The Arlington Democratic primary is tomorrow (Tuesday).
Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. as five candidates — James DeVita, Julie Farnam, Natalie Roy, Tenley Peterson and JD Spain — compete for the one open seat on the Arlington County Board. Historically, the victor of the Democratic primary tends to be a reliable predictor of the November general election outcome.
Tina Leone, the longtime leader of the Ballston Business Improvement District, is leaving the organization she helped to build.
Leone has been at the helm of the BID for more than a decade, leading the neighborhood through a period of rapid change, including the transformation of Ballston Common Mall to Ballston Quarter. She has also been a regular presence at community events and last year chaired the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
A man arrested last year in Pentagon City pleaded guilty Friday to two drug charges, including possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Willie Gene Thorne, 29, of D.C., also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in a drug trafficking crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
When to Expect Election Results — “Election officials and the public will know the evening of Tuesday, June 18 how each candidate fared in the first round. But the ranked-choice machinery of eliminating low-scoring candidates and reallocating their votes will not kick in until Friday, June 21, after the deadline for mail-in ballots has passed. And the tabulation won’t be finalized until Saturday, June 22.” [Gazette Leader]
Local Swimmers at Olympic Trials — “Arlington swimmers Torri Huske and Eli Martin will be participating in the upcoming U.S. Olympic swimming trials, hoping to earn a spot on the U.S. team for the 2024 Summer Games next month in Paris. The trials are June 15-23 in Indianapolis. Huske, a Yorktown High School graduate, is hoping to make her second U.S. Olympic women’s swimming team.” [Gazette Leader]
End of Police Chase on Video — “A brief foot chase of a theft suspect who fled from security at the Ballston Target store just ended near the Metro station.” [Twitter]
GOP Chair Blasts Covid-Era Decisions — From Matthew Hurtt, Arlington GOP Chairman: “Government leaders like @kcristol not only pushed these un-scientific policies, but — with help from all-too-eager neighborhood brownshirts — weaponized these policies against businesses and healthy people. The government-community cabal was boosted by outlets like @ARLnowDOTcom and @washingtonpost, creating mass hysteria from the ScIeNcE iS sEtTlEd class, who clamors for government control.” [Twitter]
Officials on Bump Stock Decision — From Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney, on the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn a ban on bump stocks: “NEVER EVER tell me progressive prosecutors are the problem.” From Rep. Don Beyer: “This decision by a conservative activist court will result in more Americans getting shot and killed.” [Twitter, Twitter]
Vote on Cemetery Confederate Memorial — “Almost 200 House Republicans voted Thursday to reinstall a Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery… The amendment, which was part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2024, failed 230-192 after two-dozen Republicans sided with Democrats in voting against it.” [Washington Post]
MoCo May Allow Missing Middle — “Montgomery County is one step closer to allowing duplexes, triplexes, and smaller apartment buildings to be built in single-family home neighborhoods across the county now that the Planning Board has approved a new housing initiative.” [MoCo360]
Resources for This Week’s Heat — From Ready Arlington: “Temperatures may reach 90 degrees + higher over the next few days. Call 703-228-1350 for help with AC repairs + utility bills. Visit County libraries + community centers for free, air conditioned spaces.” [Twitter]
It’s Monday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature of around 91°F, accompanied by a south wind at about 10 mph. As night falls, the weather will be mostly clear with a low temperature near 70°F and a south wind ranging between 6 and 10 mph. [NWS]
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Flickr pool photo by Michael Coffman
A bear was struck and killed on I-395 Saturday afternoon.
The bear was earlier spotted walking near Arlington National Cemetery earlier in the morning and, around 1:30 p.m., near Route 110 and Washington Blvd.
More than two dozen high-school athletes honored
For what now has become the norm, the annual Better Sports Club of Arlington’s awards banquet was a shorter hour-long ceremony without a sitdown dinner or guest speaker, held this year at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
Make sure to get you trash carts out for collection early next week.
Arlington County’s solid waste crews are planning to start collections earlier due to a week-long bout of high heat.
A man has been convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend in a Virginia Square apartment last year.
The gruesome crime happened around 5 a.m. on June 19, 2023, at the Terwilliger Place apartments at 3445 Washington Blvd.
A large Arlington County police and fire department response was once again on scene of the Key Bridge Marriott this morning.
In connection to the response, the county said it would prove to the media “an update on the ongoing operation to secure the property located at 1401 Langston Blvd.” A press conference was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. in nearby Gateway Park.
A South American restaurant on Columbia Pike has asked for county approval to implement outdoor dining.
Café Sazón would use a few privately-owned parking spaces in front of its storefront to permanently accommodate a patio area, according to an Arlington County Board report.
ART Changes Coming — “Starting Monday, July 1, Arlington Transit (ART) will increase fares, discontinue three routes, and add a new route in north Arlington… Three weekday routes in north Arlington – ART 53, ART 61 and ART 62 – are being discontinued. The last day of service for the three discontinued routes will be Friday, June 28. The new ART 56 Military Road-Rosslyn Metro route will provide peak hour, weekday service.” [Arlington County]
Flyover Planned This Morning — “The US Military will conduct a flyover at the Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, June 14, 2024 @ 9:15 AM.” [Twitter]
Expungement Clinic Planned — “The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney, in partnership with the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Arlington Sheriff’s Office, and numerous community organizations, is announcing the first Expungement Clinic of 2024. The event will take place on Saturday, June 22, at Arlington Presbyterian Church (918 S. Lincoln Street, Arlington VA, 22204). It will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.” [Arlington County]
Questionable Meat Handling — “Five food establishments in Arlington recorded violations during recent inspections from the Arlington County Public Health Department. Inspectors conducted visited nine restaurants between June 3-6 and no violations were reported at four of them. All five of the kitchens where violations were found had cross contamination risks due to the handling of raw meat.” [Patch]
Park Cleanup Tomorrow — From Arlington County police: “Take advantage of the sunshine & give back to the community on 6/15 by joining members of ACPD at parks around Arlington for a morning cleanup session! [Twitter]
Wakefield Crew Ascendant — “Up through the 2018 season, the Wakefield High School crew program had limited participants and rarely generated any news. Not now… This spring, the program reached its high-water mark when multiple shells, plus one individual Warriors’ rower, placed high at the National Rowing Championships in New Jersey.” [Gazette Leader, Arlington Public Schools]
Hot Today and Next Week — “Ok, it’s that time (maybe past that time): We declare spring over and the start of summer in DC — based on weather patterns. Next week’s heat looks brutal — maybe one of the hottest stretches in years.” [Twitter, Capital Weather Gang]
It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies today, with a high of around 93 degrees, accompanied by a south wind of 6-8 mph. Tonight, showers and thunderstorms are possible between 5-11 p.m., with otherwise mostly cloudy skies and a low of about 67 degrees. Winds will shift to the north at 9 mph, and there is a 30% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
A plan to have a developer pay Arlington County $5.8 million instead of building a planned library in Crystal City could get final approval this weekend.
Citing “site, operating, and capital budget constraints,” a county report calls for accepting a proposal “to support library operations elsewhere” by receiving payments from JBG Smith in installments over the next six years.
