The National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) partnered with local stakeholders today to launch the “People Before Cars” Coalition to unite area organizations around shared priorities to create a safer and more accessible transportation network in National Landing.
Joining the BID in the Coalition are Sustainable Mobility for Arlington County, an advocacy organization that promotes smart transportation options for Arlingtonians; Arlington Families for Safe Streets, a community voice for infrastructure and policy changes towards more safe and equitable mobility; and Washington Area Bicyclist Association, a nonprofit with the goal of a just transportation system and JBG SMITH, National Landing’s largest property owner and developer whose projects are redefining the area’s built environment.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today announced the introduction of the Protecting Vulnerable Patients Act, which would require healthcare providers who see Medicare or Medicaid patients to be vaccinated following final FDA approval of a COVID vaccine. Beyer sits on the House Committee on Ways and Means, which has partial jurisdiction over health policy.
“America’s most vulnerable patients must be able to receiving medical treatment without fear that their health care provider will put them at heightened risk of a COVID-19 infection,” said Rep. Beyer. “From the beginning of this pandemic, our frontline health workers have shown heroism in combating the spread of this disease. Now that scientific progress has culminated in the development of a lifesaving vaccine, it is vital that we ensure everyone providing care in hospitals or other health settings is vaccinated. There is absolutely no reason why anyone who works in a medical setting with the most at-risk patients should remain unvaccinated given the overwhelming evidence that the vaccine is completely safe, drastically reduces the chances of spreading infection, and nearly eliminates the danger of hospitalization or death from COVID-19. My bill would take the commonsense step of requiring health care providers who receive federal dollars who treat patients covered by federal health programs to get vaccinated.”
Attorney General Mark R. Herring today urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to fight back against the scourge of illegal robocalls by moving up the deadline for smaller telephone companies to implement caller ID technology. Attorney General Herring joined a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general have in submitting comments to the FCC.
“Virginians continue to be plagued by illegal robocalls that are not only annoying but can also potentially scam consumers out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars,” said Attorney General Herring. “This technology has proven to be effective in reducing the number of robocalls that consumers receive, which is why I am calling on the FCC to move up the implementation date for smaller phone companies. My colleagues and I have worked tirelessly to put a stop to these annoying and illegal robocalls and protect consumers, but it’s imperative that tech companies doe their part as well.”
Andrew Darneille, owner and pitmaster of Arlington’s Smokecraft Modern Barbecue, along with his Smokecraft Championship BBQ team, has been invited to compete in the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue. Taking place in Lynchburg, TN on on October 8th and 9th, “The Jack” as it is known, is widely considered the world’s most pretigious barbecue competition, representing the best of the best in barbecue. To qualify, domestic teams must have won a state championship event with at least 25 competiting teams, or a competition with more than 50 teams battling in the categories of Pork Ribs, Pork Butts, Chicken and Beef Brisket. For 2021, 76 of the best teams in the world have been invited to compete (international teams were not selected this year due to international travel restrictions).
Smokecraft Championship BBQ Team are the reigning Maryland State Cup Champions, currently lead the MABA (Mid-Atlantic BBQ Association) Tier 2 Team of the Year Points, are winners of two Reserve Grand Championships in 2021, and qualified for “The Jack” by winning the Grand Championship at the New Holland Summerfest in 2019. The team has won over 100 awards since 2018, with 26 Top-10 Finishes in 2021. Last year’s “Jack” was cancelled due to COVID.
Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall will hold a routine training event for its first responders Wednesday, Aug. 4, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Myer side of the base.
Wright Gate, located at N. Meade Street and Marshall Drive in Arlington, will be closed from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. in support of the training. Individuals needing to access the joint base during this time are asked to use the main gate, Hatfield Gate at Washington Blvd. and 2nd Street, or Henderson Hall’s Gate 1, at Southgate Road and S. Orme Street. Henderson Hall’s Gate 1 may only be used by those with authorized access.
U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents the largest number of federal employees of any member of the U.S. House of Representatives, today hailed the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of a new requirement a requirement that all federal employees and contractors receive COVID-19 vaccinations or be tested regularly.
Beyer said:
On July 26, Livability22202 and the Arlington Friends of Urban Agriculture, with support from the National Landing BID and Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation, hosted an inauguration ceremony for the Highlands Urban Garden (HUG), the National Landing community’s demonstration urban garden.
Local residents, neighborhood leaders and stakeholders attended the ceremony, which thanked donors and volunteers and introduced HUG to the community. Arlington County Board Member Libby Garvey provided remarks and following the speakers, volunteers harvested the produce that was available for donation.
The Lee Highway Alliance (LHA) Board has unanimously voted to rename itself the Langston Boulevard Alliance (LBA), following the change in the name of the roadway itself that was approved by the Arlington County Board on July 17, 2021.
The renaming of both the Alliance and Lee Highway comes after nearly one year of community outreach, discussions, name vetting, and planning led by LBA’s Working Group. LBA is proud to bear the name of John Mercer Langston, the American abolitionist who became Virginia’s first Black Congressman in 1888, established Howard University’s School of Law and served as its Dean in the 1870s, and was the Inspector General of Arlington’s Freedman’s Bureau in the 1860s.
Arlington County is misusing taxpayer resources and county bandwidth to actively promote a partisan campaign rally. One-party rule in Arlington continues to produce a lack of accountability for our elected leaders and county officials. Not only are they actively promoting a political event, they also went a step further to link to the event RSVP page. Tens of thousands of Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and Greens certainly object to this blatant misuse of taxpayer resources and county bandwidth. But it’s not surprising to see the Democratic Establishment once again put their finger on the scale for their preferred political outcome.
Arlington Republicans are working around the clock to turn out voters for Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin and our Republican candidates up and down the ballot. This desperate, coordinated attempt between County leaders and the Arlington Democrats to drive up Democratic votes in Arlington will only serve to drive Republicans to work harder to elect Glenn Youngkin and our entire Republican slate.
NAACP National challenged our over 2,200 units across America to advocate for meaningful civilian oversight boards with subpoena power. During the past 12 months, leaders of Arlington Branch NAACP, our allies, stakeholders, and citizens have worked diligently to ensure this Call to Action was accomplished. Despite the County Board’s recent adoption of a Community Oversight Board (COB) ordinance, we are disappointed that the County Board refused to adopt the General Assembly-approved authority for the COB to be truly independent and to make binding disciplinary determinations. Nevertheless, we will work with all parties to ensure that the process is equitable and transparent. Most striking to many was how during the County Board’s discussions, the wellness and morale of police officers under investigation outweighed the human rights of the most marginalized. The Board should have prioritized the concerns of communities of Color that are discriminated against and have been historically victimized by improper policing. The County Board’s failure to do so demonstrates their disconnect with the people they swore to serve.
What remains problematic to us is the failure of elected leaders to embrace the moment and fully adopt authorities granted in § 9.1-601. Law-enforcement civilian oversight bodies which authorizes the following:
The Arlington Professional Firefighters & Paramedics Association sent a letter on Monday to County Manager Mark Schwartz that constitutes its petition for an election to be the exclusive bargaining agent for the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Bargaining Unit as defined in legislation passed July 17.
The association urged the manager to hold an election at the earliest possible opportunity, opening the door to contract talks before the end of the year.
The Sycamore School (TSS) announced today that it has earned accreditation by Cognia™, a nonprofit organization that provides quality assurance for schools, school districts, and education service providers.
“After a detailed evaluation process, The Sycamore School is proud to receive accreditation from Cognia in our first year of eligibility,” said Dr. Karyn Ewart, Founder and Head of School at TSS. “It demonstrates our commitment to excellence and high standards, offering our students engaging and individualized learning opportunities that meet the needs of our community.”
