Author: Jennifer Currier

Howell Bill Aims to Remove Employer Name, Address from Sex Offender Registry

By Jennifer Currier

State Sen. Janet Howell at Arlington Democrats 2011 election victory partyState Sen. Janet Howell (D), who represents parts of Arlington, has proposed a bill to exclude the name and address of registered sex offenders’ employers from the publicly available registry system.

The proposed bill would amend a section of the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act that deals with sharing registry information via the internet.

Howell’s bill would remove employer information from the part of the online system that’s available to the public.

Convicted sex offenders often have difficulty getting a job after being listed on the sex offender registry. Removing employer information would eliminate at least one disincentive from hiring a sex offender who has already served their time.

This is not the first time in the last five years such a bill has been proposed to the state legislature. Two previous bills also attempted to stop publishing employer information on the public online system. In 2010, the bill passed in the state Senate but was tabled in a House committee. It had less success in 2012, tabled again in a House committee without Senate consideration.

Howell didn’t introduce either of those bills, and could not be reached for comment on this year’s proposal. However, fellow local legislator Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) was one of the House members who proposed the bill in 2012.

In addition to their employer’s name and address, an offender’s name, age, current address, photograph and a description of the offense they committed with the date they were convicted are available to the public via the online registry system, which is maintained by the State Police.

Virginia’s 2016 General Assembly legislative session is scheduled to last for 60 days, beginning on Jan. 13 and ending on March 12.

File photo

Hope Proposes Bill to Eliminate Extra Charges on Phone Calls Made by Prison Inmates

By Jennifer Currier

Del. Patrick Hope(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) Del. Patrick Hope (D) has introduced a bill to the Virginia General Assembly that would eliminate the 35 percent commission the state charges on all phone calls made by prison inmates.

The proposed bill — which is now in committee for consideration and must pass there before going before the full House of Delegates — would amend an existing bill by adding a sentence stating no state agency will receive such commission payments.

The commission comes from charges paid by inmates and recipients of calls made from prison. It generates approximately $2.6 million a year, Hope said. Those funds go directly into the Virginia’s general fund.

“I’ve introduced a similar bill for the last four or five years, each time only to see it pass committee and die in appropriations due to lack of funding,” he said in an email. “So we agree on the policy but just not how to pay for it.”

Hope justified his support of this bill by explaining that inmates staying in touch with their families while incarcerated improves the situation for all parties involved.

“The added cost from this commission makes it very difficult for those incarcerated to stay connected with family,” he said. “Studies show the importance of maintaining frequent communication between the incarcerated and their family members, particularly related to recidivism rates, their own conduct in prison, and the overall well-being of families, especially those with young children.”

He has also testified in front of the Federal Communications Commission on this issue in the past. The agency recently acted to lower call costs and indicated support for eliminating commissions on those calls.

Phone service in state prisons in Virginia is provided by GTL, a Reston-based company that bills itself as the “corrections innovation leader.” According to the website prisonphonejustice.org, the rate for a 15 minute call from an inmate was as high as $6 in 2014. The website refers to the commission paid by GTL to the Commonwealth as a “kickback.”

For Hope, the issue is a humanitarian one.

“It is my continued belief that the correct policy in Virginia should be to make the costs of telephone communication between inmates and family as inexpensive as possible,” he said. “We want to encourage greater communication, and Virginia should not view this part of our prison system as a cost center to fund other parts of the budget.”

Virginia’s 2016 General Assembly legislative session is scheduled last for 60 days, beginning on Jan. 13 and ending on March 12.

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Christmas and New Year Closures in Arlington

By Jennifer Currier

Arlington County government's offices at 2100 Clarendon BlvdChristmas and the New Year are around the corner. Just like many Arlington residents, County workers are preparing for a few days off in observance of these holidays.

Dec. 24 and 25 Closures

County government offices will be closed this Thursday and Friday for Christmas. That includes the courts, the DMV and public libraries.

While the Parks and Recreation office will also be closed, park grounds will remain open on those days. The Sheriff’s Office will also hold detention center visiting hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on both days.

Trash pick up and recycling will run normal operations on Thursday, but there will be no collection on Friday. Regularly-scheduled Friday pick up will occur on Saturday, Dec. 26 instead.

As for getting around, Metrorail and Metrobus will operate on holiday schedules both days. On Thursday, ART will offer regular service, with the 43 and 84 routes starting at 12:30 p.m on Christmas Eve to accommodate the federal government’s early release.

Only ART routes 41, 45, 51, 55 and 87 will operate Christmas day, and those routes will operate on a Sunday schedule. All other routes will be closed.

Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 Closures

The County will experience the same closures for New Year’s Day next Friday with a few minor differences.

Public libraries will close at 5 p.m. on Dec. 31 and remain closed on New Year’s Day.

There will be no trash collection on Friday. Pick up will occur on Saturday, Jan. 2 instead.

For transportation on New Year’s Day, the Metro will operate on a holiday schedule again. The same select ART routes — 41, 45, 51, 55 and 87 — will operate on Sunday schedules, and all other routes will be closed.

Other Holiday Notes

On Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Jan. 1, parking in meters and residential zone restrictions will not be enforced.

All public schools will remain closed, on holiday break, until Monday, Jan. 4.

More details on this holiday schedule and other closures are available on the County website.

Residents Remain At Odds with Military, FAA After Meeting on Helicopter Noise

By Jennifer Currier

Military helicopter landing at the Pentagon

In the first community meeting dedicated to discussing helicopter operations and noise in Arlington, residents found their concerns stuck between federal air traffic regulations and required military practices throughout the metro area.

Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey hosted the meeting last Wednesday night as part of an ongoing effort to hear and address resident concerns about noise pollution, specifically near Reagan National Airport.

The meeting’s panel included representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and the military, including the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

“It’s definitely our intent to fly friendly and to support the local community as much as possible,” Colonel Timothy Brown said at the meeting. Brown is a Commander in the U.S. Army Air Operations Group.

“This is a great feedback opportunity for us to take lessons and really work on training and communicating with our pilots so that everyone is able to support this goal as much as we can within the restraints of the airspace that we’re operating in,” he added.

However, as residents and representatives from neighborhoods closest to the airport shared their concerns, a disconnect between FAA regulations and military operations became clear, making it difficult for the selected panel to properly address questions.

“We monitor and grant approval in and out of the airspace, but we take care of civil aircraft in that area,” said Rebecca Cointin of the FAA’s Office of Environment and Energy. “I want to make it clear that we do not have a lot of regulation over noise produced by military aircraft. The FAA does not control, certify or regulate them.”

According to the panelists, 75 percent of the air traffic in the area is military, and the remaining 25 percent is law enforcement, medical evacuations and the civil aircraft Cointin referred to.

What the FAA does regulate is safe areas in which military aircraft can operate so as to not come into conflict with the civilian aircraft. The military has determined routes in the approved airspace for helicopters flying in and out of Reagan National, including along Route 7 and Route 1.

“We fly the route structure we do because it’s the safest way to fly in that airspace,” the Marine Corps Commander said, using a road analogy to explain why military aircraft tend to fly on either side of corridors like I-395 rather than directly above it. “When we’re flying those routes, they’re like highways in the sky. Unfortunately, we don’t dictate them. We operate via the FAA. We’re just the operators trying to fly in the safest, most efficient manner.”

As the discussion continued, fingers pointed to the U.S. Department of Defense, which regulates military missions, training and how its aircraft operate. It also became apparent that while neither aircraft operators nor the FAA alone could change the flight routes, residents also didn’t have an outlet to share their concerns.

“What I’m looking for is a way for people to let you know when it’s really a problem,” Garvey said. “I’m guessing this might not exist right now, but it might be something we can work on.”

With that in mind, residents shared their ongoing frustrations with noise and accounts of excessive helicopter traffic.

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Local Author’s Book Makes Today Show’s Holiday Gift Guide

By Jennifer Currier

Oscar Takes Off from TODAY 12.17For those who wait until the last minute to finish their holiday shopping, NBC’s Today Show has compiled a list of 40 gift ideas. This year, a local author’s book is included on that list.

Arlington resident Liz Lord’s first self-published book Oscar Takes Off! The Eco-Adventures of “Oscocopter” is an illustrated story written for readers ages 3-8 but has a message for all ages about protecting the environment.

On Today’s list — which had its own segment on the show Thursday morning — the story is described as follows:

A kids book that even adults will love. This teaches kids about climate change and the environment in a fun way. Kids will love Oscar and parents will love the lesson he imparts.

Oscar Takes Off coverA synopsis of the story sent to ARLnow describes the main character as Oscar, an octopus who discovers he can fly like like a helicopter and uses that skill to go on “the first of many global eco-advenutres” after unwelcome debris settles in his ocean home. The story is meant to encourage readers to become environmentally conscious and friendly.

A Kickstarter campaign launched in March successfully funded the book, including illustrations, design and publishing. Oscar Takes Off! was put on Amazon about a month ago, and more than 150 copies have been sold.

The story’s message isn’t the only way the book tries to help the environment. All royalties the book earns are donated to Oceana, an organization working to protect oceans around the world.

As a last-minute holiday gift or otherwise, the book is available online for $6.99.

Light Installation in Crystal City Pays Tribute to Neighborhood’s Past

By Jennifer Currier

A one-of-a-kind art installation is lighting up Crystal City this holiday season, paying tribute to the community’s history with a high-tech twist.

Crystal City Lights is a 25-foot wide, 10,800 LED interactive “chandelier” now being displayed at the park at 2121 Crystal Drive. The installation is audio-reactive, meaning the lights and effects change based on whichever song is played through the system.

It’s also the only 3D pixel-mapped chandelier in the world, says project creator Imaginex, using custom-built technology. It’s made of weatherproof, UV resistant LED light strips as well as custom software and hardware. Much of the display was custom fabricated with parts made from a 3D printer.

Crystal City Lights signage“It was originally programmed for that fist-pumping, EDM music, but we slowed it down a little bit and made it more holiday-friendly,” said Alan Curtiss, Director of Research and Development for College Park, Maryland-based Imaginex.

The installation defaults to playing and interacting with holiday music, though visitors can download an app when they’re at the park and request to play their favorite songs.

“We have a color-changing palette tool that we created with our in-house software,” Curtiss said. “We put in an algorithm that changes both the color sweep and the shadow effect, so we don’t know what’s going to happen. It randomizes every day with different shapes and patterns.”

The display is the product of the combined efforts of Imaginex and real estate developer Vornado, which has been busy remaking the image of Crystal City by bringing in innovative tenants to replace older government and military offices that have been moving out for the past decade.

Crystal City Lights chandelierIncubators 1776 and Eastern Foundry now call Crystal City home, as does DIY workshop Techshop. Co-working company WeWork expects open its new Crystal City outpost in February, and is opening one of its first “WeLive” micro-unit apartment spaces in the same building later in the year.

As technologically advanced as the display is, the idea was inspired by Crystal City’s history, dating back to 1963.

The very first building in the area was called the Crystal House Apartments. According to a press release, the building of that lobby had an elaborate crystal chandelier, which was later the inspiration for name Crystal City. As the area continued to develop, it stuck.

The special LED chandelier display pays homage to those roots while inspiring some holiday cheer. It will continue to do so between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily through February.

Shirlington Pool Hall to Host Female Comedian Showcase

By Jennifer Currier

Pink Friday at Chesters (via Twitter:Eryca Nolan)Shirlington’s revived pool hall will highlight female comedians in a showcase event shortly after the new year.

Chester’s Billiards Bar & Grill at 2620 S. Shirlington Road is hosting the first Pink Friday Comedy Showcase on Jan. 22.

The showcase is advertised as a “Ladies First” comedy series at the restaurant and pool hall, which opened this fall in the former home of Lucy’s ARL, another pool hall that closed in 2013.

As the name suggests, the show is produced by women and will feature up-and-coming female comics in the greater metro area.

Hosted by D.C. Improv and Broadway Comedy Club alums Eryca Nolan and Alexx Starr, the lineup currently includes three comedians and additional, unnamed guest performers. However, the lineup is subject to change.

Tickets are available online for $10 (not including fees), but the first 25 people to reserve tickets will get them free.

On show night, doors will open at 8 p.m. and the show will start around 8:30.

Arlington Year End Video Recaps Efforts to Move Past ‘Distractions’

By Jennifer Currier

Arlington County released its year end video this week, highlighting how the community has progressed over the last twelve months.

The video, titled “Our Path Forward,” begins with County Board members reflecting on a difficult 2014 and being able overcome various challenges — unspoken but implied: the cancellation of Arlington’s planned streetcar project.

“Last year, we had some distractions,” said Jay Fisette. “We had a lot of angst in the community.”

Libby Garvey shared concerns over whether the Board could effectively address those tensions this year.

“There were a number of challenges facing us,” she said. “Can we properly manage change? That was a reasonable concern and definitely a challenge.”

The video addresses six different areas in which the county has seen change over the last year and how they overcame such challenges.Board Opening Homeless Serivce Center (Year End Video screenshot)

One of the most prominent of those is housing. In the video, Board members cited the recent approval of the redevelopment of Arlington Presbyterian Church into affordable housing and the opening of the Homeless Services Center as major improvements in that category.

“Being there for the opening of that center was one of the highlights, by far,” Walter Tejada said in the video. “Frankly, if there’s a community in the United States of America that has a chance of ending homelessness, Arlington is it.”

The video also highlighted public-private and public-public collaborations the County established in the last year, including the Ballston mall renovations those that are still developing, like the land sale or swap with Virginia Center Hospital.

“It is all about partnership and how we can work together in a cooperative and synergistic fashion,” John Vihstadt said. “The County Board and the School Board are also working much more collaboratively than they have in the past.”

Board members also cited this year’s Community Facilities Study as the basis for positive changes in the way the county engages with the community — and plan to use its results moving forward.

“That process was the epitome of what we can do and do well as a community,” Fisette said.

Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway Scheduled to Open This Spring

By Jennifer Currier
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After a series of complications, construction delays and cost challenges, Arlington’s first dedicated transitway is expected to be completed this spring.

Stations for the Crystal City Potomac Yard Transitway are taking shape now that officials have overcome the unforeseen construction challenges.

“We had complications during construction that caused delays and threatened to push the project over budget,” Acting County Manager Mark Schwartz said in a statement. “But we have made changes, including scope modifications, to ensure that we finish this project within budget and get it done by next spring.”

In a presentation to the County Board earlier this week, construction managers outlined changes to the project scope and design to compensate for these issues.

The station roofs will now be made of a less expensive material that’s also easier to produce than what was originally proposed. County crews will also assume the fabrication and installation of signage and pavement markings at all the stations to cut costs.

However, the stations will all still have higher curbs for easier boarding, lighting and real-time arrival information.

The transitway is a joint project between Arlington and Alexandria to complement the Metrorail system. Arlington’s portion of the project includes seven stations, 0.75 miles of new, transit-only roadway, and 1.5 miles of dedicated transit lanes on existing streets.

The transitway runs in a loop around Crystal City, running from Crystal Drive to S. Clark Street and back to Crystal Drive.

Once open, vehicles and other traffic will be restricted from the dedicated transit lanes between 6-9 a.m. and 3:30-7 p.m., three and a half total hours less than first proposed. During these hours, vehicles cannot use the lanes to bypass traffic or to travel through an intersection and cannot obstruct the transitway buses.

Weekly construction updates will be published online throughout the winter. Transitway project managers will also work with Metro representatives to select the initial opening date.

‘Secret Santa’ Makes $10,000 Donation for Arlington Families in Need

By Jennifer Currier

Santa Claus (via Macy's)One generous — and anonymous — Arlington resident has donated thousands of dollars to assist fellow community members in need this holiday season.

A man donated $10,000 to the Department of Human Services’ Secret Santa initiative, a program that collects donations of gift cards from area stores to be distributed throughout the community.

DHS Communications Manager Kurt Larrick has organized the program since 2007. He was called to the front desk after he was told a gentleman had questions about the program.

“I was a little worried at first, but he only had three simple questions for me,” Larrick recalled.

First, the man wanted to know who, specifically, donations assist to ensure money donated stays in the community. Larrick confirmed the donations are strictly for Arlington residents, including low-income families, children in foster care, seniors and people with disabilities.

Next, he asked if any overhead or administrative costs would be taken from the total donation amount. Larrick said he again seemed to give a satisfactory answer, explaining that all donations that come in “go right back out.”

Finally, the man asked if there was a donation limit. Upon hearing there wasn’t, he said he wanted to write a check for $10,000.

“I told him that would be incredible,” Larrick said. “He was a really nice, kind gentleman.”

That $10,000 will be used to purchase hundreds of gift cards for local grocery, clothing, convenience and department stores.

Though the soft deadline for the collection has passed, Larrick said interested residents are still encouraged to contribute to the cause by mailing or hand-delivering donations to DHS.

Last year, the Secret Santa program raised $54,000 in gift cards and donations, and Larrick expects this year’s final count to be about the same. He added the program is mostly supported by small donations from community members of all ages — which are important no matter the amount.

“This donation was obviously huge and very generous,” he said. “But for every donation, big or small, there’s always a great story behind it.”

File photo via Macy’s

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