News
Ground floor of the Bozman Government Center in Courthouse (courtesy George Brazier)

APS Nixing ‘Grandfather In’ — Arlington Public Schools’ leadership is eliminating use of the phrase “grandfathered in” to describe students allowed to remain at a school after redistricting takes place. To some, the phrase is connected to the Jim Crow era. In its place will be “short-term exemptions.” –Scott McCaffrey

Street Race on Key Bridge — “A video of a street race in D.C. is going viral just days after Elon Musk reshared a similar video in Virginia. The video is less than 30 seconds and shows what appears to be a black Lamborghini racing a black Tesla with a Trump flag hanging out of the window on the Key Bridge.” [Fox 5, Twitter]

Yet Another Gun Caught at DCA — “An Annandale, Va., woman was cited by police after Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport intercepted a firearm among her carry-on items at one of the airport checkpoints on Thursday (October 31). The 9mm handgun was loaded with 12 bullets and was the fifth firearm that TSA officers detected at the airport during October.” [Press Release]

Rosslyn Crash on Camera — From Dave Statter: “This was a crash last night at the intersection of EB Langston Blvd and N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn (at the I-66E on-ramp). The car on Lynn clearly went through a red light at slow speed. But there’s more to this crash than just a red light runner that should be a warning for everyone driving here.” [Twitter]

Bar Foundation to Bestow Honor — Local attorney Mark Cummings will receive the 2024 William Winston Award, the highest accolade of the Arlington County Bar Foundation, for his professional achievements and civic service. The event will be held Tuesday, Nov. 19 at Washington Golf & Country Club; luncheon tickets are $60. [ACBF]

Check Your Smoke Alarms — “A working smoke detector reduces the risk of a deadly fire in your home by 50%, according to national studies and local departments. With daylight saving time ending Sunday, homeowners are being reminded to do their twice-yearly checks to ensure their smoke alarms are working.” [WTOP]

Safe Driving Reminder — “Shorter daylight hours in the fall and winter mean reduced visibility on many parts of our roads. With the end of daylight saving time this Sunday, Nov. 3, it’s especially important to be extra vigilant while driving in dark conditions. Arlington’s Vision Zero traffic safety team notes that pedestrian crashes in the dark are twice as likely to happen between the months of October-February.” [Arlington County]

Preparing for Winter Weather — “As the brightly colored leaves drop off trees, that means snowy weather is not far away. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is stocked and ready for the winter ahead, and motorists are partners in making this season a safe one. VDOT has equipment, materials and staffing in place for the first wintery weather forecast so that it can provide roadway treatment and plowing as weather requires.” [Press Release]

It’s Monday — Expect a partly sunny day with a high near 63, and a light southeast wind between 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Monday night brings patchy fog between 1 am and 4 am, but it will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 53 and a southeast wind at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]

Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.


Opinion

This week, we invited the candidates running for local office in the Nov. 5 General Election to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.

Below is the unedited response from Rep. Don Beyer, who is running for reelection to the House of Representatives – 8th District as a Democrat. It is posting late after it was discovered to have been submitted before our deadline, but erroneously marked as spam by Gmail.


Sponsored

This column is sponsored by Arlington Arts/Arlington Cultural Affairs, a division of Arlington Economic Development.

Looking for engaging Earth Day activities for the whole family?

Look no further than Earth Day Every Day on Langston Boulevard, a day-long street festival filled with live music, delicious food, children’s art activities, environmental education opportunities and a sustainable art market. The event runs from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 26, at the Lee Heights Shops, 4500 Cherry Hill Rd.

Hosted by the Langston Boulevard Alliance, with programming and marketing support from founding partner Arlington Arts, Earth Day Every Day on Langston Boulevard offers a chance for the entire Arlington community to unite in celebrating our local environment and the planet itself. Take a look at a news segment on last year’s festival below! (more…)


Opinion

This week, we invited the candidates running for local office in the Nov. 5 General Election to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.

Below is the unedited response from Bentley Hensel, who is running for House of Representatives – 8th District as an Independent


Announcement

Is your summer camp calendar still open? Consider Art House 7 for your kids, a creative, well-loved space with a fabulous range of quality summer camps for ages 5-14. Your kids will love the imaginative themes and fun teachers. We’ll be making pottery, painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpting. Among our camp themes: modern masters of art, “green” art, animals, fairytales, and folk stories. Our weekly camps are morning or afternoon, Monday-Friday.

Art House 7 is near the Lee Harrison Shopping Center in Arlington. We have a 2-story studio and free parking.


Opinion

This week, we invited the candidates running for local office in the Nov. 5 General Election to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.

Below is the unedited response from Jerry Torres, who is running for House of Representatives – 8th District as a Republican


Opinion

This week, we invited the candidates running for local office in the Nov. 5 General Election to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.

Below is the unedited response from David Kennedy, who is running for House of Representatives – 8th District as an Independent


Sports

A strong start on offense and big defensive play near the end of the football game propelled the Bishop O’Connell Knights to a road victory on Saturday (Nov. 2).

Visiting O’Connell (2-7, 1-2) led from start to finish but had to hang on to defeat the Bishop Ireton Cardinals, 17-13, in a Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) Metro Division high-school contest in Alexandria.


News

Some say requiring real-time, in-person authorization of tows from private property is a needed consumer protection.

Others, however, believe it can endanger those working in local retail outlets, apartment-management offices and other front-line businesses.


Sports

The Washington-Liberty Generals and Yorktown Patriots have reached the semifinals of the 6D North Region girls field-hockey tournament.

In order for the Arlington rivals to meet in the championship match on Wednesday (Nov. 6), the high-school teams have to win matches set for Monday (Nov. 4) at 7 p.m. Yorktown (14-3) will host the Madison Warhawks (16-3) and W-L (13-6) will play at the defending champion Oakton Cougars (18-2).


News

A coalition of environmental advocacy groups is hoping recent controversy over tree-clearing along the Potomac River leads to creative thinking about the future.

Leaders of nine organizations dispatched a letter to Christine Smith, acting director of the National Park Service’s George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP). While much of the letter focused on the tree-clearing matter, there also was a call for ways to atone and move forward.