Colony Grill, Clarendon’s new family-friendly tavern, which features gracious hospitality and famous “hot oil” bar-style pizzas, will partner this holiday season with Wreaths Across America and Dames for Soldiers to remember, honor and celebrate veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our freedom. From November 27 through December 31, 2020, the restaurant invites guests to sponsor a veteran’s wreath to be placed at Arlington National Cemetery, and more than 1,600 additional locations across the US. In addition to the new location at 2800 Clarendon Boulevard, Colony Grill has multiple locations across Connecticut and New York participating in this worthy cause. Donations are priced at $5 each. Those who donate will receive an adhesive acrylic wreath in their honor to be placed on the restaurant’s Wall of Heroes.
“This is a small token of thanks to some exceptional Americans who risked it all to defend and protect our country,” said Ken Martin, chief operating officer and co-owner of Colony Grill. “Last year we partnered with Wreaths Across America to remember the fallen and thank military families for their sacrifice and raised more than $5,000, which allowed us to lay dozens of wreaths nationwide. In our second year we hope to double that amount.”
The Board of Directors of A-SPAN, a nonprofit organization that provides life-saving supportive services for vulnerable people, has announced the appointment of Betsy Frantz to the position of President/CEO on a permanent basis. Frantz has served as interim CEO since February 1, 2020, following Kathy Sibert’s retirement after 11 years at the organization.
“Betsy has provided stability and support to A-SPAN’s staff, clients, and Board of Directors during incredibly tumultuous times,” said Tim Denning, Chair of the Board. “The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted our clients and team and Betsy’s leadership has been an anchor since she became Interim CEO in February. We are delighted that she has accepted our offer to transition from the interim role to a permanent position. Her many years of executive leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, combined with her commitment to the Arlington community, make her the clear choice for our organization.”
Virginia Hospital Center (VHC), a community-based hospital providing medical services to the Washington, DC metropolitan area for 75 years, has recently learned of an information security incident experienced by one of its vendors.
Blackbaud, Inc., a world-wide vendor that provides nonprofit and charitable organizations with cloud-based solution services related to donor and fundraising activities, recently informed VHC of an incident in which an unauthorized party gained access to Blackbaud’s systems between February 7 and May 20, 2020. Blackbaud informed VHC that the unauthorized party may have acquired a backup of the database that compromises certain limited elements of VHC’s donor and fundraising information, as may be the case with other nonprofits affected by this incident worldwide.
The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City is now offering Afternoon Tea, bringing a time-honored tradition at an affordable price – all with safety and the health of guests in mind.
Offered in their fyve restaurant, featuring globally inspired dishes, the hotel’s Afternoon Tea service is available at three price points, perfect for adults and children celebrating a special occasion or looking for a weekend respite from the day-to-day. The selection includes:
Dr. Irma Becerra, President of Marymount University, has announced the addition of softball as a varsity sport, with competition set to begin during the Spring 2022 semester.
“We are tremendously excited to welcome even more Saints athletes to our campus through the addition of softball at Marymount,” President Becerra said. “Through our NCAA Division III athletics programs, our students learn important skills in the areas of leadership, team collaboration and time management. They also demonstrate excellence both when in a Saints uniform and in the classroom, as our teams average a 3.38 GPA.”
Months after their senior year in high school did a 180 degree turn from what they envisioned nearly a year ago for senior year rites, a group of students from Arlington launched the Gen Z Diaries: Senior Edition. Gen Z Diaries: Senior Edition describes themselves as “the Real World (from MTV), but in the 21st century, with social media, at the height of a global pandemic, amid unrest as a result of racial injustice.”
Gen ZDiaries: Senior Edition team has taken control of their narrative in a new normal by working and planning over the last few months to document their senior year through video vlogs, a socially distanced homecoming game show, and ongoing filming.
Today, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), Chair of the House Aviation Subcommittee, and Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) introduced the National Aviation Preparedness Plan Act of 2020, legislation to require the development of a national aviation preparedness plan for future public health emergencies. The bill builds on similar language Larsen championed in the House-passed HEROES Act and the Healthy Flights Act of 2020.
“Lessons learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic show the urgent need for a national aviation preparedness plan to ensure the safety of aviation crews, employees and passengers and restore confidence in air travel,” said Chair Larsen. “This bill will bring federal agencies, frontline aviation workers and other key stakeholders to the table to develop a clear, comprehensive plan of action for future outbreaks.”
Last night, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce celebrated the 34th Annual Arlington Best Business Awards at the Crowne Plaza Crystal City-Washington, D.C., in a hybrid format that allowed attendees to join in person and virtually. The Best Business Awards are presented to area businesses that consistently deliver exceptional quality of service to their customers, are industry leaders or offer a unique approach to delivery of goods or services, achieve significant growth or stability over the lifetime of their business, display an interest and concern for the success of the Arlington community, and demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The 2020 Best Business Award winners are:
We love our icons, don’t we? They may be silver screen legends, or boundary-breaking journalists. Maybe their voice is the soundtrack of our lives? But it may surprise you how many of them are from Arlington. As our region enters Phase Two of reopening, commuters will see the latest Art on the ART Bus installation, POP ARLINGTON by Ryan Carroll Nelson, featuring six original illustrations which relate the story of famous people who called Arlington home. The placards were installed during the week beginning October 8, 2020.
The Washington DC metropolitan area has long been an international crossroads. Still, it is surprising how many notables had significant ties to Arlington. For this installation, we decided to narrow it down to people who were either born or raised here, or put down roots and made their mark in their field while living in Arlington: actress/dancer Shirley MacLaine, singer/songwriter Roberta Flack, actress Sandra Bullock, actor Warren Beatty, journalist Katie Couric and singer/songwriter Ian Mackaye. Each subject’s story is conveyed in two adjacent panels that illustrate their journey and their relationship to Arlington.
McEnearney Associates is excited to announce a new office location in the heart of Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia located at 3033 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA, 22201. This will be McEnearney Associate’s second office location in Arlington.
The new space will allow McEnearney Associates to better meet the needs of clients while expanding their footprint in the Northern Virginia region.
The Arlington County Board today accepted a $100,000 donation from Amazon to support the County’s efforts to advance racial equity.
The donation will help support the County’s Dialogues on Race and Equity, community conversations that are part of Arlington’s broader commitment to racial equity. The virtual conversations will offer opportunities for individuals, local faith groups, civic organizations, and community leaders to learn about and address ways in which Arlington can be a more equitable and inclusive place.
