Arlington resident James Gordon Meek, formerly a prominent television news producer, has pleaded guilty to child pornography charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announced the plea this afternoon. Meek, 53, faces a minimum sentence of 5 year in federal prison and a maximum sentence of several decades.
Plans to renovate some of the buildings within the Barcroft Apartments complex on Columbia Pike cleared an important hurdle on Tuesday.
The Arlington County Board approved a use permit enabling renovation plans for 93 homes at the corner of S. George Mason Drive and S. Four Mile Run Drive on Tuesday. These will occur concurrently with long-term planning for how to redevelop select parcels within the sprawling acreage.
Flyover Planned This Morning — From AlertDC: “The Naval Air Force Atlantic will conduct a flyover of the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery on Friday, July 21, 2023, at approximately 9:10 AM.”
Housing Provider Wins Assessment Appeal — “The Arlington Board of Equalization for Real Estate Assessments (BoE) says the county government’s assessors took it a bit too far in their 2023 valuation of a new affordable-housing property owned by Wesley Housing… The Cadence, a new property at 4333 Arlington Blvd. that is entirely comprised of subsidized units for those with low and moderate incomes, began leasing up late last year. During the construction period, the property had been assessed at $6,721,000, but the 2023 assessment – released in January – bumped that valuation up to $20,200,800.” [Gazette Leader]
A bank drive-thru has been heavily damaged in the City of Falls Church after a driver smashed through a brick wall.
The incident happened shortly after noon at the M&T Bank branch at 133 S. Washington Street. Arlington County firefighters responded to the scene to evaluate injuries and, if need be, rescue anyone inside the vehicle.
Arlington County’s auditor plans to take a closer look at when ambulance fees are waived to see if he can save taxpayer dollars.
The plans are part of his office’s proposed audit plan for the 2024 fiscal year, which also includes scrutinizing how the county pays for gas in government cars and medical bills for Dept. of Health and Human Services clients. The Arlington County Board unanimously approved this plan on Tuesday.
A slate of public improvements associated with the construction of a new apartment building in Courthouse are experiencing slight delays.
A year and a half ago, developer Greystar agreed to take on public improvements on behalf of the county in exchange for more units at its redevelopment project. The 423-unit, 20-story residential building dubbed “The Commodore” also has 17,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and an underground parking garage.
DCA Expansion Effort Fails — “The House on Wednesday evening voted not to expand flights at the airport closest to the U.S. Capitol building, a fight that has featured dueling op-eds from warring airlines, each with bipartisan lawmakers in both chambers aligned with their side. The provision, which would have expanded flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport by 14 per day, is a win for United Airlines, American Airlines and lawmakers local to the Washington, D.C. area that opposed the flights.” [Politico]
State Police Chase Wanted Man — From Dave Statter: “Man reported wanted on felony charges by @ArlingtonVaPD stops for @VSPPIO this afternoon & then pulls off. A 3.5 mile chase on I-95S in Prince William ends after a crash into another vehicle.” [Twitter]
A water main break near Route 50 caused water pressure issues for a large swath of Arlington today, prompting some county facility closures.
The water main break happened on N. Irving Street, just north of Route 50, on the border of the Ashton Heights and Lyon Parks neighborhoods.
Arlington County is seeking $1.9 million in federal funding to plant trees on school grounds and in neighborhoods with less tree canopy.
The funding will help maintain 4,400 trees, plant 400 additional trees and treat 138 acres of invasive species, a county report said. If the county receives the funding, tree planting could begin as soon as next summer.
Starting next month, restaurants can apply to keep their Covid-era temporary outdoor seating areas, or TOSAs, for good.
On Saturday, the Arlington County Board approved a framework for restaurant operators to follow if they want to make their outdoor dining areas permanent. Some restaurant operators viewed these as a lifeline when indoor dining was restricted and, later, they became an attractive feature and source of extra revenue.
Arlington secured the number one spot as the “fittest city” in the nation — for the sixth year in a row.
The new 2023 rankings were released yesterday (Tuesday) by the American College of Sports Medicine and Elevance Health Foundation.
Talento Sworn In As Interim Board Member — “Tannia Talento was unanimously appointed to the Arlington County Board on Saturday, July 15, 2023, during the Board’s regular meeting. She was sworn in at Tuesday’s Recessed meeting and will serve out the term remainder of former Board member Katie Cristol, who stepped down July 4, 2023.” [Arlington County, Twitter]
DCA Proposal Down to Seven Add’l Flights — “A bipartisan group of lawmakers revised downward its plan to add more long-distance flights at Reagan National Airport in hopes of finding more support, offering a measure that would add seven round trips instead of the 28 the group originally sought.” [Washington Post]
