Virginia County to Add 5,000 Households to Voucher Waitlist

Through a special application and lottery process in September, Arlington, Virginia, is opening up the waitlist for its Housing Choice Voucher Program for the first time in more than 10 years.

The process will add 5,000 people to the housing voucher waitlist, likely keeping the list full for years to come, according to the local agency that manages the Arlington Housing Choice Voucher Program.

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The Anti-Defamation League’s ‘No Place for Hate’ Program to Push Inclusion Popular Among Northern Virginia, Maryland Schools

Many schools in the Washington, D.C., region participate in a program called “No Place for Hate” designed to promote inclusion among students.

At least 143, and possibly closer to 200, are in Virginia and Maryland.

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Northern Virginia County Becomes Latest Jurisdiction to Limit Police Cooperation with ICE

Arlington County is the latest local jurisdiction to prohibit law enforcement from communicating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement about illegal immigrants residing in the county.

The Northern Virginia county’s adoption of its new “Trust Policy” comes after the recent arrest of an illegal immigrant charged with raping and impregnating a 10-year-old girl in Ohio.

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Virginia Governor Youngkin Aims His First Veto at Arlington County Civilian Review Board

Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill for the first time, he announced Tuesday. Delegate Patrick Hope’s (D-Arlington) HB 670 would have authorized counties operating under a county manager plan to hire an independent policing auditor to oversee its civilian review board; the bill passed out of the Senate along party lines, and out of the House of Delegates with some bipartisan support. Arlington County is the only Virginia county operating under the county manager plan.

“The best way to ensure that any bad actors within law enforcement are held accountable is to stand up for law enforcement, not tear them down or subject them to politically motivated inquiries,” Youngkin said in the press release.

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Arlington County Prepares to Rename Lee Highway After Virginia’s First Black Congressman John Langston

Lee Highway

The Arlington County Board is expected to vote in July on a motion to rename U.S. Route 29 from Lee Highway to Langston Boulevard. On Saturday, the Board voted to defer the vote to allow more time for community comment and to refine cost estimates, according to a county press release. The release said the supervisors expressed “broad support for the motion.”

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Virginia Directs Nearly $136 Million for State and Local Criminal Justice Programs

Arlington Police motorcycles

Virginia awarded $135.8 million worth of grants to support state and local criminal justice programs, primarily to support those who have been the victims of a crime, Gov. Ralph Northam announced late Thursday afternoon.

Nearly 63% of the funding, $85.5 million, will be used to provide services for victims. Many organizations receiving money provide direct services for traditionally underserved populations and for victims of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault.

“Each of these grant recipients play an important role in keeping our communities safe and supporting victims and survivors of crime,” Northam said in a statement. “This funding will sustain the operations of a variety of critical programs and help expand the reach of services to underserved areas of the Commonwealth.”

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Facing Defiance and Hostility, Arlington County Cancels Social Distancing Ordinance

Facing enforcement problems, Arlington County’s Board of Supervisors voted four-to-one to cancel an emergency ordinance outlawing grouping on sidewalks in specific areas of Arlington. The cancellation is effective at the end of September, ending a $100 fine for people failing to socially distance in specific Arlington restaurant districts.

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Arlington County Bans Guns as Mobs Mobilize

The Arlington County Board of Supervisors (BOS) voted unanimously to approve an ordinance banning firearms in county government buildings, parks, and at events requiring a county permit. The ordinance only applies in clearly marked areas, and the BOS also voted to provide $110,000 for signs.

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Arlington County Enforcing Social Distancing on Crowded Sidewalks

Arlington County is beginning enforcement of a new ordinance mandating social distancing in some of its busiest areas. For now, the law is focused on three sections in the Clarendon neighborhood, a zone with several restaurants and bars. The ordinance requires pedestrians to stay six feet away from each other and to be in groups of three or less.

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