February 9, 2021 at 10:30am
A former Columbia Pike business has inspired a state bill that would allow localities greater say over liquor licenses.
HB 2131 was introduced in the Virginia House of Delegates last month by Del. Alfonso Lopez, who represents Arlington including portions of the Pike in the 49th District.
It has since passed the House unanimously and is now in the Virginia State Senate.
The bill is a response to a number of incidents, including multiple shootings, that took place in 2020 at the nightlife venue Purple Ethiopian Restaurant & Lounge at 3111 Columbia Pike.
Despite “a series of disturbing events” and much to the chagrin of the Arlington County Board, the venue was given its liquor license back by the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority in September.
Due to the wintry conditions, residential trash and recycling collection has been cancelled today. Collection will resume tomorrow and take place a day after one’s normal waste collection day.
CANCELED: Residential curbside trash and recycling collection is canceled today due to inclement weather. Collections have been pushed one day this week, to include metal, e-waste, and cart requests. Questions? Call 703-228-5000. #ArlWXpic.twitter.com/yUey8cecBn
Another cancellation today: vaccine appointments. While the county worked throughout the weekend to reschedule the appointments of those formerly set to receive vaccines from Virginia Hospital Center, another round of cancellations is taking place today due to the weather.
The good news is that coronavirus cases are on a downswing in Arlington.
On Sunday, the seven-day trailing average of new daily cases in the county hit 67.4, the lowest point since Dec. 5. It rose slightly today, as 120 new local cases were reported by the Virginia Dept. of Health.
One new COVID-related death and one new hospitalization were reported over the weekend. The seven-day total of new hospitalizations currently stands at eight.
The drop in cases is being matched by a drop in the county’s test positivity rate, which is now 8.2%, down from 11.9% earlier this month. That was echoed by Virginia Hospital Center ER chief Mike Silverman, in his weekly public Facebook post.
January 25, 2021 at 2:30pm
A number of major changes are coming to Boundary Channel Drive and the I-395 interchange near Crystal City.
The modifications include a shared-use walkway, pedestrian and bicycle access to the yet-to-open Long Bridge aquatics center, and reduction of four lanes to two.
On Saturday, the Arlington County Board voted to endorse the $20.4 million Virginia Department of Transportation project. It was part of the consent agenda, meaning they are non-controversial and can be acted upon by a single vote.
“We’ve long sought these improvements,” said County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti at the meeting. “They will reconfigure the interchange that you see to make it work a lot better and safer for everyone.”
Virginia Hospital Center Cancels 10,000 First-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments NBCWashington Staff
Virginia Hospital Center
One of the main COVID-19 vaccine providers in Arlington, Virginia had to cancel about 10,000 appointments for people scheduled to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine because there wasn’t enough supply.
Virginia Hospital Center was operating a vaccine clinic at the Walter Reed Community Center for residents 75 and older, but Friday the Virginia Department of Health announced that going forward, allotments of vaccine will only go to local health districts, meaning the hospital is no longer getting doses and is canceling future first-dose appointments. Download our NBC Washington app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.