technology | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published August 28, 2018 at 8:45AM | Updated August 28, 2018 at 9:02AM

Heat Advisory in Effect — Arlington and D.C. are under a Heat Advisory from noon to 8 p.m. today. The heat index this afternoon is expected to reach between 100 and 105 degrees. [National Weather Service, Twitter]

Hacked Sign Causes County Concern — ARLnow’s report about an electronic road sign near Shirlington being hacked to display a vulgar video game meme prompted a serious conversation at county government headquarters. “To some this is a ‘prank’ to me it is an indication of a lack of security on a portion of our [technology] infrastructure,” Arlington’s Chief Information Officer wrote in an internal email chain. “What if the message was ‘Terrorist Attack in Washington, please leave the area'[?]” [State Scoop]

News

Arlington Officials Hail the Arrival of Small Business SyLearn as a Modest, Yet Meaningful, Win

By Alex Koma

Published August 23, 2018 at 4:45PM

County Board members Christian Dorsey and Libby Garvey and help SyLearn CEO Jay Chandok cut the ribbon on his new business.

While most ribbon cuttings for new businesses around Arlington tend to be full of pomp and circumstance, SyLearn’s grand opening in a modest Virginia Square office building Wednesday was a family affair.

CEO Jay Chandok, who helped found the new IT training company, busily urged guests to help themselves to a full buffet, as the daughters of Chandok and other staff members snapped pictures of new arrivals with iPhones. One made sure to introduce each visitor to one of her dolls, which she’d given a Hawaiian name: Leilani.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 14, 2018 at 8:45AM | Updated August 14, 2018 at 9:08AM

Family Surprised to Learn Pet Was a Snapping Turtle — “An Arlington family took in a box turtle to be the new family pet recently — only to find out that it was actually a snapping turtle. The Animal Welfare League of Arlington tweeted out a photo of the turtle, noting that their officers had seized the turtle from the unwitting family.” [Patch, Twitter]

APS Delays Release of Construction Cost Report — “Arlington residents will have to wait a little longer for an analysis of the reasons behind the high costs of school construction in the county. The audit committees of the County Board and School Board had been slated to meet Aug. 7 in a joint session to discuss a report by school-system auditor John Mickevice on school-construction costs. That meeting, however, was called off.” [InsideNova]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 12, 2018 at 8:55AM | Updated July 12, 2018 at 1:27PM

Stream running in a concrete channel behind houses in North Arlington (staff photo)

Arlington Named Top Digital County Again — “Arlington County is the No. 1 digital county in the nation for a third straight year. The Center for Digital Government and National Association of Counties 2018 award recognizes Arlington for its best technology practices in areas of open government, transparency, public engagement, planning, cyber security and operations.” [Arlington County]

Robbery in Courthouse — Two men reportedly robbed the Dunkin’ Donuts on Wilson Blvd in Courthouse yesterday evening. The men demanded money and fled the scene with cash but did not display any weapons during the robbery, according to initial reports. [Twitter]

News

Accenture Opens Rosslyn Cyber Center to Draw on Arlington’s Vast Tech Talent

By Alex Koma

Published June 20, 2018 at 4:45PM

Gov. Ralph Northam (middle) and Rep. Don Beyer (right) help Accenture open its Rosslyn office

It might seem odd that the consulting firm Accenture would open a second Arlington office in Rosslyn, just a 10-minute drive from its current location in Ballston and a brief Metro ride away from its office in D.C.

But company executives believe Arlington’s pool of talented tech workers is so deep that such a move makes perfect sense — and state leaders are hoping tech giants from Apple to Amazon are similarly swayed by the strength of the county’s workforce.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 20, 2018 at 8:50AM | Updated June 20, 2018 at 9:11AM

Bicyclists riding down N. Glebe Road (file photo)

FBI Renews Search for Hotel Rapist — A cold case is getting hotter as the FBI steps up the search for a man who raped hotel employees in the D.C. area, including in Arlington, between 1998 and 2006. Authorities still don’t know who the suspect is, but in a first for the region, the man’s DNA profile has been indicted for the crime. [FBI, NBC Washington, WTOP]

‘Unaccompanied Minors’ Housed at Local Facility? — “The feds may use a local juvenile detention center to house some of the nearly 2,000 children they’ve separated from their parents at the Mexican border. Alexandria Mayor Allison Silberberg said she’s expressed ‘strong concerns’ with the board that runs the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center, which has a contract to hold as many as 30 unaccompanied minors. The detention center is jointly run by Alexandria and Arlington.” [WUSA 9]

Arlington County’s Digital Destiny Campaign Continues With Discussion in June

Published May 24, 2018 at 12:45PM

Arlington County will host a community event on June 6th to discuss how technology will impact the future of work. Tell us what you think.

For the past two years, Arlington County has been named the Top Digital County in the nation by the Center for Digital Government and National Association of Counties.

Schools

Internet and Email Outage at Arlington Public Schools

By ARLnow.com

Published May 7, 2018 at 2:30PM

Internet connections are down across all Arlington Public Schools.

Both the internet and email systems are experiencing an extended outage, APS announced Monday afternoon. The outage is not expected to be resolved before the end of the school day, APS said.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 4, 2018 at 10:30AM | Updated May 4, 2018 at 11:02AM

Wildlife along Four Mile Run near Shirlington

L.A. Bar and Grill Reopening — After closing for renovations (and because it was late in renewing its state alcohol license) Columbia Pike watering hole L.A. Bar and Grill is planning to reopen this weekend, just in time for Cinco de Mayo. [Facebook, Facebook]

The D.C. Case for the Rosslyn Gondola — “The Gondola will provide anyone within the Metro catchment area a faster trip to Georgetown. With the Gondola, the total travel time to Georgetown drops to less than 30 minutes for a much larger part of the region, including areas of the District with the greatest need for employment opportunities, giving them a faster way to connect with jobs in Georgetown.” [D.C. Policy Center]

Schools

Reaction: Parents Frustrated, Miss Work over APS Tech Failure

By Bridget Reed Morawski

Published May 1, 2018 at 2:45PM

Parents wait in line at the Syphax Education Center to attempt to sign up for the "Extended Day" program. (photo courtesy of Drew Hopwood)

Arvaye Robinson, the mother of two elementary school girls she had hoped to enroll in the Arlington Public Schools extended day program, stood in front of the Syphax Education Center this morning during the system’s technical problems that ultimately suspended sign-up indefinitely.

“I’m so disappointed,” Robinson said, exasperated, with her phone in her hand waiting to hear from a school staffer. “I wanted some confirmation.”

Schools

Arlington School Board Weighs Student Device Policy Changes

By Alex Koma

Published April 24, 2018 at 10:45AM | Updated April 24, 2018 at 12:20PM

The Arlington School Board could soon overhaul the school division’s policy governing how students use electronic devices in classrooms.

Arlington Public Schools officials presented a new version of technology “acceptable use” guidelines for the board to consider on April 19. The policy would create a new set of standards around how students use their own devices in schools, as well as equipment provided by APS.

Around Town

Watchful Mannequin Spooks Residents Near Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Published April 20, 2018 at 2:35PM | Updated April 20, 2018 at 6:29PM

Mannequin at N. Wakefield Street and Carlin Springs Road (photo courtesy Bob M.)

Someone placed a mannequin alongside a busy road near Ballston this morning.

The female mannequin was wearing a knit hat, a t-shirt and a sign about being a “DoD based experiment,” a tipster told ARLnow. It was placed at the corner of N. Wakefield Street and N. Carlin Springs Road.