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BREAKING: Holiday Wreath Event Back on at Arlington National Cemetery

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:20 p.m. — Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy has directed Arlington National Cemetery to host the Wreaths Across America event this year, despite the worsening pandemic, per a tweet Tuesday afternoon. McCarthy said the event will be held safely, but it was not immediately clear how.

Update at 3:50 p.m. — President Trump now says that he reversed the decision to cancel the annual holiday wreath event this year.

Earlier: The annual holiday wreath-laying event at Arlington National Cemetery has been cancelled this year due to the pandemic.

“Due to the current COVID-19 situation across the nation and within the [National Capital Region], it is with great regret that ANC is cancelling Wreaths Across America,” the cemetery said in a tweet Monday night.

The average daily case rate hit a new all-time high in Arlington and across Virginia today. Nationwide, the number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 reached a new peak today.

The wreath event attracts tens of thousand of volunteers, who lay wreaths at the cemetery’s hundreds of thousands of graves a week or two before Christmas. More crowds of volunteers then help to “retire” the wreaths after the holiday.

In a press release, below, the cemetery’s Executive Director said that officials “did not make this decision lightly.”

Due to the current COVID-19 situation across the nation and within the National Capital Region, it is with great regret that Arlington National Cemetery is canceling Wreaths Across America at Arlington National Cemetery and the Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home Cemetery on December 19, 2020.

Following a thorough analysis of the annual Wreaths Across America Wreaths-In event this year, and in close collaboration with the Joint Task Force, National Capital Region, we determined that we could not implement sufficient controls to mitigate the risks associated with hosting an event of this size under current and forecasted infection and transmission rates, while still conducting a respectful and honorable public event.

“We did not make this decision lightly. Despite the controls developed to disperse potential crowds in time and space, and required personal safety protocols, we determined that hosting any event of this scale risked compromising our ability to accomplish our core mission of laying veterans and their eligible family members to rest,” stated Karen Durham-Aguilera, Executive Director, Office of Army National Cemeteries and Arlington National Cemetery. “We reviewed various options to safely execute this long standing event and held numerous consultations with WAA leadership and local government and public health officials. We understand that although this is disappointing for so many, we could no longer envision a way to safely accommodate the large number of visitors we typically host during this event.”

ANC’s most sacred mission to lay our nation’s veterans and their family members to rest continues during this COVID-19 environment. In order to ensure that our primary mission takes place, and to protect our workforce and visitors, the cemetery is taking this proactive step to adhere to the guidance outlined by the CDC to prevent contracting or spreading respiratory illnesses like the flu or COVID-19.

“Our strong hope is to be able to resume hosting this great event next year in 2021,” said Charles “Ray” Alexander, Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery.  “While many of our families and visitors associate the wreath event with the holiday season, we thank all the thousands of volunteers who had planned to take this time to Honor, Remember, and Explore those who are laid to rest at our nation’s most hallowed ground. We invite everyone to virtually visit the cemetery through our multimedia platforms @ArlingtonNatl.”

Family pass holders and visitors are still welcome to visit the cemetery on their own schedules and place graveside tributes of privately purchased flowers or wreaths in accordance with our floral policy.

BREAKING: Coronavirus Cases, Positivity Rate Soaring in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:25 p.m.) Arlington County has just recorded the highest seven-day total of new coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

New data from the Virginia Dept. of Health brings the county’s seven-day total to 320 cases, topping the previous peak of 316, at the height of the spring epidemic on May 3. The 320 total cases represents a seven-day trailing average of just under 46 cases per day.

Arlington’s test positivity rate, a key metric, is also soaring, reaching 6.8% today, the highest point since early June.

Two new COVID-related deaths and three new hospitalizations have been reported since Friday. The seven-day hospitalization total in Arlington currently stands at 15.

VDH also reported the highest one-day spike in new cases in Arlington today — 82 new cases — but that comes with an asterisk. The state health department says numbers were higher today because its systems were catching up from a backlog over the weekend caused by technical upgrades. Despite the backlog, VDH reported 50 local cases on Saturday and 57 cases on Sunday.

Virginia, like Arlington, also reached a new seven-day case record today. The Commonwealth’s seven-day trailing average of new daily cases is now 1,594. Statewide, the test positivity rate is 7.3%.

Across the Potomac, the District of Columbia also reached a seven-day case record on Sunday. The District imposed new travel restrictions last week.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced new restrictions on Friday, which took effect this morning. Those restrictions include slashing the maximum size of indoor and outdoor gatherings to 25, reducing the age for the state’s mask requirement to 5, and a 10 p.m. alcohol sales curfew at all dining and drinking establishments. The Commonwealth also plans to step up enforcement.

Ryan Hudson, spokesman for Arlington County’s Public Health Division, said in a statement Monday afternoon that residents should continue wearing masks but should also “stay home as often as possible.”

Unfortunately, Arlington County is indeed seeing a rise in cases, much like Virginia and the rest of the country. As our recent contact tracing data shows, 33% of Arlington’s cases have reported contact with a known case and 17% reported going to a gathering. An increase in people gathering together allows for germ spread, which makes it easier for COVID-19 cases to rise. We know you are likely fatigued by the pandemic and restrictions. But we also know that these mitigation efforts work: Avoid large gatherings, wash your hands, wear a face mask and maintain proper physical distance. Now is not the time to get complacent.

We’re imploring all Arlingtonians to continue to abide by the public health guidance to help us flatten the curve again:

  • Stay home as often as possible, but especially when you are sick
  • Wear a face covering when interacting with those outside of your household. This protects others, and it also protects you
  • Get your flu shot
  • Get tested for COVID-19 as needed; Arlington has resources for testing in all groups, including underinsured and uninsured
  • Cooperate with public health by answering the call to help with contact tracing
  • Adhere to the guidance of a 14-day quarantine if instructed to do so (remember: a negative test does NOT mean you can end quarantine early)

Despite the backdrop of rising cases locally and nationwide, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Today pharmaceutical company Moderna announced that preliminary trial data shows that its coronavirus vaccine is nearly 95% effective. That tops the 90% efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine, announced last week.

BREAKING: Police Investigating Razor Blades Taped to Political Sign

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County police are investigating a case of razor blades taped to the bottom of a political sign.

A victim was cut after she removed a sign from along George Mason Drive on Wednesday afternoon, suffering minor injuries, police said today. A photo released by police show several razor blades attached to the bottom of the sign.

“The Arlington County Police Department is investigating… and is urging the public to take caution when removing these items,” police said in a press release. The department is also asking for members of the public to come forward with tips.

Police did not speculate about a motive for the razor-laden sign, but this year’s fall election cycle in Arlington was marred by widespread removal and destruction of political signs. So far, no other incidents of this nature have been reported, police said.

The full ACPD press release is below.

The Arlington County Police Department is investigating the report of razor blades located on the bottom of a political sign and is urging the public to take caution when removing these items.

Between noon and 3 p.m. on November 4, the victim was removing political signage located in the median of George Mason Drive between Yorktown Boulevard and Four Mile Run Drive. Upon bringing these items back to a family member’s home, the victim was separating the signage from the metal base when she was cut by razor blades taped to the bottom of the sign. The victim suffered minor injuries which did not require medical treatment. At this time, no other reports of similar incidents have been reported in Arlington County.

This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Tip Line at 703-228-4180 or ACPDTipline @arlingtonva.us. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

The Arlington County Police Department encourages community members to inspect signage before and after they are removed from the public right-of-way and private property. If you observe signs of tampering, report for investigation by calling the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222 or 9-1-1 in an emergency.

UPDATED: Biden, Dems Win Big in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 7:30 a.m.) To no one’s surprise, the Arlington electorate has turned out in a big way for the Democratic ticket.

Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris have 80.7% of the vote to 17.1% for President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in Arlington, with more than 120,000 votes counted and all precincts reporting.

By contrast, 75.8% of Arlington voters picked Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, to 16.6% for Trump.

The Associated Press called Virginia for Biden just over half an hour after polls closed at 7 p.m.

As of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, overall turnout in Arlington County was over 75%. The voter turnout in 2016 was 82%, shy of the Arlington record of 85% in the 2012 presidential race between President Barack Obama and current Senator Mitt Romney.

Among local races, Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey (D) is cruising to an easy victory, with 71.6% of the vote, compared to 26.6% of the vote for independent challenger Audrey Clement.

In the Arlington School Board race — for two open seats — Democratic endorsees Cristina Diaz-Torres and David Priddy currently have 43.1% and 35.8% of the vote, respectively, leading independent candidate Symone Walker, who has 19.2% of the vote.

All five county bond issues will pass, with between 75-80% of the vote. That’s despite some organized opposition to the school bond.

Arlington voted against Constitutional Amendment #1, to establish a bipartisan redistricting commission in Virginia — 45% for, 55% against — though it has garnered the support of nearly two-thirds of voters statewide. Constitutional Amendment #2, providing vehicle tax relief to disabled veterans, easily passed statewide and received 81.5% of the vote in Arlington.

In the statewide race for U.S. Senate, incumbent Sen. Mark Warner (D) was declared the projected winner by the Associated Press early on.

In Virginia’s 8th Congressional district, which includes Arlington and Alexandria, incumbent Rep. Don Beyer (D) is winning handily, with 75.6% of the vote to 24.2% for Republican Jeff Jordan. The AP called the race at 8:10 p.m.

The initial returns that included early and mail-in votes were overwhelming Democratic, but with Election Day results rolling in the non-Democratic candidates have added to their totals and cut into the Democrats’ margin of victory.

Around Arlington, the pandemic has most people watching election coverage from their homes, rather than from bars. In Clarendon and Shirlington tonight, only a relative few could be seen in front of TVs inside the neighborhood’s usual watering holes.

As the election returns continue to come in, Arlington County Board member Katie Cristol said tonight that the county is “committed to ensuring every vote is counted.”

Widespread Power Outages in Arlington, McLean and Falls Church

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6:40 p.m. — Power appears to have been restored to all Arlington and most Fairfax County customers, according to Dominion’s website, after an issue with a transmission line.

Earlier: More than 1,600 Dominion customers are without power in Arlington due to a widespread power outage.

The outage is affecting parts of Arlington County, Fairfax County and the City of Falls Church, according to Dominion. A cause was not given on the company’s website, but the restoration time was estimated as between 5-10 p.m.

The outage is affecting North Arlington neighborhoods, including areas around Jamestown Elementary, Yorktown High School and Bishop O’Connell High School.

Wide swaths of McLean, Pimmit Hills and West Falls Church are also affected in Fairfax County, where more than 26,000 Dominion customers are reported to be in the dark.

Arlington County police are responding to several intersections where the traffic signals are inoperable, for traffic control.

The outage comes amid wet and breezy conditions, as the remnants of Hurricane Zeta exit the area. A Dominion spokeswoman said via social media that the outages stem from an issue with a transmission line.

BREAKING: Mail and Early Voting Has Already Exceeded 2016 in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/5

The upcoming election is setting up to be one for the record books in Arlington.

We’re around the halfway point between the start of early voting in September and Election Day on Nov. 3. Yet as of last night, 39,202 mail-in and early ballots had already been cast in Arlington, according to election officials.

That already exceeds the 37,869 mail-in and early ballots during the entire 2016 presidential general election.

“We’ve never seen volumes this high,” Gretchen Reinemeyer, Arlington’s Director of Elections, told ARLnow this morning. The ballots cast so far represent about 24% of active voters, she noted.

“In 2016, we received a total of 10,922 Mail Ballots and 26,947 voted early,” Reinemeyer said. “As of last night, we have received 20,852 Mail Ballots and 18,350 have voted early.”

The total number of votes cast in Arlington in the 2016 presidential general election was 121,339, a record that seems likely to fall this year given interest in the race and population growth in the county.

Arlington opened a new early voting location this year, in the former Wells Fargo bank (2200 Clarendon Blvd) near county government headquarters in Courthouse, in order to accommodate social distancing and long outdoor lines — which came to fruition on the first day of early voting. Four community centers will also open for early voting next Saturday, Oct. 17.

Yesterday the county also unveiled a secure, 24-hour ballot drop-off box in Courthouse, for those who might be concerned about their ballots being lost or delayed in the mail.

Reinemeyer said any voter who is not already registered should do so soon. Voter registration in Virginia for any given race closes 21 days before the election — in other words, this coming Tuesday for the 2020 general election.

“The most common question we’re getting is from voters who can’t get a DMV appointment,” Reinemeyer said. “You don’t need ID to register. They can drop their application in the mail or our drop box or stop by in person. We’re open Monday.”

As noted on the county elections website, Virginia residents can also register to vote online.

Voters who don’t want to show up to the polls in person, for fear of COVID-19 or otherwise, can request mail-in ballots through Oct. 23.

BREAKING: Fire Department Investigating Smoke in Metro Tunnel

By ARLnow.com
1/2

(Updated at 2 p.m.) All Metro service between Foggy Bottom and Clarendon has been suspended due to smoke in a Metro tunnel near the Courthouse station.

A large fire department response is on scene in Courthouse, investigating the issue. Riders are being evacuated from the Courthouse station, where a light haze was reported in the platform area.

Firefighters are looking into a possible electrical issue between the Rosslyn and Courthouse stations.

Simultaneously, a possible communications problem in the tunnels has been reported. Firefighters and the fire liaison at Metro’s rail control center are currently communicating on Arlington’s fire department response radio channel, however.

As of 11:30 a.m., about 45 minutes after the first dispatch, firefighters and Metro emergency response personnel were still on scene, trying to determine what, if anything, is on fire. An empty train is being brought in to help with the investigation. Around 12:45 p.m., firefighters were told that the issue is believed to be a burning electrical insulator.

As of 2 p.m., service on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines had been restored, according to Metro.

BREAKING: Large Police Response on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
1/12

(Updated at 11:15 a.m.) Columbia Pike was blocked in both directions between S. Highland Street and Walter Reed Drive Tuesday evening due to a significant police incident.

A police spokeswoman tells ARLnow that three officers were attacked by a combative person inside a business. DCist identified that business as the Virginia ABC store, reporting that police were called after a drunk man stumbled in and started angrily yelling at employees and other customers.

“At approximately 6:25 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of a fight inside a business in the 2900 block of Columbia Pike,” said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Arriving officers made contact with the suspect, who was combative and assaulted three officers.”

The officers called for backup, leading to the large emergency response. Nearly a dozen police vehicles and two ambulances could be seen on traffic cameras.

“The officers are being transported to an area hospital with injuries that are considered non-life threatening,” Savage said. “The suspect was taken into custody and is being transported to an area hospital for evaluation.”

The closed portion of Columbia Pike reopened around 7:45 p.m.

On Wednesday morning, ACPD released more information about the incident in its daily crime report.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING ON LAW ENFORCEMENT, 2020-09080136, 2900 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 6:25 p.m. on September 8, police were dispatched to the report of an intoxicated male inside a business who was allegedly acting disorderly after being refused service. Shortly after the initial call, the reporting party updated that the suspect was now fighting with customers inside the business and was threatening employees. Arriving officers located the male suspect outside the business. When officers attempted to handcuff the suspect, he became combative, actively resisted and assaulted three officers. During the struggle, two officers suffered head injuries and one officer was kicked and struck by the suspect. Officers were able to gain control of the suspect and take him into custody. The suspect was not injured. The officers were transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. As a precaution, the suspect was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. Once medically cleared, Daniel Michael, 45, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Malicious Wounding on Law Enforcement (x2), Assault and Battery on Police, Assault & Battery (x2). He was held on no bond.

BREAKING: APS Experiencing Technical Issues on First Day of School

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) Arlington Public Schools reported technical difficulties with its remote learning platform this morning, on the first day of school.

“We are aware that students are having challenges logging into their classes,” APS said in a School Talk email to families around 9:45 a.m. “We are working to address the issues quickly and appreciate your patience. We apologize for the difficulty families have experienced this morning.”

An APS spokesman described the problems as a “firewall issue.”

“We are aware of a firewall issue that is preventing students from logging into Teams,” Frank Bellavia told ARLnow late Tuesday morning. “As soon as we have resolved the issue, we will provide update to families.”

Numerous parents contacted ARLnow with reports of the tech problems.

“APS first day is a disaster. iPad not connecting to Canvas App. No one is answering the technical assistance line,” said one. “What a way to start the year!”

“Almost everyone couldn’t get in on the school provided iPad,” said a Key Elementary parent. “The teachers had to send out a link to the Teams Meeting which eventually worked.”

As of early Tuesday afternoon, Bellavia said the issues have been resolved. Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán issued the following statement around 2:30 p.m.

We sincerely apologize for the system-wide technical challenges many families experienced today, especially with connecting APS devices to Canvas and Microsoft Teams. The Department of Information Services identified that the primary source of the issue was firewall-related, due to the large volume of traffic trying to access Microsoft Teams at one time. We are deploying a solution now.

We knew there would be a high volume of traffic on the first day of school. We believed we had taken all necessary steps to prepare for this in advance, and unfortunately this morning we discovered an additional adjustment was needed. We are refreshing the firewall servers now. Performance has already improved and should continue to improve through the afternoon. We will continue to monitor this tomorrow and throughout this first week to make adjustments when necessary.

There are no additional steps necessary for families. We encourage you to continue trying to log on and to try restarting your child’s device.

Additionally, the phone number we had set up for technology support was quickly overwhelmed due to the same issue, and we have resolved that issue. Families can continue to access our self-help guides on the website and dial 703-228-2570 for additional support. We are sorry for the issues and understand your frustration as we start the year.

I also want to clarify that we were aware of an issue with Global Protect, brought to our attention late last week, and that issue was resolved over the weekend. We will continue to monitor and support families throughout this week and on an ongoing basis.

APS is starting the school year fully remote, with the hopes of at least partially returning to classrooms later this fall.

Few if any major difficulties were reported in the spring as APS students stayed at home and used remote learning tools to reinforce existing lessons. That contrasted with Fairfax County Public Schools, which attempted to teach new material but experienced a technological meltdown that led to the district’s top technology official stepping down.

BREAKING: Worker Rescued from Rosslyn Construction Site

By ARLnow.com
1/10

An injured worker was rescued from the 27th floor of a high-rise construction project in Rosslyn this morning.

The fire department responded to The Highlands development site on Wilson Blvd, near N. Pierce Street, shortly after 11 a.m. for a report of a construction worker with a back injury.

Given that the worker was high above ground level, a technical rescue team worked to lower him via a Stokes basket attached to one of the construction project’s tower cranes. A crowd of workers watched from the street, some with phones in hand, as firefighters completed the delicate operation.

Wilson Blvd and N. Pierce Street were closed in the area during the rescue, but have since reopened.

The project, which is nearing completion, is building hundreds of condos and apartments, as well as retail space, in the northern part of the Rosslyn neighborhood, near the new H-B Woodlawn school building.

BREAKING: County to Sue Over Trump Census Order

By ARLnow.com

The Arlington County Board voted Thursday night to sue President Trump.

The Board directed the County Attorney to join other localities in legal action over the president’s order to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census tally that determines Congressional representation.

Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey called the action “clearly illegal and another effort to undermine the Census” prior to the unanimous vote.

More from an Arlington County press release:

Tonight, the Arlington County Board voted 5-0 to authorize the County Attorney to join the County as a party in legal actions filed against the United States President and others challenging the lawfulness of the President’s July 21, 2020 “Memorandum on Excluding Illegal Aliens from the Apportionment Base Following the 2020 Census.”

The President’s Proposal is Unconstitutional

In Section 2 of the Executive Memo, the President specifically calls ‘to exclude from the apportionment base aliens who are not in a lawful immigration status’. The United States Constitution says the census counts everyone living in the United States — every immigrant, every child, every neighbor, every student, everyone. This action by the President attempts to circumvent a recent decision of the United States Supreme Court and is unconstitutional.

“The Constitution requires an accurate count of our population every 10 years. The information from the Census is a crucial record that helps determine the Federal resources we receive over the next decade and is used for planning and research”, stated County Board Chair Libby Garvey. “We must have an accurate count of everyone living in Arlington and refuse to allow this unlawful effort to scare people and suppress the Census count of our immigrant community. Whether documented or undocumented,  our immigrant residents are valued members of our community.  We are determined that they will be accurately counted.”

Other Damaging Actions

The President is also trying to shorten the Census time frame and end the response collection period before Halloween – even when the U.S. Census Bureau has said it needs through December to ensure a complete and accurate count. In short – the administration is trying to undermine the accuracy and integrity of the 2020 Census and create fear of participation among undocumented immigrants.

Arlington County Residents Benefit from Taking the Census

Arlington receives approximately $50 million in funding based on census data to support transportation, housing, emergency services, free and reduced lunch programs, and more. To date, 71% of Arlington residents have responded to the 2020 Census, but we are still working to increase this number before enumerators start reaching out to households who haven’t been counted yet.

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