News

Arlington Tops ‘Hardest-Working’ List — “Coworking Cafe’s list of the hardest-working cities, based on a combination of factors, puts Arlington, Virginia at the top of the list. Alexandria ranks No. 2. Its report, which ranks cities on work, productivity and efficiency, notes Arlington has the highest average weekly work hours, at 41 hours a week.” [WTOP, CoworkingCafe]

Arlington Apartments Remain Pricey — “Despite a small dip month-over-month, median rental rates in the county were sixth highest among the 100 urban areas monitored by Apartment List. Over the preceding year, Arlington rents grew 5.9 percent, better than across the D.C. region (up  3.2%), statewide (up 3.6%) and nationally (down 1%).” [Gazette Leader]

Preservation Bill Advances — “A measure aimed at giving the public more ability to delay and perhaps prevent demolition of properties that are being considered for historic designation has cleared the House of Delegates, but may still have a challenging road to travel before being enacted into law. The measure by Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) is similar to one he introduced two years ago, which did not find traction in Richmond.” [Gazette Leader]

Amazon Releases ‘Impact Report’ — “Nearly one year after opening the doors to HQ2’s Metropolitan Park, Amazon recaps its community engagement activities and investments in the region. We are proud to work with nonprofits, schools, and community leaders across the National Capital region to support equity in education, affordable housing development, and regional, inclusive economic growth.” [Amazon]

Arlington’s AI 911 System — “Arlington County decided to go high tech to take some of that stress off employees. Arlington County is one of the first 911 call centers in the country, and the first in the northeast, to use artificial intelligence to handle non-emergency calls using a system called Amazon Connect.” [WUSA 9]

‘Women of Vision’ Nominations Open — “Nominations will be accepted through Feb. 16 for the 2024 Women of Vision Awards, sponsored by the Arlington Commission on the Status of Women. ‘These awards honor women for their accomplishments and contributions to improving the lives and opportunities for Arlington residents especially women,’ the county-government advisory body said in putting out a call for nominees.” [Gazette Leader]

Reminder: ACFD Helicopter Drill — “On Feb 1, the ACFD will host a joint training exercise beginning at 8 am in the 2800 BLK of S. Taylor St. The exercise will include the landing of 2 helicopters as part of a mobility drill. The drill is expected to last 15 – 20 minutes.” [Twitter]

Forums on ‘Deer Management’ — “The Arlington County government will host two online forums on the controversial topic of deer management. The programs, which will follow the same format, will be held on Thursday, Feb. 8 at noon and on Monday, Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m.” [Gazette Leader]