County Board | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published June 16, 2020 at 7:30AM

Special County Board Meeting Planned — On Thursday at 6 p.m., the Arlington County Board “will hold a special meeting for a listening session on racial justice, systemic racism and policing. The County Board special meeting will be conducted using electronic means.” [Arlington County]

County Commissions Still Mostly Inactive — “Faced with a growing rebellion over the lack of meetings by Arlington government advisory panels, County Board members and top staff on June 13 offered (slightly defensive) apologies – but not much of a roadmap forward. Board members were responding to a June 9 letter sent to them by 25 chairs of advisory groups, complaining that the local government has been lagging in re-starting meetings that largely have been on hold since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March.” [InsideNova]

News

County Board Candidates Discuss Equity, Budget Priorities and COVID-19 Recovery

By Vernon Miles

Published June 15, 2020 at 8:55PM

Three candidates running to replace the late Erik Gutshall on the County Board met over Zoom for a debate hosted by the Arlington Committee of 100.

The special election candidates — Takis Karantonis (D), Bob Cambridge (R) and Susan Cunningham (I) — all called for a focus on equity and discussed ways to navigate a tighter county budget.

News

Activists Take Demands for Police Reform to the County Board

By Vernon Miles

Published June 15, 2020 at 4:35PM

Arlington citizens and community activists flooded Saturday’s online County Board meeting with calls to reform the Arlington County Police Department.

At the start of the public hearing on June 13, County Board Chair Libby Garvey emphasized that the Board’s rules state there could only be one speaker on any given topic or stance, but that’s not now the public comment portion panned out as dozens of speakers rallied to argue against policies activists said were still deeply rooted in the County’s history of segregation.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 11, 2020 at 7:45AM | Updated June 11, 2020 at 12:04PM

Leteane Monatsi, right, and Bob Edgar, left, hold a "Black Llives Matter" flag at the intersection of George Mason and Wilson during rush hour on June 10 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Vigil Planned Saturday in Green Valley — Updated at noon — “Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Black Parents of Arlington and Yolande Kwinana will be hosting a vigil at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School Field, to honor those who have died at the hands of police. Speakers will enlighten the community on what they can do to help enact change in our Arlington.” [Facebook]

Ballston Macy’s Redevelopment Proposal Delayed — “The owner of air rights above the [potentially for sale] Macy’s building in Ballston will have additional time to move forward with a planned redevelopment of the space, if County Board members act on its request June 13. Board members are being asked to extend until July 2023 the ability of the owner to come to the county government with a development plan. The current site plan, which sets out development parameters for the parcel, was set to expire in several weeks.” [InsideNova]

News

Arlington NAACP Joins Calls to Equip Police With Body-Worn Cameras

By Vernon Miles

Published June 10, 2020 at 3:45PM

The Arlington branch of the NAACP has thrown its voice into the push for body-worn cameras to be implemented in the Arlington County Police Department.

A Change.org petition calling for Arlington County leadership to prioritize body-worn cameras sits at 2,409 of its 2,500 goal at the time of writing.

News

Pike Library to Be Modernized, Downsized As Part of ‘Arlington Tech’ Expansion

By ARLnow.com

Published June 8, 2020 at 2:15PM

The Arlington Career Center (via Arlington Public Schools)

The Arlington County Board is set to consider a school expansion project that will involve changes to a local library.

Arlington Public Schools is requesting a use permit to add 150 seats to its Arlington Tech program at the Arlington Career Center. It’s the prelude to a larger expansion project for the facility at 816 S. Walter Reed Drive, which would add 800 new high school seats and a 200,000 square foot addition by 2025.

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BREAKING: Arlington Officers Ordered to ‘Immediately Leave D.C.’

By ARLnow.com

Published June 1, 2020 at 9:05PM | Updated June 2, 2020 at 11:29AM

Arlington police officers moving protesters in D.C. during June 2020 incident (screenshot via @thehill/Twitter)

(Updated at 9:50 p.m.) Arlington County police officers who were assisting U.S. Park Police during protests in D.C. have been ordered “to immediately leave,” County Board Chair Libby Garvey tweeted Monday night.

Officers in ACPD helmets could be seen in photos and video (below) assisting with the forceful removal of protesters from around St. John’s Church, an action that involved the deployment of tear gas. Shortly thereafter, President Trump walked to the church and held up a bible, a move dismissed as a photo opportunity by critics and criticized as “antithetical to the teachings of Jesus” by the Episcopal bishop of Washington.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 27, 2020 at 7:30AM

Confusion Over Governor’s Mask Order — “At a briefing this afternoon, Gov. Ralph Northam emphasized that Virginia’s new indoor mask requirements weren’t intended to be criminally enforced. But the text of the order (released ~3 hours later) defines a violation as Class 1 misdemeanor.” [Virginia Mercury, Twitter]

Virus Hits Latino Communities Hard — “Fredys Medina, a diabetic construction worker from Arlington County, waved off his wife’s suggestion that he had the virus after he developed a cough and fever in late April, and he continued to work. Two weeks later, he collapsed on the living room floor. By the time paramedics arrived, Medina, 56, was gone. His wife, Leonor Medina, an unemployed hotel housekeeper, was left with an $8,000 funeral bill.” [Washington Post]

News

JUST IN: County Board Approves Process for Temporary Outdoor Restaurant Seating Areas

By ARLnow.com

Published May 26, 2020 at 4:15PM | Updated May 26, 2020 at 4:37PM

With Arlington and Northern Virginia poised to begin a Phase 1 reopening on Friday, the Arlington County Board today took a first step towards allowing more business to be conducted outdoors during the pandemic.

A growing body of scientific evidence has found that coronavirus spreads primarily in confined, indoor settings. That’s why Virginia’s Phase 1 reopening only allows restaurants to reopen to “dine-in” customers outdoors, with physical distancing requirements between diners and other restrictions.

News

County: Census Response Low in Arlington’s Minority Communities

By Vernon Miles

Published May 26, 2020 at 2:00PM

As Arlington County continues to push locals to respond to the census, the County has highlighted areas where significant portions of the local population remain uncounted.

A map published by the County last week showed low census response — less than 61.5% responding — from the western end of Columbia Pike and throughout Crystal City.

News

John Vihstadt Endorses Susan Cunningham for County Board

By ARLnow.com

Published May 26, 2020 at 12:30PM

Susan Cunningham (campaign photo)

Former Arlington County Board member John Vihstadt has endorsed a fellow independent in the July 7 County Board special election.

The race, to fill the seat of the late Erik Gutshall on the Board, features three candidates: Democratic nominee Takis Karantonis, independent Susan Cunningham, and Republican Bob Cambridge.

News

Arlington Devotes Portion of $21 Million from CARES Act to Closing Digital Gap

By Vernon Miles

Published May 20, 2020 at 11:30AM | Updated September 23, 2020 at 11:20AM

(Updated 1 p.m.) The County Board is directing $500,000 in federal coronavirus stimulus and recovery funding towards closing a digital divide that the pandemic has made impossible to ignore.

“Broadband connectivity is not a luxury, it is essential for households,” County Board member Christian Dorsey said.