<sh>Community Bike Day
<bt>The 2006 Community Bike Ride will be held on Saturday, May 27, providing residents with the opportunity to cycle through both the county’s network of trails and on its streets.
This year’s event offers two routes: a 17-mile county tour and a 9-mile family-ride.
The cost of the ride is $15 per person for those who register before May 24 and $20 for registration on the day of the event. Children 13 and under are free. For more information, visit www.bikearlington.com.
The ride starts and finishes on S. 28th Street in Shirlington, with the county tour beginning at 8 a.m. and the family tour at 8:30 a.m.
Awards will be presented for best decorated bike and bike helmet, and the day will also feature live bluegrass music.
<sh>Board Bolsters Gang Task Force
<bt>The Arlington County Board approved a $98,864 grant from the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force to help support regional efforts in gang prevention and intervention.
The grant, funded by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, will enable an Arlington detective to be assigned to the task force full-time.
"This grant will help us further expand our cooperation with our local, state and federal partners to fight gangs," Police Chief Doug Scott said in a statement. "Because this problem crosses jurisdictional lines, regional efforts like the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force are essential to both investigating gang crime and preventing kids from joining gangs in the first place."
The Northern Virginia Gang Task Force brings together law enforcement officers from every level of government to address gang violence and crime. The Task Force enables participating agencies to more easily share information and resources to investigate and prosecute gang activity. The Task Force recently expanded its mission from solely enforcement activities to include both prevention and intervention.
The Task Force includes the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William; the cities of Alexandria, Manassas and Manassas Park; and the towns of Herndon and Leesburg. The Virginia State Police, FBI, ATF, DEA and U.S. Marshals Service also participate in the task force.
<sh>Moran Secures Funding for Arlington
<bt>Congressman Jim Moran (D-8) included several projects benefiting Arlington in the fiscal year 2007 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill that passed the House last week.
“I was pleased to be able to secure funding for a variety of programs and local efforts working to make the Washington Metropolitan region a cleaner, more livable and historically vibrant community,” Moran said in a statement.
Moran secured $500,000 for Arlington and the Alexandria’s joint effort to restore Four Mile Run. The two localities are collaborating to restore the stream’s natural beauty and waterfront recreational opportunities.
The Congressman also included $75,000 in the bill for Arlington to preserve the Lustron house, one of the best remaining examples of a pre-fabricated porcelain steel dwelling in the country. The Arlington-based NatureServe program, which maintains a database of wildlife, will receive $1 million.
<sh> Police to Crack Down on Seat Belt Violators
<bt>The Arlington County Police Department is joining other Virginia jurisdictions in the "Click It or Ticket" campaign to safety belt and child seat laws. Police officers will participate in high visibility patrols from now through the Memorial Day.
According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, 421 people killed in traffic accidents in 2004 were unrestrained. The "Click It
or Ticket" program has compiled statistics that indicate wearing a
safety belt triples a person's chances of surviving an accident.
"We believe that nothing is more important than keeping the children in our community safe", said Arlington Police Chief M. Douglas Scott.
"Convincing every parent to place their child in a properly installed
age-appropriate safety device is an important first step in that
direction."
"Click It or Ticket" is one of several programs under the Smart, Safe
and Sober partnership. It is a joint partnership of local police departments, the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, the Virginia Department of State Police, the Virginia Sheriffs' Association, DRIVE SMART Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles.
<sh>Latino Roundtable on Immigration
<bt>County Board member Walter Tejada will host a Latino Roundtable on Immigration on Wednesday, May 24. Nationally renowned immigration attorney Jose Pertierra will participate in the panel, which starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Arlington Career Center Atrium, 816 South Walter Reed Drive.
Topics of interest to the Latino community will be discussed, including voter registration, Virginia Housing Development Authority housing options, Arlington initiatives, community announcements, civic engagement and networking opportunities will be discussed after the Immigration forum.
<sh>Superintendent Honored
<bt>Arlington Schools Superintendent Dr. Robert G. Smith received the 2006 Distinguished Service to Education Service Award from George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development on May 20.
The award is presented annually to educational leaders who have had a significant impact on Northern Virginia’s public education. Smith will also serve as the keynote speaker at the College of Education and Human Development’s convocation exercises.