For the second time in three days, a food delivery driver was robbed last week by a knife-wielding man in Westover. This time, however, an arrest was made.
The first incident, as previously reported, happened last Tuesday around noon, on the 5800 block of Washington Blvd in Westover.
More Snow Looks Likely This Week — “Believe it or not, we have a chance of more accumulating snow Thursday night. This is unlikely to rival today’s storm, but could produce a few inches in parts of the region depending on how it evolves.” [Capital Weather Gang]
Local Legislative Event Now Virtual — Today at 7 p.m., the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City will host a public forum for locals to speak with their representatives to the state Senate and the House of Delegates. The event has moved to Zoom due to rising Covid concerns. A Zoom link will be provided to those who register online. [Eventbrite]
(Updated at 10 a.m.) A frigid night is on tap and the refreezing of melting snow could make roads and sidewalks extra slippery.
The National Weather Service on Monday issued a Special Weather Statement about the ice concerns overnight:
A man is being brought to safety by fireboat after his car careened a couple of hundred feet off the GW Parkway in Arlington.
The crash happened just before 6 p.m., on the Parkway near Donaldson Run, amid treacherous driving conditions from today’s winter storm. The driver — the only occupant of the vehicle — was trapped inside the car and suspended upside down, with a broken arm and leg, according to initial reports.
Arlington officially has a new Virginia House of Delegates district that has local Democrats talking about who will run for the seat. One hat has already been tossed into the ring as of today.
The Supreme Court of Virginia last week unanimously accepted new district maps for Virginia’s House of Delegates, the state Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. For Arlington’s Richmond representation, the maps created an entirely new House District 2 encompassing Arlington’s Metro corridors, and redrew boundaries for the state Senate.
(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) Students at Arlington public schools will have another snow day on Tuesday.
School was also cancelled today, which would have been the first day back from the winter break, due to the winter storm. Unlike students in Alexandria, Arlington students are so far not being required to attend virtual classes.
(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) Roads around Arlington are impassible, schools and the federal government are closed, and to make matters worse thousands of homes and businesses are without power throughout Arlington.
Amid the heavy, wet snow — some 6+ inches have fallen so far, with a couple of hours of additional snowfall expected — there have been numerous reports of branches snapping, trees falling and power lines down around the county. In some areas, power lines are sparking or on fire, with snow-laden branches leaning against them.
The County Board meeting scheduled for tonight is being delayed by one day.
The Board’s annual new year organizational meeting serves mostly as the appointment of a new chair and vice chair, and an opportunity for members to give speeches about their goals for the year ahead.
Local Closures Due to Winter Storm — In addition to Arlington Public Schools being closed due to today’s winter storm, Arlington County government has shifted to virtual operations, recreation centers and libraries are closed, and ART buses are operating on a severe service plan.
Federal Offices Are Closed, Too — From the U.S. Office of Personnel Management: “Federal offices in the DC area are CLOSED. Emergency and telework-ready employees must follow their agency’s policies.” [Twitter]
(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) A brief downturn in reported Covid cases in Arlington after Christmas was just that — brief.
With people returning from their holiday trips and testing locations back open, the Virginia Dept. of Health reported a new local record today for the seven-day moving average of daily cases.
Hotel Redevelopment Plan Paused — “The redevelopment of one of Arlington’s oldest hotels looks to be on hold indefinitely, as the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic disrupt the hospitality-focused project. Grant Investment Properties is asking county planners for more time to complete its overhaul of Rosslyn’s old Best Western Iwo Jima, now known as the Red Lion Hotel Rosslyn Iwo Jima, at 1501 Arlington Boulevard. A site plan for the project projected that it would be finished by March 2022, but the Chicago-based firm filed papers last week to ask for an extension through March 2025.” [Washington Business Journal]
Proposed APS Changes Questioned — “Based on feedback from the Arlington School Board, the Arlington Public Schools system is focusing on what they call more equitable grading practices. The preliminary proposal calls for: No late penalties for homework… No extra credit… Unlimited redoes and retakes on assignment… No grading for homework.” [WJLA, Washington Post]
Arlington police have not had much of a holiday break.
An eventful weekend has given way to a busy week, with three additional notable incidents over the past couple of days, each involving knife-wielding suspects.
