Arlington Public Schools students learning on their devices while in-person during the pandemic (via APS/X)
A parent association is asking Arlington Public Schools to change its policy of providing every student with an iPad or MacBook.
Arguing that the devices are bad for children’s mental development and needlessly expensive, Arlington Parents for Education wants the Arlington School Board to roll back funding for them this budget cycle. It is requesting an end to the one-to-one policy for students in pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade, a reduction in devices for 3rd through 5th graders and a transition to PC laptops for grades 6 and up.
Trees in Glencarlyn (Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick)
The D.C. area’s council of governments wants to get at least half of the region covered in trees.
After years of shrinking tree cover, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) adopted a goal earlier this month of maintaining a minimum canopy of at least 50% throughout the D.C. area. It is calling on local governments including Arlington to commit to a similar goal.
Clouds over the US Air Force Memorial (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
New Restaurants Announced — “Dolan Uyghur leased 2,485 square feet at the Quimby on 23rd, a 440-unit building formerly known as The Buchanan at 320 23rd St. S… Joining it at Quimby are Lantern Restaurant and Bar, which has leased about 5,450 square feet and will be part Chinese restaurant and part karaoke bar; and La Posada, from the team behind Don Pancho Mexican Grill, which has leased 5,458 square feet and will be serving up Tex-Mex-style food.” [Washington Business Journal]
Crystal City Robbery Arrest — “1700 block of Crystal Drive. At approximately 6:50 p.m. on April 22, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery just occurred. The preliminary investigation indicates the male suspect entered the business, approached the counter and engaged an employee in conversation before allegedly stealing money from the register. A lookout for the suspect was broadcast and Metro Transit Police located the suspect in Washington DC and took him into custody.” [ACPD]
Deer Discussion Nears — “Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia will host an online program – ‘Strategies for Dealing with Deer’ – on Friday, May 3 at 10 a.m. Master Gardener Kathie Clements will discuss strategies with a focus on deer behavior and how knowing their habits can lead to developing effective ways to protect gardens.” [Gazette Leader]
‘Bookstore Crawl’ Planned — “As part of Independent Bookstore Day, locally-owned bookstores in and near Northern Virginia will team up to host a bookstore crawl to boost visits to their businesses.” Participating stores include One More Page Books at 2200 N. Westmoreland Street in East Falls Church. [Patch]
Investment Firm Sees High Demand — “An Arlington private equity firm has closed its second fund and it looking to deploy $325 million into ‘lower middle-market companies’ in the U.S. and Canada over the next two years. GEF Capital Partners, based at 1300 17th St. N. in Rosslyn, originally sought to raise $250 million for its US Climate Solutions Fund II investment vehicle.” [DC Inno]
It’s Wednesday — Expect scattered showers in the early morning, clearing up to a mostly sunny sky with a high near 70 degrees. A northwest wind will blow at 9 to 14 mph, gusting up to 21 mph, with a 30% chance of precipitation during the day. The night will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature around 43 degrees, accompanied by a north wind at about 10 mph. [NWS]
Arlington County police cars (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington County police were reportedly engaged in a standoff with a pair of criminal suspects in a parking garage Tuesday afternoon.
The incident started just after 4 p.m. on the P5 level of the Pentagon City mall garage, when a vehicle with two suspects inside allegedly rammed a police cruiser and refused officer commands to get out of the car.
Towers in Rosslyn, including the Nestle tower at 1812 N. Moore Street, viewed from Theodore Roosevelt Island (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
The headquarters of a local, publicly traded company is moving buildings — but staying in Rosslyn
NYSE-listed Graham Holdings Company just signed a lease for the 21st floor of the distinctive office tower at 1812 N. Moore Street, best known as Nestle USA’s headquarters, property owner Monday Properties announced today.
Activists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at an Arlington County Board meeting (via Arlington County/YouTube)
Arlington County Board members broke several months of relative silence on the Israel-Hamas war this weekend.
Responding to demands for a county resolution in support of a ceasefire, several officials on Saturday voiced personal concerns about the conflict’s ongoing humanitarian toll. Although county leaders “do not handle international relations,” Chair Libby Garvey said, “I think we are all absolutely appalled and horrified by what’s going on.”
Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey, left, and Board candidate Tenley Peterson (courtesy Tenley Peterson for Arlington County Board)
The sitting chair of the Arlington County Board and its longest-tenured member has endorsed her would-be successor.
Libby Garvey made her endorsement of Tenley Peterson official today, after hinting at it over the past few months. Former County Board member Christian Dorsey also announced his endorsement of Peterson.
A group of friends enjoys the sun and shade near the Netherlands Carillon in the Rosslyn area (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Rosslyn Apartments Change Hands — “The Bozzuto Group recently acquired an apartment community in Arlington, its first multifamily buy in 16 years. A Bozzuto affiliate bought the 132-unit Gables 12 Twenty One complex, renaming it The Alcott, in Rosslyn for $45.5 million on April 17. It used a $50 million fund it established in 2022 to capitalize on opportunities in a down real estate market.” [Washington Business Journal]
County Mulls Office Zoning Changes — “Arlington County Board members on April 20 set in motion an effort that could see some of the county’s at-risk office buildings repurposed for other uses, including housing. Board members approved a legal advertisement that will allow the Planning Commission to consider zoning changes on the topic as early as September.” [Gazette Leader]
D.C. Homeless Nonprofit Expands — “This D.C.-based nonprofit has been helping people experiencing homelessness in the city since the time of the Civil War. Now, Central Union Mission is expanding into Northern Virginia. President and CEO Joseph Mettimano said there’s a great need… he said homelessness spiked 17% in Arlington County alone last year. The new venture will operate out of [Greenbrier] Baptist Church in Arlington.” [WTOP]
Nature Center Hours Expanded — “As part of the fiscal 2025 budget adopted April 20, County Board members approved $185,000 in supplemental funding that will allow Gulf Branch and Long Branch nature centers to each return to 39 hours of service spread over six days per week. After resuming public operations after a lengthy COVID layoff, the centers have been restricted to 21 hours weekly each, spread over three days.” [Gazette Leader]
Police Anti-Theft Giveaway Today — “ACPD will be distributing free vehicle anti-theft devices to Arlington residents and those who park their vehicles while at work in Arlington. Participants should arrive in their vehicles and show their ID and vehicle registration.” [Twitter]
School Board Forum Tomorrow — “The Arlington County Civic Federation will host a School Board candidate forum on Wednesday, April 24 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Lubber Run Community Center.” [Gazette Leader]
New Vision Zero Survey — “This is the third Annual Safety Feedback Form. This form is anonymous. Please answer the following 10 questions to help us track how actions related to Arlington’s Vision Zero initiative are changing transportation safety in Arlington.” [Arlington County]
Tweaks to New Site Design — We made some changes overnight, including to the area below the header, to try to keep headlines “above the fold” on mobile. Some bug fixes were also made. Additionally, we’re experimenting with showing the full Morning Notes post on the homepage. Future changes include fixing an issue on mobile involving embedded YouTube videos, and removing sidebar ads on smaller iPad screens. Thank you for your feedback, which is helping us prioritize these revisions.
It’s Tuesday — Frost is expected in the early morning until 8am, followed by sunny skies and a high temperature of around 71 degrees. The light southwest wind will shift to the south at 6 to 11 mph during the morning. Scattered showers are likely after 2am Tuesday night, accompanied by increasing clouds and a low temperature of about 56 degrees. At night, the south wind will blow at 9 to 13 mph, gusting up to 20 mph, with a 50% chance of precipitation. [NWS]
Those chosen will be recognized during an October dinner ceremony
The Arlington Sports Hall of Fame recently selected five new members for induction at a dinner, co-sponsored with the Better Sports Club of Arlington, on Oct. 9.
Suhka Center in Clarendon (staff photo by Savannah Taffe)
A Clarendon yoga studio is closing its doors as its owner seeks a new location with an additional focus on fitness.
The Suhka Center, which Yelp lists as the number one Black-owned yoga studio in the D.C. area, will be leaving 1016 N. Garfield Street on Friday. Co-founder Damion Moss said high rent and a dissolved partnership with a former business partner are driving him to look elsewhere.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) speaks on the House floor, April 2024 (via Rep. Don Beyer/Twitter)
Arlington’s Congressman split his votes on security funding bills for U.S. allies over the weekend.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) voted for bills to aid the defense of Ukraine, which is under Russian invasion, and Taiwan, which is under the threat of Chinese military action. He voted against defense aid for Israel, which is battling Hamas in a bloody conflict that has killed scores of civilians on both sides.
