Don’t look now, but Covid cases are on the rise again in Arlington.
Daily case averages are still well below the levels seen earlier in the year, but the trajectory is upward, Virginia Dept. of Health data shows. As of Wednesday, the seven-day case average in Arlington was 57 cases per day, high highest point since September.
Longtime Dry Cleaner Closing — “Pentagon Row Cleaners are closing their doors permanently on December 31st after 20+ years in business.” [Twitter]
Garvey Wins Regional Gov’t Award — “At its Annual Membership Meeting and Awards Luncheon today, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) presented its three highest honors to area public and private sector leaders. Arlington County Board Member Libby Garvey, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority CEO Monica Backmon, and the Amazon Housing Equity Fund, represented by Director Catherine Buell, were each recognized for their service and contributions to the region.” [MWCOG]
Arlington Public Schools will open on a two-hour delay on Thursday due to expected freezing rain, the school system just announced.
APS follows Fairfax County Public Schools in announcing a two hour delay tonight. Other Northern Virginia districts have announced weather plans ranging from two hour delays to closures.
The former owner of a coffee shop in Rosslyn has been convicted of an extensive credit card fraud scheme.
Adiam Berhane, 50, was the co-owner of Caffe Aficionado in Rosslyn, which was open from 2013 until 2016, when the cafe was shut down following a police raid. Federal prosecutors said Berhane used the cafe to process fraudulent payments after obtaining stolen credit card information from the internet — and last week a federal jury in Alexandria agreed.
Gunfire Damage Discovered by Maintenance — “At approximately 9:58 a.m. on December 12, police were dispatched to the late report of suspicious circumstances. Upon arrival, it was determined that a residential maintenance crew responded to a service request from December 10 and observed an apparent bullet hole inside the apartment. Responding officers recovered evidence of a firearm being discharged. No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.” [ACPD]
ACFD Message to Motorists — “DRIVERS: Please do not block the entrance to our fire stations!! Blocked entrances like the one seen here in #Ballston prevent our units from responding to emergencies. When minutes and seconds matter, a blocked box like this could be the difference between life and death!” [Twitter]
(Updated at 9:35 a.m.) A swath of the Courthouse and Clarendon area is in the dark after reports of a possible transformer explosion.
The lights went out around 6:30 a.m. As of 7:30 a.m., 1,732 Dominion customers are still without power, according to the company’s website, though that number was down to around 1,100 as of 9 a.m.
In the eight years local architect Brian Harner sat on the Arlington Planning Commission, he says he never saw more than 15 people show up for a meeting.
Last night (Monday), some 90 people registered to speak on the county’s proposal to allow by-right development of buildings with two to six — or even up to eight — units in districts that are now zoned exclusively for single-family homes.
A hazardous materials situation at the Ballston Metro station over the summer likely exposed riders to toxic gas from batteries.
That’s according to a report at this afternoon’s Washington Metrorail Safety Commission meeting.
Arlington is proposing to lower speed limits near schools across the county to 20 mph as the county’s second year of Vision Zero enters the rear-view mirror.
This Saturday, the Arlington County Board is set to hear a proposal to expand these slow zones to all schools, after many people said they felt safer walking, biking and driving in 13 school zones where the speed limit has already dropped to 20 mph.
(Updated at 4 p.m.) Two weeks before Christmas, someone has apparently stolen a nativity scene from a church in the Barcroft neighborhood.
But the pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church (825 S. Taylor Street), Wayne Fredericksen, is turning the other cheek.
Biden Visits Arlington — “President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden helped pack presents for children and encouraged holiday cheer as the White House marked the 75th anniversary of Toys for Tots at an event hosted by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. The event at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in northern Virginia is part of Jill Biden’s Joining Forces initiative.” [Associated Press]
W-L Wins Choir Contest — “Thanks to all of the votes from YOU, @WLchoirs was selected the winner of the WASH-FM Christmas Choir Competition!” [Twitter, WASH-FM]
A new developer has reprised long-dormant plans to turn a house, a large tree and two surface parking lots near Courthouse into apartments.
D.C.-area developer Fortis Companies proposes building a 166-unit, 12-story apartment tower at 2025 Fairfax Drive, along a frontage road for Route 50 that dead-ends in front of a complex of historic brick apartment buildings. It also proposes an underground parking garage and an interior walkway between the nearby apartments and Fairfax Drive.
