Car Thefts in East Falls Church — “The reporting party had returned to their vehicle and found the door ajar, the vehicle rummaged through and personal items stolen. During the course of the investigation, it was discovered eight additional vehicles had been rummaged through with no items reported stolen, one vehicle had a window damaged and one vehicle was reported stolen.” [ACPD]

Reflecting on Arlington’s HQ Wins — “Both moves have a symbolic feel given no large staff changes or office expansions coincided with either, but the cachet it delivers for the region as the premier place for contractors can have a ‘broader multiplier effect,’ luring more employers in the defense industry supply chain, according to Jack McDougle, CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade. McDougle said at the time he sees the Raytheon and Boeing moves as a sign the D.C. region is ‘starting to really come into our own’ as a tech startup region.” [Washington Business Journal]


The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, which runs the county jail, will be ending voluntary cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In a letter to local activists and lawyers, Sheriff Beth Arthur said she will be updating ASCO policy regarding undocumented people after consulting with her attorney.


Police Recruits Graduate — “The Arlington County Police Department is committed to recruiting individuals from all backgrounds who possess the necessary qualifications to serve our diverse and inclusive community. Session 147 reflects this commitment and consists of nine men and five women. They hail from six different states, Costa Rica, Nepal and England. Thirteen of the officers hold higher education degrees, including two with advanced degrees. Two officers are military veterans, having served in the United States Army. Session 147 includes officers fluent in Spanish, Nepali and American Sign Language.” [ACPD]

Vacuum Leaf Collection Ends — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Crews have wrapped up scheduled leaf vacuuming across Arlington. Still raking? Use the green cart (also for food scraps) and paper bags for year-round weekly curbside pick-up. Plastic bags can’t be composted/collected.” [Twitter]


Arlington is the second-happiest place in the U.S., according to a new study.

The website SmartAsset ranked Arlington No. 2 on its new list of “Where Americans Are Happiest.” The county is second only to the Bay Area city of Sunnyvale, California, and ranks just ahead of Bellevue, Washington, which also happens to have a major Amazon office presence.


Long Bridge Pool Closed — “Due to an unanticipated maintenance issue and, out of an abundance of caution, Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation has temporarily closed the 50-meter competition pool at Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience as we work to re-open the 50-meter pool as soon as possible. The leisure pool and all other amenities at the center are available.” [Arlington County]

New Historic Preservation Fund — “It’s full steam ahead for the Arlington County government’s efforts to establish a new funding pot for community-based historic-preservation projects. County Board members on Dec. 17 formalized guidelines and other paperwork related to the new Historic Preservation Fund, which was created last spring with a $150,000 infusion of taxpayer cash.” [Sun Gazette]


The upcoming Arlington County budget process will be tough, albeit not the toughest, according to County Manager Mark Schwartz.

Schwartz made the remark at the end of Saturday’s Arlington County Board meeting, as the Board discussed its guidance to the manager as he starts work on a proposed 2023-2024 budget.


It was a busy Monday for Arlington County police, as a string of incidents kicked off the holiday week.

Starting that morning, ACPD responded to a pair of car thefts in the Bluemont neighborhood and what might have been an attempted carjacking in the nearby Dominion Hills neighborhood.


Households of color face significant barriers to homeownership, according to a new report from Arlington County.

A division of Arlington’s planning division, Housing Arlington, conducted the study to understand trends in the local homeownership market. The report, released earlier this fall, was the first step in a multi-phase homeownership study that kicked off this summer.


While the pandemic prompted a well-documented exodus to, and development of, sleepy suburban and exurban towns, the Rosslyn Business Improvement District says it has identified a different Covid migration pattern.

About a quarter of Americans reported moving to cities where they could be within a 15-minute walk or bike ride of grocery stores, healthcare and parks, according to a national survey by the BID.


Arlington County is paying the contractor who built the Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center an extra $1.2 million to make up for project delays.

Despite this overage, the entire project is expected to come in at least $2 million under its overall budget.


County Courts Climate Kudos — “Arlington is one of 122 global cities and counties named a Climate Action Leader by Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) 2022 A-List, and one of just 36 cities in the United States with this distinction. CDP recognized Arlington County for ambition, leadership, and transparency on climate action. Only 12% of cities and counties that were scored in 2022 received an A score.” [Arlington County]

Rush Hour Chase on I-395 — From Dave Statter: “Brief @ArlingtonVaPD chase just before 5. BMW fled #police near the Fashion Center. Officer reported driver tried to run him over. Chase halted crossing into DC in the express lanes.” [Twitter]


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