A ceremony is being held by the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation to commemorate the statue unveiling, in front of the airport’s Terminal A.
Drivers should expect heavier-than-usual traffic around the arrivals and departures terminals due to lane closures for the event, airport officials said. Four lanes will merge into one to detour around the event site. There’s also a possibility that traffic will be completely blocked for short periods along the detour route.
More US Airways Flights at DCA? — US Airways is seeking regulatory approval for a plan that will give it more flights in and out of Reagan National Airport. The airline, which serves almost 4 million passengers annually at DCA, has negotiated a deal to acquire some of Delta’s take-off and landing slots in exchange for cash and slots at LaGuardia Airport in New York. [Sun Gazette]
Local Dog a Frontrunner in Postal Contest — Jordy, a mixed-breed terrier who resides in Arlington, is a frontrunner in an online contest organized by the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. Jordy is currently neck-and-neck with a terrier mix named Bentley in a contest to find an Owney lookalike — Owney, for the uninitiated, is a postal service mascot of yesteryear. Owner and Arlington resident Patrice Robinson is trying to rally locals to vote for Jordy. Voting is being conducted on Facebook. [Washington Post, Facebook]
Residents Decry Aircraft Noise — Noise from airplanes landing at Reagan National Airport is “seriously affecting residents’ quality of life” in the Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights neighborhood. Residents told airport representatives at last night’s civic association meeting that the noise has gotten considerably worse since nighttime repair work on the airport’s main runway began in May. [Ode Street Tribune]
Pike Resident Named Roommate of the Year — Columbia Pike resident Jesse McLaughlin has won free rent for a year and $10,000 cash after being named the Apartments.com Roommate of the Year. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee’s cooking and cleaning prowess helped him beat out nine other finalists for the title. As it turns out, Jesse’s roommate is actually his girlfriend, Lisa. [Roommate of the Year Contest]
DCA Workers Injured By Lightning Strike — Two workers at Reagan National Airport were injured after lightning struck near American Airlines Gate 32. The injuries were not considered life-threatening. [WUSA 9]
Recounting 9/11 at Va. Hospital Center — The injured came flooding into Virginia Hospital Center by private car, military vehicle and ambulance on Sept. 11, 2001, employees recalled at a recent commemoration. Now the hospital says they’re better prepared to handle all sorts of emergencies. [MyFoxDC, WTOP]
Thanks to flooding near Potomac Yard, the Blue and Yellow Lines have been split in two between Braddock Road and Reagan National Airport this morning.
But while riders were treated to disaster movie-like scenes at the Braddock Road Metro station, where a crush of humanity lined up for shuttle buses to Reagan National, Yellow and Blue Line riders in Arlington said the morning commute was pretty average.
According to a television station in Charleston, S.C., the plane landed at Charleston International Airport after experiencing severe turbulence.
Two passengers and a flight attendant were treated for minor injuries in Charleston, news outlets reported.
Noise Monitoring at DCA — A company has been hired to measure noise levels around Reagan National Airport. The information gathered will be used to figure out “ways to control or reduce noise pollution.” [NBC Washington]
Bus Stop Decorated — A local ART bus stop has been “yarn bombed.” [Facebook]
The alleged scuffle started around 8:40 a.m. when one of the women inadvertently struck the other with a suitcase, according to airport spokeswoman Courtney Mickalonis. The woman who was holding the suitcase later told airport police that the woman she struck then stood up and hit her several times.
While airport police were escorting the suitcase holder to the Arlington County Magistrate’s Office to swear a warrant against the other woman, the alleged attacker claimed that she was injured, Mickalonis said. Arlington County paramedics were called to treat her.
Bomb Threat on DCA Flight — There were some tense moments at Reagan National Airport yesterday after a flight from Dayton, Ohio was sequestered and searched for explosives. Nothing was found, however. An individual who made a bomb threat at the Dayton airport ticket counter was taken into custody, the FBI said. [Bloomberg]
New Principals Named — Arlington Public Schools have named two new principals. Kenwyn Schaffner has been named the principal of Jamestown Elementary School and Bridget Loft has been named the principal of Swanson Middle School. “Ms. Loft was greeted by cheers and a standing ovation when she was introduced to the Swanson staff after the announcement of appointment,” an insider tells us. [Arlington Public Schools]
Reagan National’s Runway 1/19 will be closed for milling and resurfacing each night, weather-permitting, from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The project — the first such work on the 6,869-foot runway since 1990 — is expected to wrap up before the end of the year.
There are no scheduled departures at DCA after 10:00 p.m., but there are about a dozen regularly-scheduled nighttime arrivals that will need to land on another runway after 11:00 each night, according to airport officials. The runway that’s most likely to be used is Runway 15/33, which points northwest/southeast. Depending on prevailing winds and weather, arriving flights will either be directed to approach from the northwest — thus flying over Rosslyn and the Pentagon — or from the southeast, over Southeast D.C. and the Potomac.
Tax Rate Hearing Sparsely Attended — Compared to the three-hour, 75-speaker bonanza that was the March 22 budget hearing, last night’s County Board tax rate hearing was an intimate, low-key affair. The board heard a half hour of testimony from two polar opposite sides: those who want the tax rate lowered and those who want to see the tax rate raised. [Sun Gazette]
DCA Controller Suspended — An air traffic controller suspected of snoozing on the job while two planes landed has been suspended by the Federal Aviation Administration. While some are calling the incident a major safety failure, one retired pilot says the air safety system worked as intended when a regional air traffic controller stepped in to guide the planes. [Christian Science Monitor]
DCA Tower AWOL as Planes Land — Two airline pilots landing at Reagan National Airport were unable to make contact with the lone air traffic controller on duty in the tower early Wednesday. The FAA is now investigating what caused the tower to go silent for nearly half an hour. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has ordered a second air traffic controller to start working the overnight shift at DCA. [Washington Post]
School Board Opposed Strict Misconduct Guidelines — Should teachers be forbidden from sending text messages to students? What about becoming Facebook friends? Those are two questions the Arlington County School Board may have to answer if the Virginia School Board approves a set of sexual misconduct guidelines today. Last month School Board Chair Libby Garvey wrote the Virginia Dept. of Eduction to oppose a stricter, more prescriptive set of guidelines. [Arlington Connection]
