Author: ARLnow.com

APS Mulling Grading Policy Change — “Arlington Public Schools in Virginia is proposing a plan that would enable middle and high school students to retake or redo certain assignments and reduce the weight that homework has on a student’s overall grade… And, assignments turned in after the due date but before the end of a teaching unit would have to be accepted for credit, though a student may still be penalized up to 10% for the late submission.” [WTOP]

Garage is Hidden Art Gallery — “On a quiet residential street in Arlington, Va., one garage is not like the others… while its neighbors might house minivans and power tools, on a gray December afternoon the door to this one, which is not really a garage at all, opens to reveal a cross-shaped plywood table set, as if for a meal, with brightly colored wares.” [New York Times]

Unhealthy Air Warning — “…AIR QUALITY ALERT IS IN EFFECT FOR FRIDAY MAY 12 2023… The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality Alert Friday for Northern Virginia. A Code Orange Air Quality Alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups.” [National Weather Service]

Cyclist Struck Last Night — “Scanner: Police and medics on scene of a cyclist struck at N. Moore Street and 19th Street in Rosslyn. Cyclist suffered a head injury and is being taken to a trauma center. Driver reportedly remained on scene.” [Twitter]

Nonprofit Celebrates College-Bound Students — “AHC Inc.’s College and Career Readiness (CCR) program hosted its college signing day on May 5 – where students announced their college plans and showcased new T-shirts for their chosen colleges. This year, the CCR program included 37 high school seniors and 32 juniors from lower-income homes. The students received acceptance from 156 out of the 257 schools they applied to and $13.3 million in gift aid and scholarships.” [Press Release]

Arlington Housing Remains Hot — “Home-buyer enthusiasm in Arlington remains highest in the metropolitan region even if many sellers are sitting out the market, according to new data, and continued to strengthen as the spring buying season rolled on.” [Gazette Leader]

Video of Wrong-way Driver — “Wrong way driver: A STATter911 reader spotted this yesterday at 8:45 pm on the ramp from Rt 110N to Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn, VA. Driver made left turn from N. Arlington Ridge Rd. down wrong side.” [Twitter]

Wakefield Lax Improves — “Whatever the reasons, the 2023 season has been the most successful ever for the Wakefield Warriors in boys lacrosse. The high-school team finished with a 7-8 overall record. The seven wins are the team’s most in a single season in program history, and six more than each of the last three seasons.” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Friday — Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon. Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. [Weather.gov]

High-Tech Health Monitors for Jail — “Sheriff Jose Quiroz announces the launch of a pilot program with Silicon Valley Company 4Sight Labs to track the vital signs of individuals in custody, becoming the first sheriff’s office in the area to use the technology as an additional tool, adding a layer of protection and safety in the Arlington County Detention Facility.” [ACSO]

Sheriff’s Office Swamped with Evictions — “This year, ASCO is also dealing with another lingering pandemic-era problem: A high number of eviction notices. According to the department, deputies served more than 300 eviction notices in 2022–after numbers fell during the pandemic but started to climb again in 2021. So far this year, deputies have served 227 eviction notices in just four months.” [WJLA]

Local Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony — “The Arlington County Police Department and the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning paid tribute to the memory of the seven law enforcement officers in the county who made the ultimate sacrifice. The solemn Peace Officers Memorial Day ceremony is held each year ahead of National Police Week.” [WJLA]

Police Week Motorcades Are Back — It’s National Police Week, which in Arlington often means numerous motorcades for the families of fallen officers crisscrossing the county for a few days. [National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund]

Still No GOP Candidates — “Another week and still no Republican candidates are emerging for any of the 13 local/legislative races on Arlington’s November ballot. And even as the days tick down to the June 20 filing deadline, the local GOP chairman is trying to rustle up contenders.” [Gazette Leader]

Senior Dems Meeting in Person Again — “For more than three years owing to COVID, the Arlington Senior Democrats group has held its monthly luncheons in an online setting. That is about to change. And to prove one is never too senior to try something new, the location will represent a departure from its typical pre-COVID spot.” [Gazette Leader]

Homelessness Up in D.C. Burbs — “The 2023 homeless census, part of the annual point-in-time (PIT) count, found 1,339 more people experiencing homelessness than in 2022. The increase has particularly evident in the counties surrounding the District, which saw a 26 percent rise in homelessness over the last year.” [Washington Post]

It’s Thursday — Sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming southwest around 6 mph in the morning. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 60. South wind 3 to 5 mph. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Alan Kotok

Police Partnership to Support Local Youth — “The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD), AHC Inc. (AHC) and the Life Enrichment Center (LEC) have partnered to provide literacy tutoring to elementary-aged students at AHC’s Gates of Ballston after-school program. The tutoring program is part of a three-tiered approach between ACPD’s Community Engagement Division and AHC to support positive youth development through education and relationship building.” [ACPD]

County Fair Set to Return — “The countdown has begun: There are now just 100 days left until the start of the 2023 Arlington County Fair. The annual event will be held Aug. 16-20 at Thomas Jefferson Community Center, with upward of 80,000 people expected.” [Gazette Leader]

Arlington Not First to Ranked Choice — “Is Arlington County the first jurisdiction in the DMV to implement ranked choice voting? According to FairVote.org, Arlington is the first location in Virginia to switch to ranked choice voting. But it is not the first place in the DMV… Takoma Park, Maryland has held its elections for mayor and city council this way since 2007.” [WUSA 9]

Yellow Line Celebration Today — From the National Landing BID: “It’s been too long old friend! Come celebrate the return of the Yellow Line on Wednesday, May 10 from 8-10 a.m. at the Pentagon City Metro and Crystal City Metro. Enjoy free coffee, giveaways, and more!” [Twitter]

Shirlington Block Party Planned — “The Village at Shirlington is holding its second annual spring block party on May 20, when the streets will be closed for a day of music, a Maker’s Market, games, and kids’ activities. The celebration, ‘Spring Fling: A Village Block Party,”’will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 20 on Campbell Avenue.” [Patch]

‘pinion Piece on Pickleball Pwock — “A guy in Falmouth, Mass., sold his house to get away from pickleball courts. A woman in Newport Beach, Calif., sued the city, saying that the ceaseless pwock!ing from nearby courts caused ‘severe mental suffering, frustration and anxiety.’ A neighborhood group in Arlington, Va., this year organized to stop more pickleball courts being built near them because of ‘excessive continuous noise,’ ‘public urination,’ plus ‘tennis and basketball’ had been ‘hijacked.'” [Washington Post]

Falls Church Approves Tax Rates — “There are no changes to the current real estate tax of $1.23 per $100 of assessed value. The average homeowner’s real estate tax bill will increase $364 or 3.4 percent due to the riding assessed property value. The personal property tax (or ‘car tax’) will increase by $0.50 for a total of $4.80 per $100 of assessed value; however, a projected decrease in assessed value of vehicles will result in an average decrease of 8.8 percent in the bill.” [City of Falls Church]

It’s Wednesday — Sunny, with a high near 74. North wind around 7 mph. Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 52. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph after midnight. [Weather.gov]