(Updated at 2:50 p.m.) Arlington County police are investigating after two people were found dead in a hotel room this afternoon.
Initial reports suggest that police were called after a guest failed to check out on time at the Inns of Virginia hotel, at 3335 Langston Blvd, and officers then found a man and a woman unresponsive in their room. Medics pronounced them dead on the scene.
(Updated at 1:45 p.m.) Falls Church police and Arlington medics responded to a stabbing at the Eden Center just before noon today.
One person was stabbed in the back in the rear of the shopping center, according to initial reports, and the suspect is currently at large. The circumstances leading to the stabbing, where exactly it took place in the complex, and the condition of the victim are unclear.
Three Arlington County Board hopefuls announced their candidacies to a packed house of local Democrats last night.
They are former NAACP Arlington Branch president Julius “J.D.” Spain, Sr. researcher and Center for American Progress policy analyst Maureen Coffey and Jonathan Dromgoole, who facilitates LGBT appointments within the Biden administration for the LGBTQ Victory Institute.
Arlington County operations now run entirely on renewable electricity — a full two years ahead of schedule.
As part of the Community Energy Plan adopted in 2019, Arlington County committed to transitioning 100% of county operations to renewable sources by 2025.
Amazon Layoffs and Loan — “Amazon Inc.’s layoffs will affect more than 18,000 employees, the highest reduction tally revealed in the past year at a major technology company as the industry pares back amid economic uncertainty. The Seattle-based company in November said that it was beginning layoffs among its corporate workforce, with cuts concentrated on its devices business, recruiting and retail operations.” [Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch]
Arlington Impact Unclear — “Later in November, Amazon began laying off… employees, according to reports, including at its Alexa division, which is supposed to have a large presence at its HQ2 in Arlington… At HQ2, Amazon is wrapping up construction on its two-tower first phase, Metropolitan Park, set to open later this year. The company has yet to break ground on the second phase, PenPlace.” [Washington Business Journal]
Missing Middle — and the ongoing side-conversation about civility this topic has prompted — are front and center for the Arlington County Board this year.
Members all opined on the potential zoning changes last night (Tuesday) during their first meeting of the year, when they also unanimously elected Christian Dorsey as the chair and Libby Garvey as the Vice-Chair for 2023.
The new year is starting off with a proverbial bang for security at Reagan National Airport.
A Transportation Security Administration officer stopped an Alexandria man who tried to bring a loaded, semi-automatic folding rifle onto to a flight on New Year’s Day, the agency said. Then, three days later, the TSA allegedly confiscated a loaded, semi-automatic handgun from a Prince William County man’s carry-on baggage.
Local Mass for Late Pope — From the Catholic Diocese of Arlington: “Bishop Burbidge will celebrate a special Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI this Thursday, January 5 at 12:05 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More. May we continue to offer prayers for the peaceful repose of his soul.” [Twitter]
Suspicious Incident in Green Valley — “17th Road S. at S. Edgewood Street. At approximately 2:29 p.m. on January 1, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious vehicle. Upon arrival, it was determined the two juvenile female victims were walking in the area when the unknown male suspect parked his vehicle, rolled down the window and made a statement about them needing a ride home. As the victims continued walking, they observed the suspect exit his vehicle and begin walking in the area.” [ACPD]
The informal, relationships-based advocacy at the core of the “Arlington Way” makes it harder for nonprofits led by and serving people of color to receive county funding, Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol says.
She tells ARLnow these concerns were raised by leaders of color, and she is working on a resolution — that could be voted on by the County Board this month — to change the status quo. The resolution will incorporate recommendations made by a small group of leaders representing local nonprofits.
Arlington County police responded to several shots fired calls on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
No one was reported to have been injured in any of the three incidents of gunfire. The first happened in the Arlington View neighborhood, between Columbia Pike and I-395.
County Board Organization Meeting Tonight — “The County Board of Arlington Co., Va., will meet on Tuesday, January 3, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as matters may be heard, at 2100 Clarendon Boulevard… for its Annual Organizational Meeting.” [Arlington County]
Covid Outbreak at Homeless Shelter — “Each night, as the temperature plummets and dozens seek refuge inside Arlington County’s largest homeless shelter, the staff runs through the same drill it has for the past three years: Before anyone is given a bed, they are tested for the coronavirus. On Wednesday, the shelter’s usual one or two coronavirus cases landed early. As more people arrived, more cases followed. By the end of the night, the staff said, a dozen people had tested positive. All needed to be isolated. The shelter had an outbreak.” [Washington Post]
(Updated at midnight) The driver of a pickup truck struck a pedestrian at a busy Ballston area intersection this afternoon.
The crash happened around 3 p.m at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and N. Quincy Street. Initial reports suggest that the pedestrian, a woman, was in the crosswalk when she was struck.
