Author: ARLnow.com

Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.

Coronavirus Cases and Vaccinations Both Down in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Coronavirus cases in Arlington are down, today hitting the lowest rate of new cases since early October.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that the pace of vaccinations is also trending down.

Overnight only nine new COVID-19 cases were reported in Arlington by the Virginia Dept. of Health, the first single-digit daily case count since Oct 1. The seven-day trailing total of new cases currently stands at 123, the lowest point since Oct. 7.

The county’s cumulative case count since March 2020 is now 15,130.

Fewer cases are leading to fewer hospitalizations and deaths, but the virus is nonetheless still spreading and causing serious illness. Overnight VDH reported one new Covid-related hospitalization and one new death in Arlington, bringing the pandemic totals to 830 hospitalizations and 253 deaths.

Since April 1, 25 new hospitalizations and seven deaths have been reported in the county.

Daily vaccinations, meanwhile, appear to have peaked and are trending down.

The Virginia Dept. of Health only reported 354 vaccine doses administered in Arlington in its latest daily figures this morning. That brings the seven-day trailing average down to 2,441 doses administered, the lowest point since April 9.

The seven-day average peaked at 3,516 on April 27.

So far, a total of 177,107 doses have been administered in Arlington and 48.1% of the population has received at least one dose. In all, 73,641 people have been fully vaccinated, or 31.1% of the population.

The slowing rate of vaccinations in Arlington, despite the county having one of the highest rates of vaccine interest in the nation (92%), seems to be part of a national trend that is increasingly concerning to public health officials.

The New York Times reported today that “there is widespread consensus among scientists and public health experts that the herd immunity threshold [for COVID-19 in the U.S.] is not attainable — at least not in the foreseeable future, and perhaps not ever,” contradicting earlier hopes that widespread vaccinations may one day relegate the virus to being relatively rare.

Officials instead “are coming to the conclusion that rather than making a long-promised exit, the virus will most likely become a manageable threat that will continue to circulate in the United States for years to come, still causing hospitalizations and deaths but in much smaller numbers,” the Times reported.

Other experts are a bit more optimistic in tone, suggesting that slower but steady vaccination rates over the summer can result in a relatively quiet fall, echoing the experience of Israel and the U.K., which have each at least partially vaccinated 50-60% of the population, compared with just under 44% of the U.S. population.

Faced with declining vaccination rates, Arlington County announced over the weekend that it would start conducting walk-in vaccinations for the first time, after months of only accepting appointments.

Walk-in vaccinations are being offered this week at Walter Reed Community Center (2909 16th Street S.) and Crystal City (2100 Crystal Drive), according to a county press release.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Procession for Long-Time ACPD Chief — “[On Friday] ACPD and our regional law enforcement partners paid final respects to retired Chief of Police William K. ‘Smokey’ Stover. He passed away from natural causes on Friday, April 17, 2020 at 89 years old. His service was held today at” Arlington National Cemetery.” [Twitter, Legacy]

No Local GOP Candidates So Far — “As of yet, Arlington Republicans have not lined up candidates for County Board and School Board. The monthly meeting of the Arlington County Republican Committee came and went April 28 with no candidate announcements for the two local races, and no inklings that there may be possibilities in the pipeline.” [InsideNova]

Pentagon Says No to Motorcycle Rally — “The Department of Defense denied a parking permit to the American Veterans organization to use the Pentagon as a rallying point for the Memorial Day ‘Rolling to Remember’ ride, ending a 32-year tradition… [The Pentagon said] it would reconsider the request once COVID-19 conditions change.” [Washington Examiner]

Tables, Chairs Coming Back to Penrose Square — “Penrose Square plaza tables and chairs coming back soon. Make your outdoor lunch plans for next week accordingly.” [Twitter, Twitter]

History of Arlington’s Rail Lines — “By 1924, the larger Washington-Virginia Railway had 64 trolley stops in Arlington alone, on four branches. Lines crossed the Potomac on the old Aqueduct Bridge and on another branch on what became the 14th Street bridges, taking passengers through ‘Arlington Junction’ in what became Crystal City and all the way to Mount Vernon.” [Falls Church News-Press]

New Section of 9/11 Trail in PA — “Somerset County and other officials cut the ribbon Friday in Garrett for the first 1.5 miles of the newly developed, off-road section of the 1,300-mile-long 9/11 National Memorial Trail. Currently, the recreational trail is a patchwork of about 55% off-road trails and 45% roads connecting the three 9/11 memorial sites in New York City, Arlington, Va., and Shanksville.” [Pittsburgh Tribune-Review]

Thank You for Your Feedback!

By ARLnow.com

Thanks for providing feedback about the ARLnow Press Club.

Is there anything else you’d like to see the club or our emails offer? Let us know in the comments.

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

It wasn’t the busiest of weeks for local news in Arlington, but this evening’s windstorm was a chaotic coda.

As this post publishes (late) there are about 600 Dominion customers still without power, down from a peak of more than 6,000. Trees and tree branches were reported down throughout Arlington after the storm

Aside from the wind, the big story of this week was about the finalists for the new Arlington County logo.

Here are the most-read ARLnow articles of the past five days:

  1. County Reveals Five Finalists for New Arlington Logo
  2. Here Are Some of the Rejected Arlington Logo Designs
  3. The Crossing Clarendon Has a New Name and May Be Getting a New Pedestrian Plaza
  4. Arlington Man Dies After Early Morning Crash Along Washington Blvd
  5. Morning Poll: Which Proposed County Logo Do You Like the Best?
  6. Sketches Show Proposed New YMCA Facility and Apartments in Va. Square
  7. East Fall Church Metro Station’s Nearly Empty Bike Facility Seen as COVID-19 Symptom
  8. Trees, Power Lines Down After Line of Strong Winds

Feel free to discuss those or any other local story of interest in the comments. Have a nice weekend!

UPDATED: Trees, Power Lines Down After Line of Strong Winds

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:45 p.m. — Outages in Arlington are down to about 600 customers, according to Dominion.

Update at 5:55 p.m. — Dominion reported approximately 48,000 customers without power in Northern Virginia, including nearly 6,300 in Arlington, as of 5:30 p.m., though those numbers are starting to come down slightly.

There are large reported outages in the Shirlington, Fairlington, Green Valley and East Falls Church areas. There are reports of trees that fell into buildings, including houses and a garden apartment building.

Update at 5:10 p.m. — There are multiple reports of trees and wires down around Arlington after 50-65 mile per hour wind gusts swept through the county. Power is reported out in several neighborhoods and a tree is reportedly blocking a portion of N. Glebe Road near N. Pershing Drive.

As a result of a high volume of calls, the fire department has temporarily reduced its standard response to certain types of alarms, according to scanner traffic.

Earlier: Arlington is under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning as a “wall of wind” arrives from the west.

On an already breezy day — amid a High Wind Warning — the storm front could cause power outages and fell trees.

(more…)

Arlington Is Now Under a ‘High Wind Warning’ This Afternoon

By ARLnow.com

An earlier High Wind Watch has been upgraded to a warning.

It’s going to be a really windy afternoon for Arlington County and other parts of the D.C. area. Expect strong gusts, downed trees and power outages, forecasters say.

More from the National Weather Service:

940 AM EDT Fri Apr 30 2021

…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM EDT SATURDAY…

* WHAT…Northwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 60 mph.

* WHERE…The District of Columbia, Central and Southeast Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties in Maryland, and Arlington, Eastern Loudoun, and Fairfax Counties in Virginia including the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, and Falls Church.

* WHEN…Until 2 AM EDT Saturday.

* IMPACTS…Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…The long duration of high wind will likely aid in widespread tree damage and power outages.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive.

More details from the Capital Weather Gang:

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Ballston Company’s IPO Soars — “Privia Health Group, which provides technology and services to physician practices, began trading Thursday on the Nasdaq and saw its share price jump in early trading — and stay there. Shares closed at $34.75 per share, up 51 percent from its opening share price of $23, with just over 10 million shares traded.” [Crunchbase]

Ambulance Crash in N. Arlington — “Crash involving an ambulance (not ACFD) at Old Dominion Drive & Lorcom Lane. @ArlingtonVaFD & @ArlingtonVAPD on the scene.” [Twitter]

New Hire for County Retirement System — “After a nationwide search, the Arlington County Employees’ Retirement System (ACERS) has selected Susie Ardeshir as Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer. The appointment is effective July 6, 2021. Ms. Ardeshir has more than 15 years of investment management experience. Before joining ACERS, she was the investments director at a public university system in California.” [Arlington County]

Grants to Nat’l Landing Merchants — “The National Landing Business Improvement District (BID) teamed up with Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) to provide $100,000 in relief funding to 30 businesses as part of their “Love Local” campaign. Funds are allocated evenly across the eligible National Landing establishments to help cover necessary operator-related expenses including rent and employee wages.” [Press Release]

VHC Doc, Nurses Honored — “Virginia Hospital Center… is pleased to announce Michael Silverman, MD, FACEP, chair of emergency medicine, was recently selected as one of five 2020 Facility Medical Directors of the Year by Alteon Health [and] five members of the nursing team were selected by Washingtonian Magazine to receive Excellence in Nursing Awards.” [Press Release]

JUST IN: High Wind Watch Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Arlington will be under a High Wind Watch starting Friday morning.

Today’s warmth will be giving way to colder weather tomorrow, and with that change will come strong winds. Gusts of up to 60 mph could down trees and tree limbs, potentially damaging structures, blocking roads and knocking out power.

More from the National Weather Service:

232 PM EDT Thu Apr 29 2021

…HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT…

* WHAT…Potential for west-northwesterly wind gusts of 60 mph.

* WHERE…The District of Columbia, Prince George’s County in Maryland, and Arlington and Fairfax Counties in Virginia including the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church.

* WHEN…From Friday morning through late Friday night.

* IMPACTS…Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…The highest wind may occur in two waves: one Friday afternoon, and a second Friday evening.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this situation. Fasten loose objects or shelter objects in a safe location prior to the onset of winds.

The watch covers much of the immediate D.C. area and points north.

Morning Poll: Have You Seen Any Cicadas Yet?

By ARLnow.com

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.

We’ve analyzed soil temperatures and the weather projections and, in our first-ever cicada forecast, predict a noticeable emergence of cicadas next week, starting as soon as between May 3 and 6. Then they should arrive in large numbers by the beginning of the following week, between May 10 and 12.

The swarm and the attendant cacophony of buzzy mating calls is expected to stretch into June.

Though the real action is predicted to start next week, there are already reports of cicadas sightings around the area.

https://twitter.com/MrErrett/status/1387398489697628161

Soon enough, cicada encounters will be unavoidable. But today we’re wondering how many readers have spotted the early birds.

Photo courtesy Fred Cochard

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rent Rising in Arlington — “Of the 10 top apartment markets in the D.C. metro tracked by Apartment List, average rents are lower than a year ago in six of them. Arlington County, Virginia, remains the most expensive apartment rental market, with an average monthly rent of $2,144. Arlington County rents are still 9.7% lower than a year ago, but rents have bounced back the most, rising by 2.7% over the past month.” [WTOP]

Local Spots on Spring Dining Guide — Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema’s prestigious Spring Dining Guide includes three Arlington or Arlington-connected restaurants: Cafe Colline on Lee Highway, Spice Kraft Indian Bistro in Clarendon, and the soon-to-open Lucky Danger in Pentagon City. [Washington Post]

Arlington, D.C.’s Factory District? — From WAMU’s Martin Austermuhle: “Apparently the idea of re-retroceding Arlington and Alexandria to D.C. was being debated in the late 1800s and early 1900s in Congress. Some believed it would give D.C. a bigger tax base, others said Arlington would be a good place for factories. (Not of cheesecake variety.)” [Twitter]

Thieves Steal Cars With Found Keys — “Between 10:00 p.m. on April 25 and 9:38 a.m. on April 26, the suspect(s) gained entry into the victims vehicle parked in their driveway where a garage door opener was located. The suspect(s) allegedly used the garage opener to gain entry into the victims garage where a second vehicle was located with keys for both vehicles inside. The two vehicles, along with the victims personal property and an undisclosed amount of cash, were stolen.” [ACPD]

New Glebe Turn Lane Open — Northbound N. Glebe Road now has an added left turn lane at Lee Highway, after a year of construction. The project is expected to wrap up in the fall. [Twitter]

F.C. Lowers Tax Rate, Renames Schools — The City of Falls Church has lowered its real estate tax rate by 3.5 cents, the first time it has reduced the rate since 2006. The city’s School Board also selected new names for George Mason High School and Thomas Jefferson Elementary. [Falls Church News-Press, InsideNova]

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