(Updated at 11:30 a.m.) After peaking last week at just under 100 cases per day, the average rate of new coronavirus cases in Arlington has dropped by 25%.
The seven-day trailing average currently stands at 72 cases per day. Forty-nine new cases were reported Friday, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the county over the course of the pandemic to 7,710.
(Updated 02/08/21) The Arlington County Board has scheduled a public hearing on proposed changes to the Residential Parking Program for its regular meeting on Feb. 20.
But Board members are open to pushing off the hearing further to engage more people and give residents more time to digest the changes.
Cristol Recovering from Surgery — County Board member Katie Cristol was absent from this week’s Board meeting. She is on medical leave after surgery to treat Graves’ disease, she said. [Twitter]
Axios Makes Local News Moves — Clarendon-based media company Axios has purchased North Carolina-based Charlotte Agenda as it makes a push into local news. [New York Times]
The County Board approved a test of surge-price parking in Arlington on Tuesday, after discussing the potential impacts on people with lower incomes.
The $5.4 million project is funded by VDOT, and the funds are expected to cover everything from developing to installing the needed parking software and hardware. Drivers will find this new type of parking on the streets in the Rosslyn-Ballston and Crystal City-Pentagon City corridors.
(Updated at 2 p.m.) Plans to demolish Alpine Restaurant on Lee Highway have been approved, inching forward the planned construction of The Children’s School daycare facility.
Despite the approval, the permit to demolish the building at 4770 Lee Highway, held by Trinity Group Construction, has yet to be issued.
Construction has wrapped up on one of Amazon’s new, temporary office buildings in Crystal City.
The renovation project, part of developer JBG Smith’s extensive development plan for the area, helped to modernize the office building’s 273,000 square feet of space while giving the exterior a shiny new glass-and-steel look.
Vaccinations are underway at Virginia Hospital Center.
Healthcare workers at Arlington hospital are receiving some of the first does of the recently-authorized Pfizer vaccine.
Arlington County is the safest city in the country, according to national data compiled by the website MoneyGeek.
Arlington beat out 303 localities for the distinction by having the lowest societal cost of crime, estimated at $132 per person — or $31.3 million total — in 2019.
Schools Closed, Federal Gov’t on Delay — Due to anticipated icy conditions this morning, Arlington Public Schools has closed schools, though distance learning is still on. Federal government offices have a 10 a.m. delayed opening. [Twitter, Twitter]
Arlington Xmas Decorations Go Viral — Two Arlington homes, next door to one another, have very different approaches to holiday decorating, as seen in a tweet that went viral. [Twitter]
Arlington had its first measurable snowfall of the season today, offering some natural beauty before the sleet and rain washed much of it away.
Snow started falling from the overcast sky around 10:30 a.m. today, and small crystals turned into big flakes by noon. The roads, some treated and some not, became slick as the afternoon went on.
A 33-year-old man has been arrested and charged with dragging an Arlington County police officer with his car after being pulled over for speeding on I-66.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on eastbound I-66, near Spout Run Parkway, and drew a large police response.
The County Board has granted restaurant and bar owners more leeway as to where they can set up and winterize outdoor seating.
Owners will now be able to set up temporary outdoor seating areas — or TOSAs — in common areas, such as plazas, following a vote during the recessed County Board meeting on Tuesday.
