ARLINGTON, Va. – Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers caught an Arlington County, Virginia, man with a 9mm handgun loaded with seven bullets including one in the chamber at a Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport security checkpoint early this morning, Monday, Feb. 8.
A TSA officer spotted the handgun on the checkpoint X-ray machine’s monitor as the man’s carry-on items were being screened. TSA immediately alerted Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police, which responded to the checkpoint, confiscated the weapon and questioned the man, who was cited on a local charge. He is facing stiff Federal civil penalties for bringing a loaded gun to an airport security checkpoint.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), issued the following statement today after the announcement by Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Schumer that his constituent, Officer Brian Sicknick, would lie in honor at the United States Capitol Rotunda before receiving burial honors at Arlington National Cemetery:
“Officer Brian Sicknick’s service and sacrifice will never be forgotten. These honors, accorded to few, are richly deserved by one who gave his life in defense of American democracy. As we remember his heroism and mourn his loss, I hope everyone will hold the Sicknick family in their hearts.”
Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) announced today that they will reintroduce their Federal Police Camera and Accountability Act, which would require uniformed federal police officers, including U.S. Capitol Police, to wear body cameras and have dashboard cameras in police vehicles. Last Congress, their bill was included in the House-passed George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. The District of Columbia and Fairfax County both require officers to wear body cameras and have dashboard cameras in marked vehicles.
“There is an urgent need for this bill,” Norton said. “Capitol Police tried to stop last week’s mob attack on the Capitol, but without body cameras, we have been forced to rely on social media streams, cameras in the Capitol and pubic reporting to learn what happened. The events at Lafayette Square last year, where U.S. Park Police and other federal police officers forcibly removed peaceful protestors so the President could hold a photo op, is another recent example of why our bill is needed. Body and dashboard cameras have long been used by local police and are appreciated by both officers and the public. There is no reason federal police officers should not also be using body and dashboard cameras.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today congratulated his departing Chief of Staff, Tanya Bradsher, who was appointed by President-elect Joe Biden to serve as Senior Director for Partnerships and Global Engagement on the National Security Council. Beyer also announced staffing changes as a result of her departure.
“Everyone who knows Tanya knows she is a wonderful person who is bound for greatness. I wish her all the best as she continues her already-storied career of service to this country. I can’t fault President-elect Biden for stealing my Chief of Staff, he showed excellent judgment in hiring her. I will feel safer knowing that Tanya is playing this important role on the National Security Council, but I also hope that she visits us on the Hill, because we will miss her.”
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued the following statement after violent insurrectionists invaded the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the peaceful transfer of power:
“Donald Trump is a danger to our democracy. I continue to support his impeachment and removal from office, and am looking carefully at new articles of impeachment being drafted and offered by my colleagues. Impeachment, however, would require the cooperation of Senate Republicans who have always protected Trump in the past. The 25th Amendment can only be invoked by the Vice President with the concurrence of the Cabinet.
OrthoVirginia is pleased to announce the acquisition of Optimal Physical Therapy in Arlington, VA. This merger allows more continuity of care for patients as well as improves access to physical therapy services.
This location is the 10th OrthoVirginia physical therapy office in Northern Virginia and is open Monday – Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The office is conveniently located above the Rosslyn Metro Station.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued the following statement after the release of a recording of a January 2nd call between President Donald Trump, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and their attorneys and staff:
“The recording released yesterday establishes beyond a doubt that Donald Trump used the power of his office to threaten election officials, and to coerce them into committing criminal acts to overturn the election results. This clearly warrants a criminal investigation.
Rep. Don Beyer this week introduced the COVID-19 Long Haulers Act, which would authorize and fund research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PICORI) to benefit so-called “long haulers,” people who experience long term effects of COVID-19 infections. From the beginning of the pandemic medical researchers have documented a wide array of lingering conditions affecting patients long after they recover from initial infection, but leading public health officials say more research is needed to fully understand and respond to the phenomenon.
“Over ten months after coronavirus was first documented in the United States, some of the worst suffering is still being borne by people who got sick and recovered from their initial infections early in the year,” said Beyer. “Given the alarming pace of the virus’ spread right now, we may see significant proliferation of individuals suffering long term effects of coronavirus infections. We need to do everything we can as soon as we can to help those people, and to get a handle on this problem. My bill would make major investments in research funding at leading institutions, and make this a major priority for American medical research.”
Clarendon Presbyterian Church (CPC) recently announced that it will continue holding monthly Drive-thru Food and Toiletry Collections to support our neighbors who are experiencing homelessness. Since the first Collection in June through the most recent one in December, the community donated the equivalent of 756 brown paper bags of groceries – an estimated value of $30,000.
The Drive-thru Collections are held on the second Saturday of every month (weather permitting) from 9:00 AM to Noon, with curbside drop-off outside the church and masks and social distancing required. The next event will be January 9.
Arlington Thrive met an unprecedented wave of requests for direct emergency assistance in 2020, as dual pandemic and economic crises threatened both health and home for Arlington County’s most vulnerable residents. The nonprofit organization that has provided direct emergency financial support for more than 45 years answered requests for help with crisis cash that was seven times greater than the amount provided in fiscal 2019.
“The need is greater, but so is our community’s generosity,” said Andrew Schneider, Executive Director of Arlington Thrive. “Even though requests for help have eclipsed anything we’ve seen in the past, we’ve also seen the investment from Arlington County leadership and a spirit of giving rise to meet the unspeakable pain and desperation that too many of our neighbors are experiencing.”
The Arlington-based nonprofit organization, Latinas Leading Tomorrow (LLT) announced their latest financial contribution from the Arlington Women’s Civic Alliance (AWCA) to support LLT’s leadership training and college readiness programs. The $8,000 one-time grant from AWCA will contribute to LLT’s leadership and college-bound initiatives for more than 60 girls in grades 8-11 during the 2020-21 school year. The grant is one of two awards given in 2020 to organizations that align with AWCA’s mission of providing programmatic and financial support, as well as volunteer services to Arlington community projects.
“Latinas Leading Tomorrow is honored to receive this grant from the Arlington Women’s Civic Alliance to support our ELITE leadership program which encourages young Latinas to excel in high school and go on to earn a college degree,” said Madeline LaSalle, founder and Board of Directors Chair. “The impact of our ELITE program is gaining momentum as many of our LLT alumni are returning as college graduates and young professionals eager to share their stories and serve as role models and mentors to our young students. It means a great deal for our program to have the support from AWCA and women leaders who are invested in our community’s future.”
In what has been perhaps the most challenging semester for U.S. higher educational institutions in recent memory, Marymount University has successfully navigated the Fall 2020 academic semester as planned without any disruptions to its hybrid learning format or in-person living.
From mid-August, when residential students first started to move back to campus, to today, only 86 positive cases of COVID-19 have been identified among Marymount community members. The combined population of students, faculty and staff is approximately 4,000, meaning that the infection rate University-wide over a four-month period is approximately just two percent.
