News | ARLnow.com

County to Temporarily Resume Yard Waste Collection

Published May 4, 2020 at 5:35PM | Updated May 4, 2020 at 8:45PM

(Updated at 8:45 p.m.) After abruptly announcing a suspension of residential yard waste collection Friday afternoon, effective Monday, the county is backtracking a bit and resuming it for a week.

“Arlington’s residential trash contractor has identified enough staff to offer curbside yard waste collection during regular routes tomorrow May 5, through next Monday, May 11,” the Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services said in a tweet Monday afternoon. “The service will be temporarily suspended again beginning Tuesday, May 12.”

Governor: Easing of Business Closures May Be in Sight

By ARLnow.com

Published May 4, 2020 at 3:55PM | Updated May 4, 2020 at 5:19PM

(Updated at 5:20 p.m.) You might be able to get a haircut in Virginia by mid-month.

Gov. Ralph Northam held a press conference this afternoon in which he announced that “Phase 1” of the Commonwealth’s easing of restrictions is likely to start on Friday, May 15 — in about a week and a half. In the meantime, Northam extended the closure of non-essential businesses through May 14, and said his stay-at-home order will become a “safer at home” recommendation.

VDOT and Arlington County Considering Medians and Turn Restrictions for Route 50

By Vernon Miles

Published May 4, 2020 at 3:05PM

Median on Route 50 in Alternative 1 (image via VDOT)

Arlington and the Virginia Department of Transportation are looking at how to improve the situation along the notably crash prone stretch of Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) between Glebe Road and Fillmore Street.

Between 2014 and 2018, VDOT said there were 247 total crashes with 61 crashes resulting in injuries, a few severe but none resulting in fatalities. Most of these crashes were concentrated around intersections.

ACPD Arrests Four Occupants of Stolen Car with Helicopter Assist

By ARLnow.com

Published May 4, 2020 at 11:30AM

File photo

Four people were taken into police custody early Sunday morning after a license plate reader alerted an officer to a reported stolen vehicle.

The incident happened around midnight. Police say the driver of the stolen car took off after the officer attempted a traffic stop, then bailed out and fled on foot — along with three other vehicle occupants — near the intersection of 9th Street S. and S. Oakland Street, in the Alcova Heights neighborhood near Columbia Pike.

Arlington Coronavirus Cases Up 135 Since Friday

By ARLnow.com

Published May 4, 2020 at 10:00AM | Updated May 4, 2020 at 10:22AM

Coronavirus continues to spread in Arlington, as the rate of increase continues to rise steadily.

Over the weekend an additional 135 COVID-19 cases were reported, including 62 new cases on Sunday, Arlington’s highest one-day tally so far. There are now 1,139 known cases in Arlington, plus 194 hospitalizations, 47 deaths and 12 outbreaks, according to the latest Virginia Dept. of Health data.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 4, 2020 at 7:30AM

Lightning over Virginia Square and Ballston (photo courtesy @EthanDevries_/Twitter)

County May Get Million from CARES Act — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam “is considering a plan to distribute $3 billion of CARES cash using a formula that considers in economic need, a way to send more money to places like Lee County or Petersburg and less money to places like Alexandria and Arlington.” [@MichaelLeePope/Twitter, WVTF]

Arlington Trail Usage Way Up — “Trail counts are up 50% above average, on the weekends. Try an alternative route. Protect yourself and others by avoiding crowded trails.” [@BikeArlington/Twitter]

Arlington Planning Walk-Thru Coronavirus Testing Center

By Vernon Miles

Published May 1, 2020 at 5:00PM

During an online town hall discussion today, county officials announced that a new walk-thru testing center for COVID-19 is coming to Arlington.

Assistant County Manager Jim Schwartz said the county is currently planning to open the site somewhere on the southern side of Arlington County. The site would be an addition to other drive-thru locations currently operating in Arlington.

County Suspends Yard Waste Collection

By ARLnow.com

Published May 1, 2020 at 3:55PM

(Updated at 4 p.m.) With little notice, Arlington County is suspending its weekly collection of grass clippings, twigs and other yard waste.

The suspension is effective as of Monday, meaning that those whose green carts are already full will have to compost or figure out some other way to dispose of the contents.

Arlington Democrats Plan Candidate Forum for County Board Special Election

By ARLnow.com

Published May 1, 2020 at 3:15PM | Updated September 23, 2020 at 11:20AM

With a candidate filing deadline just a week away, Arlington Democrats are scrambling to nominate a candidate for the special election to fill Erik Gutshall’s former County Board seat.

Barring an intervention by state lawmakers and Gov. Ralph Northam, in support of which the local party has gathered more than 750 petition signatures, the nominee will be chosen by dozens of party insiders in a closed caucus next Wednesday.

Petition Against Amazon HQ2 Noise Attracts News Coverage

By ARLnow.com

Published May 1, 2020 at 12:35PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eVo6A3VOn8

A petition calling for Amazon to halt construction on its $2.5 billion HQ2 project in Pentagon City due to noise has attracted a raft of local media coverage.

Blue Angels, Thunderbirds to Fly Over Arlington on Saturday

By ARLnow.com

Published May 1, 2020 at 10:45AM

The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds will conduct a flyover of Arlington and the D.C. area around lunchtime tomorrow.

The Navy and Air Force demonstration squads will fly over the county twice between around 11:50 a.m.-12:05 p.m. on Saturday. A planned flightpath puts the jets over I-66 for the first flyover, and over Columbia Pike and the Pentagon for the second leg.

JUST IN: Coronavirus Cases in Arlington Top 1,000

By ARLnow.com

Published May 1, 2020 at 9:50AM

Arlington’s confirmed coronavirus case count topped the 1,000 mark Friday morning.

New data from the Virginia Dept. of Health reports 1,004 cases, 169 hospitalizations and 42 deaths in the county. That’s an increase of 37 cases, 2 hospitalizations and 1 death from Thursday.