Press Releases

Street Guys Hospitality, renowned for its neighborhood restaurants that offer set price, next-level Balkan & Mexican dining without limits, is stepping up with a plan to help feed the communities it serves while supporting its staff members during this crisis. Considering the devastating COVID-19 outbreak in Washington, D.C., Founder & CEO Ivan Iricanin is offering large, value-driven, family-style meals, served in a catering format, while also enacting an employee relief fund to support his front and back of house who have been affected greatly as result of his restaurant closures.

“We care deeply about our staff and want to do everything we can to assist them during this difficult time,” says Ivan Iricanin. “Therefore, 100% of gift card sales purchased through April 12, 2020, will go towards our newly enacted employee relief fund, which helps to pay insurance premiums and provide daily meals for our staff.” Gift cards can be purchased directly from the restaurant websites and can be redeemed at any of the following Washington-area establishments once restaurants are able to reopen for business: Ambar, Ambar Clarendon, BABA, Tacos, Tortas and Tequila (TTT), Buena Vida Silver Spring, Buena Vida Clarendon and TTT Mexican Diner.

Effective Friday, March 27, most Giant Food stores will adjust hours of operations to be open from 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. All Giant Food 24-hour locations will remain open 24 hours. The decreased hours at most locations will give Giant Food store teams additional time to replenish and thoroughly clean the store, as they balance the demands of a significant increase in consumer needs. The first hour of operations, 6:00-7:00 a.m. is reserved for senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals, including pregnant women and caregivers shopping for the immunocompromised, so that they may shop and practice safe social distancing.

In addition, beginning Monday, March 30, Giant Food pharmacies will open early each Monday and Thursday at 6:00 a.m. and stay open until their regular closing time. Giant Food pharmacies will maintain their regular operational hours all other days.

The Catholic Diocese of Arlington’s Office of Catholic Schools announced the successful stand-up of distance learning in all 41 parish schools and high schools in the Diocese. Distance learning is now in place, offering interactive, personalized instruction to students through the remainder of the academic year. The Diocese has 37 parish (K-8) schools and four diocesan high schools serving almost 17,000 students.

“Our Catholic schools meet the highest standards of excellence in even the most challenging of circumstances. Our administrators and teachers have enthusiastically risen to the task of continuing to educate our students in a virtual environment, offering an engaging forum for providing instruction that is always rooted in our Catholic Faith,” said Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Diocese of Arlington. “I commend our entire Catholic school community, teachers, administrators, parents and students, for the creativity and flexibility they have exhibited that have made expansive distance learning possible for as long as we need it.”

Today, the Rosslyn BID announced new initiatives to support their restaurants and community during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. The BID has launched a comprehensive directory of all Rosslyn restaurants and their operating status – including who is offering delivery, pick up and other options – which can be accessed here.

The Rosslyn BID is also launching #RosslynRewards, a program to support Rosslyn restaurants that are still operating during these uncertain times. When you order takeout or delivery from participating Rosslyn restaurants and share on social media with the hashtag #RosslynRewards, the BID will give you a $10 reward for every $20 you spend in either a $10 gift card to that restaurant or put that reward towards a fund to be disbursed directly to that restaurant. Either way, the restaurant receives additional money and much-needed support right now, from your order! More details and rules can be found here.

The proposed development at 1900 Crystal Drive comprises approximately 811 residential units and 40,000 square feet of street-level retail across two new mixed-use buildings. The proposed 27-story southern tower encompasses 472 apartments, while the 26-story northern tower includes 339 apartments. In addition to a private rooftop and green spaces for residents, the approved plan calls for a retail-anchored shared street, a central park, and activated retail via an alley similar to that of Blagden Alley in Northwest DC.

In 2018, National Landing was chosen for Amazon’s new headquarters, and JBG SMITH was named the developer, leasing agent, and property manager for the project. Amazon plans to bring as many as 37,850 high-paying jobs to the market over the next ten years, and it is already occupying space at several other JBG SMITH-owned commercial office buildings.

In response to guidance from the CDC and state and local authorities, Signature Theatre has made the decision to close its doors to the public through the beginning of June.

“We are grateful to everyone for working with us to minimize the financial impact on the Theatre, our artists and our staff,” said Signature Theatre’s Managing Director Maggie Boland. “This is a rapidly evolving situation and Signature will update our plans as necessary. We will continue to follow the guidance of local and state authorities and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

This Wednesday, Marymount University announced to students, faculty and staff that the online-only class period that started this week will be extended through the end of the spring semester, including final exams.

It was also decided that the traditional commencement ceremonies scheduled for May 2020 would be canceled in order to best protect the health and safety of the greater Marymount community, as cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) increase throughout the region. However, the University is reaching out to graduating students to receive their input on how they would like to celebrate this milestone and their achievements at Marymount, whether through a postponed commencement to be held at a later date or a virtual commencement ceremony. More details on an alternative commencement option will be forthcoming.

In response to the increased threat of fraud presented by the coronavirus, federal and Virginia state law enforcement leaders announced today the formation of the Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force.

The Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force is a joint federal and state partnership that will be led by Assistant United States Attorneys from both the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, in partnership with experienced fraud investigators from the FBI and the Virginia State Police. The mission of the task force is to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraud related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Virginia.

At Starry Internet, we have seen significant increases in usage and traffic on our network as our customers shift to working and learning from home in response to COVID-19. As social distancing practices become more fully implemented, broadband will be the essential bridge that keeps us all connected and productive. That’s why we joined the FCC’s pledge to “Keep Americans Connected.” This was an easy decision as we are already committed to best practices that keep our customers connected. We have never had data caps, late fees or additional fees. As part of the pledge, we will suspend cancellation of service due to nonpayment as it relates to COVID-19.

We are continuing our efforts to maintain and expand our network to connect as many Americans as we can to high-quality and affordable broadband. In addition, we are actively working to expand our Starry Connect program for residents of affordable and public housing to ensure communities with already low connectivity have reliable internet access. We are also providing our Starry Connect customers with free internet service until the end of May.

The following statement is attributable to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich, Arlington County Board Member Katie Cristol, and Baltimore City Council President Brandon Scott:

“32BJ members are the office cleaners and security officers, among others who are on the frontlines of the Coronavirus crisis, keeping buildings clean and safe for everyone. The work they do every day is invaluable and now more than ever, their hard work can literally save lives. These men and women are the unsung heroes of the Coronavirus pandemic and they can least afford to lose wages and benefits during this crisis.

The Supreme Court of Virginia has issued an order declaring a judicial emergency and suspending all non-essential, non-emergency court proceedings for the next 21 days, including new eviction cases, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic:

“It would be an absolute outrage for Virginians to be evicted from their homes during this emergency, especially as we are asking them to practice social distancing and stay home to prevent further spread of COVID-19,” said Attorney General Herring. “This temporary eviction suspension is particularly important for hourly wage earners who are more likely to lose income and not be able to pay their rent because of business closures. I want to thank the Supreme Court of Virginia for making this important decision to protect Virginians during these unprecedented times.”

In order to continue ensuring the health and safety of the campus community, Marymount University will extend its online-only class period to Tuesday, April 14 (previously March 30), as the greater Washington region sees increased cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019).

As the situation connected to the spread of the virus evolves, there is the possibility that the online-only period will be extended again if necessary. Marymount’s Spring Break, which was extended by two days, will conclude with the beginning of online-only classes this Wednesday.