(Updated at 11:55 p.m.) Wakefield High School was placed in lockdown Thursday afternoon after reports of a trespasser, possibly armed with a gun, and a threat against a student.
The cause for concern is related to a recent shooting in the Green Valley neighborhood, according to initial reports. So far, there are no reports of any acts of violence inside the school.
Local residents can now weigh in on the “future of pickleball” at the Walter Reed Community Center.
A survey was sent out earlier this week by the Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation (DPR) asking the community to provide input and feedback about the new outdoor pickleball courts coming to the community center at 2909 16th Street S., south of Columbia Pike.
Pike Raid Leads to Child Porn Charges — “Federal prosecutors in Virginia have charged a former national security journalist for ABC News with a child pornography offense. James Gordon Meek, a producer who covered wars, terrorism and major crimes for the network, was charged with one count of transporting child pornography. The FBI said in a court filing unsealed Wednesday that agents searched Meek’s apartment in Arlington last year and found explicit images and videos of minors on his electronic devices.” [Washington Post, Twitter]
ACPD Upping Response to Carjackings — “Since the beginning of 2023, the Arlington County Police Department has investigated five reports of carjackings in the County. The Department continues to deploy increased police resources, to include both visible and non-visible assets, in Crystal City and the surrounding neighborhoods to address this crime trend.” [ACPD]
(Updated at 9:55 p.m. on 2/3/23) A coalition of parents will be marching on Friday at Wakefield High School to encourage students not to use drugs and to demand a countywide response to in-school opioid use.
The planned silent demonstration responds to an apparent drug overdose on school grounds discovered yesterday morning (Tuesday). An unconscious student was found in a boys bathroom and taken to the hospital in critical condition. Medics evaluated four additional kids at the school and students were released early so police could conduct an investigation.
Renovations to a pair of office buildings in Crystal City, including the construction of a new pedestrian plaza, are set to wrap up this spring.
Work kicked off last year at the Century Center towers, located at the intersection of Crystal Drive and S. Clark Street. Some older retail space between the buildings, previously known as Century One (2450 Crystal Drive) and Century Two (2461 S. Clark Street), was torn down to make room for the plaza.
Nearly six months after a rideshare vehicle plowed into Ireland’s Four Courts, seriously injuring several patrons and sparking a devastating fire, work is starting on its eventual reopening.
Following roof repairs last week, a weeklong interior demolition process is getting underway today, Four Courts managing partner Dave Cahill tells ARLnow.
Parenthood Is Expensive in Arlington — “Parents in Arlington County with young children are spending about 15.8 percent of their income on child care, according to a new report that calls prices “untenable for families,” even for those who live in areas where rates are lower. That’s about $27,220 a year in 2022 dollars, according to the National Database of Childcare Prices.” [Patch]
Narcan Training Today — From the Arlington Dept. of Human Service: “Special Narcan Training: Wednesday, Feb. 1. Drop in any time between 6 and 7:30 p.m. Learn how to administer it and get your free Naloxone!” [Twitter]
(Updated at 2:40 p.m.) The Ballston and East Falls Church Metro stations are among those set to be impacted by a multi-week closure starting in June.
WMATA recently announced that it is planning to shut down a significant portion of the Orange Line during the summer for “system maintenance and modernization.”
Fairlington author Amina Luqman-Dawson has received two awards for her novel, “Freewater.”
The middle-grade book about a secret community of formerly enslaved people living in the wilderness received both the John Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Book Award from the American Library Association. The awards were announced yesterday (Monday).
It has been an eventful couple of weeks for BMW drivers in the Crystal City and Pentagon City area.
Last night another BMW was taken during a carjacking, by suspects who themselves arrived in a BMW. This time it happened outside the 7-Eleven store at the corner of 23rd Street S. and S. Eads Street.
(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) There was a significant police presence at Wakefield High School today after a possible drug overdose.
One student was transported via ambulance from the school in critical condition after being found unresponsive. Four other students were treated on the scene for unspecified issues, according to the Arlington County Police Department.
(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) One person was seriously injured and Bob & Edith’s Diner was damaged after two incidents of gunfire in Arlington last night.
The first shooting happened in the Green Valley neighborhood, near the intersection of 22nd Street S. and S. Kenmore Street, shortly after 11 p.m. Witnesses reported hearing 5-6 gunshots in the area, exchanged between two vehicles, per scanner traffic.
