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Herring Admits to Wearing Blackface in College, Prompting Shock, Silence from Democrats

Published February 6, 2019 at 3:30PM | Updated February 6, 2019 at 4:08PM

Democrats across Virginia have been shocked by yet another scandal today (Wednesday), after Attorney General Mark Herring admitted that he also once donned blackface at a college party.

Herring called a sudden gathering with the General Assembly’s Legislative Black Caucus this morning to deliver the news, then released a statement to that effect shortly afterward. Herring said he dressed up in a wig “and brown makeup” in order to imitate a rap artist when he was in college, explaining it was due to a “callous and inexcusable lack of awareness and insensitivity to the pain my behavior could inflict on others.”

Crime Report: Man Arrested for Public Lewdness in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com

Published February 6, 2019 at 1:30PM | Updated July 18, 2024 at 10:06PM

File photo

A man was arrested in Shirlington over the weekend after allegedly masturbating in public.

Police were called to the 4200 block of Campbell Avenue on Saturday afternoon for a report of a “male suspect allegedly touching himself inappropriately.” Officers arrived on scene and “observed the suspect continue to touch himself inappropriately.”

Northam Signs Amazon Incentive Deal, Finalizing Key Piece of Plan to Bring Tech Giant to Arlington

By Alex Koma

Published February 6, 2019 at 11:00AM

Embattled Gov. Ralph Northam has signed a bill to send up to $750 million in incentive cash to Amazon, quietly sealing the oft-discussed deal to bring a new headquarters to Arlington.

Northam put pen to paper on the legislation last night, a day before it was set to become law without his signature. An identical companion bill is still pending in the state Senate, but Northam’s approval and the General Assembly’s overwhelming support of both pieces of legislation likely means its passage is a mere formality.

Legislation Allowing for New Regulation of Dockless Scooters, E-Bikes Gains Steam

By Alex Koma

Published February 6, 2019 at 9:00AM

New legislation working its way through the General Assembly could set new state standards around dockless scooters and e-bikes, giving localities like Arlington full authority to ban the vehicles on sidewalks and regulate where they’re parked.

A bill from Del. Todd Pillion (R-4th District) unanimously cleared the House of Delegates Monday (Feb. 4), setting the stage for state lawmakers to pass their first regulations governing the devices since they began popping up in Arlington and other urban communities around the state last summer.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published February 6, 2019 at 7:30AM | Updated February 6, 2019 at 8:48AM

Longtime Election Director Retiring — “Linda Lindberg, who has served for 16 years as elections chief in Arlington, on Feb. 2 formally announced she would not seek re-appointment and would retire over the summer. The move had been expected, and Lindberg’s service drew praise from members of the Arlington Electoral Board.” [InsideNova]

Northam Signs HQ2 Bill — “Amid fallout over a racist photo, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has signed legislation which would carry out the state’s promise to Amazon for up to $750 million in incentives if it creates almost 38,000 jobs at its new Arlington County headquarters.” [Washington Post, Washington Business Journal]

BREAKING: Lynn Street Closed After Explosion Heard in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published February 5, 2019 at 4:20PM | Updated February 5, 2019 at 5:16PM

Lynn Street closed due to a possible electrical explosion in Rosslyn

Update at 5:05 p.m. — Dominion has confirmed to authorities that the loud boom was caused by a malfunctioning underground transformer. Due to redundancies in Rosslyn’s electrical system, power has been restored to buildings affected by the outage, according to scanner traffic. Road closures are expected to be lifted soon.

Earlier: Arlington County Police have closed N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn to traffic and pedestrians after an explosion was heard in the area.

Lyon Park Woman Recounts Her Harrowing Jump from a Second-Floor Window to Escape a House Fire

By Alex Koma

Published February 5, 2019 at 3:30PM

A fire at a Lyon Park duplex (via @ArlingtonVaFD)

Nawal Rajeh was doing some housework and listening to an audiobook in the moments before her life turned upside down.

Rajeh’s home, a small duplex on N. Garfield Street in Lyon Park, caught fire back on Jan. 3, forcing her to jump from her second-story apartment to evade the blaze.

County Eyes Legal Action to Recover $200,000 Payment Connected to Canceled Land Deal

By Alex Koma

Published February 5, 2019 at 10:00AM

Arlington officials could soon be headed to court to claw back $200,000 the county handed over as part of a since-canceled agreement to buy a two-acre property in Fairfax County.

The County Board agreed back in 2016 to buy several parcels of land along the 6700 block of Electronic Drive in Springfield, with plans to use the property as space for a new maintenance facility for its Arlington Transit buses.

‘Never Let a Crisis Go to Waste’: Amazon Prompts Debate Over How to Make Arlington Homes Affordable

By Alex Koma

Published February 4, 2019 at 3:30PM | Updated October 17, 2022 at 11:27AM

Arlington leaders agree that Amazon’s impending arrival in the county demands urgent action to address housing affordability — but there’s a lot less agreement on what sort of policy response is necessary to hold down the area’s skyrocketing housing costs.

Some of the changes officials are envisioning are relatively modest ones, expanding on existing efforts that began long before the tech giant announced its plans to bring 25,000 workers to the area. After all, many have argued that the new headquarters set to pop up in Crystal City and Pentagon City won’t prompt the sort of explosion in gentrification that Amazon’s opponents fear.

BREAKING: Disturbing Video Prompts Arrest of Falls Church Teen

By ARLnow.com

Published February 4, 2019 at 2:05PM

The menacing video was posted on Instagram on Jan. 25, but the weapon was eventually determined to be an airsoft gun, not an actual firearm, and the teen “did not have the means to carry out a threat,” according to Arlington County Police.

The U.S. Secret Service brought the video to the attention of ACPD on the day it was posted. The subject of the video was identified and now faces a felony charge.

Arlington Democrats Join Near-Unanimous Calls for Northam to Resign, As Governor Presses to Stay

By Alex Koma

Published February 4, 2019 at 9:45AM

Gov. Ralph Northam continues to resist an overwhelming chorus of voices calling on him to resign his post today (Monday), including virtually all of Arlington’s Democratic leadership.

Northam, a Democrat, has experienced a dizzying reversal in his political fortunes since revelations late Friday that a photo of one man wearing a KKK uniform and another wearing blackface appeared on his medical school yearbook page.

UPDATED: Power Back on After Extended Outage in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Published February 4, 2019 at 8:35AM | Updated February 4, 2019 at 1:29PM

Power outage map for Ballston outage on Feb. 4, 2019

Update at 1:25 p.m. — Power was restored to the entire neighborhood as of 1 p.m., according to Dominion spokesman Charles Penn. The cause of the outage, he said, was an issue with an underground switch. The extended outage prompted many Ballston restaurants to remain closed during lunchtime.

Earlier: Numerous office buildings, apartment and condo towers, and traffic signals are in the dark this morning due to a power outage in Ballston.