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Morning Notes

Published March 4, 2014 at 9:15AM

Richmond Named Acting AED Director — Cynthia Richmond has been named the acting director of Arlington Economic Development following the untimely death of Terry Holzheimer. Holzheimer died of a sudden heart attack over the weekend. Richmond was serving as the deputy director of AED. Arlington County plans to begin a recruitment process to find a permanent director for AED soon. [Arlington County]

FBI Cracking Down on Corruption in N. Va. — The FBI has created a task force to investigate public corruption in Northern Virginia. Public corruption is the FBI’s “number one criminal investigative priority” at the moment and the agency has “cases in all categories in Northern Virginia.” [Loudoun Times]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 29, 2014 at 10:15AM

County Board Approves Glencarlyn Park Playground — The Arlington County Board on Tuesday approved a $485,000 construction contract for a new playground at Glencarlyn Park. The playground is intended for 5-12 year olds and includes a swing set and a “treehouse” log play structure. [Arlington County]

Demand Rises at AFAC — The Arlington Food Assistance Center “has seen a 20 percent surge in families visiting the food pantry in need of groceries over the past six months.” The director of AFAC says cuts in food stamp (SNAP) benefits has increased need in the community. Those cuts are expected to deepen if Congress passes a new compromise farm bill that includes $800 million in annual food stamp reductions. [Patch]

Around Town

Cyclists’ Rights, Safety the Focus of Local Lawyer’s New Book

By Ethan Rothstein

Published October 8, 2013 at 1:30PM

That’s what Arlington personal injury lawyer Bruce Deming thinks, and he’s written a book to try to educate the cycling public. Surviving the Crash: Your Legal Rights in a Bicycle Accident is Deming’s attempt to clear up much of the confusion that occurs in most cyclists’ minds after they are involved in an accident.

“There are so many urban myths out there about what your rights are, what do you do in the minutes/hours/days after an accident, who pays your bills, do you need a lawyer?” Deming said. “There are a lot of basic questions that people need answers to, so that’s why I wrote the book.”

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 14, 2013 at 8:50AM

Pi Day in Arlington — Today is March 14, or 3/14, the day that celebrates the mathematical constant Pi (3.14159). In honor of Pi Day, the business review website Yelp is holding a “pie” event at Bakeshop (1025 N. Fillmore Street) in Clarendon, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. [Yelp]

Red Light Cameras Play ‘Pivotal Role’ — Red light cameras play a “pivotal role” in improving traffic and pedestrian safety. Arlington County says. The county’s red light cameras — currently active at four intersections — resulted in a 50 percent decrease in red light violations at those intersections, the county said. [Arlington County]

News

Library Lists Most Popular Items of 2012

By Katie Pyzyk

Published January 17, 2013 at 11:50AM | Updated January 17, 2013 at 12:54PM

(Updated at 12:55 p.m.) The Arlington Public Library is getting in on the trend of compiling year-end lists. It has released three lists of the library’s top materials in 2012.

The lists released on the library’s website are Top 10 Books of 2012, Top Ten DVDs of 2012 and Top Holds of 2012. Coming in at the top three for books are Bossypants by Tina Fey, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.

Events

101-Year-Old Author to Talk at Arlington Public Library

By ARLnow.com

Published January 7, 2013 at 3:30PM

Martha Ann Miller (left) died last week at 106

She met President Calvin Coolidge. She helped with the desegregation of Arlington Public Schools. She authored an autobiography. And now she’s scheduled to discuss that autobiography, The First Century: And Not Ready for the Rocking Chair Yet,” at Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street).

Miller will be holding an author event at the library’s auditorium on Saturday, Jan. 12, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

News

Volunteers Wanted for Holiday Events

By Katie Pyzyk

Published November 28, 2012 at 3:55PM | Updated November 29, 2012 at 8:35AM

From gift wrapping to assisting Santa, volunteers are needed to help with a number of upcoming holiday events. More information about the items listed below, as well as other volunteer opportunities, can be found online.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 27, 2012 at 9:10AM

Arlington Gets Largest Share of Transit Growth — Over the past 11 years, the rate of growth of those who use public transit in Arlington has been higher than any other D.C. area jurisdiction. Chris Hamilton, chief of Arlington Commuter Services, attributes that growth to the county’s transit outreach efforts. [Mobility Lab]

Homebuyer Assistance Available — The Arlington County Board recently approved $500,000 to help qualified first time homebuyers purchase a new home in the county. The funds are available for down payment and closing cost assistance for about 10-15 low- to moderate-income households. Applications will be accepted started Dec. 3. [Arlington County]

News

Obama Visits Local Book Store: A First-Hand Account

By ARLnow.com

Published November 26, 2012 at 3:35PM | Updated November 27, 2012 at 8:35PM

President Obam and his daughters shop at One More Page Books in East Falls Church (White House photo by Pete Souza)

The visit coincided with the post-Thanksgiving shopping day known as Small Business Saturday. With daughters Sasha and Malia in tow, and after several checks of the shopping list on his Blackberry, the president purchased 15 children’s books as Christmas presents.

We asked One More Page owner Eileen McGervey about the experience of hosting the Commander in Chief as a customer.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 1, 2012 at 9:20AM | Updated October 1, 2012 at 10:11AM

Cybersecurity Center to Open in Ballston — Virginia Tech and defense contractor L-3 Communications are set to jointly open a cybersecurity research center in Ballston on Friday. The center will be located at the Virginia Tech Research Center building at 900 N. Glebe Road. [Washington Post]

Arlington Gearing Up for Nov. Election — In anticipation of election day on Nov. 6, Arlington County is encouraging residents to register to vote and, if necessary, vote absentee. The deadline for voter registration is Oct. 15, and the deadline for absentee ballots is Oct. 30. This year, the county is also allowing voters to cast their absentee ballot in person, at three absentee polling places: Courthouse Plaza, Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center, and the Madison Community Center. [Arlington County]

Schools

Abingdon Elementary Summer ‘Book Bus’ Deemed a Success

By ARLnow.com

Published August 13, 2012 at 3:30PM | Updated August 14, 2012 at 2:40PM

The book bus was launched this summer with the goal of providing enhanced reading opportunities for students at Abingdon, where nearly 53 percent of students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch. Once a week for five weeks, the bus would make stops in the community around Arlington, giving students the chance to check out books right in their neighborhood.

The bus was staffed by Abingdon teachers and the school’s principal, all of whom volunteered their time. Inside the bus were about 2,000 books donated by local businesses, nonprofit organization, a local author, and several publishers. Much of the equipment used to check out books — including barcode scanners — were also donated.

News

Arlington Moves Up on ‘Most Well-Read Cities’ List

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 16, 2012 at 9:45AM

Arlington was listed as #7 on the list, moving up 3 spots from last year’s #10 position. Alexandria also moved up the list from its spot at #2 last year. It has overtaken Cambridge, Mass. to become the #1 most well-read city in America.

Alexandria also has the distinction of liking spicy books. According to the press release, “Virginia is for lovers – Alexandria, Va., that is, which tops the charts in the Romance book category.”