News

An update in the ‘wide open’ Arlington County Board race could come this afternoon

By Jo DeVoe
1/8

Arlingtonians could have an update on the results of the Arlington County Board Democratic primary as soon as this afternoon, according to the local elections office.

“We will be accepting about 500 mail and provisional ballots today and results will be uploaded throughout the afternoon,” says spokeswoman Tania Griffin. “We’ll also have an update regarding the [ranked-choice voting] tabulation later this afternoon as well.”

For the first time, Arlington voters used a ranked-choice system to pick their top candidates for the County Board, which has two open seats this year. The outcome will come down to who voters ranked second and third place.

It is a squeaker so far for Susan Cunningham, Natalie Roy, Maureen Coffey and Julius “J.D.” Spain, whose tally of first-choice votes are within a range of only 5 percentage points from most to least.

“This race is still wide open,” said Liz White, the executive director of UpVote Virginia, which has been educating residents about ranked-choice voting ahead of the primary.

“Four out of the six candidates could very well secure a win once subsequent rounds are tabulated,” she said in an email. “Round-by-round tabulation will occur as soon as all provisional and mail ballots are processed. Once all votes are processed, the tabulation is instantaneous.”

How Arlington County Board candidates ended Tuesday night with Round 1 votes in (via Virginia Dept. of Elections)

No candidate crossed the threshold for early victory: 33.3% of the first-choice votes, plus one vote.  The next step will be eliminating the lowest vote getters, in order. Who people picked after first ranking Jonathan Dromgoole and Tony Weaver could get any of the four other candidates past the finish line.

Cunningham, who took the lead in the first round of votes, tells ARLnow she has made peace with whatever happens next. Coffey, who currently sits in third place, says she is “on pins and needles” waiting for the results.

Political consultant Ben Tribbett is placing his bets that those who ranked Dromgoole first likely ranked Coffey or Spain next.

“When you get to the actual ranking of candidates, I think the third and fourth-place candidates are going to go on to win the election,” Tribbett said. “I would expect in that first round, that Maureen is going to win. There’s a chance Susan Cunningham could hold off J.D. in the second round.”

On Tuesday, County Board member Takis Karantonis — who endorsed Coffey and Spain — said Coffey performed well on a per campaign dollar spent basis. Meanwhile Spain, who had racked up several endorsements and raised substantial funds, underperformed, which he called a “sobering result.”

Looking precinct by precinct, it is clear that each of the candidates had a base. The more urban places with younger voters went for Coffey, while single-family home enclaves went for Cunningham and Roy, who were most critical of the zoning changes known as Missing Middle.

Arlington County Board Democratic Primary Round 1 votes by precinct (by Jo DeVoe)

Spain told ARLnow on Tuesday night that he enjoyed strong support in his neighborhood, Penrose, while noting more confrontations with upset voters above Langston Blvd.

“We won the most diverse precincts in Arlington,” he said. “[I’m] proud of that.”

Tribbett was more blunt about what he saw as the electoral dynamic, citing the geographic distribution of votes in the Commonwealth’s Attorney race in particular.

“It’s the Karens versus the non-Karens,” he said. “Clearly, there’s a divide in the community that jumps out at you.”

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Umbrellas and rain in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Another Push to Remove Lee’s Name — “Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) today announced the introduction of bicameral legislation to redesignate the National Historic Site known as ‘Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial’ to its original name ‘Arlington House.'” [Press Release]

Record DCA Passenger Traffic — “Reagan National reported just under 1.15 million enplanements in May, up 3.1 percent from a year before and up 4.2 percent from May 2019, the last comparable month before the pandemic arrived. The 2023 figure is an all-time record for May passenger counts at the airport.” [Gazette Leader]

Firefighters Ratify Labor Agreement — From IAFF Local 2800: “The last Collective Bargaining Agreement in Arlington County was in 1975. Today, our members unanimously ratified the next Collective Bargaining Agreement that will go into effect July 1st. Extremely thankful to County staff that helped make this happen.” The agreement will cost the county about $6 million over three fiscal years, according to a staff report from November. [Twitter]

No Opposition for Klingler — “The June 20 candidate-filing deadline came and went, leaving Kim Klingler as the lone contender on the Nov. 7 ballot for commissioner of revenue… The commissioner of revenue is responsible for the tax assessment of all property in Arlington except real estate (which is done by the county government), administers the business-tax process and operates a DMV Select office among its other duties.” [Gazette Leader, Twitter]

New Sheriff’s Deputies — “On Friday, June 16, 2023, nine new deputies of the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office graduated from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy as part of Session 148.” [ACSO]

Foster Dog Info Session — “Interested in fostering dogs with AWLA? Join us for a Foster Program Dog Social [today], June 23 at 5:30pm! Meet dogs looking for foster homes, hang out with other foster families and get to know our foster team!” [Twitter, AWLA]

Rush Hour Crash on Camera — From Dave Statter: “A crash just after 6pm at Langston Boulevard & N. Scott Street in Arlington. @ArlingtonVaPD & @ArlingtonVaFD handling.” [Twitter]

It’s Friday — Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 81. South wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. At night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 69. [Weather.gov]

Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Buckingham to undergo $15M renovation project

By Jo DeVoe
1/4

There is a brick, mid-century Catholic church that overlooks Arlington Blvd from a hill, adorned with three stained glass arches and a white cross.

Built to serve a parish, it was repurposed in the mid-1970s and christened the Cathedral of St. Thomas More. Its exterior today belies the building’s significance as the “mother church” for nearly a half-million Catholics across Northern Virginia and the seat of their bishop, Michael Burbidge.

The Arlington diocese says now, in honor of its 50th anniversary, is the time to make the church in the Buckingham neighborhood — which also operates a school — look the part.

In April, work began on a year-long project to transfigure the building, updating the interior and exterior and installing new stained glass windows and liturgical furnishings.

“When the Diocese of Arlington was established in 1974, there was no pre-existing cathedral to serve the needs of the newly-formed diocese,” Billy Atwell, the chief communications officer for the diocese, said. “As such, a parish church was chosen and retrofitted as best as possible to meet those needs.”

“As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2024, it is an appropriate time to undertake this project to help the Cathedral of St. Thomas More better reflect its dignity as the mother church of the more than 433,000 registered Catholics in the Diocese of Arlington,” he continued.

The new church at 3901 Cathedral Lane will have a Tudor-style façade that will be a nod to the church’s patron saint, St. Thomas More, who lived at the turn of the 16th century in England.

A permit filed with Arlington County indicates the project is estimated to cost $15.3 million.

It is completely paid for by donors “who agreed to give beyond their current contributions to their parishes, the Diocese and Catholic charitable efforts,” Atwell said.

“Bishop Burbidge had three essential principles for funding the cathedral renovation project which have all been achieved: that no debt would be incurred, no assessments would be taken from any parish and that there would be no capital campaign for this project,” he said.

After going through county approval processes in late July 2022, and receiving a permit in late October, demolition work began in mid-April. The project is set to wrap up next summer.

The church will get the following upgrades, according to permits filed with Arlington County:

  • new stained glass windows
  • two twin belfries at the south façade
  • a Tudor-style exterior
  • a new cupola, or small dome
  • new roofing
  • a renovated raised sanctuary platform with a ramp for greater accessibility
  • new liturgical furnishings, such as a cathedra or bishop’s seat
  • a renovated shrine
  • a refurbished choir loft

The project was designed by Arlington-based sacred architecture firm O’Brien and Keane Architecture.

From N. Glebe Road, travelers will be able to see a rose-patterned stained glass window. Imbued with scripture references, the diocese hopes the window inspires passers-by “to seek its deeper meaning in their lives,” according to the diocesan newspaper, The Arlington Catholic Herald.

Inside, there will be stained glass images of the saints for whom churches throughout the diocese are named, as well as devotional shrines to saints from the numerous cultures and communities represented in the diocese, the Catholic Herald said.

“Behind each statue will be stained-glass windows that tell the story of that saint’s life,” Atwell wrote in the article. “The cathedral will exemplify both the oneness and the diversity of the diocese — that our one body has indeed many parts.”

Following the cathedral renovation, also in honor of its 50th anniversary the diocese will conduct a capital campaign for charitable works, Atwell told ARLnow.

Rep. Beyer says ranked-choice voting could be an antidote to polarizing politics

By Hallie LeTendre
1/3

While the results of the ranked-choice Arlington County Board election have yet to be determined, the voting method has a champion in Rep. Don Beyer.

Beyer tells ARLnow that voters are more likely to see someone they support reach the Board as a result of the voting method’s choice in the six-way Democratic primary for two open seats. He had another reason for supporting ranked-choice voting, too: it rewards candidates who build diverse coalitions, meaning candidates away from the partisan extremes are more likely to emerge triumphant.

“I’m a very strong supporter of ranked-choice voting as it maximizes the happiness and satisfaction of citizens,” said Beyer, who has represented Virginia’s 8th congressional district since 2015, during an interview yesterday (Wednesday) at his office on Capitol Hill.

For the first time, local voters went to the polls on Tuesday — and in early voting — and ranked their candidates in order of preference. Their votes count towards another candidate if their top pick is eliminated in what is known as “single transferable vote.”

Since the Virginia General Assembly gave Arlington permission to try it out before the rest of the state, election officials say lots of people are watching this race with interest. That includes Beyer, who observed that so far, the voting process seemed to be working.

“The early feedback this morning was that there were almost no bad ballots, meaning that almost everyone understood the ranked-choice voting method. It is not that hard, all you have to do is go through your choice one through three in terms of preference,” Beyer said.

There have been reports of confusion leading up to the primary, particularly about how votes are counted. An informal ARLnow poll found that some 20% of primary voters were confused either by the voting or tabulation process but most found it straightforward.

For Beyer, however, the benefits are clear.

“With ranked-choice voting, people are able to rank their top three choices, knowing that one of those three people is likely to win. As a voter, you have the chance to see someone who you most prefer to be elected. Without this, if your first choice does not win, you have no say beyond that one person,” Beyer said.

The congressman said at the national level, ranked-choice voting could have a moderating effect on the two political parties, which are pulling voters farther right or left as more extreme candidates emerge.

“In the Democratic primary, candidates appeal to the Democratic base which means they’re going to pull it farther and farther to the left. Republicans are going to pull farther and farther to the right,” Beyer said. “In Congress, there is no overlap. There is the missing moderate. We are so polarized, however, ranked choice voting allows for candidates who will serve everyone rather than one side to be elected.”

While ranked-choice voting could theoretically help results get calculated more quickly, jurisdictions voting this way, including Arlington, appear to instead be waiting longer to ensure all the ballots are in. That means results are not clear immediately after election night, though this expectation has also been eroded in conventional election by more people using mail-in and provisional ballots.

For Beyer, waiting is a secondary concern to what he says could be a healthier democracy.

“I’m excited about ranked-choice voting and believe that it will be good for our democracy which is the key thing,” he said. “It will also benefit our parties and make our voting system more responsive. I am always advocating for it.”

Today, the Arlington County Dept. of Elections said its staff began uploading votes. Calculating who is eliminated in the tabulation rounds and redistributing second-choice votes, however, may not begin until the weekend.

Meantime, Arlington County is asking voters for feedback on their ranked-choice experience.

Arlington police can now refer kids to restorative programs outside the juvenile justice system

By Jo DeVoe
A police officer plays a game of pickup basketball with local kids in 2018 (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

(Updated at 2:10 p.m.) A new youth program could divert youth who commit misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies from the juvenile legal system.

Arlington police will be able to refer offending juveniles to local programs aimed at holding youth accountable outside of the court system, according to a press release from the Center for Youth and Family Advocacy (CYFA).

“Community-based diversion is critical to community policing because it recognizes young people’s capacity for change,” the organization said in a statement. “Community-based diversion also reduces the possibility of collateral consequences arising from legal system involvement, which can have lasting, and often unexpected, effects on a youth throughout their life.”

CYFA works Arlington County’s juvenile court services unit to provide a variety of youth-led programs, through which kids who acknowledge wrongdoing can make amends and rejoin their communities.

It offers programs such as “Youth Peer Court,” in which trained teens occupy the roles of prosecutor and defense attorney, judge and jury and help develop a plan the juvenile follows to repair the harm he or she committed.

Now, police will be able to refer kids to that program and another, in which kids learn how to facilitate conversations about issues impacting teens by those harmed and those doing the harm.

The nonprofit says its new partnership with ACPD, in the works since 2019, is a “radical change” in how Arlington County addresses delinquent behavior in kids and prevents them from being involved in the formal juvenile legal system.

Until recently, for instance, police officers were in Arlington Public Schools. The intent was to maintain school safety and provide mentorship, though there were community concerns that the school presence resulted in racial disparities in juvenile arrests.

For the police department, the CYFA partnership is a new way to stay involved in the lives of children without involving the full weight of the courts.

“ACPD recognizes that using restorative justice programs for particular incidents involving youth provides an opportunity to divert youth from the criminal justice system while still holding them accountable for their actions and providing persons who have been harmed an opportunity to be actively involved in the resolution of their case,” department spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.

The two organizations will work together to educate locals about how to also utilize these two programs when police are not involved, CYFA says.

The nonprofit says the partnership advances the aims of the county’s Police Practices Group, which suggested more than 100 ways to reform policing in Arlington.

“It creates space to reframe police response from adversarial to solution-focused and provides an opportunity to shift cultural and societal reliance on police resources,” CYFA said.

In a Facebook post, the organization provided a “shoutout” to several officers within ACPD for their work to stand up the program, as well as to Chief Andy Penn and Deputy Chief Wayne Vincent “for their tremendous work on strategic planning.”

The organization additionally thanked County Manager Mark Schwartz and the Arlington County Board for supporting its efforts.

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Acting Sheriff Jose Quiroz wins Democratic primary on commitment to improve inmate well-being

By Jo DeVoe
Arlington Sheriff candidate Jose Quiroz, Jr. greets Arlington County Board member Takis Karantonis at the Walter Reed Community Center on Tuesday (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

After taking the helm for longtime Arlington County Sheriff Beth Arthur, who retired at the end of 2022, Acting Sheriff Jose Quiroz is one step closer to taking charge permanently.

Quiroz — backed by four of five County Board members and several elected officials — won the Democratic primary Tuesday night. Following his victory, over former sheriff deputy Wanda Younger and Arlington County police corporal James Herring, Quiroz advances to the November general election.

No one has emerged as an outside challenger, according to the Arlington Dept. of Elections website. If elected as expected, Quiroz will be the county’s first Latino sheriff.

As of last night, the acting sheriff had nearly 40% of the vote, or 10,733 ballots. Younger was close behind him, with 1,600 fewer votes (~34%). Herring came in third, picking up nearly 7,200 votes.

Arlington County Sheriff results (via Virginia Dept. of Elections)

Looking forward, the acting sheriff says he will focus on mental health, substance use and programming for jail inmates. Running the local jail is the primary responsibility of the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, along with providing court security and some law enforcement and civil process duties beyond the justice complex in Courthouse.

“I think the biggest thing is mental health. We all have that and all go through it, but some people need a little more care, attention, resources and services,” Quiroz told ARLnow. “I think the county has some work to do in that area.”

He stressed that he can only control treatment of inmates, not change the waves of people with mental illnesses and addictions coming to the jail. To that end, he says new biometric sensors — which inmates will wear so issues like withdrawal symptoms can be spotted before more inmates die — are close to go-time.

Meanwhile, he intends to maintain existing programs, including a series that teaches men how to connect with and be fathers to their kids.

“That’s how you break the cycle of the next generation,” he said. “It’s important to me as a father.”

He says he is thinking “outside the box” about support, stepping up pet therapy and possibly adding a pickleball court for staff and inmates.

In their concessions, Herring and Younger both said they campaigned on bringing to light problems in the jail.

“My campaign was about highlighting the issues and showing people the number of solutions we have available to us if we stop relying on the trope of ‘that’s the way it has always been done,’ or ‘it costs too much,'” Herring said. “Other Sheriff’s Offices in Virginia have implemented much of what I was talking about, often with smaller budgets. The problems facing our Sheriff’s Office are not financially driven, but an issue of priority.”

Next week, Herring will once more be patrolling the streets. He said he would run again if the problems he stressed in his campaign remain four years from now.

On social media, Younger said she is “proud to have raised the bar of the Sheriff’s Office with our ideas & solution-sets and to have brought light to the prevalent issues of the Arlington Sheriff’s Office which inhibit [its] growth and greatness.”

She also thanked voters for their confidence in her ability to carry out her platform.

“The Wanda for Sheriff team will continue to advance the rights and voice of the detainees, Sheriff’s Office staff and our Arlington community in the future as community advocates and caretakers, and we are honored to have earned your trust,” she said.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Cloudy skies above a tree in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Terrifying Lyft Ride — “An Arlington, Virginia, woman says she jumped out of a moving Lyft car after the driver refused to take her to her destination. When Katlyn got into a Lyft Saturday afternoon, she said she quickly realized something was wrong. ‘He actually almost hit the person in front of him, which, then I’m really on edge. Like, within a foot,’ she said. She said the driver then put a different destination in his GPS that was away from where she was headed and he refused to answer her questions.” [NBC 4]

Consolidated Bus Route Launching — “The public and media are invited to join Arlington County officials at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for WMATA’s Metrobus Route 16M Columbia Pike-National Landing. The ceremony will take place at the Arlington Mill Community Center. This new bus route will launch on Sunday, June 25, 2023, expanding connectivity from the Skyline neighborhood in Fairfax County through Columbia Pike and extending to the Crystal City Metrorail station. The route represents the growth of Columbia Pike as a Premium Transit Corridor.” [Arlington County]

Rosslyn Bike and Sidewalk Improvements — “Arlington County Board members on June 10 approved just under $12 million in funding from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, providing funds necessary to support a host of transportation upgrades in the Rosslyn area.” [Gazette Leader]

Primary Update: House of Delegates — “Adele McClure is headed to the general election and, likely, into the General Assembly… The 2nd House District includes Clarendon, Courthouse, Rosslyn and Crystal City, among other areas. It appears that tonight’s filing deadline will have come and gone with no general-election opposition having materialized.” [Gazette Leader]

Primary Update: State Senate — “State. Sen. Barbara Favola appeared to be having no difficulty in beating back an intra-party challenge. Favola, first elected to the Senate in 2011 after serving a dozen years on the Arlington County Board, was being challenged for the new 40th Senate District in the Democratic primary by James DeVita, an attorney who seemed to tack slightly to the left of the incumbent on many issues.” [Gazette Leader]

No Opposition for Other Dems — “Barring a (very) last minute challenger emerging, Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Ferguson and Treasurer Carla de la Pava will be unopposed in November. So, too, will Kim Klingler, who is running to succeed Commissioner of Revenue Ingrid Morroy, who is retiring (and has endorsed Klingler).” [Gazette Leader]

Air Force Assoc. Building Sold — “The Air & Space Forces Association recently sold a long-held, aging office building in Arlington, with plans to move into more contemporary digs. The association, a nonprofit that advocates for the military branches for which its named, has its national headquarters in the roughly 85,000-square-foot, 1980s-era Class B office building at 1501 Langston Blvd., which it owned for more than 40 years — until June 1.” [Washington Business Journal]

NSA Funding for Marymount — “The National Security Agency (NSA) has selected Marymount University to build and operate a cybersecurity clinic through a $1.5 million grant, covering a two-year timeframe that begins in July 2023. The initiative aims to increase the cybersecurity capabilities of small businesses and nonprofits in the DMV region by helping them prevent, detect and respond to cyber threats.” [Press Release]

It’s Thursday — Showers likely, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. High near 73. Northeast wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. At night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 67. [Weather.gov]

Police, prosecutor aim to repair relationship after Tuesday’s primary

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

(Updated at 5:30 p.m.) Arlington’s top prosecutor, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, bested challenger Josh Katcher in yesterday’s Democratic primary.

Now, she says it is time to get back to work, building on reforms she made the first time around and forging a better relationship with the Arlington County police rank and file.

Dehghani-Tafti was elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington and Falls Church in 2019 on a criminal justice reform platform, besting her predecessor, Theo Stamos, in an expensive and contentious primary.

This time, she beat Katcher in a campaign that focused on her track record — and sometimes stooped to criticize Katcher for his prosecutorial judgement and question the motives of his supporters and donors.

Of her race in Arlington, Dehghani-Tafti told ARLnow last night (Tuesday) that “the 2019 campaign was about ideals and promises and laying out a new vision. This is about showing our work.”

With the primary behind her, Dehghani-Tafti shared with ARLnow what is next for her office. One top priority is expanding the Restorative Arlington initiative so more victims can choose guided, out-of-court conferencing sessions with the people who harmed them — if they want it.

She would also like to schedule another clinic where people can learn about how to get their records expunged, which she aims to make a biannual event. Additionally, Dehghani-Tafti is working on standing up a gun buyback program with Moms Demand Action and has met with the organization since last fall to find a “safe and effective” way to pull it off.

Lastly, though this falls outside her purview, she plans to meet with court services to find ways to get more residents connected to substance use treatment programs.

ARLnow asked about her relationship with the Arlington County Police Department going forward. The police union endorsed Katcher as it endorsed Stamos in 2019.

“I will continue to be a bridge-builder as much as possible,” she said.

Police union president Randall Mason said the organization is disappointed in the outcome but hopes the relationship between the departments will grow.

“Maybe she didn’t know there was a poor relationship between officers and her office, and our endorsement was eye-opening for her,” he said. “Hopefully it becomes better over the next four years and we work collaboratively towards prosecutions.”

He says officers want to see the prosecutor’s office devote more time to pre-trial preparation. Mason has been asked to be a witness twice and both times, he says, he was not given opportunities to meet with prosecutors in advance though he requested it. Officers also want to get feedback when charges are dropped “so we can do our job better in the future.”

Judith Davis, an Arlington Public Schools parent, said she attended every forum and asked the two candidates about student health, safety and substance use. She supported Dehghani-Tafti because she acknowledged “there was work to do.”

Still, she was frustrated that this election “brought out the ugly in people.”

“It’s easy to point fingers,” she said. “We didn’t hear from the people who had things to say.”

Yordanos Woldai, a Green Valley resident concerned about safety in her community, said she supported Katcher for his judgment and trial attorney experience.

“I am proud of the campaign Josh ran,” she said. “He focused on issues that matter — even while enduring one baseless attack after another.”

Katcher critiqued his opponent for downplaying statistics indicating a rise in crime, as well as her office for mishandling cases and thus, compounding the hurt victims feel.

Both used anecdotes from people who went through the court system to paint each other as lacking competency or nuanced judgment.

(more…)

Shove seriously injures innocent bystander near East Falls Church Metro

By ARLnow.com
File photo

An enraged man shoved an innocent bystander, seriously injuring them, after an argument with someone else on a bus.

That’s according to the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report. The alleged incident happened around 8 p.m. Tuesday near the East Falls Church Metro station.

The 29-year-old suspect was latest arrested.

From ACPD:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-06200252, 2000 block of N. Sycamore Street. At approximately 8:07 p.m. on June 20, police were dispatched to an assault just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect was engaged in a verbal dispute on a bus. After exiting, the suspect allegedly pushed the victim, who was not involved in the initial dispute, to the ground before fleeing the scene on foot. The victim sustained serious injuries and was transported to an area hospital. The suspect was located in the area and detained with the assistance of the City of Falls Church Police Department. He sustained minor injuries and did not require medical attention. [The suspect], 29, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
An election official measures the distance that campaigners can stand near the Central Library polling place (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Cruiser Rammed in Pentagon City — “800 block of Army Navy Drive. At approximately 4:45 p.m. on June 16, police observed a stolen vehicle and attempted a traffic stop, during which the driver of the suspect vehicle reversed into an occupied police cruiser before fleeing the area. Officers then initiated a vehicle pursuit. The driver eluded police and the suspect vehicle was not located. No injuries were reported.” [ACPD]

Police Recruits Graduate — “Friday, June 16, 2023, marked a significant milestone in the careers of Arlington County Police Department’s eight newest officers as Session 148 graduated from the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy. In front of family, friends and colleagues, the new officers took their solemn oath to serve and protect the Arlington community and safeguard the Constitutional rights of all.” [ACPD]

New Pike Eatery Now Open — Mpanadas, the “South American-inspired cafe” at 2602 Columbia Pike, officially opened over the weekend. [Instagram]

Local Poetry Book Tour — “Hear what resilience means to high school students in Arlington with the publication of a new book of poems. An event to celebrate the launch of the new youth poetry anthology ‘Words for the World’ was held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Arlington Library. All summer long, the editors and poets of the new book will conduct a series of readings across Arlington County.” [WUSA 9]

It’s Wednesday — Rain in the morning, likely getting heavier in the afternoon. Cloudy, with a high near 72. Northeast wind 14 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. At night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 61. Northeast wind 15 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. [Weather.gov]

NOW: Police searching for pursuit suspect near Air Force Memorial

By ARLnow.com
Police vehicles seen near the Air Force Memorial amid a search for a pursuit suspect

Virginia State Police, assisted by Arlington County police, are searching the area around the Air Force Memorial for a suspect who fled a pursuit and crash.

Initial reports suggest that state police gave chase to a suspect seen driving the wrong way in or near the Pentagon south parking lot. That suspect then crashed his vehicle at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Joyce Street, but fled on foot.

Police have established a perimeter and have called in the Fairfax County police helicopter to try to track down the suspect, according to scanner traffic and a flight tracking website.

The search was still in progress as of 11:45 p.m.

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