The capacity crunch at Arlington Public Schools is not as dire as it once was, particularly after the pandemic, but there is still a need for more school seats in certain areas.
One place where a school might be needed: the National Landing area, where hundreds of new apartments are planned and where the nearest elementary school — Oakridge, in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood — is getting increasingly overcrowded, according to APS projections.
Virginia is “strongly” recommending that all elementary students, staff and teachers wear masks indoors this fall.
The guidance from the state health and education departments, which is not binding, recommends requiring masks until “there has been sufficient time to allow for children [under 12] to be fully vaccinated,” the Washington Post reported.
It’s July 1, the date in which new state legislation goes into effect in Virginia.
The new laws ban balloon launches, extend for one year the ability of restaurant to offer to-go alcoholic beverages, and require drivers to maintain at least three feet of distance when passing cyclists. But perhaps the most high-profile legislation is the legalization of marijuana in the Commonwealth.
It’s hard to believe, but the Fourth of July is just around the corner.
Fireworks viewing on the National Mall is a go this year. Like last year, there’s no formal viewing event in Arlington, but expect crowds to congregate at the usual spots, like the Iwo Jima memorial, Key Bridge, the Air Force Memorial, Rosslyn Gateway Park and Long Bridge Park.
The long-planned and long-debated Long Bridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center is set to open this summer, perhaps as early as July.
The $60 million facility, construction of which was approved in 2017, is located north of Crystal City and south of the 14th Street Bridge, offering monumental views across the Potomac. It features a 50-meter competition pool with diving towers, a whirlpool, a family pool with a splash pad, a water slide, water volleyball and basketball areas, and a lazy river — in addition to an 8,000-square-foot fitness center and rooms for for classes, parties and events.
If you’re fully vaccinated, there’s no longer a requirement to wear a mask in most places you go in Arlington.
There are exceptions — notably at the airport, in schools, and in healthcare settings — but most businesses are now following CDC guidelines and allowing the fully vaccinated to go mask-less.
Across the country, vehicular fatalities are on the rise.
According to new data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2020 had the highest number of crash fatalities in more than a decade, despite a 13% drop in overall miles driven.
The cicada invasion is nearing its peak in the D.C. area.
More warm weather this week will send more cicadas up from the ground and onto trees, fences and sidewalks. We have perhaps another month or so of cicadas making noise, mating, and laying eggs before things start to calm down.
Get ready: the massive, every-seventeen-year generation of cicadas known as Brood X is about to emerge from the soil in Arlington and the D.C. area.
According to the Capital Weather Gang, the emergence is expected to kick into high gear over the next two weeks.
It’s safe for those who are fully vaccinated to skip wearing masks outside in most situations.
That’s according to new federal guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. President Biden announced the new guidelines Tuesday, as vaccinations continue at a quickening clip locally but are slowing nationally.
Arlington County yesterday revealed the five finalists for the new county logo.
Aiming to replace the current logo that depicts Arlington House, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s former mansion, the county asked community members for design suggestions in February. Those were narrowed down with the help of a design firm and a Logo Review Panel, which met on April 15 to discuss the designs.
Last week, the Arlington County Board approved a new budget that holds the current real estate tax rate steady.
In some ways, that’s a win given the fears of a pandemic-caused budget crunch. Tax revenue ended up coming in above estimates and federal funding freed up million in local funds. Instead of making significant budget cuts, as originally feared, the Board was able to add in numerous initiatives, paid for with one-time funding.
