Washington-Liberty

President Obama to Visit Washington-Lee Students

By Katie Pyzyk

President Obama is going to visit with students at Washington-Lee High School on Friday.

The President will be focusing on the need to prevent interest rates on federally subsidized student loans from doubling. If Congress does not act, the loan rate will double on July 1, from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. Both he and Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney have said that action needs to be taken to prevent that from happening.

President Obama is scheduled to hold a roundtable discussion on the issue with graduating W-L seniors and their parents. He will then deliver prepared remarks to the junior and senior classes on “the importance of their having a fair shot at an affordable higher education and the skills they need to find a good job,” according to the White House.

The public will not be able to attend the lunchtime event. The Arlington County Police Department will be helping to direct traffic in the area during the presidential visit.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New School Budget Approved — The Arlington School Board approved a new $499.98 million budget last night. The budget includes a 2.84 percent cost of living increase for school employees, but no seniority-based “step” increases. The per-student cost at Arlington Public Schools will increase to $18,615, up from $18,400 in Superintendent Patrick Murphy’s FY 2013 proposed budget and $18,110 in this past year’s budget. [Sun Gazette]

Extra I-66 Lane Studied — Adding an extra lane in each direction on I-66 would improve travel times for drivers by only about 2 percent, while costing some $310 to $685 million, according to a preliminary study. [Greater Greater Washington]

Human Error in Rosslyn Derailment — Human error is suspected in Tuesday night’s derailment at the Rosslyn Metro station. Two Metro employees were placed on paid leave following the incident. [Washington Post]

Randy Johnson Visits W-L — Future Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson came to Arlington to watch a Washington-Lee High School baseball game last Friday. The Big Unit spent time in the dugout and posed for photos with players. [Patch]

Last 5K Friday Tonight — The last Crystal City 5K Friday of the season will take place starting at 6:30 tonight. Registration for the race is $20. [Pacers Events]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

President Obama Screens Film for W-L Students — President Obama hosted a screening of the film “To Kill a Mockingbird” at the White House last night. The guest list included one of the original actors from the film — which is celebrating its 50th anniversary — and a group of Washington-Lee High School students. [UPI]

Two Candidates Announce for Englin Seat — Two Democrats have announced their intention to run for the House of Delegates seat of Del. David Englin (D). Englin announced this week that he no longer intends to seek reelection in 2013. He also admitted to having an affair. So far Alexandria City Council member Rob Krupicka and Arlington County School Board member James Lander have thrown their hat into the ring to replace Englin. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Resident Indicted for CIA Leak — Former CIA officer and current Arlington resident John Kiriakou has been indicted for allegedly leaking classified information about the CIA’s waterboarding practices to journalists. Kiriakou faces one charge under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act and three charges under the Espionage Act. [WJLA]

Flickr pool photo by Mark C. White

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

TJ Theater to Reopen — The county parks department is hoping to reopen the Thomas Jefferson Community Theater next month. The theater closed for repairs late last summer after damage was found from the Aug. 23 earthquake that shook the region. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington to Host ‘Green Games’ Ceremony — Arlington County is hosting an awards ceremony for its Green Games business sustainability competition. The ceremony will honor achievement in a number of green categories, including energy efficiency, water use, waste diversion and recycling, and transportation choices. “During the year-long competition, more than 100 offices and buildings — representing about 15 million square feet of office space, or one-third of Arlington’s total office space — raced to reduce energy use, waste, and water and set other environmental goals,” the county said in a press release. The ceremony will be held tomorrow morning at Artisphere in Rosslyn. [Arlington County]

W-L Junior Wins National Writing Award — Washington-Lee High School junior Luisa Banchoff has been named a 2012 National Gold Medalist in the annual Scholastic Writing Awards. [Arlington Public Schools]

Man Dies During Flag Football Game at W-L High School

By ARLnow.com

A 22-year-old man died Saturday after collapsing while playing football at Washington-Lee High School.

The man collapsed around 5:40 p.m. during a flag football game. Police say witnesses immediately began treating the man, who briefly regained consciousness, but he was later pronounced dead in a local hospital.

“He was able to stand up and ask ‘what was happening’ before collapsing again,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “Witnesses on scene, including an ACPD officer and a nurse, were able to immediately begin CPR until medics arrived.”

So far, police have not confirmed the man’s identity, but friends of the victim have taken to Twitter to mourn his passing.

“A class act in life,” one friend said of the young man.

“You will forever be missed & loved,” Tweeted another. “Life isn’t fair, and the good really do die young.”

Metro Holding Public Hearings Regarding Budget, Fare Increase

By Katie Pyzyk

Metro has has drawn up a fiscal year 2013 budget and has plans for another fare hike this summer. But before pushing forward with these two measures, the agency wants to hear your input at a series of meetings.

Meetings start tonight and will be held throughout the region, with Arlington’s taking place next Monday, March 5. An open forum will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the cafeteria at Washington-Lee High School (1301 N. Stafford St), and the public hearing will begin at 7:00 p.m.

The open forum will have several stations to provide information to the public. Tables staffed by senior workers of Metrobus, Metrorail, MetroAccess, SmarTrip and police will be set up to give specific information and answer individual questions. In another area, a video presentation will be shown regarding Metro’s rebuilding program. There will also be a station with computers where participants can take an online survey and submit comments about Metro’s priorities.

Metro’s $1.6 billion FY2013 budget is an increase of $116 million over the last fiscal year. It shows a net decrease in revenue of $3 million over last fiscal year. The proposed fare increases are expected to generate $66 million. An additional $53 million increase in funding would come from jurisdictions.

In looking at the breakdown of the $116 million increase in the budget, Metro reports that $61 million is needed for higher expenses for existing operations. Half of that is due to the higher cost of fringe benefits, such as health care and pension benefits. The other half is due to an increase in contracted labor costs. The remaining $55 million is for improvements in safety, security and reliability.

The budget would cover projects designed to bring Metro in line with some NTSB recommendations, such as upgrading the signal system and replacing the oldest rail cars. Track rehabilitation and replacement of the system’s escalators and elevators is also planned.

Along with the fare increase, Metro plans to simplify the fare structure and do away with the current “peak of the peak” pricing, which was deemed too confusing. The Metro Board is expected to act on the budget in June, and fare changes are expected to go into effect on or around July 1.

Along with detailed information about the budget and fare increases, information about registering to speak at the public hearing or submitting written comments can be found online. There’s also an online survey regarding the budget and fare increases.

Video: Washington-Lee Basketball Buzzer Beater

By ARLnow.com

A YouTube video of an amazing half-court buzzer beater in a key game between Washington-Lee and Wakefield is making the rounds today among local hoops fans.

The video (above) was recorded by Arlington Independent Media during  last week’s National District semifinal game between two Arlington high schools: Washington-Lee and Wakefield.

According to the Sun Gazette, Wakefield had just tied the game at 60-60 with a last-second three pointer. Then, with 1.2 seconds to go, W-L inbounded the ball to junior Winston Duncan, who sunk the winning basket from half court.

Washington-Lee fans rushed the court in celebration, but that’s where the team’s jubilation ended. The team went on to lose by 9 points in the National District championship game and has since been eliminated from the Northern Region tournament.

Hat tip to @31nader

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Happy Valentine’s Day — Be sure to check out this article from last week for a list of last-minute Valentine’s Day date ideas.

Big Win for Washington-Lee Gymnastics — The Washington-Lee High School girls’ gymnastics team has captured the Northern Region gymnastics title for the first time in school history. The team is now a contender for the state title at a competition on Friday. [Sun Gazette]

Bicycle Ridership High for January — Thanks in part, perhaps, to the mild weather, Arlington County counted 140,252 bicycle trips along local trails during the month of January. The count is high by seasonal standards. [CommuterPage Blog]

Parking Spots in Shirlington — How many off-street parking spots are there around Shirlington Village? There are 2,446 such spots, according to a handy map of Shirlington garages. [Shirlington Village Blog Spot]

Flickr pool photo by Chris Rief

Volunteers Needed for Green Expo on St. Patrick’s Day

By Katie Pyzyk

The group Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment is asking for volunteers to help keep the green in St. Patrick’s Day. Well, not exactly the Irish green — but the environmental green.

On March 17, ACE is holding its third annual Green Living Expo from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Washington-Lee High School. The event focuses on helping residents find practical ways to “green up” their lifestyles. Visitors will find green living seminars, a variety of local and national exhibitors, children’s activities, a raffle, sustainable eating food sales and cooking demonstrations.

The expo is free and open to the pubic, but the event is still short on volunteers. Extra help is needed from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., organizers say. Anyone who wants to lend a hand can get more information by calling 703-228-6427.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Metro Apologizes for Thursday Night Delays — WMATA has apologized for leaving riders stranded for up to an hour on Thursday night. A power failure at Metro’s command center in Landover, Md. caused a communications breakdown that disrupted service between 11:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. late Thursday night/early Friday morning. [TBD]

Arlington Student Honored for Essay — An Arlington high school student has won an essay contest sponsored by Dominion. Sam Bosley, of the Langston High School Continuation Program, wrote an essay for Dominion’s Strong Men Strong Women program — which seeks “essays about African American leaders who make an impact on students today.” Bosley’s essay on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was named the winner for Northern Virginia. As a winner, Bosley will receive a laptop computer from Dominion and Langston will receive a grant for $1,000. [Dominion]

W-L Gymnastics Champs Chow Down on Donuts — After winning a third straight National District championship, the Washington-Lee High School girls gymnastics team indulged in a bit of a tradition for Arlington’s gymnastics squads: stopping for donuts at a Krispy Kreme store on Route 1 south of Alexandria. [Sun Gazette]

Northern Virginia Housing Fair Coming to Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Arlington will host the second annual Northern Virginia Housing Expo this year.

The event features dozens of exhibits “showcasing both homeownership and rental opportunities and resources throughout Northern Virginia.” There are also free workshops that will help prepare attendees for renting or buying a home.

The housing expo is produced by the Fairfax-based nonprofit AHOME, in cooperation with the Virginia Housing Development Authority and numerous Northern Virginia localities, including Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun and Falls Church.

The expo is being held at Washington-Lee High School (1301 N. Stafford Street) between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 24. The inaugural expo was held at Alexandria’s T.C. Williams High School last June.

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