<sh>Man Found Shot to Death
<bt>An unidentified man was found shot to death Monday night and detectives are now searching for his killer.
Reports of gunfire brought police to a parking lot on the 2900 block of Columbia Pike around 7:25 p.m. The man had bullet wounds to his head and upper body. As of Tuesday morning, police had yet to determine who he is.
Detectives spent the night, according to police spokesman Matt Martin, interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence. Police have yet to comment on whether the shooting is related to gang activity.
There is no indication of the motive," said Martin.
The case marks the second homicide in Arlington during 2005. The first, a Woodbridge man killed in the Nauck neighborhood, was later discovered to be gang related.
Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call Crime Solvers at 866-411-8477 (TIPS). Callers can remain anonymous, are not required to testify in court and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
<sh>Bridge Improvements Planned
<bt>The Arlington delegation to the Virginia General Assembly has achieved a safety improvement to the Washington Boulevard/Columbia Pike Bridge. The improvement is a new acceleration lane, which the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) plans to create in order to grant easier access to Washington Boulevard.
Currently, eastbound motorists entering Washington Boulevard encounter a stop sign and sight problems and have difficulty merging. Also, the distance between the crown of the bridge and the stop sign leaves little time or space to merge. The situation is particularly hazardous in the evening rush hour and in the rain.
VDOT officials have stated that they have determined that a portion of the acceleration lane of Ramp A onto Washington Boulevard could be constructed as an interim project. The proposal is to widen the existing shoulder and provide a 300-foot acceleration lane with a 300-foot taper back to the existing roadway.
VDOT has further stated that they plan to complete this work as a 'No-Plan' project using either State Forces, if available, or completing by contract. They hope to have work underway in approximately one year. The work itself is not expected to take more than a matter of months.
<sh>Residents Urged to Complete Census
<bt>Arlington residents are being asked to complete the 2005 School Census. All residents have received a copy of the census at their home address. To date, only about one-third have been completed and returned.
Residents may respond in one of two ways. They may complete the census form and return it in the prepaid envelope enclosed with the census, or they may log on to the APS Web site at www.arlington.k12.va.us/census and use the passcode printed on their census form to complete the survey. Responding via the Internet saves APS about 45 cents per response.
The Arlington schools receive millions of dollars of revenue through the census process. This revenue helps all Arlington taxpayers, whether they have children in school or not, as it helps to decrease local taxes needed for education.
It is crucial for school officials to know the number of children under age 19 living in the county, whether they attend the Arlington Public Schools, a private school, or are in college, to ensure that the school system receives its fair share of state tax dollars. Children in the military, in a hospital or reformatory, schooled at home or not in school must also be counted in the census.
A second census form will be mailed to residences that have not yet responded during the week of June 13. The form is printed in English and Spanish, and phone numbers are printed on the form directing people toward information in Arabic, Mongolian, Amharic, and Bengali.
Responses are confidential. Personal information will not be used for anything else. For more information call 703-228-8640 or e-mail census@arlington.k12.va.
<sh>Artisans, Apply
<bt>Crafters and artisans can apply now for this year’s McLean Holiday Crafts Show. Any crafters and artisans who make original works are invited to apply. This year’s show will be held Friday through Sunday, December 2-4, at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Ave. Applications are available online at www.mcleancenter.org, under "Community Events." Call 703-790-0123, tty:703-827-8255 or write sam.roberts@fairfaxcounty.gov.
<sh>Call for Art
<bt>Artists living within a 75-mile radius of Leesburg are invited to submit work to the fourth annual "Something Hot" juried exhibition hosted by Gallery 222, 222 S. King St., Leesburg. Artists may submit two pieces of original artwork for a $25 fee. Artwork will be accepted at the Gallery on Saturday, July 30, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The exhibit will be juried that afternoon by Lisa Semerad, a member of the Art League. Semerad will provide a critique in the evening, beginning at 7 p.m. Work that is selected will be displayed in Gallery 222 between August 3 and 27, and an opening reception will be held on Friday, August 5 during Leesburg's First Friday event in the downtown historic district. For more information, contact Gallery 222 at 703-777-5498 or gallery222.com.
<sh>Portrait Competition
<bt>The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery announces the first-ever Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2006. Named for Virginia Outwin Boochever, a former Portrait Gallery volunteer whose gift has endowed this program, this competition aims to launch a new direction for the Gallery as it welcomes figurative art into the 21st century.
The inaugural competition will run from June 1 through Sept. 6. Entries will be accepted online at the gallery’s Web site and will be initially judged using an online jury system. Jurors include the artist Sidney Goodman; Thelma Golden of The Studio Museum in Harlem, N.Y.; independent scholar and curator Trevor Fairbrother; and art critic and scholar Katy Siegel.
Painted and sculpted portraits are being accepted. All finalist portraits will comprise the lead exhibition for the Gallery’s July 2006 reopening. The grand prize of $25,000 will include a commission to create a portrait of a remarkable living American for the Gallery’s permanent collection. Other cash prizes will be awarded for selected works. Additionally, entrants may be featured on “Portrait of an Artist,” an online diary which will allow millions of Americans to come face-to-face with the artists’ work, or even win a People’s Choice Award.
For more information, visit www.npg.si.edu.
<sh>Host an East European or Middle Eastern Exchange Student
<bt>Local families can take in high school-age foreign exchange students next year through two grants from the U.S. Department of State. Aspect, one of the largest and most respected high school exchange student programs in the United States, has been awarded grants for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program and the Partnership for Learning Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program.
The goal of FLEX and YES is to provide an opportunity for international high school students from Eurasia, the Middle East and Asia to experience life in a democratic society and learn about volunteerism and free enterprise. Foreign exchange students who participate in the two programs come to Northern Virginia to live with host families, attend school and engage in activities to learn about American society and values. They, in turn, educate Americans about their own countries and cultures.
The FLEX program is funded by Congress under the Freedom Support Act and administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. FLEX participants are high school students, ages 15-18 who come from the countries of the former Soviet Union — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
The Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs also funds the YES program, which provides full scholarships for a year or semester of living and studying in the U.S. to a select group of young people, ages 15-18 from Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia, Syria, and Yemen.
The Aspect Foundation is also looking for families to host regular exchange students for the upcoming school year in the United States. These students come from Western Europe, South and Central America and Asia.
To learn more or to host a student, contact Robert Rawls at 703-409-9776, 703-433-0362 or coyote1437@yahoo.com.
<sh>Silk Flower Exhibition
<bt>The Korean United Methodist Church of Greater Washington will stage an exhibition of silk flower arrangements to support the Mission trip to Bangladesh. The exhibition will be from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 18 and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 19. The church is located at 1219 Swinks Mill Road, McLean.