Free Republic

Arlington County - In a surprise move, the Arlington County Board, whose five members are all Democrats, failed last week to reappoint Republicans Wayne Kubicki and Tim Wise — two vocal critics of county fiscal policy — to the county’s Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission. Kubicki had only served one term on the panel, which advises the board on economic matters. Panel appointments typically last two terms. The board also failed to reappoint Eric Dobson, who has also served only one term, as the chairman of the county’s planning commission. Dobson, a Democrat, was popular with Republicans. He was considered an...

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2006 – A full-scale bio-exercise in the Pentagon parking lot today tested how the Pentagon police, in partnership with local emergency services, would respond to a biological attack at the military headquarters. Red Cross volunteers, acting as potentially anthrax-exposed Pentagon employees, remove their "contaminated" clothing before being "decontaminated" during Gallant Fox 06 May 17 in a Pentagon parking lot. The exercise tested the response of Pentagon police and local and federal agencies to a biological attack at the Pentagon. Photo by Sgt. Sara Wood, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency,...

WANTED: CHRISTIAN BUSINESS OWNERS IN ARLINGTON COUNTY, VIRGINIA...  FPN is working to organize a lawsuit on behalf of business owners in Arlington County, Virginia who feel the situation described in this alert poses a threat to their own religious liberties. Participants will NOT be charged for legal representation. If you or someone you know owns a business in Arlington County, Virginia and would like to be an ANONYMOUS plaintiff in this religious liberties case, please click here to express interest in learning more. Your name and contact information will remain STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.    ------------------------------------------------------------   Virginia County 'Investigates' Christian Who Refused to Reproduce Homosexual Propaganda Family Policy Network Considers Legal Action...

The combination of higher starting salaries and longer-serving educators has kept Arlington’s average teacher salary above all other Northern Virginia jurisdictions this year, and more than 40 percent higher than the average salary for teachers statewide and nationwide. The Arlington school system has budgeted for an average teacher salary of $66,308 for the current fiscal year, according to figures released Nov. 30 by the Virginia Department of Education. That’s up from $61,407 actually spent per teacher in the past school year, and up from $60,014 two years ago. Teachers with the most seniority and advanced degrees can earn upwards of...

Two dozen Latino men immediately swarm to Joe Schilling's pickup truck the moment he pulls into the parking lot off Shirlington Road. Schilling is looking for landscaping help and he pays a good wage by day-laborer standards — $14 an hour. After a few minutes, Schilling has picked his men, eschewing an offer from a county worker who helps manage the site to pick the workers using a lottery system. The three men chosen by Schilling hop into his pickup, smiling broadly and waving as they pull away. The Arlington lot is one of several sites throughout northern Virginia where...

A “perfect storm” created by federal security guidelines and proposed military base closings could have a devastating effect on the office space the government rents in Northern Virginia and the region's economy, U.S. Rep. James Moran (D-8th) told defense contractors and commercial realtors Monday at a hastily convened meeting in Crystal City. Of 140 buildings in Northern Virginia that house federal defense employees, not one meets the new guidelines, he said. “We anticipate DOD [the Department of Defense] is going to urge a relocation of virtually all the office space in this immediate area,” Moran said. He called the meeting...

The Arlington County Police Department this week will inaugurate a Spanish-language version of its Citizens Police Academy program. The initiative is part of the police department’s emphasis on outreach to Arlington’s growing Latino community. The Citizens Police Academy was launched in 1999 in order to promote better understanding and cooperation between the police department and the community. It offers an in-depth look into police training and operations, including defensive tactics, accident investigation, gang interdiction and K-9 activities. Nearly 200 local residents have participated in the program. The new Spanish-language classes will be taught using state-of-the-art technology that enables a professional...

Property-tax evaders and parking-ticket scofflaws in Arlington County take notice: Officials are collecting outstanding taxes and fines at the rate of about $900 an hour with the help of an electronic roving eye.     County officials last month began using the BootFinder, a small, hand-held camera that scans license plates of parked cars to identify people with delinquent property-tax bills and unpaid parking tickets.    The county spent $27,000 to buy the camera, which was developed by Alexandria company G2 Tactics, and has recovered about $900 each hour of its use, said Arlington County Treasurer Frank O'Leary. (excerpted)

Beauty Spot Awaits Sewage Arlington to Transform Waste Treatment Plant By Annie Gowen Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, January 11, 2004; Page C05 The Arlington County Board approved plans yesterday for a $2 million to $3 million beautification effort for its sewage treatment plant that the board hopes will transform it into an urban oasis, complete with rain gardens, verdant trellises, an environmental education center and a picnic ground. The improvements are part of a $250 million upgrade to the facility on South Glebe Road that was built in 1933 and needs more capacity and environmental upgrades. The project will...