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Morning Notes

Published January 26, 2016 at 11:00AM

Snowy Scenes in Arlington Make National TV — A number of national television outlets have used video of snowy streets and outdoor activities in Arlington during their coverage of the East Coast blizzard. [ABC News, Weather Channel]

Local TV Stations Cover Resident Complaints — Some Arlington residents have taken their complaints about the pace of snow removal on residential streets to the local TV stations. [Fox 5 DC, WUSA 9]

Groundhog Day at Aurora Hills Library — The 1993 Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day will be played “over and over again” at the Aurora Hills library branch on Tuesday, Feb. 2, starting at 1 p.m. [Arlington Public Library]

APS: Please Clear Your Sidewalks — In a letter to parents, Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy urges Arlingtonians to clear sidewalks and bus stops in their neighborhood so that students can go back to school safely. APS is closed through at least Wednesday. Students have Monday off due to a regularly-scheduled grade preparation day. [Arlington Public Schools]

Photo courtesy Bryanna Lansing

Library and Emergency Management Team Up for Pet Preparedness Event

By Jennifer Currier

Published January 14, 2016 at 3:00PM

The Arlington Public Library and Arlington Office of Emergency Management are combing their resources and missions for a book talk and information session on pet preparedness next month.

The session will be held at the Central Library at 1015 N. Quincy Street on Wednesday, Feb. 24 from 7-8:30 p.m.

It will involve both a book discussion focusing on the need for pet emergency preparedness across the country, as well as a talk about ways residents can train their pets in case of an emergency, such as unusual or extreme weather events.

The discussion will focus on Cathy Scott’s book “Pawprints of Katrina: Pets Saved and Lessons Learned.” It’s a journalistic account of the aftermath of the hurricane that hit Louisiana more than a decade ago, telling the stories of pets who were separated from their owners because of the storm. The book recounts the rescues of these pets as well as the reunions with their families.

After discussing the book and the issue, participants will receive safety advice and a free pet preparedness starter kit. The kit will include a collar strobe light, a collapsible food/water bowl and a waste bag dispenser.

Copies of the book will be available to borrow from the Central Library reference desk starting on Jan. 25.

Photo via Turner Publishing

Man Exposes Himself to Teen Girl at Arlington Central Library

By ARLnow.com

Published December 15, 2015 at 12:30PM

A man allegedly exposed himself to a teen girl at Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street) last night.

The incident happened just before 7 p.m. The man was standing in one of the library’s aisles when he “took his pants off in front of” the girl, according Arlington County Police.

The teen immediately ran to an employee and reported the incident, said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Police were called but by then the man had fled.

“The suspect is described as a black male in his forties, approximately 5’10” with a thin build,” said a crime report. “He was wearing a blue collared shirt and black sweatpants.”

Immigration Book Talk Planned for Central Library Next Week

By Jennifer Currier

Published December 4, 2015 at 12:45PM

An NPR correspondent will host conversation on the history of immigration in America at Arlington Central Library next week.

Tom Gjelten’s latest book A Nation of Nations: A Great American Immigration Story considers the impact of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act.

Gjelten will be at the Arlington Central Library auditorium at 1015 N. Quincy Street from 7-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10. for a conversation on immigration and book signing.

The book uses demographic and political issues in addition to personal stories to analyze this topic. The stories used are those of families in Fairfax County, including the family of Delegate Mark Keam. He will also be at the event as a special guest and contributor to the conversation.

Copies of the book will also be on sale from One More Page Books, and 10 percent of all sales will benefit the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia.

The book talk is free and open to the public. Interested guests do not have to register in advance.

Photo via Literacy Council of Northern Virginia

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 22, 2015 at 9:30AM

Sun Gazette Endorses McMenamin — The Arlington Sun Gazette has endorsed independent County Board candidate Mike McMenamin. The newspaper says McMenamin is “by far the most seasoned and well-rounded candidate in the race.” [InsideNova]

Airport Workers Protest for Living Wage — Airport workers who make as little as $6.75 per hour held a protest at Reagan National Airport with the local 32BJ SEIU union on Wednesday. Among those attending the rally were wheelchair attendants, janitors, cabin cleaners and baggage handlers. The protest was part of a nationwide campaign for a $15 per hour minimum wage for airport workers. [Washington Post]

Candidate Night at Aurora Hills — The Aurora Highlands, Arlington Ridge and Crystal City civic associations are jointly sponsoring a candidates night for Arlington County Board hopefuls tonight. The forum will start at 7 p.m. at the Aurora Hills Community Center. Development, including the proposed redevelopment of the RiverHouse property in Pentagon City, is expected to be a hot topic. [ARCA]

Judy Blume Speaking in Arlington Tonight –Best-selling children’s and young adult novel author Judy Blume is speaking about her latest book at a free library-sponsored event in Arlington tonight. [ARLnow]

A Quick Note on Pageview Counts — As you might have noticed, we have eliminated pageview counts on most ARLnow articles. While this has been a feature for few years, recently it’s been buggy, slow to update and has frequently severely under-counted the actual number of views on an article. We’ll continue to show pageview counts to denote articles that are particularly “hot,” but take the numbers with a grain of salt.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 8, 2015 at 9:20AM

Sandra Bullock Remembers W-L Cheerleader Days — Oscar-winning actress and Arlington native Sandra Bullock says her Washington-Lee High School cheerleading uniform still fits like a glove. “That might come in handy some sexy night. I don’t know who I’m saving it for,” she told Glamour magazine. [Daily Mail]

ICE Detainer for Sexual Assault Suspect — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on Melvin Bonilla, the suspect in a string of sexual assaults in Arlington. Bonilla was arrested by Arlington County Police yesterday morning. [Fox 5]

Opposition to Homeless Shelter Winds Down — With Arlington’s new Homeless Services Center now open across from police headquarters in Courthouse, nearby residents are apparently starting to acquiesce to their new neighbor. Reports “Our Man in Arlington” columnist Charlie Clark: “Many neighbors in condos alongside the Courthouse building at 2020 N. 14th St. have rethought their opposition.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Lockdown Drills for Pre-K Students — An Arlington Pre-K teacher reflects on having her students participate in lockdown drills, which would be used in the event of an active shooting situation. The drills are now routine in Arlington elementary schools, the teacher says. [Washington Post]

Library Launches Sci-Fi Book Club — Arlington Public Library has launched “Strange Lands,” a science fiction book club that will meet monthly at Java Shack in Courthouse, starting Oct. 21. [Arlington Public Library]

VOICE Launches Voter Outreach Effort — The pro-affordable housing group Virginians Organized for Interfaith Community Engagement, or VOICE, is launching a voter outreach effort this fall. VOICE plans to concentrate turnout efforts on two low-turnout precincts: Arlington Mill and Glebe. [InsideNova]

Author Judy Blume to Speak at October Library Event

By Heather Mongilio

Published September 8, 2015 at 1:45PM | Updated September 8, 2015 at 2:25PM

Best-selling children’s and young adult novel author Judy Blume is coming to Arlington next month to talk about her latest book.

Blume will speak in the Washington-Lee High School auditorium (1301 N. Stratford Street) on Oct. 22 from 7-9 p.m. The event is free; copies of Blume’s latest book, “In the Unlikely Event” will be available for purchase.

Blume is the author of books like “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” and “Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret,” which have sold millions of copies and tell life lessons for young readers.

While Blume is noted for her children and young adult novels, she also has written books for adults, like “Summer Sisters.”

“She’s one of those few people who have several different audiences,” said Peter Golkin, spokesman for Arlington Public Library, which is organizing the event.

Library Director Diane Kresh will lead a question-and-answer conversation with Blume about writing, having an effect of her many readers at “pivotal moments in their lives” and the challenges that come from writing for multiple audiences, according to the library website.

Fans can submit questions through the comments section on the event page, and some of them may make it on to Kresh’s list. Kresh will ultimately decide what she will ask the author, Golkin said.

The library is also planning to have audience questions at the end, he said.

Blume will sign copies of her new book, “In the Unlikely Event,” which tells the story of a series of plane crashes in a small New Jersey town. The library does not know if she will sign other books at this time, according to its website.

Photo courtesy of Arlington Public Library

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 3, 2015 at 9:45AM | Updated September 3, 2015 at 10:16AM

Investigation into Marine’s Death at Base — The military is investigating the death of a 22-year-old Marine at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. Cpl. Jon Gee was reportedly found unresponsive in his room on the base Saturday afternoon, after a night out at “a rave in the District.” [Washington Post]

Rousselot Blasts Lack of Pike Transit Plan — The fact that Arlington County has no transit plan yet for Columbia Pike, after the cancellation of the streetcar last year, is frustrating to Peter Rousselot, who helped to lead the charge against the streetcar. “I think it is a failure of management,” he told WAMU. “The answer on the Pike that our group presented all along… was a regional Bus Rapid Transit system, or BRT, involving Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax County.” [WAMU]

Tour of New Elementary School — Arlington Public Schools led members of the media on a tour of the new Discovery Elementary School on Thursday. Located next to Williamsburg Middle School, it’s the county’s first new primary school in over a decade. Discovery is designed to be a “net zero” consumer of energy thanks to renewable energy features. [WTOP, Katch]

GMU ‘Welcome Fair’ Today — George Mason University’s Arlington campus is holding a “Welcome Fair” for students between 5:30 and 8 p.m. today. [Twitter]

Library Helps With Business Plans — Arlington Public Library helped the owners of Clarendon Animal Care, an ARLnow.com advertiser, create a business plan and launch their business. The library has a business services librarian and number of resources for entrepreneurs, including access to a premium database that compiles demographic data by ZIP code. [Twitter]

More on Arlington Radio Station — WERA, Arlington’s new community radio station, hopes to launch by December. The station will cost Arlington Independent Media, best known as the nonprofit behind Arlington’s local cable access channel, about $400,000. [Arlington Connection]

Flickr pool photo by Arlington VA

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 2, 2015 at 9:45AM

Library Book Returned 34 Years Later — A teen novel has been returned to the Wakefield High School library 34 years overdue. The book, “The Underside of the Leaf,” was last checked out in 1981. [Washington Post]

Man Charged With Bringing Loaded Gun to DCA — A Woodbridge man was stopped by Transportation Security Administration officers at Reagan National Airport Saturday, after they discovered a loaded gun in his carry-on luggage. [WUSA 9]

Beyer Seeks to Hike Entire Appalachian Trail — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) has so far hiked 1,253 miles of the Appalachian Trail, in 46 different hikes, after vowing to complete the entire trail in 2002. [Rep. Don Beyer]

Arlington Central Library to Hold Outdoor Movie Screenings

By Heather Mongilio

Published July 30, 2015 at 11:45AM

At Arlington Public Library the library isn’t just for reading and summer reading events are not just for kids.

The library is holding two outdoor movie screenings (Aug. 6 and Aug. 13) as part of its Summer Reading 2015 for Adults event. Movies start roughly at 8:45 p.m. on the field next to Arlington Central Library (1515 N. Quincy Street).

Attendees are encourage to “bring a picnic and blanket and watch a movie under the stars.” Both movie showings are free. In the case of bad weather, the event will be canceled.

The first screening is “Empire Records” on Aug. 6. The movie, rated PG-13, is about a group of record store employees attempting to save the store from selling out, which just like the movie is a very Gen X concern.

“A flashback to a time when there were record stores and people paid to work in them,” the library notes on its event page. “It’s a day in the life of a staff of hip, quirky youngsters who are fighting a store buyout from a big greedy record store chain. Those once existed too.”

The second screening is “The Great Gatsby” on Aug. 13. The 2013 movie version of the classic book by F. Scott Fitzgerald stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, a mysterious rich man pining after an old love. The movie is also rated PG-13.

Arlington Library to Host Breastfeeding Event

By Heather Mongilio

Published July 27, 2015 at 1:45PM | Updated July 27, 2015 at 4:09PM

A synchronized breastfeeding event will be held at the Arlington Central Library auditorium this week.

The Big Latch On is an international event where women across the country and world breastfeed their children at the same time. Women will join together in the Arlington County Central Library’s auditorium (1015 N. Quincy Street) to breastfeed from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Friday.

“The Big Latch On involves groups of breastfeeding women coming together at registered locations around the world to all ‘latch on’ (breastfeed) their child or children at a set time,” according to the event’s website.

The Big Latch On was started to promote the benefits of breastfeeding and to encourage more women to breastfeed. It also aims to make breastfeeding in public part of daily life, according to the website. Last year, 14,173 women in 31 countries participated.

The World Health Organization encourages mothers to breastfeed their child for at least six months. Breastfeeding helps protect babies from infectious diseases and can promote cognitive development, according to WHO.

This year, the Big Latch On is hoping to beat its record of 14,356 children breastfeeding at one time. The women start breastfeeding at the same time for one minute while the children are counted, according to the Big Latch On’s website.

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