News

County Board Meeting Moved — “Due to scheduling conflicts, the previously scheduled Saturday, July 20 meeting of the Arlington County Board is being moved to Monday, July 22. The switch was made to accommodate a retreat hosted by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which County Board Chairman Libby Garvey and Vice Chairman Takis Karantonis will attend.” [Gazette Leader]

Local NAACP Press Conference Today — “Celebrate the life of Tori Thompson and stand in unity with the family calling for police transparency regarding their failure to notify the family of his passing. Tori’s passing on July 5, 2023, has left a void in our hearts. His family, grieving and seeking answers, was denied notification, and Tori was cremated against their beliefs.” [Event]

More Guns Caught at DCA — “TSA officers found a loaded .22 caliber handgun and a switchblade among an Indiana man’s carry-on items at a security checkpoint. Later in the day, officers stopped an Aldie man with a .380 caliber handgun loaded with five bullets. In both cases, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police officers confiscated the weapons and cited the travelers.” [Patch]

Break-in Attempt Near Westover — “1200 block of N. Kensington Street. At approximately 4:21 p.m. on June 30, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was inside her residence when she heard a loud banging at her door and observed the male suspect, who is known to her, allegedly attempting to force entry into her home, causing property damage. The victim then called police.” [ACPD]

July 4 Block Party on the Pike — Sabores Tapas Bar is planning an all-day, July 4 block party on the 2400 block of Columbia Pike, with music, food and drinks. [Twitter]

Va. Now Has an Official Pollinator — “Big news today out of Virginia. The state has an official state pollinator. It is the European honeybee. State Delegate Patrick Hope worked with the Virginia State Beekeepers Association to draft the legislation.” [NPR]

New State Cat Law — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “As an animal welfare organization, we are excited that starting today, July 1, it is illegal to declaw cats in the state of Virginia, except when deemed necessary for therapeutic purposes by a licensed veterinarian.” [Twitter]

Major Proposal for I-66 Entry in D.C. — “Federal planners are in the earliest stages of crafting a monumental new concept to reincorporate the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the nearby Potomac River waterfront into a greener D.C. landscape by eliminating a tangled maze of highways and ramps that inhibit the area today. The colossal vision, presented last month to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, would transform roughly 84.5 acres from Virginia Avenue to the Lincoln Memorial with a new 27-acre park, overhaul entry into the District via Interstate 66 by shifting ramps and roads underground. It would also open up space for new national monuments and other new development.” [Washington Business Journal]

Drought Conditions Continue — From the National Weather Service: “Moderate drought continues across much of the region despite some locations seeing showers & t-storms over the last 48 hours. Many locations ended up in the top 5 for the driest Junes on record.Unfortunately, dry & hot conditions look to continue well into July.” [Twitter]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny conditions today, reaching a high of approximately 85°F. Come Tuesday night, the sky will turn partly cloudy and temperatures will drop to around 65°F. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar

New Laws Take Effect — “New state laws take effect July 1. The new laws apply to speed limits, certifying election results, access to polling places, transportation safety, solar programs, emissions inspections, firearms, opioids, towing, electronic meetings and more.” [Fairfax County, Patch]

Man Convicted of Illegal Ammo Buy — “Approximately three weeks following his Maryland conviction, on May 3, 2023, Kearney traveled to Arlington and purchased ammunition from a federally licensed gun store. As a previously convicted felon, Kearney could not legally possess firearms or ammunition.” [USDOJ]

Flyover Planned Today — From AlertDC: “The U. S Military will conduct a flyover in the National Capitol Region, at the Arlington National Cemetery, on Monday, July 1, 2024, at 1:22 PM.”

Video: Tree Falls Over Glebe — From Dave Statter: “The moment a tree and wires came down on N. Glebe Rd at N. 18th Street. This was around 6:30 p.m.” on Saturday. [Twitter]

County Signs on to Gun Case — “County Board members authorized staff to become a signatory to Garland v. VanDerStok, in which a federal judge has held that the Biden Administration overreached its authority when in 2021 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) revised definitions within the federal Gun Control Act.” [Gazette Leader]

Google Bucks for Local Startup — From a PR rep: “Trustible – out of Arlington – is one of 20 recipients nationwide of Google for Startups Founders Funds. Trustible is set to receive $150,000 in non-dilutive cash awards and $100,000 in Google Cloud credits to help grow their businesses.” [Press Release]

Space Event with Astronaut at HQ2 — “Thanks to a partnership with Kuiper Government Solutions, non-profit Higher Orbits will bring its Go For Launch! program to Arlington, VA. On July 11 and 12, students in grades 8-12 will participate in a space- inspired event held at Amazon’s Virginia-based headquarters… Interested students can register online at www.GoForLaunch.space.” [Higher Orbits]

It’s July — Expect sunny skies and a high near 80 accompanied by a north wind around 14 mph and gusts reaching up to 22 mph. For Monday night, the weather will be mostly clear, with temperatures dipping to around 63 degrees, and a north wind at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]

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.

Flickr pool photo by Cyrus Wilson

Arlington Dems Going to Convention — “The chair and deputy chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee are saddling up and getting ready to participate in the Democratic National Convention. Steve Baker and Paul Ruiz won Virginia-at-large national-convention seats during the recent Democratic Party of Virginia state convention.” [Gazette Leader]

Sinkhole Repair in Ballston — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Road crew performing emergency repairs on Wilson Blvd between N Randolph St and N Stuart due to a sinkhole. Work during daytime hours and may extend through at least Sunday. Open traffic lanes will favor rush-hour directions.” [Twitter]

Trash Collection Change Extended — “Through the end of July, crews will pick up curbside trash, recycling and organics starting at 6 a.m. to take advantage of cooler morning temperatures. Residents should place carts at the curb no later than 5:30 a.m. on their scheduled collection day.” [Press Release]

Reminder: ART Bus Changes — “Starting Monday, July 1, Arlington Transit (ART) will increase fares, discontinue three routes, and add a new route in north Arlington… The ART regular fare will increase from $2 to $2.25.” [Arlington County]

Police Pride Event — “During the final days of Pride Month, Arlington County first responders spent the day talking — and celebrating — with LGBTQ+ community members. The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) hosted the 4th annual Pride with the Police event at Freddie’s Beach Bar alongside fire, sheriffs and other emergency personnel. Among their goals at the event was to promote their LGBTQ+ Liason Team.” [DC News Now]

Arlington Company Acquired — “Arcadia, a leading data platform for healthcare, today announced the acquisition of CareJourney (based in Arlington, VA) – a top provider of clinically relevant healthcare data and AI-powered analytics and insights with data across 300M beneficiaries and 2M providers… CareJourney (now CareJourney by Arcadia) has been led by Aneesh Chopra, the first U.S. Chief Technology Officer (appointed by President Obama), and Dan Ross, Co-Founder and CEO.” [Globe Newswire]

It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching around 84 degrees, accompanied by a gentle 8mph breeze coming from the northeast and shifting southeast later in the afternoon. Cloud cover will increase during the night, bringing temperatures to a low of around 71 degrees, with southeast winds ranging from 6 to 10 mph. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra

New Condo Project Near Rosslyn — “A relatively new entrant to the Greater Washington real estate world plans to redevelop the Air & Space Forces Association’s headquarters site in Arlington with luxury condos carrying an international hotel brand. Taicoon Property Partners LLC plans to tear down the existing building at 1501 Langston Blvd. and build a 94-unit residential building, branded by an unnamed ‘major, international top-tier hotel company,’ according to a conceptual site plan application filed June 25.” [Washington Business Journal]

Women Rob Store With Kids in Tow — “1600 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 12:09 a.m. on June 25… two female suspects entered the business with two children, collected items and left the store without payment. When confronted by an employee, one of the suspects pushed and spat at the employee. The suspects then entered a vehicle and threw an object, believed to be a glass bottle, at the store’s door causing property damage, and fled the scene in a silver SUV.” [ACPD]

Beyer Continues Renaming Quest — “So far, Robert E. Lee is winning the battle. But U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is insistent he won’t win the war. Legislation from Beyer to remove the Confederate general’s name from the National Park Service’s Arlington House national monument now has 138 cosponsors. And at a recent event, Beyer said an eventual renaming ‘will happen.’ But probably not this year.” [Gazette Leader]

Turnover at Politico — “The unfolding internal crisis at the Washington Post has obscured drama playing out across the river in Rosslyn, Virginia. Three high-profile employees plan to leave Politico in the coming weeks: Alex Ward, the co-author of Politico’s massive scoop about the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, is leaving for The Wall Street Journal along with fellow Pentagon reporter Lara Seligman.” [Semafor]

New Planetarium Agreement — “A new school year will bring another agreement between Arlington Public Schools and Friends of Arlington’s David M. Brown Planetarium, laying out rights and responsibilities of each party to the partnership. School Board members recently adopted the new agreement, which will kick in July 20 and run for a year unless terminated.” [Gazette Leader]

‘Feisty’ Storm Last Night — From the Capital Weather Gang: “National Airport gusted to 47 mph with this line of showers and storms. Sub severe but a bit feisty, nonetheless.” [Twitter]

It’s Thursday — Showers are possible before 8am, with cloudy conditions clearing later in the morning. A high of 88°F is expected with a northwest wind at 7 mph. The chance of precipitation stands at 30%. For Thursday night, expect mostly clear skies, a low of approximately 69°F. [NWS]