News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
“Ellen’s Trace,” a small park honoring the late County Board member Ellen Bozman, in Ballston (staff photo)

Literacy Issues in Elementary Schools — “More fourth and fifth grade students in Arlington needed literacy help at the end of the last school year than at the beginning, according to data from the Virginia school system. About 15% of fourth and fifth grade students needed intensive support at the beginning of the year, according to results from Arlington County Public Schools’ literacy screening test. About 16.6% needed extra attention in the middle of year, as did nearly 18% of all fourth and fifth graders at the end of the school year.” [WTOP]

Teacher Hiring Nearly Complete — “Arlington Public Schools is on track to have all the teachers it needs to welcome students back to classrooms later in August. With just 68 full-time vacancies, the school system’s ranks were 97.8-percent filled as of Aug. 4, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members at that evening’s meeting.” [Sun Gazette]

University Opening Arlington Campus Soon — “Northeastern’s campus in Arlington, Virginia, the latest addition to its expanding global university system, will give the university a foothold in the Washington, D.C., area, one of the fastest growing regions in the U.S. Located in the Rosslyn neighborhood, the campus will welcome its first cohort of graduate students virtually this fall, with plans to open for in-person instruction in spring 2023.” [Northeastern University]

Funding For Potomac Ped Bridge — ” Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $64,207,045 in federal funding for Virginia infrastructure projects courtesy of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law… [including] $20,000,000 for the Long Bridge Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing Project in Arlington County, Virginia, and the District of Columbia for the creation of a new bicycle-pedestrian bridge that crosses the Potomac River between Long Bridge Park in Arlington, VA and East and West Potomac Parks in Washington.” [Sen. Tim Kaine]

Rosslyn is No. 4 for HOA Fees — “For the most part, we found the highest HOA monthly dues in affluent neighborhoods inside or just outside major cities. Two New York City neighborhoods, including Forest Hills, Long Island City and New York City as a whole, appeared in the top 10 list. Rosslyn, VA, which came in at number four, lies just across the river from Washington, D.C., and is full of new construction.” [Cinch Home Services]

Bike on Bike Crash — “Scanner: Two cyclists collided near the intersection of Langston Blvd and Fort Myer Drive in Rosslyn. One is being taken to the hospital with minor injuries.” [Twitter]

Boeing Hiring Fair — “Boeing is hosting career fairs in Arlington, Herndon and Fairfax, Va. to fill multiple positions as the airplane manufacturer establishes its global headquarters in Northern Virginia, according to a press release. Boeing is moving its global headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia. In a news release, Boeing said that in addition to designating Northern Virginia as its new headquarters, the company ‘plans to develop a research and technology hub in the area to harness and attract engineering and technical capabilities.'” [WJLA]

It’s Wednesday — Rain and storms starting in the afternoon. High of 88 and low of 77. Sunrise at 6:19 am and sunset at 8:11 pm. [Weather.gov]

Lane closures coming to section of Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
Crossing Columbia Pike at S. George Mason Drive (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A section of Columbia Pike will be reduced to one lane in each direction starting next week.

The lane closure, which is set to start Monday and stretch into January 2023, will run about a third of a mile from S. Wakefield Street to S. George Mason Drive. It will help make way for latest phase of the Columbia Pike Multimodal Street Improvements project.

“Drivers — especially those commuting along Columbia Pike — are encouraged to use alternate routes and expect delays,” Arlington County said today in a press release, noting that prep work is starting this week. “Bus stops will also be temporarily relocated to accommodate work.”

The years-long project to improve Columbia Pike’s streetscape, enhance transit infrastructure, replace aging water and sewer mains and bury utility lines has previously closed lanes on other stretches of the Pike and even resulted on the occasional rogue utility pole.

In addition to the lane closures and bus stop relocations, road crews will also be implementing turn restrictions and a reduction in the speed limit from 30 mph to 25 mph.

Columbia Pike between S. Wakefield Street and S. George Mason Drive (via Google Maps)

More on the lane closures, the plans and the project from the county press release, below.

(more…)

Covid cases dropping in Arlington, though county remains in CDC ‘medium’ level

By ARLnow.com
Covid cases in Arlington as of 8/9/22 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)

Don’t look now but Covid cases are declining in Arlington.

The average daily reported case rate in the county is currently around 90, down from 184 on Memorial Day. At the same time, the number of PCR tests performed in Arlington, as reported by the Virginia Dept. of Health, is also dropping and thus keeping the local test positivity rate high: just over 22%.

A possible explanation is that, unlike earlier in the pandemic when one sometimes had to test even when otherwise seemingly healthy, those testing are overwhelmingly those who are sick — and perhaps those who already tested positive via rapid tests and are just seeking confirmation.

Regardless, the decline in cases has also been noted at the hospital. From Virginia Hospital Center ER chief Mike Silverman’s most recent weekly Facebook post:

I continue to have friends who are getting COVID for the first time so it’s clearly around. However, our numbers show some improvement for the first time in weeks. The number of new COVID cases we diagnosed in the ER fell to its lowest level in a month and is 15% less than last week. Our percent positivity rate also fell from 13.8 to 11.8% over the last few weeks (6 week average of 12.5%). Although the number of patients currently hospitalized remains similar to last week (this number usually falls a few weeks after new diagnoses fall), the number of patients who required our “COVID isolation” protocol fell for the first time in 3 weeks. The number of these patients who required admission is down 20% from last week.

Despite lower cases, Arlington remains in the CDC’s “Medium” level of Covid, which it first entered in April. According to CDC data, Arlington is recording 6.6 hospital admissions for Covid per week, per 100,000 in population.

The good news on local Covid cases comes amid a number of developments, including new research showing that millions are suffering long-term smell or taste problems as a result of the disease, while perhaps 4 million are suffering debilitating “Long Covid” symptoms that are preventing them from working.

Also, the nation’s most prominent Covid case recently resolved, with President Joe Biden testing negative over the weekend after a “rebound” infection following his use of the antiviral treatment Paxlovid.

DoD says drone seen flying near Pentagon was ‘security exercise’

By Matt Blitz
A drone hovering near the Pentagon (courtesy of Dave Statter)

The beacon of light in the Arlington sky early Sunday morning wasn’t a UFO, but an authorized Pentagon drone flight.

At about 2:41 a.m. this past Sunday (Aug. 7) morning, some people spotted a dot of light hovering above the general vicinity of Arlington National Cemetery and the Pentagon.

As former-news-reporter-turned-safety-advocate Dave Statter pointed out on social media, the skies above this section of south Arlington are a general no-fly zone for anything other than military aircraft and commercial flights heading to or from National Airport. He, then, theorized that this was an “authorized [drone] flight (or someone really looking for trouble).”

Turns out, he was right about it being an authorized flight.

“I can confirm the drone activity observed in the early morning hours on Aug. 7 and 8 was part of a Pentagon Force Protection Agency (PFPA) security exercise and was approved drone activity,” a Department of Defense spokesperson told ARLnow in an email.

“Due to operations security, we cannot discuss the specifics of the activity,” the spokesperson said, in response to requests for more details about the exercise.

Drone flights, both authorized and not, do happen on occasion here despite the restrictions.

Arlington County used drones to count the deer population, with permission from federal agencies. Just last month, meanwhile, an unauthorized drone flight prompted a ground stop and flight delays at Reagan National Airport.

ACPD: Man stole alcohol from convenience store, then threw it at employee

By ARLnow.com
The 7-Eleven store at 2001 Clarendon Blvd in Courthouse (photo via Google Maps)

A man upset that he couldn’t buy alcohol before 6 a.m. allegedly stole it by force and then threw some of it at a store employee.

The incident happened around 5 a.m. Sunday, at the 7-Eleven at 2001 Clarendon Blvd in Courthouse.

An “unknown male suspect entered into the business and began selecting alcoholic beverages,” Arlington County police said in the department’s daily crime report. “An employee informed the suspect that the sale of alcohol could not be completed prior to 6:00 a.m., during which the suspect ignored him. Another employee attempted to intervene, during which the suspect pushed him and exited the store with the unpaid merchandise.”

“A short time later, the suspect returned and threw one of the stolen items at the employee before fleeing the scene in a vehicle,” the crime report continued. “No injuries were reported.”

The suspect fled in what was described in police radio traffic as a white Budget rental van. Police were unable to locate the van or the man, who was described as “a Black male, approximately 30-35 years old, 6’0″, wearing a yellow cap, white shirt, yellow shorts and white shoes.”

Photo via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
One of several “Empathy” signs placed along roads in north Arlington and McLean (staff photo)

Clarendon-Based Axios Being Acquired — “Axios has signed a deal to sell to its most recent lead investor, Cox Enterprises, the companies announced Monday. The cash deal values the company at $525 million, according to sources familiar with the deal.” [Axios, Washington Post]

Trash Burning Plant Now Cleaner — “Covanta, a leader in sustainable materials management and a premier provider of environmental solutions for businesses and communities, announced that the Covanta Alexandria Waste-to-Energy facility recently completed planned enhancements to its state-of-the-art pollution control technology. The goal is to further reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, thereby helping to protect the environment.” [Arlington County]

‘Lost Dog’ Welcomes Rescued Beagles — “Lost Dog & Cat Rescue Foundation has welcomed 56 beagles to its Rescue Care Center in Falls Church, Va., from a mass-breeding facility riddled with animal welfare concerns. This effort is a result of the massive undertaking of the Humane Society of the United States to coordinate the removal of approximately 4,000 beagles housed at the Envigo RMS LLC facility in Cumberland, Va., which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation.” [Press Release]

More Beagles in Arlington — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “Our #EnvigoBeagles are heading to their foster homes today! This will be the first time these dogs have ever experienced living in a house, sleeping in a bed, or going outside. Please consider donating to our beagles’ fundraising page.” [Twitter]

Grant for Historical Society — “The Arlington Historical Society has received $5,000 for its ‘Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington,’ the first phase of a longer-term effort to identify the men, women and children who were enslaved in Arlington County; to uncover what can be learned about their lives; and to memorialize their lives through markers installed in locations countywide.” [Sun Gazette]

Big Donation for Marymount — “Twenty years ago, John Shooshan’s life was saved by a doctor at Sibley Memorial Hospital. Now he’s giving back to the health care profession to help it address a chronic shortage of trained nurses. Shooshan, the chairman of Arlington real estate developer Shooshan Company, and his wife, Marcia, a retired teacher, are giving nearly $1.1 million to the Marymount University and Sibley Memorial Hospital to fund scholarships and internships for future nurses. Shooshan is a trustee at the small university in North Arlington.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Tuesday — Humid throughout the day. High of 94 and low of 78. Sunrise at 6:18 am and sunset at 8:12 pm. [Weather.gov]

JUST IN: Arlington officer arrested after alleged off-duty assault

By ARLnow.com
Police on scene at the Siena Park Apartments on Friday morning (photo courtesy John Antonelli)

(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) An Arlington County police officer has been arrested and charged with seriously injuring a woman while off duty.

The alleged assault happened early Friday morning at two separate locations along Columbia Pike in Arlington. The police department says the 34-year-old officer and the woman knew each other, though their exact relationship was not described.

The incident started when the pair left a “nightlife establishment” and drove to an area near Towers Park, where police say the off-duty officer, identified as William Hahn, threw the woman to the ground and smashed her phone following a verbal dispute.

They then drove to an address that likely corresponds to the Siena Park Apartments where, according to police, Hahn struck the woman in the face in the building’s parking garage.

Hahn, who was hired by ACPD in June 2020, has been placed on leave without pay and is facing charges of Malicious Wounding and Destruction of Property.

More from a police department press release, below.

The Arlington County Police Department has arrested and charged an off-duty Arlington officer following an assault investigation. William Hahn, 34, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding and Destruction of Property. He was held without bond.

At approximately 5:08 a.m. on August 5, police were dispatched to the 2300 block of Columbia Pike for the report of an assault with injury. Upon arrival, officers located the female victim outside a residential building suffering from injuries considered serious but non-life threatening. She was transported to an area hospital for treatment and subsequently released. The suspect was located inside a residence in the building and taken into custody.

The investigation indicated the suspect and victim, who are known to each other, left a nightlife establishment and drove to the 800 block of S. Scott Street where they became involved in a verbal dispute. During the dispute, both parties exited the vehicle and the suspect allegedly took the victim’s phone and broke it. The suspect then threw the victim to the ground and physically assaulted her. Following the assault, the parties reentered the suspect’s vehicle and drove to the 2300 block of Columbia Pike. While inside the residential building’s parking garage, a second verbal dispute occurred, during which the suspect struck the victim in the face. The suspect and victim then exited the vehicle and were waiting for the building’s elevator when they encountered the reporting party who contacted the Emergency Communications Center after observing the victim’s injuries.

“I want to assure the community these serious criminal allegations reflect behavior that is unacceptable by any member of our agency and these actions are in direct contradiction to our role as professional law enforcement officers,” said Chief Andy Penn. “We are committed to holding ourselves accountable to the highest standards while remaining transparent to ensure the public’s trust and will complete a comprehensive criminal and internal administrative investigation into this incident.”

Hahn was hired by the Arlington County Police Department in June 2020. He has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending the outcome of the criminal and internal administrative investigations.

This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Military communications app to roll out new feature to help increase retainment

By Mavis Chan

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1515 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn. 

The Arlington-based mobile app Sandboxx plans to roll out a new chatroom feature for military recruits and their families, in an attempt to increase communication and minimize dropouts.

Sandboxx plans to introduce “Muster” within a month.

The chatroom, which aims to mimic Slack, is for individual military recruiting stations for recruiters and new recruits in the delayed entry program, Sam Meek, app founder and veteran, told ARLnow.

The goal of Muster is to make sure that its users would be “getting that comradery experience in our military journey before basic training,” Meek said. Moreover, this new feature aims to help military recruiters measure the engagement of recruits in those programs.

Sandboxx “Muster” mobile app (courtesy Sandboxx)

The mobile app, profiled by ARLnow in 2016, is a communications app that lets family and friends write and send letters to their loved ones in basic training, as well as allowing military members to connect with other units.

Other recently added features include the digital wallet. That addition allows military members to receive gift cards from relatives and friends for purchases at the military exchange stores during basic training and beyond.

The new feature is an attempt to bring back the fellowship among new recruits that diminished during the pandemic.

Prior to Covid hitting, “a lot of our folks in the recruiting stations would get together once a week or once a month, and they work out and they talk about the ethos of the military journey,” Meek said.

However, once the pandemic arrived, those meetings disappeared. “Sandboxx is bringing back this kind of digital comradery,” he said. The new feature would also allow families and friends of each recruit to form a chat group in the app, where Sandboxx would upload information about the military.

“Not only can [users] read that, but they can communicate it and talk about it directly in their Muster chat,” Meek added.

Keeping new recruits engaged and reducing dropout rates are major goals for Sandboxx.

“One of the things we’re doing is making sure that we can keep really high engagement and we can help those recruiters keep those young 18-year-old and 19-year-old men and women in the delayed entry program and make sure they shift to basic training,” Meek said.

He added that preventing recruits from dropping out is “the biggest uphill battle” military recruiters are facing currently. Recruitment is also another challenge due to the pandemic and high employment rates.

Currently, the U.S. military is not recruiting enough people into most of its service branches. The Department of Defense has only attracted a total rate of 85% recruits across the Army, Navy, the Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force in fiscal year 2022.

Sandboxx is expected to keep up the new service member’s interest in the military by communicating with each recruit’s family and friends about benefits of joining the military.

“When that individual, if they do get cold feet and they start to get a little nervous about the military journey, the friends and family around them can assure them that this was a fabulous decision,” Meek said.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Hazy afternoon at DCA (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

First Day of School Three Weeks Away –” It seems as if summer just started, but before you know it, the 2022-23 school year in Arlington will be starting. The first day of classes for Arlington Public Schools is Monday, Aug. 29.” [Patch]

Pet Adoptions Down Slightly — “The Animal Welfare League of Arlington reports that 2,444 cats, dogs and small animals were adopted from its shelter during the 12-month period ending June 30. That’s down slightly from the 2,587 in the preceding year, which may be a positive sign that things are calming down in the get-along-with-COVID world that is now being experienced.” [Sun Gazette]

Another Gun Seized at Airport — ” Transportation Security Administration officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington stopped a Charlottesville man on Wednesday from bringing his loaded handgun onto a flight… The man told officials that he was in a rush to fly to Florida to attend a funeral and ‘forgot that he had his loaded gun with him,’ according to TSA.” [Patch]

Arlington Man Charged With Robbery — “The investigation determined the suspect entered into the business, selected a beverage and allegedly attempted to leave without paying. A female employee confronted the suspect, who ignored her and selected additional merchandise. The employee attempted to stop the suspect, during which he struck her before fleeing the scene on foot. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect had stolen merchandise from an additional business.” [ACPD]

West Glebe Bridge Demolition — “After months of being closed, much of West Glebe Road Bridge has finally been torn down ahead of eventual reconstruction. Demolition started earlier this week and is expected to finish by the week of Sept. 5. Demolition work is expected to continue Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.” [ALXnow]

It’s Monday — Humid throughout the day. High of 91 and low of 76. Sunrise at 6:17 am and sunset at 8:13 pm. [Weather.gov]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Ballston at twilight with storm clouds looming (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Issues at Court House Station — Noted in a new Washington Metrorail Safety Commission report on the maintenance, cleaning and inspections of automatic train control systems: “For example, at Court House Station on the Orange and Silver Lines, a technician noted racks that were dusty and covered with black soot and noted that an electronic-friendly vacuum cleaner was required for proper cleaning, but no work order was opened. The records also showed missing manuals and reference documents, but no work order was opened.” [WMSC]

Anniversary of Pentagon Officer’s LODD — “Pentagon Police Cpl. George Gonzalez died in the line of duty one year ago today. At the Training Range named for him, members of his Pentagon Force Protection Agency platoon honored Gonzalez again on Tuesday.” [WJLA]

School Board Race Fundraising — “For the period through June 30, independent James ‘Vell’ Rives IV outraised Democratic endorsee Bethany Sutton by $14,286 to $13,132, according to figures from the Virginia Department of Elections. But from those figures you have to subtract the $7,000 loan that Rives gave his campaign, and also chop off a couple of thousand dropped in by Sutton family members to hers, when parsing the data.” [Sun Gazette]

Light Pole Knocked Down on the Pike — “Scanner: Columbia Pike temporary shut down at S. Wakefield Street after a vehicle ran into a county light pole, knocking it down. Driver reported to be injured, but not seriously.” [Twitter]

It’s Friday — After a stormy Thursday night comes another hot day with rain and strong storms in the evening and overnight. High of 91 and low of 76. Sunrise at 6:15 am and sunset at 8:17 pm. [Weather.gov]

ACPD: Man runs off with bag of cash as ATM is being filled at Pentagon City store

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A man absconded with thousands of dollars yesterday after swiping a bag of cash from an employee who was filling an ATM in Pentagon City.

The incident reportedly happened around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Harris Teeter store at 900 Army Navy Drive, in the Pentagon Row shopping center.

“Upon arrival, it was determined the reporting party was filling an ATM with money when the unknown suspect approached and stole a bag containing an undisclosed amount of cash,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “The suspect then fled the scene on foot.”

An armored truck could be seen parked outside of the store as an ARLnow photographer arrived on scene. Initial reports suggest that the suspect may have stolen tens of thousands of dollars simply by running off with the cash without any use or threat of force.

“There was no force reported,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “The incident is a larceny.”

The suspect was described as a teen or man in his early 20s. Police searched the area but did not locate him.

“The suspect is described as a Black male in his late teens to early 20s with a slim build,” said the crime report. “He was wearing dark gray pants, a black long sleeve shirt and carrying a backpack. The investigation is ongoing.”

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