Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Chair of the House Aviation Subcommittee, and Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) introduced the National Aviation Preparedness Plan Act of 2020, legislation to require the development of a national aviation preparedness plan for future public health emergencies. The bill builds on similar language Larsen championed in the House-passed HEROES Act and the Healthy Flights Act of 2020.
“Lessons learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic show the urgent need for a national aviation preparedness plan to ensure the safety of aviation crews, employees and passengers and restore confidence in air travel,” said Chair Larsen. “This bill will bring federal agencies, frontline aviation workers and other key stakeholders to the table to develop a clear, comprehensive plan of action for future outbreaks.”
Last night, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 34th Annual Arlington Best Business Awards at the Crowne Plaza Crystal City-Washington, D.C., in a hybrid format that allowed attendees to join in person and virtually. The Best Business Awards are presented to area businesses that consistently deliver exceptional quality of service to their customers, are industry leaders or offer a unique approach to delivery of goods or services, achieve significant growth or stability over the lifetime of their business, display an interest and concern for the success of the Arlington community, and demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The 2020 Best Business Award winners are:
We love our icons, don’t we? They may be silver screen legends, or boundary-breaking journalists. Maybe their voice is the soundtrack of our lives? But it may surprise you how many of them are from Arlington. As our region enters Phase Two of reopening, commuters will see the latest Art on the ART Bus installation, POP ARLINGTON by Ryan Carroll Nelson, featuring six original illustrations which relate the story of famous people who called Arlington home. The placards were installed during the week beginning October 8, 2020.
The Washington DC metropolitan area has long been an international crossroads. Still, it is surprising how many notables had significant ties to Arlington. For this installation, we decided to narrow it down to people who were either born or raised here, or put down roots and made their mark in their field while living in Arlington: actress/dancer Shirley MacLaine, singer/songwriter Roberta Flack, actress Sandra Bullock, actor Warren Beatty, journalist Katie Couric and singer/songwriter Ian Mackaye. Each subject’s story is conveyed in two adjacent panels that illustrate their journey and their relationship to Arlington.
McEnearney Associates is excited to announce a new office location in the heart of Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia located at 3033 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA, 22201. This will be McEnearney Associate’s second office location in Arlington.
The new space will allow McEnearney Associates to better meet the needs of clients while expanding their footprint in the Northern Virginia region.
The Arlington County Board today accepted a $100,000 donation from Amazon to support the County’s efforts to advance racial equity.
The donation will help support the County’s Dialogues on Race and Equity, community conversations that are part of Arlington’s broader commitment to racial equity. The virtual conversations will offer opportunities for individuals, local faith groups, civic organizations, and community leaders to learn about and address ways in which Arlington can be a more equitable and inclusive place.
Arlington, Va., October 21, 2020 – With the vast majority of schools across the U.S. continuing to offer distance learning as their only student instructional model during the COVID-19 pandemic, working parents are feeling the pain. A new national poll of the U.S. workforce indicates that 65 percent of employees with children in remote learning situations are feeling burnout.
Even for workers without remote learning children, the burnout levels also are high – at 52 percent. Among workers who are burnt out, many attribute the stress to the COVID-19 pandemic – 42 percent for workers with remote learning situations and 28 percent for those without children in remote learning.
The Sycamore School (TSS), an independent nonprofit school serving 5th-12th grades, has invested in a year-long contract with nationally regarded educator and trainer Dr. Deborah Stroman as part of their continuing commitment to address issues of systemic racism. Dr. Stroman, of the University of North Carolina, will be working with students, staff, and parents on anti-racism education, training and guidance. Through a series of facilitated discussions and listening sessions, Dr. Stroman will focus on strategies that engender intention, innovation, and change.
The partnership will complement the school’s efforts to provide educational resources that offer a global perspective on history and highlight underrepresented voices. It also underscores the school’s support of students and staff on their personal journey toward increased self-awareness and their on-going efforts to create an inclusive community. Dr. Stroman will also serve as a consultant to school administrators as they increase student and staff diversity.
Judge John A. Gibney, Jr. in the Eastern District of Virginia has approved Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s agreement that extends the deadline for voter registration by two days, through 11:59 PM on October 15, because of a registration system outage that lasted several hours, preventing Virginians from registering to vote on the final day before the deadline. Under the terms of the consent decree, Attorney General Herring has said that the Commonwealth will “take all action necessary to extend the October 13, 2020 registration deadline until 11:59 pm on Thursday, October 15, 2020.”
“Today’s agreement to extend the voter registration deadline is a big win for democracy. Any eligible Virginian who was not able to register to vote yesterday can now do so,” said Attorney General Herring. “I have made it a top priority over the last several months to protect Virginians’ right to vote by making it as easy, safe and secure as possible, and this agreement is no different. I will continue to fight to make sure that every eligible Virginian can vote in this crucial election and that their vote will count.”
U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) today called for a court order to extend Virginia’s voter registration deadline following extended disruptions of the Virginia Department of Elections website on the final day of registration. Their statement came as the Virginia Information Technologies Agency said it could provide “no estimated time of restoration” to state technology services brought down by a severed fiber in Chester, Virginia.
They said:
Attorney General Mark R. Herring issued the below statement following the news that the FBI uncovered threats to Governor Northam:
“Words have consequences. When we have a President who regularly spews hate and openly incites violence, people can be put in serious danger. From day one, President Trump has used his platform as Commander-in-Chief to vilify his opponents and to urge his supporters to go after anyone who may disagree with them, and that includes both state and national leaders. This kind of harmful rhetoric further divides our country and it needs to stop now before more Americans are hurt.
Today, The Mayhood Company, the sales team for Pierce, announced strong early sales for The Highlands’ luxury condominium tower. The most anticipated luxury condominium offering in Rosslyn, VA, Pierce brings resort-level amenities that foster a luxurious lifestyle within a connected urban environment in the heart of Arlington. Standing at 27 stories tall, Pierce will feature 104 modern residences with floor-to-ceiling windows that boast plentiful natural light and unbeatable views of the Potomac River, downtown Washington, and the Virginia countryside.
Strong early interest in Pierce has resulted in over $18.7 million in sales by The Mayhood Company since launching sales in August, including the sale of one of two top-of-the-market penthouse residences. Pierce’s sales gallery, located at 1525 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn, gives buyers a glimpse into the forthcoming homes that offer top-of-the-line finishes with best-in-class amenities like the luxury club room and two-story fitness center. Individual, socially-distant tours of the sales gallery are available by appointment.
Following an investigation by Attorney General Mark R. Herring’s animal law unit, Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, has been charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, and Keith A. Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park, has been charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanor counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
Additionally, two of Doc Antle’s daughters have also been charged: Tawny Antle has been charged with one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of violating the Endangered Species Act, and Tilakum Watterson has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and two misdemeanor counts of violating the Endangered Species Act. Antle, Wilson, and Antle’s daughters were all charged by the Grand Jury of Frederick County.
