Press Releases

RICHMOND – With the Fourth of July falling on a Thursday this year, many Virginians are planning ahead for a long holiday weekend. Virginia State Police is encouraging everyone to also think ahead for their celebratory travel plans. Last week, state police joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving and local law enforcement to launch a series of new Public Service Announcements (PSA) to remind motorists that drunk driving kills: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCffVSEnfXOSmv5hEqUYDNfg.

“Virginia may have experienced fewer alcohol-related crashes in 2018, but those fewer crashes proved more dangerous and deadlier,” said Colonel Gary T. Settle, Virginia State Police Superintendent. “Last year in Virginia, alcohol-related fatalities increased by 12.1% in comparison to 2017. Thirty more people died and 45 more people were injured in traffic crashes due to alcohol on Virginia’s highways in 2018. That translates to 278 deaths and 4,475 injuries because of someone’s reckless decision to drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

WASHINGTON, D. C. (Tuesday, July 2, 2019) –An old and shopworn truism, perhaps coined in the world of sports, goes “records are meant to be broken.” As proof, the United States of America is celebrating its 243rd birthday, with record-breaking travel volumes and record-making traffic congestion levels, INRIX and AAA project. Before you go, factor in the worst days to travel and the worst times to avoid, as 48.9 million Americans, including 1.2 million Washington area residents, travel 50 miles or more during the long 4th of July Holiday weekend. For motorists caught up in the mix, the agony of it all multiplies starting, tomorrow, July 3, and it grows exponentially on Sunday, July 7, across the urban agglomeration that is the Washington metro area.

Travelers heading out Friday, July 5, and Saturday, July 6, are also in for a shock.

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) are working together to further honor the heroes of September 11th, 2001.

In a bipartisan resolution, Senators Toomey and Warner highlight the significance of the September 11th National Memorial Trail (NMT) – a 1,300 mile network of roads and paths that connect the Pentagon Memorial (Arlington, Va.), the Flight 93 National Memorial (Shanksville, Pa.), the National September 11th Memorial and Museum (New York City, N.Y.), and the 9/11 Memorial Garden of Reflection (Yardley, Pa.). The NMT also passes through parts of Maryland, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.

Arlington, VA – At today’s WMATA Board of Directors meeting, WMATA Commonwealth of Virginia Representative Paul Smedberg was elected chairman of the Board. Smedberg, who was appointed by the Governor of Virginia last year, has served on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission since 2006 and was NVTC Chairman in 2014 and 2018. Smedberg also served on Alexandria City Council from 2003 to 2018. In 2016 he joined the WMATA board as an Alternate Director representing the City of Alexandria and became a Principal Director representing the Commonwealth of Virginia in January of this year. Smedberg has also served as chairman and a member of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) Operations Board.

Following his election as WMATA Board Chair, Smedberg said, “It’s truly an honor to have been elected to this position” and he promised to “improve transparency, accountability and fairness to all parties.”

RICHMOND – Several new Virginia highway safety laws take effect July 1, 2019. In an effort to increase the safety of those working alongside highways, the General Assembly passed a bill prohibiting drivers from holding a handheld personal communication device while driving a vehicle in a highway work zone. Violation of the law is punishable by a fine of $250.

“Close calls, injury, and death are a daily risk to every highway maintenance employee,” said Virginia Secretary of Transportation Shannon Valentine. “In work zones alone, in 2018 there were 2,523 crashes, 1,256 injuries – some of them life changing – and nine fatalities. It is imperative that we protect those whose ‘office’ is the highway.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $8,655,600 in federal funding from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to support improvements at airports in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

“We’re excited to announce this funding that will help improve travel for Virginians,” the Senators said. “These grants will revitalize our airports with much-needed upgrades to help ensure safer travel in and out of the Commonwealth.”

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Arlington County Police Department welcomed 12 new officers this week, as Session 140 graduated from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy (NVCJA) and took their oath to serve and protect the residents and visitors of Arlington County. Graduation from NVCJA is the first of many milestones in their training process to become solo police officers in Arlington County. The officers will complete local and field training programs before they begin solo patrol in the County.

The new officers who make up Session 140 are representative of the Department’s ongoing efforts to recruit and hire a force that is reflective of Arlington’s diverse population and are well accomplished in their studies. Officer J. Nelson and Officer T. Fullop were awarded first and third place, respectively, for their achievements of Academic Excellence. Officer T. Fullop was awarded third place in Firearms.

George Washington Memorial Parkway

[ONGOING] Arlington Memorial Bridge lane closures

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – An Arlington man was sentenced today to six and a half years in prison for orchestrating multiple fraud schemes that resulted in total losses of approximately $20 million.

According to court documents, Todd Elliott Hitt, 54, solicited approximately $30 million from investors for a variety of real estate and venture capital investments in the Washington, D.C. area from 2014 through August 2018. The investments included Hitt’s solicitation of approximately $17 million from investors in order to purchase a five-story office building adjacent to a planned future stop on the Silver Line in Herndon. Hitt made false statements and material omissions to investors by failing to disclose that a significant portion of the monies raised were commingled with other unrelated investment projects, used for personal spending to support an extravagant lifestyle and new investor’s funds used to pay off old investors in a Ponzi-like scheme. Hitt’s fraudulent conduct resulted in investor losses of approximately $20 million.

When Gretchen Reinemeyer was sworn in as Arlington County’s general registrar, she became only the fifth person to hold the position since it was created in 1947.

Reinemeyer is succeeding long-time registrar Linda Lindberg who is retiring at the end of the month after serving more than 25 years in the Arlington Voting and Elections Office–16 of them as general registrar.

(Arlington, VA) – Janet Kopenhaver, Chair of Embracing Arlington Arts – an independent citizens group comprised of Arlington arts supporters – is so honored that our County’s “First Lady” Megan Beyer will be a guest on the organization’s radio show (Tuesday, June 25th at 3:00 pm on WERA 96.7FM or online). “I am so thrilled to not only be able to chat with Megan about her stellar career and accomplishments, but also to discuss why the arts are so important to Arlington and our nation overall,” stated Kopenhaver. Beyer served as the Executive Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) from 2015 to January 2017 under President Obama. She currently serves as an advisor to a range of arts and civic organizations, including the American Film Institute.

Among the many topics to be discussed will be the Turnaround Arts Program – a national program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts founded in 2011 by the PCAH. “The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities created a program that illustrates the academic imperative of arts integration methods. It’s called Turnaround Arts,” Beyer explained. “Now in over 80 schools in America, students have improved learning at schools that have come alive with song, dance and theater – and they have the academic outcomes to prove it,” she added. The program is based on the premise that high-quality and integrated arts education can strengthen school reform efforts, boost academic achievement, and increase student engagement in schools facing some of the toughest educational challenges in the country.

ARLINGTON, VA. (June 20, 2019) – The Ballston Business Improvement District (BID) hosted the eighth Annual Business Meeting, and Best of Ballston Awards at the Hilton Arlington Hotel on June 20th. The program celebrated the launch of the BallstonConnect Club, as well as innovative businesses, community leaders, and real estate professionals who have helped to transform Ballston.

Highlighting the evening was the presentation of the Robert Ball Sr. Award, Ballston’s highest distinction, for the development of the reimagined Ballston Quarter Mall, which was presented to John Moore, Vice President and General Manager, QIC-GRE.