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Arlington SAT and ACT Scores Rise, Bucking National Trend

Published September 4, 2015 at 11:40AM

Across the country, SAT scored dipped in 2015, with the average SAT score 7 points lower than a year ago. Arlington Public Schools, however, has bucked that trend in a big way.

APS reported Thursday that its average SAT score in 2015 rose 27 points, to 1,680. The average score on the ACT, another standardized test, also rose.

“I am extremely proud of these results and appreciate the team effort and close collaboration by everyone to support our students,” Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy said in a press release. “In recent years, we have focused on academic planning through our Aspire2Excellence efforts, and it is clear that our students are stretching themselves in their academic choices as they move toward future college and career pursuits.”

Over the past five years, APS SAT scores have increased 18 points in reading, 16 points in writing and 18 points in math.

The average APS SAT test score of 1,680 well exceeded the Virginia average of 1,533 and the U.S. average of 1,490. Results for black, hispanic and white students “exceed the peers in Virginia by large margins,” APS noted.

The results stand in contrast to another major local school system, Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. The average SAT score for Montgomery County students dropped 21 points in 2015, Bethesda Magazine reported.

“I applaud and recognize the commitment of our teachers and school leaders,” Murphy said of Arlington’s test results. “I appreciate the critical support that is provided by our families to ensure that all students excel and realize their full potential.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 4, 2015 at 10:35AM

Ballston Restaurant Makes Habit of Breaking Plates — Order the suckling pig at SER restaurant (1110 N. Glebe Road) in Ballston and the chef will chop it at the table with the blunt edge of a plate. After the chopping is done, the chef will smash the plate, as part of a Spanish tradition. [Washington Post]

Dem Dinner May Be Renamed — The Arlington County Democratic Committee is considering renaming its annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, given that the event is currently named after two slaveholding presidents. [InsideNova]

Oakridge Pedal Desks Get National Attention — The pedal desks at Oakridge Elementary are getting some attention from a national cycling magazine, which write that the desk is “is a novel idea because it allows a child to fidget without creating a distraction.” [Bicycling]

School Bus Cameras to Start Issuing Tickets — Stop sign cameras on Arlington school buses will start issuing $250 tickets on Tuesday, the first day of school. The cameras were installed earlier this year and started issuing warnings this summer to those who drive past school buses while the stop sign is deployed. [ARLnow]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Woman Falls on Track at Ballston Metro Station

By ARLnow.com

Published September 4, 2015 at 9:10AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:53PM

Metrorail riders should expect residual delays on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines after someone fell on the track at the Ballston Metro station.

Metro is describing the incident as a “medical emergency.” A Twitter user said a woman walked off the platform and onto the tracks.

“Lady just walked smooth off the platform onto the tracks at Ballston station right in front of me,” said @Durrrius.

Fire department radio traffic indicates that the patient has been removed from the tracks and is now being treated by medics.

Metro says that trains are again moving through the station, with residual delays in both directions.

BREAKING: Police Searching for Evidence at House of Murder Victim’s Ex-Husband

By ARLnow.com

Published September 3, 2015 at 11:30AM | Updated September 3, 2015 at 1:18PM

(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) Arlington County Police are executing a search warrant on the house of David Black, the ex-husband of murder victim Bonnie Delgado Black.

Police arrived at the house near Pentagon City early this morning, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Black was at the house at the time but has since left, and is so far not in custody and not charged with a crime, Sternbeck said.

“We have an active police presence at this time at David Black’s residence,” said Sternbeck. Police are searching for “potential items at the residence that could contain forensic evidence that can assist us in the investigation.”

Bonnie Black was found stabbed to death in her Aurora Highlands home the morning of April 17, after a neighbor saw her children wandering around outside the house. Black, who was 42, worked as a psychologist and did contract work for the FBI.

Bonnie Black’s ex-husband’s house is also in Aurora Highlands, several blocks away from the murder scene. Police this morning could be seen searching the ex-husband’s garage and removing two bikes, including one with a child carrier attached. The bikes were later taken away as evidence by police.

So far no one has been charged in the murder, a fact that has caused concern in the community. David Black remains a “person of interest” in the case, Sternbeck said.

“I’m very happy to see some action taking place,” neighbor Lynn Primo told reporters. “We’re all very concerned… this man continues to live here and the whole neighborhood believes he has something to do with [the murder].”

Primo said she has seen Black coming and going from the house, but has not observed any unusual activity.

The couple’s children are in the custody of Bonnie Black’s family, but David Black still has visitation rights, according to Sternbeck.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 3, 2015 at 9:45AM | Updated September 3, 2015 at 10:16AM

Investigation into Marine’s Death at Base — The military is investigating the death of a 22-year-old Marine at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Cpl. Jon Gee was reportedly found unresponsive in his room on the base Saturday afternoon, after a night out at “a rave in the District.” [Washington Post]

Rousselot Blasts Lack of Pike Transit Plan — The fact that Arlington County has no transit plan yet for Columbia Pike, after the cancellation of the streetcar last year, is frustrating to Peter Rousselot, who helped to lead the charge against the streetcar. “I think it is a failure of management,” he told WAMU. “The answer on the Pike that our group presented all along… was a regional Bus Rapid Transit system, or BRT, involving Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax County.” [WAMU]

Tour of New Elementary School — Arlington Public Schools led members of the media on a tour of the new Discovery Elementary School on Thursday. Located next to Williamsburg Middle School, it’s the county’s first new primary school in over a decade. Discovery is designed to be a “net zero” consumer of energy thanks to renewable energy features. [WTOP, Katch]

GMU ‘Welcome Fair’ Today — George Mason University’s Arlington campus is holding a “Welcome Fair” for students between 5:30 and 8 p.m. today. [Twitter]

Library Helps With Business Plans — Arlington Public Library helped the owners of Clarendon Animal Care, an ARLnow.com advertiser, create a business plan and launch their business. The library has a business services librarian and number of resources for entrepreneurs, including access to a premium database that compiles demographic data by ZIP code. [Twitter]

More on Arlington Radio Station — WERA, Arlington’s new community radio station, hopes to launch by December. The station will cost Arlington Independent Media, best known as the nonprofit behind Arlington’s local cable access channel, about $400,000. [Arlington Connection]

Flickr pool photo by Arlington VA

Morning Poll: Will You Be Going Out of Town for Labor Day Weekend?

By ARLnow.com

Published September 2, 2015 at 10:30AM

AAA Mid-Atlantic came out with its annual Labor Day travel forecast earlier this week, predicting that 850,700 D.C. area residents will head out of town for the holiday.

That’s a paltry 0.4 percent increase from last year, with 743,200 residents expected to drive to their vacation destinations, 62,500 expected to fly and the rest expected to take trains and other modes of transportation.

AAA says there would have been more locals traveling this year, had Labor Day not fallen on Sept. 7, the latest possible day it can occur. Historically, that dampens holiday travel.

“While increasing travel volume is great news for the industry and economy, our survey shows a decidedly ‘un-laboring’ take on the Labor Day holiday,” said AAA’s John Townsend II, in a press release. “Many would rather spend the holiday at cookouts, relaxing or simply at home to avoid heavy holiday traffic congestion or additional spending, especially if they have already taken a vacation this summer.”

Are you planning on skipping town for one last summer trip — or staying put and firing up the grill?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 2, 2015 at 9:45AM

Library Book Returned 34 Years Later — A teen novel has been returned to the Wakefield High School library 34 years overdue. The book, “The Underside of the Leaf,” was last checked out in 1981. [Washington Post]

Man Charged With Bringing Loaded Gun to DCA — A Woodbridge man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers at Reagan National Airport Saturday, after they discovered a loaded gun in his carry-on luggage. [WUSA 9]

Beyer Seeks to Hike Entire Appalachian Trail — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) has so far hiked 1,253 miles of the Appalachian Trail, in 46 different hikes, after vowing to complete the entire trail in 2002. [Rep. Don Beyer]

Suspicious Note on Metro Train Prompts Investigation, Delays

By ARLnow.com

Published September 1, 2015 at 5:35PM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:53PM

(Updated at 5:55 p.m.) A investigation into a suspicious message on a train caused some delays for Metro riders heading through Arlington on the Blue and Yellow lines this afternoon.

Metro Transit Police responded to the Pentagon City Metro station around the beginning of the evening rush hour for a “report of [a] suspicious package,” Metro said via Twitter.

According to Metro spokesman Mike Tolbert, a “suspicious note” was found on a train. The note was similar to another note — a bomb threat — that caused delays on the Blue, Silver and Orange lines this morning, Tolbert said.

Trains single tracked between the Pentagon City and National Airport stations for about a half hour as a result of the investigation. Metro said officers determined that the threat was “unfounded” and an all clear was given. Full service resumed, though with significant residual delays.

The incident even caused delays on the Green Line in D.C. “due to earlier congestion from delayed Yellow Line trains.”

Metro Places Speed Restriction on the Yellow Line Bridge

By ARLnow.com

Published September 1, 2015 at 4:35PM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:53PM

Metro riders who take the Yellow Line between Virginia and D.C. will see some slowdowns while crossing the Potomac River.

WMATA says it has placed a speed restriction on the bridge, limiting trains to just 15 miles per hour. The restriction is “part of Metro’s aggressive campaign to fix track conditions identified following inspections after the derailment of a non-passenger train in early August,” the transit agency said online.

Replacement of metal fasteners on the Yellow Line bridge is currently underway, Metro said, but may take 6-8 weeks.

“While it may seem like slow-going, we do not expect significant delays,” the agency said. “However, if there is another issue such as a disabled train, switch problem or medical emergency, the speed restriction may result in congestion prior to the speed restriction area.”

Additional 15 mph restrictions are in place on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines between Foggy Bottom and Farragut West, and in three sections on the Red Line. Readers and an ARLnow.com reporter have also observed trains running slowly in a portion of the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.

In addition to the slow restrictions, Metro says it has also placed “medium restrictions” of up to 40 mph in certain parts of the Metrorail system.

NBC Washington’s Adam Tuss first reported the Yellow Line bridge speed restriction this morning and posted a video showing a slow-moving train on the bridge.

It's taking a while to get across the Yellow Line bridge #wmata @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/76d9kvAX0V

— Adam Tuss (@AdamTuss) September 1, 2015

FroZenYo Closes in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published September 1, 2015 at 1:25PM

The frozen yogurt store FroZenYo has closed its doors.

The store opened in 2011 amid a boom in local froyo joints. That expansion has gone cold and turned into a contraction.

A sign recently taped to the door said the FroZenYo at 2231 Crystal Drive is no more.

“This location is permanently closed,” the sign says. “Thanks for all of your business. Please visit our Eye Street location [at] 1634 I Street NW, D.C.”

The closure follows the shuttering of FroZenYo locations in Ballston and Rosslyn this year.

About a half a dozen frozen yogurt shops remain in Arlington, including Pinkberry in Clarendon and Menchie’s on Columbia Pike.

UPDATED: Arlington’s Police Radio Channels Went Down Today

By ARLnow.com

Published September 1, 2015 at 9:50AM | Updated September 1, 2015 at 3:55PM

Update at 3:55 p.m. — Police radio channels appear to be back up and working properly.

Earlier: The Arlington County Police Department is currently using backup radio channels from neighboring jurisdictions due to technical problems.

Police started noticing issues with radio interference Monday night, according to Arlington Office of Emergency Management spokesman John Crawford.

This morning, as radio traffic increased, that interference got bad enough on the primary police channels for Arlington to implement its backup radio plan for the police department.

ACPD is currently “borrowing” a channel from Alexandria and Fairfax County for dispatches and communication. There has been no interruption in police service as a result of the switch, Crawford said.

“That’s the beauty of this radio system, it’s so robust that we all have spare radio channels that we can grab when needed and you never miss a beat,” said Crawford. “We haven’t lost anything.”

A contractor is currently working to resolve the problem and hopes to have the police radio channels back up by the end of the day, according to Crawford. The cause of the interference is believed to either be an illegal radio amplifier somewhere in the county or atmospheric interference.

The Arlington County Fire Department is still using its main radio channels without any issues.

Crawford said there have been other, recent instances of Arlington and other locales switching over to cross-jurisdictional backup channels without interruption.