Thrive Hair Bar in Ballston is hosting a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic this Saturday (Oct 23).
The clinic is in partnership with the Arlington County Public Health Division and part of the “Shots at the Shop” initiative, a White-House-backed effort to recruit Black-owned barbershops and salons to help increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in the community.
(Updated on 10/14/21) There have been 34 positive Covid tests among students at Wakefield High School this school year, more than three times the number at any other Arlington public school.
Many of the cases were recorded recently. At one point last week, the Arlington Public Schools Covid dashboard reported 20 cases over the previous seven days at Wakefield.
There wasn’t much of a need to update one’s wardrobe for the first year of the pandemic, with many folks stuck inside and Zoom calls serving as the primary exposure to the outside world.
With people returning to the office, however, and with travel and events ramping back up, that’s starting to change.
Inner Ear Records Its Last Track — “For the neighbors who first pushed for an arts district, it’s a cruel consequence of their idea — particularly because they wanted to complement, not end, Zientara’s longtime presence on South Oakland Street… ‘Losing a small, yet significant, arts-related business is antithetical to this vision,’ Robin Stombler, acting president of the Green Valley Civic Association, wrote in a letter about Inner Ear to county lawmakers earlier this year.” [Washington Post]
ACFD Rescues Worker in Ballston — “Our Technical Rescue Team responded for an injured individual located several stories below street level. Utilizing a crane on-site for access, the team packaged the individual into a stokes basket to bring topside to an ambulance for transport to an area hospital.” [Twitter]
An outdoor coworking space launched in Rosslyn as a temporary pandemic-era amenity for local workers will be sticking around as a permanent feature of the neighborhood.
O2: Outdoor Office is an outdoor workspace that debuted last October at Gateway Park (1300 Langston Blvd). Organized by the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, the outdoor office features work stations available by reservation and free Wi-Fi.
Arlington County is starting to administer vaccine booster shots today, as the rate of new Covid cases continues to decline ever so gradually.
Following federal guidance, the county’s health department says it will administer a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine to qualified individuals, as defined in the press release below. The jabs will be available by appointment only at the county vaccination sites at the Arlington Mill and Walter Reed community centers.
(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) For the second year in a row, the in-person Marine Corps Marathon and associated festivities have been cancelled.
The Marathon, a major tourism event for Arlington, had been scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 31. It kicks off in Rosslyn and winds with way into and through D.C. before crossing the 14th Street Bridge, rounding the Pentagon, and finishing in Rosslyn.
The union representing Arlington Public Schools teachers is calling for “drastic and immediate” improvements to the school system’s new remote learning program.
This school year, when most students returned to their brick-and-mortar buildings, others continued online learning through the newly-created APS Virtual Learning Program.
There’s a bit of good news for Arlington on the Covid front.
The county has seen a more than week-long decline in its seven-day moving average of new Covid cases. The average currently stands at 33 cases per day, down from a seasonal peak of 48 cases per day on Sept. 14.
Storm Damage Closes Covid Testing Booth — From Arlington County: “The Curative testing kiosk at Virginia Highlands will be closed today and tomorrow (Sept. 20 & 21) as it repairs storm damage. Visit our other kiosks at Arlington Mill Community Center and Court House Plaza.” [Twitter]
Frank O’Leary Pushing for Museum Funding — “Now, in retirement, the former Arlington treasurer is equally unfiltered, when it comes to issues dear to his heart. And few, at the moment, are more dear to O’Leary than the effort to obtain the county government’s participation in funding renovation and expansion of the Arlington Historical Society’s Hume School museum. ‘It is time for our local government to step forward. Every local government in Northern Virginia – except Arlington – has fully funded one or more local museums,’ he said.” [Sun Gazette]
‘Kindness Yard Sale’ in Penrose — “Susan Thompson-Gaines wants to spread kindness. This weekend, she’s doing it through a big yard sale at her house. She says it’s hard to miss the home she shares with her husband, David — it’s the yellow house with purple trim at the corner of South Second and South Fillmore streets in Arlington… what makes this yard sale different is that the proceeds are all spent on acts of kindness.” [WTOP]
Flood Cleanup for Pike Businesses — From WUSA 9’s Matthew Torres: “A dental hygienist sent me this other video of the flash flooding in Columbia Pike in Arlington. Their business had to close today as they clean up the water that seeped through. Other businesses are having to do the same thing.” [Twitter]
Arlington County says it will explore ways to make it easier for restaurants to establish or expand outdoor dining after the pandemic ends, according to a county report.
During the pandemic, the Arlington County Board approved a temporary way for restaurants to circumvent the normally lengthy county process for getting an outdoor dining permit. Many restaurants debuted outdoor seating over the last year to make up for the indoor space lost to social distancing requirements and give guests a safer dining experience.
