Attorney General Jason Miyares today sued Michael D. Lansky, LLC, which does business under the name Avid Telecom, its owner Michael Lansky, and its Vice President Stacey S. Reeves, for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of illegal robocalls to millions of people and violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and other federal and state telemarketing and consumer laws.
“Avid Telecom refuses to stop their robocalls, despite receiving over three hundred warnings. They have routed nearly 235,000,000 calls to numbers with Virginia area codes. Avid Telecom even went as far as spoofing the Caller ID numbers of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, including the Virginia State Police. It’s obvious that the only way to get this organization to stop harassing Virginians is by taking them to court, and holding them accountable,” said Attorney General Miyares.
Today the local branch of the oldest and largest civil rights organization in America announced a $60,000 charitable contribution to EcoAction Arlington, which was founded in 1978 and whose mission focuses on encouraging environmentally-friendly behaviors, ensuring environmental justice, and addressing the climate crisis. The NAACP selected EcoAction Arlington through a strategic grant and partnership from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which has more than 17 million members and churches in over 30,000 locations across 160 countries and territories. While Arlington is the smallest self-governing county in America, disparities continue to impact communities of color in disparate ways. “Arlington has a 10 year life expectancy difference amongst its neighborhoods, and this donation will create focus and provide much needed tree canopy in places that have, for decades, been left out of the conversation,” said Branch President Michael Hemminger.
The NAACP Arlington Branch is one of the most active branches in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the Branch takes a comprehensive equity approach towards supporting disadvantaged neighborhoods through transitioning to green environments. “For years, EcoAction Arlington has been a committed partner in the furtherance of our mission, making them a natural fit for why we selected this non-profit as the recipient,” said Hemminger in a statement. The donation helps leverage additional resources with the goal of increasing the number of trees planted from current levels by approximately 500 trees a year for the next five years in Arlington’s historically disadvantaged communities.
AHC Inc.’s College and Career Readiness (CCR) program hosted its college signing day on May 5 – where students announced their college plans and showcased new T-shirts for their chosen colleges.
This year, the CCR program included 37 high school seniors and 32 juniors from lower-income homes. The students received acceptance from 156 out of the 257 schools they applied to and $13.3 million in gift aid and scholarships from those schools. Many students are the first generation in their families to reach this educational milestone.
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined 27 colleagues in introducing the Kids Online Safety Act, comprehensive bipartisan legislation to protect children online.
The Kids Online Safety Act provides young people and parents with the tools, safeguards, and transparency they need to protect against online harms. The bill requires social media platforms to by default enable a range of protections against addictive design and algorithmic recommendations. It also requires privacy protections, dedicated channels to report harm, and independent audits by experts and academic researchers to ensure that social media platforms are taking meaningful steps to address risks to kids.
April 27, 2023 – AHC Inc., a leading developer of affordable housing in Maryland and Virginia, today held its grand opening of The Terraces at Arlington View, a $40.8 million redevelopment of an affordable housing community located on the eastern end of Columbia Pike, at 1420 S. Rolfe Street. The Terraces includes 77 affordable apartments and more than doubles the number of homes from the previous building. The new community features many sustainable elements, including solar panels, a green roof, and electric charging stations.
Numerous local dignitaries attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, including Virginia State Senator Barbara Favola, State Delegate Alfonso Lopez and Arlington County Board members Christian Dorsey and Takis Karantonis.
Jamestown, a design-focused real estate investment and management firm, today announced a wave of new office leasing at Ballston Exchange, a mixed-use retail, dining, and office development in Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood. The three deals, which total nearly 30,000 square feet, will add to the dynamic workplace environment at the property and bring new career opportunities to the neighborhood.
“With its proximity to transit and expansive, tech-enabled common spaces, Ballston Exchange offers businesses a flexible and hyperconnected workplace environment,” said Mark Witschorik, Director of Asset Management for the Mid-Atlantic Region at Jamestown. “The property’s many indoor and outdoor common spaces and amenities, including the shared conference center and event space, provide tenants with added capacity to support their evolving and variable needs without investment in additional space, and that built-in flexibility is an amenity in its own right.”
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has forecast a Code Orange air day for the metropolitan Washington region tomorrow: Friday, April 21. Code Orange levels mean the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.
The region recorded its first Code Orange for the year on April 13.
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) joined Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and 12 colleagues in introducing a resolution that would designate April 2023 as “Preserving and Protecting Local News Month.” The resolution officially recognizes the role of local news as an essential function for democracy in the United States.
“In Virginia and across the country, local news outlets are relied on to keep our citizens informed, combat disinformation, and serve as a crucial check on our government institutions,” said Sen. Warner. “It is important that we continue to honor the hard work that local journalists do for our Commonwealth and for our democracy in the face of continued budget cuts, newsroom closures, and staff reductions that have made their work more challenging.”
Culpepper Garden, Arlington’s sole retirement community for low-income seniors, welcomed Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08) and Arlington County officials for a dedication ceremony in honor of the city’s first responders on Wednesday, April 12. Representatives from the county sheriff, police, fire, and emergency management departments joined Rep. Beyer to inaugurate the First Responders Garden in the garden to mark the contributions of first responders to the Arlington community.
“There is no better group to honor than these outstanding individuals who bring their professionalism and compassion with them every time they step into our buildings. We know when we see their vehicles, whatever the circumstance, they are there to serve and support,” said Culpepper Garden Executive Director Marta Hill Gray. “Our gratitude knows no bounds and in these times of much uncertainty we have chosen to dedicate our gardens to those who came before you, those of you who are with us today, and to those who will serve us in the future.”
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented a Spotsylvania, Va., woman from bringing her loaded handgun onto her flight early this morning (April 10). The .380 caliber gun was loaded with five bullets.
The weapon was caught as the woman entered the security checkpoint. The X-ray unit alerted on her handbag, which was searched and the firearm discovered inside a zippered pouch inside the purse. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police confiscated the gun and cited the woman on a weapons charge. The woman told officials she carries the gun for protection and forgot that she had her gun with her.
Today, Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) announced that the Arlington Presbyterian Church (APC) congregation has committed $200,000 to help low-income residents facing eviction remain in their homes at four APAH-owned properties along Columbia Pike. This funding will help eliminate outstanding rent balances for as many as 200 APAH residents and their families. The timing of the gift is critical, as multiple pandemic-era safety net programs that provided relief to struggling renters have ended.
“These relief programs provided lifelines for vulnerable residents to ensure their housing needs were met, and right now, low-income households everywhere are experiencing hardship now that the safety nets are no longer available,” said APAH President and CEO, Carmen Romero. “APAH is committed to ensuring that its residents have a stable place to call home and we are grateful to have a partner like Arlington Presbyterian Church who shares our mission. Our hope is that APC’s generosity inspires more community partners to join them in helping our neighbors remain housed.”
Today, Marymount University becomes the first higher education institution in the U.S. to have an on-campus convenience store powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology.
Located in the lobby of Gerard Phelan Hall on Marymount’s main campus in Arlington, the new convenience shop – Saints 24 – opens to the University community for the first time today. The implementation of Amazon’s cutting-edge Just Walk Out technology is designed to eliminate checkout lines and provide an effortless customer experience. Customers simply use their credit card at the entry gates of Saints 24, grab what they need and the technology automatically detects what is taken from (or returned to) store shelves, creating a virtual shopping cart. When customers have completed their shopping, they can leave the store without stopping to check out, and their credit card will be charged for the items they took.
