools for any length of time already knows how this is going to play out. The pushback on any serious effort to restrict phone use is going to come not from the students – they’ll be fine with it – but from the ‘helicopter’ parents who lurk over not just their children, but teachers and school staff, demanding their own way.” [Gazette Leader]

Clement Sees No RCV Benefit — “The most seasoned candidate on the Arlington County Board general-election ballot isn’t any more impressed with ranked-choice voting (RCV) today than she was before June’s Democratic primary. ‘Whatever else RCV might do, it doesn’t encourage more civility, and it doesn’t encourage participation in elections,’ Audrey Clement said in a post-primary e-mail to supporters.” [Gazette Leader]

YHS Grad in Baseball Draft — “Now it’s an anxious waiting game for Nate Knowles. The Yorktown High School graduate has  done all he can to be well prepared and set up for this month’s upcoming Major League Baseball draft, which begins July 14. The hard-throwing right-handed pitcher is projected to be chosen anywhere from the third round or lower.” [Gazette Leader]

Some N. Va. Office Optimism — “While office vacancy remains high and has even ticked up a bit in Northern Virginia, a recent market report highlights numerous cases illustrating that the prevalent narrative of tenants downsizing their real estate footprints shouldn’t be applied in blanket fashion. Fully three-quarters of transactions larger than 10,000 square feet signed during the second quarter had a ‘positive or neutral impact’ on absorption, according to a July 1 analysis from CBRE.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Monday — Expect isolated showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, with mostly sunny and hot conditions and a high near 97, feeling like 105 due to the heat index. A calm wind will shift to southeast at around 6mph in the afternoon, and there’s a 20% chance of precipitation. Monday night will be partly cloudy with a low of around 78, accompanied by a south wind at 3 to 6mph. [NWS]

Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.