For the fourth time in the past five days, the number of new coronavirus infections reported in Arlington today was in the single-digits.
The seven new confirmed COVID-19 cases recorded overnight brings the county’s cumulative total to 2,438 and its trailing seven-day total to 66, the lowest point since late March.
Sheriff Appoints New Corrections Director — “Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur has announced the appointment of Major Gretchen Foster as the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office Director of Corrections, effective Monday, June 22. Foster is the first female Director of Corrections in Arlington’s history.” [Arlington County]
Route 50 Blocked By Police Activity — A portion of Route 50 was blocked near Rosslyn yesterday afternoon after police conducted a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle. The car had been reported stolen by a rental car company, a police spokeswoman said. [Twitter]
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) All of Virginia will enter Phase 3 of the reopening on Wednesday, July 1, Gov. Ralph Northam announced this afternoon.
Northam said that statewide coronavirus infection and hospitalization data is trending in the right direction, and the state has ample hospital bed availability and supplies of personal protective equipment, allowing a wider business reopening. Arlington and Northern Virginia entered Phase 2 of the reopening on Friday, June 12.
For the second time, someone has vandalized a Black Lives Matter sign at Rock Spring Congregational church in North Arlington.
Sometime between last night and noon today, someone cut out the word “Black” in the sign at the corner of Rock Spring Road and Little Falls Road.
Update on 6/24/20 — Schaeffer just announced his retirement.
Earlier: Shirlington-based Signature Theatre says newly-revealed sexual assault allegations against its leader “are false, misleading and without merit.”
A 19-year-old South Carolina man was arrested after a carjacking near Shirlington last night.
The carjacking happened around 8:30 p.m., at a gas station at the corner of S. Four Mile Run Drive and S. Walter Reed Drive. The suspect drove the victim’s car into Fairfax County but a short time later drove back into Arlington, leading to an attempted traffic stop from which the suspect fled, according to ACPD.
GOP Senate Primary Today — “Three Republican candidates for U.S. Senate in Tuesday’s Virginia primary are hoping to win a chance to defeat incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner in November’s general election. Alissa Baldwin, Daniel Gade and Thomas Speciale will be on the Republican primary ballot.” [The Center Square]
Pike Housing Proposal Delayed Amid Outcry — “Faced with criticism on multiple fronts, Arlington County Board members on June 16 essentially threw a staff proposal under the bus, delaying for three months consideration of a controversial plan on how to prioritize affordable housing in the Columbia Pike corridor… It would have increased the maximum threshold, from the current 60 percent of area median income to up to as much as 100 percent, for individuals to qualify for assistance in buying properties.” [InsideNova]
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) On Friday, Arlington County workers — dispatched after a resident complained — power washed away a girl’s Black Lives Matter chalk art from in front of her Boulevard Manor home. After an uproar, the county later apologized.
A memo from County Manager Mark Schwartz, sent to county employees on Saturday and obtained by ARLnow, shows some of the internal soul searching that followed the incident.
Metro plans to reopen the Clarendon and Virginia Square Metro stations in Arlington, starting Sunday.
The stations — along with 15 others throughout the Metrorail system — closed in late March as the pandemic caused ridership to plummet and Metro started rationing cleaning supplies. Most are set to reopen this weekend.
For the time being, the Marine Corps Marathon is still expected to be held this fall. But a companion 10K race was just nixed.
Marathon organizers say both the MCM Kids Run and the MCM10K are being removed from the lineup for marathon weekend — Oct. 24-25 — and instead turned into virtual events.
You might have trouble trying to reach Arlington County via phone today.
The county government has been experiencing technical difficulties with its phone lines since earlier this morning.
Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard are still separate neighborhoods — but the business improvement district that serves them has a new name today.
The Crystal City Business Improvement District has been officially renamed the National Landing Business Improvement District. The BID has a new website, a new video and a new logo, which gives a visual nod to the area’s “Metrorail lines… abundant natural green spaces and parks, and the water of the Potomac River nearby.”
