National Police Week is almost here, bringing thousands of active and retired law enforcement officers, as well as families of fallen officers, to the D.C. area.
The week is marked by a number of events, in D.C. and Arlington, as well as numerous motorcades, escorting families to hotels and memorial events.
MU Commencement This Week — “The University is planning in-person, outdoor ceremonies for 2024 graduates during the May 9-12 weekend. Please note that all in-person ceremonies and celebrations described below are tentative and are subject to change.” [Marymount University]
New Healthy Vending at DCA — Farmer’s Fridge, a vending machine for healthy food like salads, wraps and bowls, has opened at Terminal B in National Airport. [PoPville]
New Book of Arlington Activities — “With 100 Things to Do in Arlington before You Die, residents and visitors alike can delve beyond the obvious to discover a multilayered city devoted to dining, history, the arts, sports, shopping, and just plain relaxing.” [Amazon]
Mother’s Day Reminder — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Mother’s Day is Sunday. Adopt an Arlington street for her. You and the street will legally be siblings.” [Twitter, Arlington County]
Big Police Chase on I-395 — “This is reported to be a carjacked car with the people inside armed with a weapon. I counted 29 cop cars behind it. One officer called it ‘a mile long’ line of police cars. Obviously, many different police departments are involved. It came across the Wilson Bridge from Maryland just before p.m., went through some streets in Alexandria, and then north on I-395.” [Twitter]
Marker for Local Civic Leader — “An early-summer dedication ceremony has been set for a commemorative marker honoring the life and legacy of educator Evelyn Reid Syphax at the Arlington school system’s administrative headquarters that is named in her honor. The event will be held the afternoon of Sunday, June 23.” [Gazette Leader]
Feedback on King Street Plans — “An upcoming meeting will give locals a chance to weigh in on the city’s plans to make changes to King Street where it runs past the Bradlee Shopping Center. The city is considering adding bike lanes and an additional sidewalk.” [ALXnow]
Storms Likely Tomorrow — From the National Weather Service: “Scattered shower and thunderstorm chances look to continue through midweek. Damaging winds, large hail, and locally heavy rainfall are likely to be the primary threats with storms. Greatest concern for severe weather appears to be on Thursday.” [Twitter]
It’s Wednesday — Showers and thunderstorms are possible before 8am and after 2pm, with mostly cloudy skies gradually becoming sunny and a high near 87. Winds will shift from southwest to west between 6 to 11 mph in the afternoon, and the chance of precipitation is 30%. For Wednesday night, there’s a 50% chance of precipitation with slight chances of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, followed by showers between 2-5am, and again after 5am. Expect increasing clouds and a low around 65. [NWS]
A trio of suspects, including one armed with a gun, reportedly robbed the Macy’s store at the Pentagon City mall this afternoon.
The robbery happened around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday.
New research shows that thousands of Arlington deeds from the early-to-mid 20th century included language that barred people of certain races, nationalities, or religions from buying property.
Researchers contend that these practices, known as restrictive covenants, play a major role in the segregation of neighborhoods throughout the county and across Northern Virginia, the effects of which are still evident today.
Several girls are facing assault charges after police say they ganged up to beat another girl on two separate occasions.
The first incident happened Monday morning, after a girl was beaten on the 200 block of S. Carlin Springs Road. That corresponds to the location of Kenmore Middle School.
Arlington unions and state representatives are doubling down on calls for more labor protections in the construction of the new Arlington Career Center.
A $132 million construction contract is up for consideration at an Arlington School Board meeting on Thursday. At least a year of delays would likely result if the School Board seeks a prevailing wage agreement for the project, guaranteeing that workers get paid wages comparable to market rates, Arlington Public Schools staff said at a meeting last month.
For the second day in a row, there’s a fire in a large Rosslyn condominium building.
After a vehicle fire in the parking garage of the Atrium Condominium at 1530 Key Blvd on Monday morning, there’s now a reported electrical fire in the garage area. A second alarm has been called in to help extinguish the fire and ventilate smoke from the building.
Drag Event Draws Several Hundred — “Between 200 and 250 people, including parents and their children, turned out on Saturday, May 4, for a ‘Love Fest‘ Drag Story Hour brunch hosted by the Arlington, Va., LGBTQ establishment Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant. Local drag performer Tara Hoot, who read children’s stories and handed out coloring books to the kids attending the event, was joined by members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington.” [Washington Blade]
Crash on George Mason Drive — “A crash at N. George Mason Dr and 4th Street in Buckingham is being cleared after blocking traffic earlier. It was reported as a single-vehicle crash into a pole with a driver potentially suffering a medical emergency.” [Twitter]
Repeat Peeper Arrested — “At approximately 2:03 a.m. on May 6, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person. Upon arrival, it was determined the victims were inside their home when they observed the male suspect, who they recognized from a previous peeping incident on March 27 (2024-03274019), outside their residence and called police. Responding officers canvassed the area for the suspect and located an individual matching the description.” [ACPD]
Shorter Shredding Hours — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Starting in July, free monthly paper shredding at the Trades Center will have reduced hours, 8am to noon.” [Twitter]
Apartment Rent Remains High — “Median apartment-rental costs in Arlington last month were the fifth highest among the nation’s 100 largest urban areas, as tracked by ApartmentList. The county’s overall median monthly rental price of $2,512 was up 1.4 percent from a month before, up 3.6 percent year-to-date (second highest in the survey) and up 5.4 percent year-over-year.” [Gazette Leader]
Grants for Fridges and Freezers — “More cold storage means more access to healthy food. That’s why we’ve just awarded more than $700,000 to 22 food businesses and nonprofits in the D.C. area. — including four in Arlington and Fairfax County.” [Capital Impact Partners]
Fair Housing ‘Tag Team’ — “Details and procedural hurdles remain to be worked through, but there may be a meeting of the minds, collaboration-wise, between two of the Arlington government’s advisory commissions. The Housing Commission and Human Rights Commission are attempting to work out kinks in the creation of a joint subcommittee that would focus on fair-housing issues.” [Gazette Leader]
Street Smart Campaign Underway — “A pedestrian and bicyclist safety campaign continues in Arlington County as police hold enforcement activities Monday. The effort is part of the Street Smart campaign, a public education and enforcement program across the D.C. area, designed to reduce pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and deaths.” [Fox 5]
It’s Tuesday — Showers and possible thunderstorms after 11am, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 78. Light winds becoming southeast at 6 mph in the afternoon, and a 50% chance of precipitation. Tuesday night: cloudy with a low near 65, and southeast wind around 6 mph, with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. [NWS]
A 90-year-old Tiffany stained glass window has a new home in Arlington.
Christ in Blessing was salvaged from a bankrupt mausoleum by Arlington County. The private mausoleum, built in the 1920s near Arlington National Cemetery, was torn down by the Navy about 20 years ago.
Firefighters battled a blaze at a large condominium building in the Rosslyn area Monday morning.
Smoke was reported around 10 a.m. at the Atrium Condominium at 1530 Key Blvd. Initial reports suggest that some sort of fire in the parking garage spread smoke to parts of the building.
Four Virginia men are facing drug and other charges after a verbal dispute between one of the men and a woman in Arlington.
The incident happened Thursday evening in the Green Valley neighborhood. Police were called after the man “allegedly lifted his shirt, exposing what appeared to be a firearm and made threatening statements.”
Flyover Planned Today — “The US Military will be conducting a flyover at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 11:15AM.”
DCA Adding Summer Flights — “On May 15, JetBlue will start its daily service to Nantucket, Massachusetts, via an Embraer 190 aircraft, which is expected to last until October… And then on May 24, JetBlue will begin its flight offering to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts — also via an Embraer 190 aircraft — which will last until September and start out at three days per week until ramping up to daily service by mid-June.” [Washington Business Journal]
Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas — “From foie gras to delectable doughnuts, Northern Virginia has something for everyone come brunchtime. How many meals has Mom made for you? Whether she’s a veritable Julia Child or can barely slap together a PB&J, she deserves to eat like the queen she is on Mother’s Day. Treat her to a day off—and something tasty—at local these eateries.” [Arlington Magazine]
Police Tase Man in Ballston — From Dave Statter: “Man was tased by @ArlingtonVaPD near the Ballston Metro around 6:30 p.m. Witnesses told police the man threatened people with three knives at the 7-11 across the street on Fairfax Drive. @ArlingtonVaFD took the man to the hospital to be checked out.” [Twitter]
YHS Baseball Is Top in District — “With four straight victories, the Yorktown Patriots baseball team took over sole possession of first place in the Liberty District with an 8-3 victory. Yorktown (13-5 overall) defeated the Wakefield Warriors, 14-5.” [Gazette Leader]
DJO Softball Is Undefeated — “The Bishop O’Connell Knights (17-0) finished their regular season with a 17-0 overall record and a 12-0 mark in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference… The Knights are the top seed in the upcoming WCAC tournament, where the team is the two-time defending champion and has won the competition 25 times in program history. O’Connell also is ranked No. 1 in the Division I private-school state poll.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Monday — Showers and thunderstorms are possible after 2pm, with patchy fog clearing by 10am. Expect mostly cloudy conditions with a high near 80 and a westerly breeze at 6 mph. On Monday night, the chance of rain and thunderstorms continues, mainly before 11pm, then again after 2am, with a low around 65 and light winds. Precipitation chances are 40% for the day and 50% for the night. [NWS]
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