(Updated at 10 a.m.) Though still well above the lows of earlier this summer, Arlington’s coronavirus metrics are slowly trending in the right direction.
Twenty new COVID-19 cases were reported in the county overnight, bringing the trailing seven-day total of new cases to 142, or just over 20 per day. It hit a summertime peak of about 25 cases per day one week ago.
Protest Outside Westover Post Office — About 15 protesters held a “Save the U.S. Postal Service” rally outside the Post Office at 5877 Washington Blvd in Westover yesterday. The two-hour lunchtime demonstration was organized as part of the American Postal Worker Union National Day of Action. [@KalinaNewman/Twitter]
Historic Review Board Likes Shirlington Plan — “The Arlington County government’s historic-preservation advisory body seems generally satisfied that retention of historic features will be seen as an important component of the redevelopment of the Village at Shirlington. In particular, the low-slung storefronts along Campbell Avenue are expected to be protected from the wrecking ball, even as taller and more dense development likely will be allowed immediately behind them.” [InsideNova]
(Updated at 4 p.m.) Men armed with a gun and a knife carjacked someone this afternoon in Crystal City.
The armed carjacking happened around 1:30 p.m., near the intersection of 15th Street S. and S. Bell Street — a block from the Crystal City Metro station.
AIM to Spotlight Arlington’s Black Community — “In 2018, Arlington native Wilma Jones published a book about the neighborhood she grew up in. My Halls Hill Family: More Than a Neighborhood details the evolution of a community of freed slaves, which was founded after the Civil War… Jones and Arlington Independent Media (AIM), a nonprofit organization, are launching a multi-part series called UNTOLD: Stories of Black Arlington.” [WDVM]
Interview with Interim Police Chief — “After 29 years with Arlington County, Virginia, Police, Deputy Chief Andy Penn knows a concerning trend when he sees one. Just weeks before moving into the role of interim chief, Penn said addressing an uptick in deadly overdoses was an immediate focus. As of Aug. 18, the county had lost 16 people to overdose deaths, according to Arlington County police data.” [WTOP]
A man was stabbed early Sunday morning after leaving a restaurant in the Buckingham neighborhood.
The incident happened shortly after 2 a.m. on the 200 block of N. Glebe Road. Arlington County police say two men approached a man after he walked out of a restaurant and stabbed him with a knife.
Marymount University students in Arlington are going back to class today.
The start of the fall semester for Marymount comes amid a backdrop of coronavirus outbreaks disrupting the start of school at other colleges and universities. UNC Chapel Hill and Notre Dame have shifted to online classes after outbreaks there; college outbreaks have been reported in at least 19 states, according to CNN.
(Updated at 10:35 a.m.) Seventeen new COVID-19 cases were reported in Arlington overnight as the county’s seven-day moving average held steady, below the summertime peak reached on Thursday.
Over the past seven days 154 new cases have been recorded in Arlington, compared to 176 as of Thursday — the highest point since the spring epidemic, which abated in late May and was followed by a sustained dip in cases that started to reverse around the beginning of July.
No Citations for Mass Gatherings in Arlington — “Gov. Ralph Northam is limiting social gatherings to 50% of event space capacity, or 250 people, whichever number is smaller. A spokesperson for Arlington County says ‘there have been no reports of social gatherings of this size’ in the locality. Arlington County’s police department has not issued any citations for mass gatherings, and has not levied any fines for people who flout rules regarding mask-wearing.” [DCist]
Prosecutor Explains Fight With Judges — “Taking the court to court to preserve the discretion of this office is the only way I know to protect the will of the voters who elected me. This is how we weave the quilt of criminal justice reform: each locality using its voice to demand change and put its values into elected offices. Town by town, county by county, we must fight to shape the communities in which we want to live.” [Washington Post]
Pentagon City was abuzz with security personnel today as President Trump delivered a speech to a conference at a local hotel.
The president spoke at the 2020 Council for National Policy conference, hosted in the ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. He arrived around 11:45 a.m. and spoke for more than an hour, before departing via motorcade back to the White House shortly after 1 p.m.
Andy Penn, a well-liked veteran of the Arlington County Police Department, will serve as acting chief after the retirement of Chief M. Jay Farr next month.
Penn, who started as an ACPD patrol officer in 1992 and has served as deputy chief since July 2015, will temporarily assume the top job on Saturday, Sept. 5. The department has launched a national search to find Farr’s permanent successor.
Someone smashed their way into several restaurants in the Crystal City area, at a time when many are struggling as a result of the pandemic.
The break-ins happened between Wednesday night and Thursday morning, in and around Crystal City. Among the victims was Bozzelli’s. The Italian restaurant and pizzeria, which has five outposts in D.C. and Northern Virginia, had the glass door of its 2600 Crystal Drive location smashed in, and cash and other items stolen.
(Updated at 9:50 a.m.) After holding steady for more than a week, the number of new coronavirus hospitalizations in Arlington have jumped over the past few days.
Eleven new hospitalizations have been reported since Tuesday, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. The cumulative total now stands at 448.
