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“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” – Charles R. Swindoll
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Washington-Liberty High School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Fairfax County Deputy Chief Eli Cory briefs the media on a fatal shooting and stabbing near Tysons on Monday (via FCPD/Facebook)
A Washington-Liberty High School senior was killed in a double homicide yesterday in Fairfax County.
Braden Deahl, 18, was a standout soccer player on the W-L varsity team who had committed to play at St. Mary’s College of Maryland earlier this month, according to an athletics website.
Deahl’s death was announced in an email to W-L families this afternoon.
“It is with great sadness that I inform you that one of our seniors, Braden Deahl, died on Monday,” wrote principal Tony Hall. “Braden was a beloved member of the Washington-Liberty family, and impacted the lives of many of our students and staff members. He brought much joy to all who knew him, especially his soccer teammates and fellow 12th graders. We all deeply feel his loss.”
“On May 29, 2023 at 3:37 p.m., officers responded to an apartment building in the 2200 block of Pimmit Run Lane in Falls Church for a man who had been shot. Jonas Skinner, 20, of Ashburn, was found in the laundry room of the apartment building with a gunshot wound to the upper body,” wrote FCPD. “Officers found three additional individuals in the parking lot suffering from stab wounds to their upper body. Braden Deahl, 18, of Arlington County, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased.”
The other two stabbing victims are expected to survive, though one remains in the hospital.
In a press release, below, FCPD said the killings appear to have been drug-related. A teenager has been arrested and charged with robbery resulting in death.
Detectives believe a drug related robbery led to the fatal shooting of one man and the fatal stabbing of another. Police have charged one juvenile in connection to this crime and anticipate more updates to follow.
On May 29, 2023 at 3:37 p.m., officers responded to an apartment building in the 2200 block of Pimmit Run Lane in Falls Church for a man who had been shot. Jonas Skinner, 20, of Ashburn, was found in the laundry room of the apartment building with a gunshot wound to the upper body. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue personnel declared Skinner deceased at the scene.
Officers found three additional individuals in the parking lot suffering from stab wounds to their upper body. Braden Deahl, 18, of Arlington County, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced deceased. The other two victims were taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for injuries not believed to be life threatening. One of the juveniles remains hospitalized.
During a search of the area, K9 officers located a significant amount of marijuana nearby believed to be connected to the homicide. All individuals involved are believed to be known to each other and this is not a random act of violence.
Earlier today, a 17-year-old was charged with robbery resulting in death.
Police anticipate more announcements in this case.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death in the coming days.
Deahl is at least the second Arlingtonian to be murdered outside of the county’s borders so far this year. A Yorktown High School grad was killed in a D.C. hotel room in April.
The full letter from Hall to Washington-Liberty families is below.
This recurring Real Estate feature is sponsored by The Eli Residential Team. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service. This week’s post is written by Carolanne Korolowicz.
In Arlington, the contention between urban development and environmental preservation is ever present. Citizens went to bat to save Arlington’s tree canopy during the Missing Middle debacle, there are environment-focus ballot measures almost every election, and plenty of local associations with a mission to preserve the county’s green landscape. But, did you know that debating over trees is actually an Arlington tradition? Before boundaries were even drawn, trees have been at the center of almost every development project.
On October 21, 1767, the stage was set by John Carlyle and Charles Alexander. The two prominent figures went to trial to dispute whose land (modern day Arlington and Alexandria City) was whose. Twenty-four witnesses gave their testimonies about the land boundaries defined by tree markers. Many of these witnesses were quoted mentioning the trees’ ages, whether they had been marked as line or corner trees, and the type of instrument used. With tree-defined boundary lines, the testimonies became a source of confusion rather than clarity.
In other historical accounts, it is clear that the DC-area forefathers viewed trees as part of the area’s heritage. A friend of Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Nothing affected Mr. Jefferson like this wanton destruction of the fine trees scattered over the (Federal) City grounds.” The friend also stated that Jefferson himself once said, “The unnecessary felling of a tree, perhaps the growth of centuries, seems to me a crime little short of murder.” As obvious by these statements, the conservation cause has always been one of great passion.
(A part of George Washington’s Oak Tree Displayed at The Glencarlyn Library, Photo: ArlingtonHistorical.com)
The acknowledgement of prominent trees has been documented over the centuries. George Washington’s survey oak in Glencarlyn being one of the first. Later in 1860, a large, anciently marked poplar tree was noted to be a landmark for the Cherrydale Neighborhood, but was cut down for the Washington and Old Dominion Railway in 1912. George Nicholas Saegmuller, an original owner of “Reserve Hill”– today’s Knights of Columbus Arlington Headquarters– planted a strip of evergreen forest from LIttle Falls Road to Old Dominion Drive as a homage to his homeland of Germany. Most importantly, the first tree to be given protection was one of the oldest oak trees of the Nation at the Grunwell Estate, located in Country Club Hills, in the late 19th century.
(A Champion Ash tree in Barcroft Park being measured, Photo: Arlington County)
Citizens acting as stewards of wildlife are deeply rooted in the makeup of Arlington. This symbiotic relationship remains today through the Forest and Natural Resources Commission’s Notable Tree Nominations. Since 1987, the volunteer-led program has awarded over 400 significant trees and their caregivers. In 2024, eleven trees were selected, including four on Fort CF Smith, six in North Arlington and one located on the corner of Columbia Pike and George Mason Drive. Though not legally protected, the status has proved helpful when communicating the importance of conservation during development projects.
What makes for a notable tree? The committee looks for these three items: size, neighborhood value, and uniqueness. Nominations are due every year on October 31st – so it’s not too late to submit! For legal protection, an application must be submitted for a ‘Specimen Tree’ through the Trees and Shrubs Ordinance. This designation requires tree conservation and protection if development of a site occurs. Violations result in a civil penalty of up to $2,500. Applications are due September 30th every year.
(A 2024 Notable Tree Winner: Deodar Cedar on Fort CF Smith, Photo: Arlington County)
As headbutting between developers and “tree-huggers” continues on, Arlington County has made efforts in favor of the area’s ecosystem over the decades. The citizens hold the power to improve these protections. Nominating trees for significance, or legal protection, is the easiest way to make a difference.
To quote the late local historian Eleanor Lee Templeman, “Although Arlington County has already lost a great deal of its forests through careless development of subdivisions, an awakened public concern over this priceless heritage will save a great deal of remaining beauty. Our stream valleys and palisades still possess true wilderness areas which must be preserved for posterity.” (Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County, 1959)
Now, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D) is bringing the county’s issues to the federal government.
There have been grumblings for years of spotty mail delivery service in parts of Arlington. Locals frequently post stories of their problems getting or sending mail on the social media platform Nextdoor.
Now, Kaine is asking the United States Postal Service to review these frustrating experiences and provide explanations and a list of steps USPS will take to fix them.
“I am concerned that Virginia communities as far-flung as Smyth County in Southwest Virginia, the Richmond area (nearly 300 miles away from Chilhowie by highway), and Arlington, across the river from Washington, D.C., are all experiencing missing bills, medications, tax documents, and days/weeks without mail,” Kaine wrote in a letter — which he sent electronically.
“My constituents are understandably frustrated and eager to know if help is on the way. I appreciate any information you can share,” he continued.
Kaine referenced one specific story he heard from an Arlingtonian who “repeatedly went several days without mail over the period of several months and did not receive specific items, including a Virginia Auto Registration from the DMV and a Virginia Driver’s license.”
In the letter, he included the response from USPS:
After investigation and consultation with local management, it has been found that the office may experience delivery delays due to employee availability issues. However, they are taking the steps necessary to ensure every effort has been made to deliver the mail daily. The route in which your constituent resides is current however delivery on this route maybe later in the day. Once again, please allow us to apologize for the unfortunate customer experience.
His letter also detailed issues from other parts of the state, including missed mail or infrequent or late-at-night delivery as well as never-returned phone calls requesting assistance.
“I request that you review these concerns, provide information on how these are being addressed, and share what factors are causing what appear to be systemic challenges with processing mail promptly and getting it successfully to the right place,” he said.
Within the last week, one Colonial Village resident took to Nextdoor to say it took two weeks for a check to go no more than four miles as the crow flies.
“I can top that,” a neighbor replied. “My mother in law showed us two pieces of mail that she just got returned to her. The postmark was from 2021.”
“A few months ago I mailed a letter 2-day Priority, Signature Required at the 22204 Post Office,” a third user said. “It took 8 days to get to a 22201 address!”
Some users were more optimistic, calling on neighbors to increase their use of USPS.
“We should keep using the Postal system because the more we use it, the more funding there is, the better the service will get,” wrote one woman.
Another issued a recruiting call to arms.
“Let’s spread the word to older teens and twenty-somethings looking for work that not just the Post Office, but the Federal Gov’t itself needs sufficient numbers of good public servants in order to run well,” she said.
Arlington County Board Vice-Chair Libby Garvey speaks at a press conference announcing new flight patterns to mitigate noise on April 25, 2023 (courtesy photo)
The delay in the second phase of Amazon’s HQ2 may not be for all that long, according to Arlington County Board Vice-Chair Libby Garvey.
Garvey appeared on WAMU’s The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi late last week, talking about whether Amazon is still good for Arlington County and defending the current number of flights out of Reagan National Airport against attempts to add more, particularly long-haul flights.
The first phase of Amazon’s second headquarters in Pentagon City is basically complete and is set to open next month, with some 50,000 square feet of retail space filled with everything from a bike shop to a doggy daycare to several restaurants and bars.
Plans for the second phase, including the futuristic double helix, are still in flux. The “pause” announced earlier this year coincided with other announcements the company made to lay off more than 18,000 employees and pause office construction projects in Nashville and around Seattle.
“I know there’s been some concern that Phase 2 has been delayed but it’s not been delayed by a lot,” Garvey said. “We’re understanding it’s just a year, which, actually — if you think about what’s been happening in the last couple of years — a delay in some ways is quite reasonable.”
Here, Tom Sherwood, the radio show’s resident analyst, interrupted to say he had only heard speculation that the delay would only be for one year.
“I don’t know what they’ve said publicly. I know what I’ve heard,” Garvey responded, with a chuckle. “How public that is, I don’t know. I guess it’s public now.”
The biggest concern for the Arlington County Board regarding the second phase is the construction of a permanent home for Arlington Community High School and child care facilities, she said, adding that “our understanding is that is continuing to move forward.”
Overall, she said, Amazon is “absolutely right” for Arlington.
“In fact, it’s been helpful,” she continued. “One of the big concerns of any large metropolitan area right now is the vacancy rate and whether businesses are going to be coming. Amazon continues to be doing quite well and attracts folks here which I think is very good for us.”
She credited the company for investing significantly in local affordable housing to meet “a major need.”
Across all of its communities, the tech company has said it is investing $2 billion in affordable housing.
Garvey said the county agreed to pay Amazon for meeting office occupancy targets using expected revenue from the county’s Transient Occupancy Tax, which is levied on hotel rooms and other lodging. The county intended to draw from this because HQ2 would generate more business travel, she noted.
Speaking of travel, Garvey was quizzed about why National Airport should not expand and have more flights in response to a proposed bill proposed by members of Congress from Georgia and Utah. The bill is opposed by local lawmakers but has support from many locals and an advocacy group.
“It’s a small airport and it doesn’t have long runways for the really big planes,” she said. “There’s a limit to what you can do and what is safe and what makes sense. It’s plenty busy. Lots of planes go in and out.”
Garvey says it makes sense for DCA to handle shorter flights and Dulles to handle long-distance ones, especially now that people can take the Silver Line all the way to Dulles. Besides, she added, DCA is already noisy enough for people who live nearby.
