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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Board Members Remember Erik Gutshall — “The four remaining Arlington County Board members – Chair Libby Garvey, Christian Dorsey, Katie Cristol and Matt de Ferranti – spent several minutes each remembering former Vice Chair Erik Gutshall, who died on Thursday after an 8-week battle with brain cancer.” [Blue Virginia]

School Board Discusses Distance Learning — “There’s both positive and negative news as Arlington Public Schools has pivoted to distance-learning in an effort to squeeze in some education during the COVID-19 lockdown. The good news? At least things have not gone as badly as in neighboring Fairfax County, where that school system’s attempt to re-start instruction collapsed in a technical debacle and ensuing recriminations last week. The bad news? Arlington school officials acknowledge that their efforts are not going to be able to replicate what could be accomplished during more normal time.” [InsideNova]

APS Names Teacher, Principal of the Year — Arlington Career Center Culinary Arts Teacher Chef Renee Randolph is the 2020 Arlington Public Schools Teacher of the Year, while Campbell Elementary’s Maureen Nesselrode has been named Principal of the Year.

Beyer Blasts Trump Immigration Order — “From the beginning Trump has flailed about seeking someone to blame for his own failure… Immigration has nearly stopped and the US has far more cases than any other country. This is just xenophobic scapegoating.” [Twitter]

Legality of County Grant Criteria Questioned — “The Arlington County government announced that it will hand out grants to small businesses based on ‘considerations’ such as whether the business is ‘women and/or minority-owned.’ That ‘consideration’ of race and sex is unconstitutional.” [CNSNews]

VRE Train Strikes Man in D.C. Near Long Bridge — “A man was hit and killed by a train in Southwest D.C. Monday morning and train traffic in the area has been stopped.  The man was struck in the 1300 block of Maryland Avenue SW, the D.C. fire department said on Twitter at 7:30 a.m.” [NBC 4, Twitter]

Startup Monday: How Local Startups Will Fare During and After the Pandemic

By ARLnow.com

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow,  Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties remains firmly committed to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, tenants and community. This week, Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1000 and 1100 Wilson (The Rosslyn Towers).

One area of the economy that is being disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, among many, is a group used to being the ones doing the disrupting: startups.

As COVID-19 results in widespread economic devastation, startup founders find themselves having gone almost overnight from a world with abundant funding and plenty of deep-pocketed potential customers, to one in which funding is likely to be scarce and customers — companies and individuals alike — are looking for ways to cut costs, not add new expenses.

Jonathan Aberman, Dean of the School of Business and Technology at Marymount University in Arlington and a long-time participant in the D.C. area startup ecosystem, said that tough times like these often result in a starker contrast between winners and losers.

“The first thing you have to understand is that not every company is going to be affected the same way, because some companies are going to benefit really well from the short term,” he said, citing certain healthcare startups as one example. “In the longer term the economy is going to be changed forever by COVID-19 and the aftermath, in ways we can’t really predict.”

“Uniformly, right now, every business is trying to figure out what the future looks like,” he said. “COVID-19 is such an enormous change agent for how our economy and our society functions.”

One major differentiation factor between winners and losers, according to Aberman, will be product/market fit: whether a given company offers something for which there is strong demand in the marketplace. Whereas prior to the pandemic founders with a bright idea and confidence-inspiring credentials could get funding for the latest Uber-for-something app before actual customers showed up, the new environment will favor scrappy founders who go out and build something people really want.

“With venture capital for the past few years, startups without product/market fit could raise money,” Aberman said. “But if you don’t have a product that is really attractive right now, if you aren’t in a sector of the economy that’s really hot right now, and you don’t have the possibility of being hot in the near term, you have to ask yourself: am I in a war of attrition?”

Startups with few customers and poor funding prospects are ill-fitted for such a world, where only the strong and well-capitalized survive. On the other hand, those making something that’s in need — robots and artificial intelligence that can help do work usually done by humans, for instance, or other products and services compatible with social distancing — should do fine.

“Businesses that don’t have something to sell will not do well, and the businesses that do will find a way,” Aberman said. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy.

“It’s appropriate to use the the ‘D’ word — depression,” for the current economic climate, Aberman said. “I think it will end when there’s a vaccine.”

Entrepreneurs who are in it for the long haul — those who grit it out and are less concerned about getting rich as they are building something great — will find lots of opportunity as the economy rebounds. And those who jump in now rather than waiting for the coast to be clear will have a valuable head start and a leg up when it comes to seeking funding, according to Aberman.

“I expect that there will be enormous entrepreneurial and social entrepreneurial opportunities at the other side of this,” he said.

Additionally, the D.C. area and its startup ecosystem — which is weighted toward less sexy but more reliably lucrative categories like cybersecurity, which get less attention than the latest buzzy consumer startup — is relatively well-positioned going forward, says Aberman.

“We didn’t really participate in all the frothiness of the national venture capital market,” he said. “We never really over-indexed to ‘Facebook-for-cats.'”

The local startup scene “is not just around government,” said Aberman. “It’s around a lot of established industries that will continue to have money.”

Police Pursuit Ends With Crash in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

A driver led Virginia State Police on a brief chase through part of Pentagon City and Crystal City Sunday evening.

The pursuit happened around 5:30 p.m., when a trooper tried to conduct a traffic stop on Army Navy Drive near the Pentagon City mall. The driver tried to speed off but a short time later crashed on the 200 block of 12th Street S. in Crystal City, according to VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller.

More from VSP:

At approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday (April 19), a Virginia State Police trooper attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 900 block of Army Navy Drive. The vehicle refused to stop and a pursuit was initiated. The suspect vehicle’s driver lost control and crashed in the 200 block of 12th Street in Arlington County. The driver then attempted to flee the scene on foot, but was quickly apprehended without incident. The driver was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of a minor injury sustained in the crash. State police charged the driver with one felony count of eluding police.

The name of the suspect and the initial reason for the traffic stop was not immediately available.

Parking Lot Dispute Near Shirlington Escalates, Ends With Arrest

By ARLnow.com

A Maryland man is facing multiple charges after police say a dispute over a parking space escalated to violence.

The incident happened shortly before noon Sunday, on the 4400 block of 31st Street S. near Shirlington and a number of apartment buildings.

Police say two drivers “became engaged in a dispute over a parking spot” that resulted in the suspect assaulting the victim after the victim had parked. The suspect also drew a gun during the incident, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

More from ACPD:

BRANDISHING, 2020-04190043, 4400 block of 31st Street S. At approximately 11:41 a.m. on April 19, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim and suspect became engaged in a dispute over a parking spot. After the victim parked, the suspect exited his vehicle, allegedly approached the victim, grabbed him and assaulted him. The suspect then went inside of a residential building, but immediately returned and brandished a firearm at the victim, before fleeing into the building again. During the course of the investigation, officers developed a possible suspect description. Officers located and made contact with the suspect and took him into custody without incident. The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Desmond Young, 30, of Fort Washington, Md., was arrested and charged with Strangulation, Brandishing a Firearm and Assault & Battery.

File photo

County to Endorse Columbia Pike Realignment Plan, Fund Design of New Trail Segment

By ARLnow.com
1/2

The Arlington County Board is set to vote this weekend on the federal government’s plan to realign Columbia Pike to facilitate the southern expansion of Arlington National Cemetery.

Under the plan, Southgate Road, which runs from the entrance to Henderson Hall to the intersection of the Pike and S. Joyce Street, would be removed to make way for new cemetery grounds and interment spaces. Columbia Pike would be realigned near the Air Force Memorial to run directly down to Joyce Street rather than curving around the memorial.

The County Board is expected to endorse the plan — part of the federally-funded Defense Access Roads program — this weekend, allowing it to move forward.

Also on the Board agenda is a Memorandum of Agreement with a federal transportation agency for the creation of a new segment of multi-use trail between Washington Blvd and Arlington National Cemetery.

The long-proposed trail would run along the western side of Washington Blvd, from the realigned portion of the Pike to Memorial Drive. It would provide a safer alternative to an existing trail on the other side of the highway, which is well-utilized but has a number of harrowing crossings at ramps to and from the GW Parkway.

“Upgrading this portion of the trail provides an important connectivity from the Columbia Pike/Pentagon City area to Memorial Drive,” a county staff report said. “With the expansion of Arlington National Cemetery and the interchange modifications, the timing is perfect for this segment of trail improvements. ”

The County Board is expected to approve the MOA, along with a half-million dollars in funding for the trail from the existing Columbia Pike multimodal improvements project.

“Representatives from [Arlington National Cemetery] have agreed to provide Arlington County the necessary easements for the trail improvements,” the staff report noted. “Under this MOA, Arlington County will provide advanced funding to Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division (EFLHD), in an amount of $500,000, for engineering design, construction advertisement, and procurement for construction services, and oversight of the construction required for the multi-use trail portion of the project.”

More on both items, from a County Board meeting preview:

The Board will consider two agreements with the federal government that, if approved, would endorse major design elements for the planned realignment of Columbia Pike and build a trail segment that will connect Columbia Pike Pentagon City to Memorial Drive. The realignment grows out of the federal government’s southern expansion project to create more burial space for Arlington National Cemetery by closing, realigning and relocating several Arlington roadways. The federal government has agreed to realign Columbia Pike modify the South Joyce Street intersection and the Columbia Pike/ Washington Boulevard interchange and replace Southgate Road with a new segment of South Nash Street. A second, related agreement that the Board will consider would, if approved, provide $500,000 for the federal government to design a multi-use trail along Washington Boulevard adjacent to the cemetery. This segment of the trail, adjacent to the cemetery, is an important connection from Columbia Pike Pentagon City to Memorial Drive. If approved, the agreement would give the Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division the authority to move forward with designing the trail.

New Virus Cases Up By More Than 100 Since Friday

By ARLnow.com

An additional 108 coronavirus cases, 60 hospitalizations and 5 deaths have been reported in Arlington since Friday.

The latest figures from the Virginia Dept. of Health show a continued upward trajectory of cases in the county, with the steepest one-day rise in reported cases (55) yet on Sunday.

There are currently 593 COVID-19 cases, 110 hospitalizations and 20 deaths reported in Arlington, with 2,437 coronavirus tests completed. Statewide, there are 8,990 known cases, 1,500 hospitalizations, 300 deaths and 56,735 tests completed, according to VDH.

Public health officials, meanwhile, are urging people to continue social distancing, frequently washing hands, avoiding touching one’s face and wearing a mask while out in public.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Another Sewage Release in Four Mile Run — “Avoid contact with Four Mile Run Creek downstream of 7th St S until further notice due to a sanitary sewage release. County Water/Sewer/Streets is responding.” [Twitter]

ACFD Rolls Out New Medic Unit — “As we progress through the COVID-19 pandemic, ACFD continues to adjust our response to ensure the best service and safety for our community. Yesterday we deployed a new resource that will provide rapid on-scene assessment to identify non-critical patients with potential or confirmed #COVID related complaints.” [Facebook, NBC 4]

Former Police Chief Dies — “On Friday, April 17, 2020, retired Chief of Police William K. ‘Smokey’ Stover passed away of natural causes. He was 89 years old… Chief Stover was known for his integrity, character and straight talk, no-nonsense style.” [Arlington County]

Hotel Heart Turns to Hope — “If you’ve driven the 14th Street Bridge from DC to Virginia over the past few weeks, you’ve seen it: a giant illuminated heart on a Crystal City building… Thursday night, the hotel broadcast a new message: ‘HOPE.'” [Washingtonian]

YHS Dad Photographing Seniors — “Matt Mendelsohn’s Instagram feed is a veritable who’s who, featuring portraits of Stephen Hawking, Ray Charles, Nicole Kidman, Bill Clinton, Chris Rock and countless other famous figures… Now he’s set an ambitious goal amid the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis: to photograph every member of Yorktown High School’s Class of 2020.” [Arlington Magazine]

BREAKING: Food Giveaway Causes Huge Traffic Jam on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
1/7

(Updated at 5 p.m.) Arlington County Police are now on scene of a big traffic jam on Columbia Pike reportedly caused by a food giveaway.

Initial reports suggest that the Mega Market Express, at 5001 Columbia Pike in the Pike Plaza shopping center, is giving away hundreds of meals as part of a promotion announced on Facebook. Police were not informed of the giveaway in advance, according to scanner traffic.

A large crowd has gathered around the store and Columbia Pike is jammed with traffic in both directions. Streets approaching the Pike like S. Dinwiddie Street are also at a standstill.

“This is absolutely insane,” said ARLnow staff photographer Jay Westcott, after arriving on scene. “No one is practicing social distancing.”

Officers are working to spread out the crowd and get traffic moving again. As of 5 p.m., the store had closed and was beginning to hand out certificates to let people pick up their giveaway items at a later time, according to scanner traffic.

Arlington’s emergency alert system is encouraging people to avoid the area.

Superintendent Slashes $54 Million from APS Budget Proposal

By ARLnow.com

The coronavirus pandemic will mean big changes to the Arlington Public Schools budget.

Interim Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Cintia Johnson presented her revised budget to the School Board via video conference last night, detailing plans to slash $54 million from what was once an ambitious budget calling for $725.8 million in expenditures.

The new budget assumes a drop in projected revenue from $698 million to $660.6 million. To balance the budget, Johnson proposes eliminating all across-the-board pay raises, nixing other planned expenditure increases, increasing class sizes at all grade levels by one, furloughing all staff for one day next spring, and using $14 million in reserve funds.

The school system’s reserves would drop from $26.5 million to $12 million, and would eventually need to be replenished in future budgets.

“We are using a significant amount of reserve funds to balance the budget, but we believe this is the best option for APS in order to preserve our team, maintain our high quality staff, and continue our tradition of excellence,” Johnson said. “”This is an extremely unusual year that has brought increased budget pressures. as a result, we have had to make some very tough decisions.”

Johnson presented two scenarios to the Board for employee pay raises, but said neither was viable for achieving a balanced budget.

The budget also calls for eliminating the Foreign Language in Elementary School program, eliminating tuition reimbursement for staff for the year, cancelling six planned school bus purchases, delaying purchases of furniture and technology for APS administration headquarters, delaying a planned athletic field renovation at Kenmore Middle School, and delaying a number of hires.

“We have preserved, as much as possible, our quality programs and services,” Johnson told the School Board last night.

The budget includes enough staffing to absorb a 4% increase in student enrollment — projected to be 29,142 at the beginning of the school year — and increased funding for English learners and students with special needs, as mandated by a settlement with the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

APS’ cost per pupil, currently the highest among D.C. area suburbs, would drop from $19,921 to $19,624.

Johnson says there are some unknowns that may yet affect the budget, including whether APS might see any boost in funding from federal coronavirus stimulus programs like the CARES Act, or reduced funding from the state. She said the furlough day should be scheduled as late in the next school year as possible, so that it can be eliminated should additional funding become available.

After a two work sessions and public hearings, the School Board is set to adopt the final Fiscal Year 2021 budget on Thursday, May 7.

Vast Majority of Arlington Small Businesses Report Significant Disruption During Pandemic

By ARLnow.com

More than 90% of Arlington small businesses have had their business “very” or “extremely” disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

That’s according to the results of a preliminary survey conducted by Arlington Economic Development, revealed in a county press release Thursday evening. With many businesses shut down by emergency order, revenue has slowed to a trickle for a wide swath of the local business community.

“While the pandemic is impacting numerous segments of the Arlington business community, it is particularly difficult for those that are customer-facing, specifically small retail, hospitality and personal services businesses, which have reported significant sales declines as well as employee layoffs,” the county noted.

To make matters worse, the federal government’s Paycheck Protection Program loan fund, part of the $2 trillion stimulus package passed late last month, has run out of money — before many small businesses could get their applications processed by swamped banks.

A delay in replenishing the program, amid partisan bickering in Congress, could lead to business closures.

(ARLnow’s parent company, which employs 9 people, applied for a PPP loan from PNC Bank on April 6. As of this morning it was still “under review.”)

Arlington County, meanwhile, is launching its own relief program for small businesses. The county says it will provide grants of up to $10,000 for businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 50 employees. The application for the program is expected to open in early May.

The funds for the program are being reallocated from elsewhere in the current Fiscal Year 2020 budget.

More from Arlington County:

Arlington County has created the Arlington Small Business Emergency GRANT (Giving Resiliency Assets Near Term) Program, to provide immediate financial assistance to Arlington’s small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The GRANT program is designed to bridge the gap to provide near-term relief for businesses, some of whom have experienced delays or limitations with Federal relief initiatives. The program was approved during a County Board budget work session Thursday, April 16.

“Small businesses contribute to the character of our community,” said Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey. “What’s more – they are a vital component of our community’s economic health. More than 90 percent of our businesses are small businesses – and right now, they need our help more than ever before.”

The GRANT Program would provide grants of up to $10,000 to businesses and non-profits with less than 50 employees. Businesses may use the grants for employee salary and benefits as well as for other business capital and operating expenses directly related to the immediate impacts of COVID-19. Funding for the program is being reallocated from existing grant funds in the FY2020 budget.

“This pandemic has been truly devastating to the Arlington business community, particularly our customer-facing small businesses,” said Arlington Economic Development Director Telly Tucker, who reported that more than 9 out of 10 small businesses called the pandemic extremely or very disruptive to business operations. “In our outreach to our business community, we’ve heard that access to financial assistance was what they needed more than anything. We’re hoping these funds can bridge the gap for businesses and help them stay afloat during this challenging time.”

Eligibility and Applications Process 

Eligible businesses and non-profits are those located in Arlington County with fewer than 50 employees that can demonstrate revenue losses of 35 percent or more as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications will be evaluated through a competitive process involving a weighted scoring system, looking at considerations like the number of jobs retained or supported with funds, length of time the business has operated in Arlington, whether it is women and/or minority-owned, demonstrated need, and how the funds will be used. Applications for Federal programs will not impact County GRANT eligibility. The goal is to have the application process up and running in early May.

Local small businesses and get notified about the grant application opening here and find more COVID-19 resources from Arlington Economic Development here.

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

County: ‘More Work Lies Ahead’ to Keep Coronavirus in Check

By ARLnow.com

Coronavirus cases continue to rise in Arlington, though county leaders are applauding residents for helping to slow the spread.

As of Friday there were 485 reported COVID-19 cases in Arlington, and signs that the growth in new cases may have peaked locally.

The latest data from the Virginia Dept. of Health also shows 53 hospitalizations in Arlington and a total of 2,159 test results reported in the county. Statewide, there are 7,491 known cases, 1,221 hospitalizations and 231 deaths, with 48,997 people tested.

In a press release Thursday, Arlington County said residents were doing a good job of slowing the spread of the virus, but emphasized that we’re by no means out of the woods yet.

Arlington’s Public Health and Emergency Management leaders are applauding community members’ efforts to help limit the spread of Coronavirus thus far — while reminding them that more work lies ahead.

Health Director and Public Health Division Chief Reuben Varghese said that, overall, residents have adopted the key behaviors needed to slow the spread:

  1. Keeping at least six feet from other people
  2. Washing hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
  3. Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue or the inside of the elbow
  4. Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces every day
  5. Wearing cloth face coverings in public
  6. Staying at home and going out only for permitted activities when absolutely necessary

“These measures have helped to limit the spread of coronavirus and I thank everyone who is taking these important actions,” Varghese said. “However, the coronavirus is present in Arlington and across the region. We are sharing a new guide to help those who are ill successfully isolate at home.”

To help navigate this next phase, the County is sharing instructions called Steps to Slow the Spread of COVID-19, which tells residents what to do if they or family members are sick or have symptoms. In addition, the guide provides instructions about how to identify people who came into close contact with you while you were sick.

“We need ill residents to tell their close contacts to stay home and quarantine, so we further prevent the spread of this virus in our community,” Varghese said.

Use the Buddy System 

If you become ill or need to isolate or self-quarantine, you may need help from other people–and other people may ask you for help. Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management Director Aaron Miller says now is the time to put plans in place.

“Plan ahead and reach out–safely–to friends, neighbors, social and work networks, faith groups, and school and neighborhood associations to have people who can help and put a buddy system in place,” Miller said. “This will make it easier to get things like food and medicine if you are unable to leave your home. We recommend that every household has two ‘buddy’ households to call upon for help if needed.”

For people who have difficulty identifying buddies, there is a new online tool. The Arlington Community Corps includes listings by Arlington neighborhood and is designed to link people who need help with nearby volunteers willing to help out–by delivering groceries and medication to other residents at higher risk from COVID-19. For more information or questions, email [email protected].

View More Stories