Author: ARLnow.com

APS Sub’s Class Activity Questioned — “An Arlington Public Schools 8th grade student and his mother are demanding answers after they tell 7News a long-term substitute teacher forced him to pick up cotton with his face for a game… ‘Other students participated. The activity featured a player from each team taking turns. Using only their nose, the players were challenged to move the cotton balls one at a time from one end of the table to a bowl at the other end of the table. The object was [to] see who could move the most cotton balls,’ said district spokesperson Frank Bellavia.” [WJLA]

Rental Scooter Charging Ban Reminder — From the Arlington County Fire Department: “Recent changes to the statewide fire prevention code makes it ILLEGAL to charge commercial electronic transportation devices within multi-family residential buildings!! Personal devices are still OK but are capped at 1 device per 200 Sq Feet of living space.” [Twitter]

Civic Associations Want Say in VHC Plan — “Plans by VHC Health (Virginia Hospital Center) and the Arlington County government for a new [mental health] facility on South Carlin Springs Road have drawn concern from the leaders of two adjacent civic associations. ‘We are disappointed that no effort was made for meaningful engagement with us prior to the finalization of the letter of intent,’ wrote Julie Lee, president of the Glencarlyn Civic Association, and Brian Glosh, president of the Forest Glen Civic Association, in a letter to County Board members and hospital officials” [Gazette Leader]

Protest in Rosslyn Yesterday — “There’s a small anti-war protest currently underway in Rosslyn, in front of Raytheon HQ at 1100 Wilson Blvd. It’s organized by the group Code Pink and scheduled to go until 12:30.” [Twitter]

Advocates See ‘Missing Middle’ Support — “The DC metro region needs to produce 32,000 units a year for the foreseeable future to meet demand, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. And there’s still a need for more housing and ownership opportunities; missing middle may not initially move the needle much in either case, say proponents, but every bit helps, and aids in addressing equity concerns. Part of the reason the pro-housing voices have been so loud during this debate is because there’s a much larger constituency for more housing, said Maribojoc, a result of a growing number of apartments along the Metro corridor.” [Commercial Observer]

Home Ownership Program in F.C. — “The City of Falls Church has launched its Affordable Homeownership Program (CFCAHP), which will make $3.8 million available to support affordable homeownership. The City has received $3.4 million from Virginia Housing’s Resources Enabling Affordable Community Housing (REACH) program and has provided a $400,000 match.” [City of Falls Church]

Essy’s Carriage House Closing — “Announcing another landmark soon to vanish:  Essy’s Carriage House, the American cuisine steakhouse that’s been a fixture in Cherrydale for 48 years, will close its doors at the end of March. No other Arlington full-service restaurant has been open longer, according to founder-owner Essy Saedi, an Iranian immigrant who came to the United States in 1962. (An exception might be Mario’s Pizza, primarily takeout since 1958.)” [Falls Church News-Press]

La Coop Grand Opening — “Customers lined up outside on Saturday to get their first drink and pastry at the grand opening of La Coop Coffee’s new location in the Arlington Forest neighborhood of Arlington. La Coop Coffee had already made a name for itself in Arlington by selling coffee at the nearby Lubber Run Farmers Market.” [Patch]