Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. The ARLnow staff byline is used for the Morning Notes and reporting done by an editor or other member of our full-time staff.
A student who attended classes at George Mason University’s Arlington campus has tested positive for the coronavirus, the university says.
GMU says it was notified about the positive test last night.
Dr. Gregg Robertson, the beloved principal of Washington-Liberty High School, is retiring at the end of the school year.
With students out until at least the end of spring break as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, Robertson made the announcement yesterday via email. He said he is retiring to go back to teaching, this time at the college level.
APS Creates Learning at Home Guide — “We have created a Learning at Home webpage that pulls details on instruction, additional educational resources for families, activities and resources for coping with stress. If you have questions, please send them to [email protected].” [Arlington Public Schools, Twitter]
How to Report Price Gouging in Virginia — “If you see excessive price increases for coronavirus (COVID-19) necessities, report it to Attorney General Mark Herring’s office.” [Facebook, Attorney General Mark Herring]
While reducing the human toll of the coronavirus outbreak is a top priority, Arlington officials are also trying to determine its impact on the upcoming county budget.
Given that the length and depth of the economic fallout from the outbreak is unknown at this point, county leaders are not sure how exactly it will affect the budget, which has to be approved before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.
There are now 17 known coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Arlington, again giving the county the highest case count of any individual locality in the state.
That’s up from 14 cases in Arlington yesterday. There are a total of 94 COVID-19 cases statewide, according to the Virginia Dept. of Health, after 1,923 tests administered. Across the Commonwealth, two people have died from the disease.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia — the top federal prosecutor for Northern Virginia — is lauding Arlington County Police for its response to a robbery in Pentagon City last night.
The incident happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday. Police say a group of juveniles approached a taxi driver near the Pentagon City Metro station, began rifling through the cab, and then punched the driver and took his phone and cash.
Arlington County has established a new hotline to answer questions from the public about the coronavirus outbreak: 703-228-7999.
Officials announced the new hotline last night, on the same day that Virginia Hospital Center and the county opened its new drive-through testing site.
The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City closed last night and is expected to remain closed until at least the end of the month.
Mall owner Simon Property Group announced yesterday that it would close all of its U.S. shopping centers, including the Pentagon City mall, which has one of the company’s busiest and most profitable food courts.
More on Arlington’s Drive-Through Testing — “Arlington County and the Virginia Hospital Center launched a coronavirus sampling site Wednesday, but a short supply of test kits and limited lab processing ability are forcing them to be selective with who they see.” [WAMU]
Grocery Stores With Senior-Only Shopping Hours — “Some DC-area grocery stores are offering or plan to offer special shopping hours for senior citizens, and in some cases other vulnerable people, during the coronavirus crisis. [Washingtonian, Twitter]
Last month, ARLnow set a new all-time readership record: 1.45 million pageviews. In the nine days since the first coronavirus case was reported in Arlington, we have blown that away, setting fresh records every night.
For the past 30 days, we’ve served 600,000 readers and just under 2 million pageviews.
It’s a brave new world, at least temporarily, for any operator of any bricks-and-mortar retail location.
The coronavirus outbreak has ushered in the era of social distancing, and Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has ordered all restaurants, gyms and theaters to reduce capacity to 10 or close. Arlington County officials, meanwhile, have urged restaurants to close their dining rooms completely.
Meet this week’s Pet of the Week, Cooper, a 5 month old puppy recently rescued from Moldova.
Here is what Cooper’s owner had to say about his young life so far:
