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Amid Bickering, Board Votes to Appoint ‘Blue Ribbon Panel’ to Mull County Priorities

Published April 20, 2016 at 12:45PM | Updated April 20, 2016 at 1:21PM

The Board voted Tuesday afternoon to create the six-member panel, with each Board member and the County Manager appointing one member apiece. The panel will mull “recommendations for how the Board should develop strategic priorities” to supplement the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

The panel was advanced by County Board Chair Libby Garvey, with the support of Board members John Vihstadt, Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey. Jay Fisette, the longest-serving member of the Board, questioned the need for such a panel and the manner in which it was proposed.

News

Arlington Population Grows, Jobs Shrink

By ARLnow.com

Published April 20, 2016 at 11:00AM

Arlington County just released its 2016 Profile, which includes vital statistics like population, employment and demographics.

According to the county, Arlington’s estimated population on Jan. 1, 2016 was 220,400, up from 216,700 on Jan. 1, 2015 and up 6.1 percent compared to 2010.

News

Board Approves Budget With Tax Rate Cut, Increase in Public Safety Spending

By ARLnow.com

Published April 20, 2016 at 10:00AM | Updated April 20, 2016 at 12:51PM

The Board largely took the recommendations of County Manager Mark Schwartz, who presented his proposed budget in February, and voted unanimously for the new, $1.2 billion FY 2017 budget.

Under the budget, the property tax rate will be reduced by half a cent, to $0.991 for every $100 in assessed value, while the overall property tax burden on the average homeowner will increase from $7,640 to $7,829. The increase is due to a 2.8 percent rise in residential property assessments.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 20, 2016 at 8:45AM | Updated November 22, 2016 at 2:42PM

Times Lauds Crystal City’s ‘Reboot’ — Arlington’s Crystal City community is “is quietly and persistently reinventing itself,” with tech startups and co-working spaces moving in and taking advantage of office space left vacant by departed federal and military tenants. Crystal City stakeholders are positioning it as a less expensive but still amenity-filled alternative to the District. “Think Brooklyn and Manhattan,” said Mitchell Schear, president of property owner Vornado/Charles E. Smith. [New York Times]

Ballston Named One of the Area’s ‘Hottest Neighborhoods’ — Ballston is among the top 5 “hottest neighborhoods in Washington,” according to Washingtonian. The magazine notes that Ballston’s median home price rose by nearby 10 percent last year, and that the forthcoming renovation of Ballston Common Mall will convert it into “an airy, downtown-like destination, akin to Fairfax’s Mosaic district.” The other four hot neighborhoods are Mount Pleasant, Trinidad, Shaw and Hyattsville. [Washingtonian]

Schools

Data Breach Affecting Some APS Employees

By ARLnow.com

Published April 19, 2016 at 3:00PM | Updated April 19, 2016 at 3:27PM

The breach exposed the W-2 tax forms of 28 APS employees, the school system said. APS issues around 7,000 W-2 forms to employees annually, according to Assistant Superintendent Linda Erdos.

The breach occurred on a third-party server and there is no evidence that APS’ own systems were compromised, the memo says. However, APS has notified the FBI about the incident.

News

Police Investigating Stabbing in Nauck

By ARLnow.com

Published April 19, 2016 at 2:15PM

Arlington County Police are on scene of a stabbing in the Nauck neighborhood.

The incident happened just before 2 p.m. on the 2200 block of 24th Street S. Initial reports suggest a man was stabbed and the suspect was then chased down the street by two men.

Around Town

Basic Burger Now Open in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

Published April 19, 2016 at 1:35PM | Updated April 19, 2016 at 1:51PM

A slick new burger restaurant and bar has opened in Courthouse.

Basic Burger pairs a relatively straightforward menu — burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, fries, salads, shakes — with a clean, modern interior and a bar offering beer, cider and wine.

Events

ACPD to Hold Community Forum Wednesday

By ARLnow.com

Published April 19, 2016 at 12:00PM

File photo

The forum is being held at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road) from 7-9 p.m. and will be moderated by WJLA reporter Jennifer Donelan.

The police department says the forum is intended to focus “on the community’s trust and confidence in Arlington’s criminal justice agencies.”

News

Armed Robber Chased Away By Bottle-Throwing Employee

By ARLnow.com

Published April 19, 2016 at 11:00AM

The incident happened Saturday, at a market on the 5100 block of Lee Highway, around 10:15 p.m.

A clerk was clearing out the cash register around closing time when a masked man entered and brandished a gun. A second employee, in defense of her coworker, then started throwing bottles at the armed man, according to Arlington County Police.

News

New Synthetic Turf Field Approved for Yorktown Stadium

By ARLnow.com

Published April 19, 2016 at 10:10AM

The Arlington County Board on Saturday voted 5-0 to approve a $674,000 contract with Fieldturf USA for the project, which is described as a “total makeover” of the field, which is “worn beyond reasonable repair.”

The Greenbrier Park field is used for school events and sports like football, soccer, lacrosse and field hockey, in addition to use by the community. Arlington Public Schools will pay half of the field replacement cost.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 19, 2016 at 9:20AM

Local Schools Rank High in Challenge Index — One Arlington high school and one high school program cracked the top 10 of the Washington Post’s local 2016 Challenge Index. Washington-Lee High School ranked No. 4 and the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program ranked No. 7. The two other Arlington high schools — Yorktown and Wakefield — ranked No. 11 and 82 respectively. [Washington Post, Washington Post]

Larger Fire Station 8 Possible at Current Site — Arlington County is changing its tune when it comes to Fire Station 8. The county now says that it is possible to build a larger fire station on the current Fire Station 8 site. Before, the county had said the fire station would likely have to be relocated in order to build a larger, four-bay station. [InsideNova]

Around Town

Boston Marathon: 77 Arlington Residents Complete Race

By ARLnow.com

Published April 18, 2016 at 6:05PM

The marathon was won by two Ethiopians: Lemi Berhanu Hayle won the men’s race in 2:12:45 and Atsede Baysa won the women’s race in 2:29:19.

The fastest-finishing Arlingtonian was prolific international marathoner Michael Wardian. The 42-year-old finished with a time of 2:31:39, good for 41st overall and 2nd in his age division.