A Maryland man is facing a serious felony charge after police say he got out of his car and struck a pedestrian.
The apparent road rage incident happened just after 10 a.m. Friday on Shirlington Road near the W&OD Trail, between the Shirlington and Green Valley neighborhoods. It was captured on traffic camera video, below.
Arlington will remain in a single congressional district after the Virginia Supreme Court on May 8 invalidated redistricting approved by Virginia voters just weeks before.
Unless the U.S. Supreme Court decides to intervene or Democrats can conceive another end-around to overturn the decision, district boundaries revert to where they had been. For Arlington voters, this means all of the county remains in the 8th District, where Rep. Don Beyer will attempt to fend off several primary challengers in August.
A pair of infrastructure projects are getting underway in Rosslyn, seeking to improve pedestrian safety and restore the structural integrity of a major sewer line.
Both projects, which seek to avoid potentially serious consequences for local residents, may bring temporary road and sidewalk closures.
Later this year, Arlington will mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and salute the efforts of public-safety personnel who saved innumerable lives at the Pentagon that day.
No police officers, sheriff’s deputies or fire department personnel lost their lives at the Pentagon that day. But last Friday’s Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremony was a reminder that many would carry physical and emotional scars of 9/11 with them for years to come.
Dems Eye Court Overhaul — Virginia Democrats are exploring an “audacious and possibly far-fetched” proposal to replace the entire state Supreme Court by lowering judges’ mandatory retirement age, the New York Times reported, in response to Friday’s ruling that struck down their redistricting map. Former Rep. Jim Moran, who represented Arlington for 24 years, called the idea “just a bridge too far.” [NYT]
Pentagon City 5K Closures — Sections of S. Joyce Street and Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City will be closed from 8–10:30 a.m. this Sunday (May 17) for the Girls on the Run 5K. The race starts at 8:30 a.m. [Arlington County]
D.C. Golf Course Deal — D.C.’s three public golf courses will remain open after the Interior Department and the National Links Trust reached an agreement Friday night. The deal gives the nonprofit a new long-term lease, with the federal government overseeing renovations — though key details about the proposed East Potomac overhaul remain unresolved. [NBC 4, Washington Post, WJLA]
Health Officials on Alert — Virginia has reported 20 measles cases so far this year, with public health officials warning of an expected uptick as summer travel season begins. Separately, a Virginia traveler who was aboard a cruise ship with a deadly hantavirus outbreak has returned home and is being monitored by state health officials. [Virginia Mercury]
Push for Braille Ballots — Tate Jordan, a legally blind Prince William County voter, is pushing for Braille ballots in Virginia after struggling to cast a provisional ballot in last month’s special election. “Every person has a right to vote, and it was a loss of my independence as a person,” he told NBC Washington. He’s working with state Sen. Danica Roem (D) on the change. [NBC 4]
It’s Monday — Expect a 30% chance of rain through the early afternoon, otherwise mostly cloudy skies with a high near 67 and a north wind around 10 mph. Skies clear overnight, with a low around 45. [NWS]
New Legal Notice — Applicant seeks wine/beer on/off-premises, mixed-beverage license; 30-day objections. [Public Notices]
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.
A stabbing in the Arlington Heights neighborhood sent a man to the hospital with serious injuries Saturday night.
It happened around 8 p.m. on the 300 block of S. Fillmore Street, between Columbia Pike and Route 50. A man was stabbed in the neck during a fight inside a house, according to scanner traffic. Police, already on scene after being dispatched there an hour-and-a-half earlier for another fight, reportedly encountered blood-splattered walls and found the injured man.
A police standoff inside a Columbia Pike 7-Eleven ended with gunfire.
Around 9 p.m. several ambulances were dispatched to the standoff on the 3600 block of Columbia Pike, after reports of shots being fired. One person — the wanted man who barricaded himself in the store — was reported to be shot multiple times by police and critically wounded. Medics were also sent to treat at least several officers for unspecified injuries.
A threat that turned out to not be credible prompted a lockdown at two Arlington schools Friday morning.
It happened shortly before noon at Thomas Jefferson Middle School and nearby Alice West Fleet Elementary, after a caller threatened imminent violence, according to scanner traffic.
A Falls Church burial ground nearly as old as the nation itself will soon have its history explored in a new tour series throughout the coming year.
A series of monthly walking tours will explore Oakwood Cemetery and the lives of some of those interred there. The first tour will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 24, followed by a series of monthly tours planned through November.
Efforts to fund the $181 million west entrance to the Ballston-MU Metro station took another step forward last night (Thursday).
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) voted to include $20 million in funding for the project as part of a new request to the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB). Final CTB action is slated for next month.
The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday struck down a voter-approved Democratic congressional redistricting plan, delivering another major setback to the party in a nationwide battle against Republicans for an edge in this year’s midterm elections.
The court ruled 4-3 that the state’s Democratic-led legislature violated procedural requirements when it placed the constitutional amendment on the ballot to authorize mid-decade redistricting. Voters narrowly approved the amendment on April 21, but the court’s ruling renders the vote’s result meaningless.
The latest Democratic challenger to U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) says the incumbent deserves credit for a storied political career, but should now exit the political stage to let others step up.
Jason Knapp is one of several challengers taking on the six-term incumbent in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary. A retired U.S. Navy pilot, Knapp kicked off his campaign at Wednesday’s Arlington Democratic Committee meeting, where he said it’s time for Beyer’s long-held congressional seat to change hands.
