News

Change-of-Government Petition Issues — The Sun Gazette reports that the Arlington County registrar’s office may have a difficult time processing the thousands of signatures being gathered for the Committee for a Better Arlington’s change-of-government proposal. Officials are worried that the county may have to hire temporary workers and pay overtime in order to verify all the signatures. In a separate article, a Committee for a Better Arlington spokesperson says that the group will probably not honor any requests by petition signers who have reconsidered and now want their name removed from the list, saying it’s “not required by the law.”

Final Jeopardy for Arlington Contestant — Despite a valiant comeback and a down-to-the-wire finish, Arlington resident Liz Murphy placed second in last night’s semifinal round of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions, which means she will not advance to the finals.


Opinion

AVN’s production values are impeccable. It’s remarkable that the county is producing interesting community video content that could be mistaken for a Food Network show or a local news broadcast.

But it’s a bit discouraging that, before we linked to them, the two videos had barely 100 views between them on YouTube. It begs the question: is there a better way to promote AVN online?


Around Town

Small Fire at Reagan National — A scary moment for travelers at Reagan National Airport yesterday afternoon. A small fire broke out at a McDonald’s restaurant past the security checkpoint in one of the terminals. The fire was extinguished within minutes, and airport spokesperson said. There were some minor flight delays, but the terminal was not evacuated. Crews from the Arlington Fire Department assisted airport firefighters on the call. More from the Associated Press.

Arlington Woman to Appear on Jeopardy Tonight — Local resident Liz Murphy, who advanced past the quarterfinals of the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions last week, will face two other returning Jeopardy winners tonight in the semifinals. The show airs at 7:30 p.m. on WJLA (Channel 7).


News

Ryan left WRC two months ago after failing to agree to a new contract. If the experience of other on-air talent at the station is any guide, the contract proposed by WRC management may have included a pay cut.

Starting today, Ryan will appear on WJLA’s 11:00 p.m. newscasts, while Hill will remain on air at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. They will appear together during severe weather events, according to the Washington Post’s Paul Farhi.


Around Town

Arlington Independent Media, which runs the Arlington’s public access channel (not to be confused with the Arlington County government channel or the Arlington Public Schools channel), has a number of programs for young film and video-makers this summer, but deadlines are fast approaching.

The deadline for the 2010 Document Arlington Project was recently extended to April 15. The project — which is actually a paid six-week apprenticeship — is open to Arlington high school students who have an interest in documentary filmmaking. Six apprentices will be chosen for the project, which runs from July 12 to August 19.


Around Town

Film crews were camped out near the Iwo Jima memorial in Rosslyn this morning for the taping of a new TV show starring Jimmy Smits.

The actor, who formerly portrayed a congressman (then a U.S. president) on The West Wing, is playing a Supreme Court justice who leaves the high court to start a law firm that fights constitutional injustices.


News

Murphy, a foreign service officer and self-described “bookworm,” has spent the past several weeks studying topics like art, literature, geography and history during her lunch break and during her daily commute.

The 31-year-old Scranton, Pa. native is a repeat customer at the Arlington Public Library. At one point, in the time leading up to her appearances last year, Murphy recalls having 24 books out at one time.