Around Town

Nonprofits and Amazon Team Up for STEM Packages to Arlington Children

By Vernon Miles

A pair of local nonprofits have joined with Amazon to help families in Arlington’s affordable housing get access to science, technology, engineering and math resources during the pandemic.

Rosie Riveters, an Arlington-based non-profit that focuses on getting girls between 4-14 years old interested in STEM, partnered with Arlington Housing Corporation (AHC) Inc. — a local affordable housing nonprofit — and Amazon to deliver STEM kits to some families. These are kits put together by Rosie Riveters and include the materials for six different projects, access to online lessons, and additional materials like notebooks, pencils and rulers.

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The Past Week in Photos and Observations from Around Arlington

By Jay Westcott
A murder of crows fly above Wilson Blvd. and Lynn St. in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Another week of social distancing has come and gone, as the days blend together and Arlington residents try to make the most of the reality that we’re not going back to normal anytime soon.

Over the weekend we asked our staff photographer, Jay Westcott, to narrate the past week of observations and reflections from his treks around Arlington.

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Local Restaurant Group to Deliver ‘Happy Endings’

By ARLnow.com
Happy Endings Hospitality chef in the kitchen

The group behind Chasin’ Tails in East Falls Church and Happy Endings Eatery, a new Asian food hall in Rosslyn, has launched a new delivery service.

The company, Happy Endings Hospitality (HEH), says it launched “a virtual eatery featuring Vietnamese and Cajun comfort food,” calling the new service “Operation Deliver Happiness.”

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ARLnow’s Experience Applying for a Paycheck Protection Program Loan

By ARLnow.com

On March 25, the owner of ARLnow’s parent company — which also owns ALXnow, Tysons Reporter and Reston Now — sent an email to the manager of our local bank branch.

“My understanding is that banks will be offering some form of SBA loan for payroll support, with a provision for the payroll costs to be forgiven after a few months,” said the email, sent two days before the CARES Act was signed into law. “That is something we both very much need and want. Can you put me in line to apply for it when the bill passes and we know what the terms are?”

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South Block Opening New Nonprofit Cafe in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
South Block Fruitful Planet Market & Cafe in Clarendon (courtesy photo)

Local juice, smoothie and acai bowl chain South Block is opening a new cafe amid the coronavirus pandemic — for a good cause.

The company says it will be opening its first “Fruitful Planet Market & Cafe” in Clarendon tomorrow, on Earth Day. The cafe will be “completely not-for-profit” and will support South Block’s Fruitful Planet initiative.

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Food Trucks Branch Out into Arlington Neighborhoods

By Vernon Miles

As the pandemic forces brick and mortar restaurants to close or switch to takeout and delivery, food trucks are filling the void by bringing the restaurant experience to residential neighborhoods.

Patrick Rathbone, the owner of the popular Big Cheese food truck, spent this morning (Tuesday) at Virginia Hospital Center making 50 sandwiches for medical workers there — 35 for those in ER and 15 for those working in the ICU.

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Former County Intern Helps Workers Get Masks

By ARLnow.com
Former Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services intern Lucie (photo via Twitter)

A former intern in Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services has helped the county obtain 1,400 masks for workers.

The intern, Lucie, interned for DES in 2016 and has since been attending school in Hawaii, though she is currently back in her native China amid the coronavirus outbreak. Through a friend who runs a trading company in Hong Kong, she heard about a shipment of 1,400 face masks sitting in Los Angeles and immediately thought of her former colleagues.

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Photos: A Month of Social Distancing in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

It has been one month since local restaurants started to close and social distancing took hold in Arlington amid the coronavirus pandemic.

During that time our staff photographer Jay Westcott, along with Flickr pool contributors Kevin Wolf, Erinn Shirley, Tom Mockler, Dennis Dimick, John Sonderman and others have been documenting what everyday life looks like in our 26 square miles.

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Local Churches Unite to Offer Rental Assistance to Arlington Families in Need

By Vernon Miles

Several local churches have banded together to help support local residents struggling with rent.

Eight churches are pooling their resources for a joint effort called The Church At Work in Arlington. The group has raised over $105,000 that organizers say is paid directly to landlords for rent assistance.

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