The Arlington County Fire Department has a new plan for the next five years centered on recruitment, retention and employee wellbeing.
ACFD’s first-ever strategic plan, released earlier this month, is part of an effort to refocus the department around core values. Based on community and employee concerns about staffing, health and workplace culture, the agency developed the document to solve problems and improve existing systems.
An extended day employee at a local elementary school allegedly showed porn to kids.
The 18-year-old man from Fairfax County was arrested and is facing several charges, including possession of child pornography, Arlington County police announced Friday morning. Investigators are now seeking additional victims, beyond the three already identified.
Arlington County police will be stepping up traffic enforcement over the next few weeks as part of the annual spring Street Smart campaign.
The regional road safety initiative aims to remind drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike to pay attention and follow traffic laws. It runs through May 19 and will include two high-profile enforcement events in Arlington, starting this coming Monday.
Local School Holds Caps Rally — “It was all about the Washington Capitals at Cardinal Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday, when the school held an hourlong pep rally for the Caps, complete with cheers, hockey lessons from Caps staff and a visit from mascot Slapshot.” [WTOP]
County Looks to the Future — “The future is now, at least based on the responses received to date as part of the Arlington County government’s ‘Arlington 2050’ planning initiative. As part of the initiative to plan for what the county might be in a quarter-century’s time, residents have been asked to fill out ‘postcards from the future,’ telling Arlington leaders of 2024 what they’d like the community to look like.” [Gazette Leader]
A middle school student who allegedly brought a BB gun to school is facing a potential weapons charge.
The incident happened Wednesday morning after school administrators found a BB gun and called police.
Arlington has awarded $2.4 million to nonprofits in a new equity-based grant program.
The county announced yesterday (Wednesday) that a total of 22 nonprofits received funding through the RACE to Rebuilding Trust and Community grant, designed to “support historically marginalized communities, ensuring equitable access to resources, transparency and accountability.” The Arlington County Board approved the grants in a unanimous vote.
A Florida man is facing a criminal citation after being caught with a gun at an airport checkpoint for the second time, according to federal authorities.
The man was stopped at Reagan National Airport on Tuesday, trying to bring a loaded 9mm handgun through a security checkpoint. He told officers that “he wanted to travel with the firearm for protection,” according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Thank You, Savannah! — Today is the last working day for Savannah Taffe, ARLnow’s spring semester intern. Thank you to Savannah for her hard work over past few months.
Rosslyn WeWork May Be in Trouble — “CoStar Group Inc., which became a WeWork landlord earlier this year when it bought an Arlington high-rise office building, wants a court to reject WeWork’s attempt to extend the time it has to review its existing lease under its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The D.C. real estate data company filed a motion April 18 saying the coworking giant does not have cause for such an extension.” [Washington Business Journal]
Local Space Tries to Lure WeWorkers — “To all Rosslyn We-Workers: you don’t deserve this uncertainty — it’s not what you signed up for. But there is a new, more certain, accommodating, and affordable alternative just steps away: Office Evolution Arlington-Rosslyn. If you want to keep your business in the neighborhood, we want to help you do that.” [LinkedIn]
Peterson Gets Union Endorsement — From a press release: “Today, Tenley Peterson is pleased to announce the endorsement of the Northern Virginia Labor Federation, AFL-CIO (NoVA Labor). Tenley Peterson is seeking the Democratic nomination for an open seat on the Arlington County Board in 2024.”
Nonprofit Hoping for Obsolescence — “Fifty years since its founding, Offender Aid & Restoration (OAR) is now gazing a half-century into the future. It is a future, organization leaders hope, where its services will no longer be needed… OAR’s social-safety-net services (which cover Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church) provide support to those who are, or may become, involved in the criminal-justice system.” [Gazette Leader]
WHS Is Arlington Track Champ — “The Boys and Girls outdoor track teams both won Arlington County Championships on Tuesday evening. The Boys defended their 2023 title and the Girls improved on a close 2023 second-place finish.” [Wakefield Warriors]
Hot Summer Predicted — “D.C. is expected to have a hotter-than-usual summer, according to new forecasts and scientific research… D.C., along with areas spanning from Florida up to southern New Jersey, has a 40% to 50% chance of an unusually hot summer.” [Axios]
It’s Thursday — Expect partly sunny skies today with a high near 61 and a north wind of 6 to 8 mph. Thursday night, the weather will be partly cloudy, and temperatures will drop to around 43, accompanied by a southeast wind at around 6 mph. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar
A parent association is asking Arlington Public Schools to change its policy of providing every student with an iPad or MacBook.
Arguing that the devices are bad for children’s mental development and needlessly expensive, Arlington Parents for Education wants the Arlington School Board to roll back funding for them this budget cycle. It is requesting an end to the one-to-one policy for students in pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade, a reduction in devices for 3rd through 5th graders and a transition to PC laptops for grades 6 and up.
The D.C. area’s council of governments wants to get at least half of the region covered in trees.
After years of shrinking tree cover, the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) adopted a goal earlier this month of maintaining a minimum canopy of at least 50% throughout the D.C. area. It is calling on local governments including Arlington to commit to a similar goal.
New Restaurants Announced — “Dolan Uyghur leased 2,485 square feet at the Quimby on 23rd, a 440-unit building formerly known as The Buchanan at 320 23rd St. S… Joining it at Quimby are Lantern Restaurant and Bar, which has leased about 5,450 square feet and will be part Chinese restaurant and part karaoke bar; and La Posada, from the team behind Don Pancho Mexican Grill, which has leased 5,458 square feet and will be serving up Tex-Mex-style food.” [Washington Business Journal]
Crystal City Robbery Arrest — “1700 block of Crystal Drive. At approximately 6:50 p.m. on April 22, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery just occurred. The preliminary investigation indicates the male suspect entered the business, approached the counter and engaged an employee in conversation before allegedly stealing money from the register. A lookout for the suspect was broadcast and Metro Transit Police located the suspect in Washington DC and took him into custody.” [ACPD]
Deer Discussion Nears — “Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia will host an online program – ‘Strategies for Dealing with Deer’ – on Friday, May 3 at 10 a.m. Master Gardener Kathie Clements will discuss strategies with a focus on deer behavior and how knowing their habits can lead to developing effective ways to protect gardens.” [Gazette Leader]
‘Bookstore Crawl’ Planned — “As part of Independent Bookstore Day, locally-owned bookstores in and near Northern Virginia will team up to host a bookstore crawl to boost visits to their businesses.” Participating stores include One More Page Books at 2200 N. Westmoreland Street in East Falls Church. [Patch]
Investment Firm Sees High Demand — “An Arlington private equity firm has closed its second fund and it looking to deploy $325 million into ‘lower middle-market companies’ in the U.S. and Canada over the next two years. GEF Capital Partners, based at 1300 17th St. N. in Rosslyn, originally sought to raise $250 million for its US Climate Solutions Fund II investment vehicle.” [DC Inno]
It’s Wednesday — Expect scattered showers in the early morning, clearing up to a mostly sunny sky with a high near 70 degrees. A northwest wind will blow at 9 to 14 mph, gusting up to 21 mph, with a 30% chance of precipitation during the day. The night will be partly cloudy, with a low temperature around 43 degrees, accompanied by a north wind at about 10 mph. [NWS]
