(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) A new youth program could divert youth who commit misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies from the juvenile legal system.
Arlington police will be able to refer offending juveniles to local programs aimed at holding youth accountable outside of the court system, according to a press release from the Center for Youth and Family Advocacy (CYFA).
After taking the helm for longtime Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur, who retired at the end of 2022, Acting Sheriff Jose Quiroz is one step closer to taking charge permanently.
Quiroz — backed by four of five County Board members and several elected officials — won the Democratic primary Tuesday night. Following his victory, over former sheriff deputy Wanda Younger and Arlington County police corporal James Herring, Quiroz advances to the November general election.
Terrifying Lyft Ride — “An Arlington, Virginia, woman says she jumped out of a moving Lyft car after the driver refused to take her to her destination. When Katlyn got into a Lyft Saturday afternoon, she said she quickly realized something was wrong. ‘He actually almost hit the person in front of him, which, then I’m really on edge. Like, within a foot,’ she said. She said the driver then put a different destination in his GPS that was away from where she was headed and he refused to answer her questions.” [NBC 4]
Consolidated Bus Route Launching — “The public and media are invited to join Arlington County officials at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for WMATA’s Metrobus Route 16M Columbia Pike-National Landing. The ceremony will take place at the Arlington Mill Community Center. This new bus route will launch on Sunday, June 25, 2023, expanding connectivity from the Skyline neighborhood in Fairfax County through Columbia Pike and extending to the Crystal City Metrorail station. The route represents the growth of Columbia Pike as a Premium Transit Corridor.” [Arlington County]
(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) Arlington’s top prosecutor, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, bested challenger Josh Katcher in yesterday’s Democratic primary.
Now, she says it is time to get back to work, building on reforms she made the first time around and forging a better relationship with the Arlington County police rank and file.
An enraged man shoved an innocent bystander, seriously injuring them, after an argument with someone else on a bus.
That’s according to the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report. The alleged incident happened around 8 p.m. Tuesday near the East Falls Church Metro station.
Cruiser Rammed in Pentagon City — “800 block of Army Navy Drive. At approximately 4:45 p.m. on June 16, police observed a stolen vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, during which the driver of the suspect vehicle reversed into an occupied police cruiser before fleeing the area. Officers then initiated a vehicle pursuit. The driver eluded police and the suspect vehicle was not located. No injuries were reported.” [ACPD]
Police Recruits Graduate — “Friday, June 16, 2023, marked a significant milestone in the careers of Arlington County Police Department’s eight newest officers as Session 148 graduated from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy. In front of family, friends and colleagues, the new officers took their solemn oath to serve and protect the Arlington community and safeguard the Constitutional rights of all.” [ACPD]
Virginia State Police, assisted by Arlington County police, are searching the area around the Air Force Memorial for a suspect who fled a pursuit and crash.
Initial reports suggest that state police gave chase to a suspect seen driving the wrong way in or near the Pentagon south parking lot. That suspect then crashed his vehicle at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Joyce Street, but fled on foot.
(Updated at 9:25 p.m.) Commonwealth’s Attorney incumbent Parisa Dehghani-Tafti has defeated challenger Josh Katcher in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Dehghani-Tafti has 56% of the vote to 44% for Katcher, her former deputy, in the heated race for the top prosecutor of Arlington and Falls Church. That’s as of 8:40 p.m., with all but a few hundred provisional and late-arriving mailed ballots counted in Arlington. Polls closed at 7 p.m.
Arlington County’s pickleball plans continue to peeve particular people, prompting a potential project pause.
The Donaldson Run Civic Association (DRCA) sent a letter to the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) late last week expressing the belief the department did not sufficiently involve the civic association when making the decision to re-line several tennis courts for pickleball at Marcey Road Park in North Arlington.
The owner of garden apartments on the edge of the Fairlington neighborhood nabbed $46.6 million in federal loans to help keep the units affordable and fund upgrades.
Over the last two years, Standard Communities, which owns Park Shirlington (4510 31st Street S.), has been amassing funding — including from Arlington County — to keep the nearly 300 units on site affordable to people earning up to 60% of the area median income, while funding renovations and new construction work.
(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) A young black bear, perhaps the one spotted near Windy Run Park over the weekend, is currently running through backyards in a North Arlington neighborhood.
The bear was seen hopping a fence and running through the yard of homes in the Leeway-Overlee neighborhood, not too far from the East Falls Church Metro station, around 11:15 a.m.
Growing community concerns and a visit from county code enforcement have prompted a local property manager to clean and secure its vacant storefronts on Columbia Pike.
Some retail bays at the Fillmore Gardens Shopping Center, on the 2600 block of the Pike, have stood empty for a year as the strip mall awaited redevelopment. That includes the former spaces of Atilla’s restaurant, apparel store Legends Kicks and the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington.
