Arlington Public Schools has rescinded a plan to have Washington-Liberty High School graduates’ names read by artificial intelligence during next month’s graduation ceremony.
Christina Arpante, the school system’s communications director, told ARLnow the decision was made after students “expressed a preference for having their names read by a familiar voice.”
A plan to use artificial intelligence to read off the names of graduates at Washington-Liberty High School received pushback at last week’s School Board meeting.
June Prakash used the Board’s public-comment period to decry a partnership with a company that uses AI to correctly pronounce students’ names and read them off at a consistent rhythm during graduation ceremonies.
Tensions already are appearing among Falls Church’s elected and staff leadership, even before planning for a major affordable housing plan starts to take shape.
Council members voted 5-1 on April 27 to authorize spending up to $175,000 on a consultant to help guide potential redevelopment in portions of the Virginia Village community. Even then, however, leaders disagreed over how the process should move forward and how many potential development scenarios should be considered.
The County Board has taken a step toward considering potential historic status for the Melwood site, despite vigorous opposition from the development team’s attorney.
Board members voted 5-0 to start consideration of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board’s (HALRB) recommendation to designate a portion of the former Nelly Custis Elementary School at 750 23rd Street S. as historic. This is a procedural step and doesn’t indicate whether they support the recommendation or not.
While County Board members have agreed to save gymnastics programming, advocates now fear that a proposed hike in participation fees may still make the programs inaccessible for many families.
At last week’s budget-markup session, Board members settled on a proposal that would increase participation fees for the Arlington Aerials and Arlington Tigers gymnastics programs 44% in the coming year.
The Culpepper Garden housing complex for low-income seniors is on track to fully phase out assisted-living services by June 30.
“We are looking forward to having all our residents settled [in other housing arrangements] by that day, which is what we promised,” Culpepper Garden CEO Marta Hill Gray told ARLnow.
An advisory panel says the proposed pedestrian/bicycle bridge connecting Crystal City to Reagan National Airport falls short of optimal accessibility standards.
The current plan for an elevator and staircase at the Crystal City side of the crossing “is absolutely not sufficient,” said Pamela Van Hine, recording secretary of the Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC).
A proposal for a new behavioral health center on S. Carlin Springs Road is facing pushback on environmental impacts and effects on the surrounding neighborhood.
Misgivings about the 146-bed, 131,000-square-foot development proposal from VHC Health and Lifepoint Health made their way into discussions at the March 26 meeting of the county’s Forestry & Natural Resources Commission.
Gymnastics boosters continue their push to have County Board members rescind proposed cuts to programming and the closure of the Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center.
Much of the lobbying is now coming from youths who would be impacted by the closure.
Arlington Public Schools students will have off during a statewide redistricting referendum following a divided School Board vote last week.
In a 3-2 vote last Thursday, School Board members voted to give students the day off on Tuesday, April 21. The decision represented a split between a majority who saw logistical and safety concerns in keeping students in class, and those who did not wish to lose another instructional day and force parents to scramble for daycare options.
Arlington’s fire chief says he is willing to reconsider a contentious plan to consolidate the county’s two heavy rescue companies — if county leaders can find the funding to make that possible.
Fire Chief David Povlitz told County Board members that he would need about $480,000 in additional funding to halt a proposal to combine the two existing rescue units, which has drawn criticism from the county’s firefighter union over public safety concerns.
A proposal to impose fees on applications for new historic districts in Arlington is drawing criticism from members of the county’s historic-preservation panel.
Kaydee Myers, chair of the Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB), argued that the small number of applications submitted annually would result in minimal revenue, but imposing a fee could dissuade future applicants.
