Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington residents may soon hear the dulcet sounds of John Legend on the phone, asking them to vote for Parisa Dehghani-Tafti.
The singer, songwriter, actor and media personality is again weighing in on the local race for Commonwealth’s Attorney. An advocate for justice reform, Legend endorsed Dehghani-Tafti in 2019 and has recorded an endorsement for the prosecutor’s reelection this year.
“Hi, this is John Legend,” the singer’s voice will say to those who pick up the phone. “Why am I calling is because Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, your Commonwealth’s Attorney who needs your vote in the June 20 Democratic primary.”
“Parisa has delivered on her promises,” Legend continues. “She stopped prosecuting low level marijuana possession and ended cash bail. Under Parisa’s leadership, Arlington is one of the safest cities in America. Parisa’s work to establish treatment programs and reduce racial disparities has made her a leader on safety and justice reform both locally and nationwide.”
Dehghani-Tafti posted a copy of the recording on social media this morning.
Dehghani-Tafti is facing a challenge in the Democratic primary from her one-time deputy, Josh Katcher.
The challenger has outraised his former boss $105,562 to $66,613, though Dehghani-Tafti has criticized him for accepting money from GOP donors. Katcher, who also describes himself as a justice reformer, has linked a local rise in crime — albeit one in line with national trends — with the alleged “multiple failings” of Dehghani-Tafti’s leadership.
While lacking the star power of John Legend, Arlington County Board member Libby Garvey is among those who have endorsed Katcher.
Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that highlights Arlington-based startups, founders, and local tech news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1515 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn.
A Rosslyn-based startup says it is on a mission to help companies adopt artificial intelligence responsibly.
The company, Trustible, announced in mid-April that it emerged from “stealth” — a quiet period of growth and initial fundraising — with an “oversubscribed” $1.6 million in “pre-seed” funding, tech news outlet Technical.ly D.C. first reported.
That money will go toward hiring employees and improving its government compliance solutions. These are aimed at helping companies demonstrate they are following emerging government regulations, such as those poised for adoption by the U.S. and the European Union, per a press release.
As this technology rapidly improves, companies worldwide are racing to adopt and adapt to it. In that haste, however, Trustible founders Gerald Kierce and Andrew Gamino-Cheong worry organizations could wind up not complying with government regulations and unleashing harmful applications of AI.
“AI is becoming a foundational tool in our everyday lives — from business applications, to public services, to consumer products,” they wrote in a blog post last month. “Recent advances in AI have dramatically accelerated its adoption across society — unquestionably changing the way humans interact with technology and basic services.”
Trustible founders Gerald Kierce, left, and Andrew Gamino-Cheong (courtesy photo)
Companies ramping up their use of AI are entering uncharted waters, however. The founders say these organizations have to answer tricky questions like whether AI can be biased and who is liable AI breaks the law or produces results that are not factual. They worry about misuses such as wrongful prosecution, unequal health care and national surveillance.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” they say. “Despite good intentions, organizations deploying AI need the enterprise tools and skills to build Responsible AI practices at scale. Moreover, they don’t feel prepared to meet the requirements of emerging AI regulations.”
That is why demonstrating trust in AI will be key to it being adopted successfully, say Kierce and Gamino-Cheong.
“Many of the challenges we’ve outlined require interdisciplinary solutions — they are as much of a technical and business problem as they are socio-technical, political, and humanitarian,” per the blog post. “But there is a critical role for a technology solution to accelerate Responsible AI priorities and scale governance programs.”
That is where Trustible comes in. It provides all the minutiae companies need — checklists, documentation tools and reporting capabilities — to adopt AI as governments try and concurrently develop ways to regulate it.
The platform helps organizations define policies, implement and enforce ethical AI practices and prove they comply with regulations, in anticipation of compliance reviews and AI audits.
Trustible logo
Already, the U.S. and Europe appear poised to adopt regulations, they say.
In the U.S., the National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a framework the founders believe will inform any pending federal regulations. Meantime, the White House has released an “AI Bill of Rights” the founders say serves as a blueprint for institutions looking to develop internal AI policies.
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
Arlington County police are investigating shots fired in the Green Valley neighborhood.
The gunfire rang out around 10 p.m. Friday night near The Shelton apartment complex. No injuries were reported but a bullet damaged a window in a nearby residential building.
SHOTS FIRED, 2025-10100198, 3200 block of 24th Street S. At approximately 10:01 p.m. on October 10, police were dispatched to the report of possible shots heard in the area. During the course of the investigation, officers recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired in the area and property damage to the window of a residential building was located. No injuries were reported. There are no suspect(s) descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.
The same block was the scene of a shooting in November 2024. The teen victim of that shooting survived his serious injuries.
Arlington School Board candidates Angelo Cocchiaro and Miranda Turner against the backdrop of the Arlington Public Schools administrative building (by ARLnow)
Voting to determine which School Board candidate gets the endorsement of the local Democratic party kicked off yesterday and continues this week.
Candidates Angelo Cocchiaro and Miranda Turner are vying to be the Democratic-supported candidate who will run in the general election in November to replace outgoing School Board Chair Reid Goldstein. The winner will face any independent candidates, which so far includes James “Vell” Rives, who is running for the second time.
Both Democratic hopefuls continue racking up high-profile endorsements. In addition to Goldstein’s support, Cocchiaro was endorsed by the political action committee of the teachers union, Arlington Education Association (AEA). Turner earned the support of some Arlington County Board members, former chairs of Arlington County Democratic Committee and community leaders.
In a statement released Friday, the political action committee representing Arlington Public Schools educators and staff said it believes Cocchiaro’s “youthful vision and strong commitment to students, educators and the labor movement will make him a fresh voice for APS.”
“He impressed the interview committee with his student activism in support of educators in West Virginia,” the statement continued. “His support of labor rights and collective bargaining will serve our students, community, and staff well by giving those on the front-lines of providing educational service to our community a real voice in planning to make it the best it can be.”
The teachers union recently won an election by county school employees to be the exclusive representative for educators once collective bargaining begins with Arlington Public Schools.
Cocchiaro said he is willing to go the extra mile “to be a prizefighter for our teachers and school staff.”
“There are those who would create an artificial, invisible wall between AEA and the School Board,” he said in a statement. “Let me be clear: not me. As a Democrat’s Democrat, I’ll always take the side of labor over management — I’ll have their back — and that’s never going to change.”
Cocchiaro says he will fight for “raises that beat inflation,” 12 weeks of paid family leave and a “Live Where You Work” housing support program. Arlington County offers financial assistance to eligible staff looking to rent or buy in Arlington and APS has offered similar grants in the past.
Turner also advocates for better pay and benefits and paid parental leave for APS staff. She says the school system should let staff who live in Arlington enroll their children at the school where they work, and says the county and school system should explore providing grants to teachers looking to buy a home in Arlington.
Armed Forces Cycling Classic (image via Armed Forces Cycling Classic)
The Armed Forces Cycling Classic is returning to speed around Clarendon and Crystal City for its 25th year early next month.
First beginning in 1998, the annual series of cycling races are set for Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4 this year. It features men’s and women’s pro-ams, a kids’ race, and the “Clarendon Cup”, a race that follows a one-kilometer course centered around the Clarendon Metro station.
There will also be the popular “challenge ride” on Saturday morning, where “cycling enthusiasts of all abilities” are invited to bike in what’s thought to be the area’s largest non-competitive ride. The 10-kilometer, closed-to-vehicle-traffic course will take cyclists around the Pentagon, Crystal City, and Rosslyn.
There’s a three-hour time limit and everyone who finishes at least one lap gets at least a bronze medal. Those who finish 6 to 8 laps or more in the three hours will get a silver medal, while those who finish 9 or more will get a gold.
Registration remains open for the challenge race, but organizers told ARLnow they are expecting to sell out this year, with attendance capped at 3,000 riders.
If the race does sell out, that would be about a 25% increase in participation from last year, organizers said.
The pro-am races are “by invite only” with the Clarendon Cup pulling from those races. That’s a 100-kilometer race following a one-kilometer course that loops around the Clarendon Metro station.
“The Clarendon Cup is known as one of the most difficult races of its kind in the U.S. due to the technical demands of the course and the quality of the participants,” the event’s website notes.
Some 140 riders are expected to participate in that race.
“I am very proud to have the Classic stand the test of time, with our 25th Edition”, Armed Forces Cycling Classic founder Rob Laybourn said in a statement. “Cycling as a sport or for leisure continues to grow and evolve in so many ways. We are committed to evolving this event by exposing more folks to cycling as a whole, while contributing positive value to the community as well as the sport.”
The full schedule of the weekend’s events is below.
Armed Forces Cycling Classic weekend schedule of events (image via Armed Forces Cycling Classic)
A number of road closures are planned for the races
While specifics have yet to be released, organizers said the closures are set to be similar to what’s been done over the past 24 years. Course maps show that a large swath of Route 110 will be closed to vehicle traffic from Rosslyn to Pentagon City, in addition to the closure of portions of 12th Street S. and Crystal Drive in Crystal City.
2023 Challenge Ride course at the Armed Forces Cycling Classic (image via Armed Forces Cycling Classic)
As has been the case in recent years, the Armed Forces Cycling Classic will provide support to Tragedy Assistance for Survivors. The Arlington-based organization provides care and resources for those grieving the death of a military or veteran loved one.
