Portions of the six lanes were closed and shifted during construction to keep at least one lane open in both directions. The orange cones were lifted one last time before an opening ceremony took place on Friday, Dec. 4. All lanes were open on Monday for the first time during the morning, noon and evening weekday traffic patterns.

, the contractor responsible for completing the project, estimates over 68,000 vehicles as well as thousands of cyclists and pedestrians travel over the bridge each day.

In order for the bridge to support that level of traffic, Kiewit performed a complete rehabilitation, first by making immediate repairs to the bridge then by replacing the bridge span superstructure, bridge deck, sidewalks and travel lane surfaces. The work completed will allow 90 more years of use of the bridge.

The Arlington Memorial Bridge was not the only bridge in Arlington with structural issues. Data created and compiled by the Federal Highway Administration in 2020 show that 2.4% of all bridges in Arlington have and are in need of repair.

Commuters did not experience the typical noon time bottleneck of traffic on the bridge. Suzanne Fitzgerald, a George Washington University student from Arlington, observed the change during her walk over the bridge Monday.

鈥滻 was very excited to walk over the bridge and see the wider, more safe new sidewalks,鈥� said Fitzgerald, who also commutes over the bridge by car. 鈥淚 drove more and walked less during the construction because I thought I was going to get hit by a car walking on the narrow, sometimes blocked, sidewalks.鈥�

The Arlington Memorial Bridge was built in not only to accommodate foot and vehicle traffic between Virginia and Washington, but also to memorialize the unity of a country that was divided during the Civil War, according to the National Park Service.

The idea of a bridge spanning over the Potomac River to symbolize the reunification of the North and the South following the Civil War was first pitched by nearly 150 years ago in 1833.

Later in 1921, moved the project along after getting stuck in a traffic jam on his way to the dedication ceremony for the new Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Luis Beruff, an architect who has lived in Arlington for 10 years, came out to see the bridge without the construction equipment and orange road barriers for the first time. An avid jogger who routinely crosses the bridge during his runs, Beruff admires the bridge as a neoclassical style monument.

鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to see the grand marblest design of the bridge and it reminds me of ,鈥� Beruff said.

Beruff said he personally sees the bridge 鈥渁s a kind of a spiritual landmark in the sense that people use it for getting to work, working out, and for its aesthetic beauty.鈥� He also said the bridge has a lot of symbolism, connecting the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery.

Lee Harris, another long-time Arlington resident, was walking her dogs over the bridge Monday. 鈥淚 was pleasantly surprised to see much more pedestrian space to walk my dog or ride my bike,鈥� Harris said.

She also came to the bridge because of the stories her mom told about witnessing the John F. Kennedy funeral procession over the bridge.

鈥淲hen I come to the bridge I can visually see the Kennedy funeral movement to Arlington Cemetery,鈥� Harris said.

鈥淚 can feel goose bumps all over.鈥�

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Arlington鈥檚 COVID-19 cases reached its highest on Nov. 23 when the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) confirmed 98 additional cases in the county. As of Friday, the total number of cases reached 6535. Despite the nationwide surge in coronavirus cases, some people in Arlington have some concerns about what the vaccine contains, its side effects and when they鈥檒l be able to get it.

Tim Steenster, a 52-year-old longtime Arlington resident, brought his son over to the Arlington Free Clinic to receive a COVID-19 test. Steenster wants to take the vaccine as soon as it is available. He and his brother have taken vaccines in the past including the flu vaccine.

鈥淚鈥檓 comfortable taking it, there is no reason not to,鈥� Steenster said.

Pfizer and Biontech submitted a request for emergency use authorization for their vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration on Nov. 20. On Nov. 30, Moderna announced a 94.1% efficacy for its vaccine and made the same request to the FDA. AstraZeneca considers their vaccine cheaper than the other two and easy to transport. AstraZeneca had reported a 90% efficacy rate, though officials acknowledge a manufacturing error regarding the amounts of vaccine given during the trials inadvertently contributed to that rate.

The FDA is currently reviewing the Pfizer, Biontech and Moderna vaccines and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). will vote to approve an emergency use authorization. ACIP is a federal advisory committee made up of medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines for the U.S. public. Following FDA approval, the CDC will make COVID-19 vaccination priority recommendations on who should take it based on input from the ACIP.

Because of the rapid development coupled with the Trump鈥檚 administration鈥檚 political influence in the FDA’s approval process, there is a sense of mistrust, especially among Black people in the community in taking the vaccine.

This lack of trust among the Black community taking vaccinations began years ago when the United States Public Health Service conducted the Tuskegee experiment, a 40-year study on 600 Black men who were given syphilis and left untreated.

Morgan Taylor, a 28-year-old Black female, visited the Arlington Free Clinic on Tuesday to receive the COVID-19 test but was turned away due to a lack of testing capacity. Taylor is willing to be tested but is hesitant about taking the coronavirus vaccine.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be a guinea pig by taking the vaccine when it first comes out,” Taylor said. She wants to wait for a year to pass before she takes it. 鈥淚 was raised by parents to always be suspicious of vaccines given by the government.鈥�

Although the vaccine approval process has been accelerated under Operation Warp Speed, VDH officials expect to receive an initial limited supply and plan to prioritize who will receive it first.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam stated in a press conference on Dec. 2, that the initial shipment of 70,000 of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine will go to healthcare workers, followed by residents at long-term care facilities and others with high-risk health conditions.

There have been 254 reported coronavirus cases in Arlington involving health care workers.

Ryan Hudson, a health official at the Virginia Health Department in Arlington, said he is 鈥渧ery confident whoever wants a vaccine will get one.鈥� He said the VDH plan adequately addresses the storage and redistribution requirements state-wide.

The Arlington County Public Health Department last week reported 6,831 negative COVID-19 tests, 375 positive tests and a 5.6% positivity rate.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Arlington currently stands at 6,334, with 157 deaths and a total of 569 people who have been hospitalized in Arlington due to the virus.

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This past winter, Black residents accounted for 10% of Arlington County鈥檚 population but 38% of its homeless population. The percentage of homeless Black people was also higher in Arlington than the 25% of homeless people in the Washington metropolitan area who are Black, according to the .

In January, the awarded two homeless shelter contracts totaling $2.3 million as part of a plan to combat the disproportional rate of homeless Black people in the county. Arlington Street People鈥檚 Assistance Network (A-SPAN) is one of the two nonprofits awarded the performance-based contract.

David Simon, the director of grants at , foresees his organization providing some form of medical and mental health services for more than 1,000 homeless clients within the next 12 months. He expects that approximately 50% of their clients will be people of color.

鈥淭he majority of minorities who come to our shelter are Black,鈥� Simon said. 鈥淚f somebody comes into our shelter, we are going to help them.鈥澨�

A-SPAN plans to help reduce the disproportionate number of homeless Black people by staffing additional medical and mental health personnel and by offering free mental and medical services 鈥� all changes and additions funded by the contract.

A-SPAN also recently hired three shelter monitors who are professionally trained to care for people with mental health issues. The monitors will locate homeless Black people living on the streets, assess their health and encourage them to access A-SPAN services.听

Perhaps one of A-SPAN鈥檚 most notable changes for this winter season is its incorporation of diversity initiatives.

A-SPAN has hired a more diverse staff and has trained them to better communicate with the diverse homeless population, a move attributable in part to the Arlington County Board鈥檚 race equality initiatives.听听

In September 2019, the County Board offered on how to have a conversation about race. A-SPAN leaders participated in three hours of the facilitated training. Then the organization hosted its own DRE training for all of its staff.

Simon, the director of grants, said the organization is better prepared to assist Black people experiencing homelessness this winter because of the DRE training.

鈥淥ur outreach support workers know how to talk to that person, they know that person鈥檚 challenges and needs,鈥� Simon said. 鈥淭he outcome of them working with that person is much, much, much better than being put in jail.鈥澨�

Simon said A-SPAN is typically called first before the police are notified when someone in the Arlington community encounters a homeless person.听

Ashley Savage is a public information officer for the Arlington County Police Department and is aware of the intervention initiatives with the police.听

She said there was no way to know how many homeless are confronted and arrested by the police because police departments 鈥渄o not have a mechanism to accurately report homeless as some do not provide an address.鈥澨�

The Arlington County Police Department鈥檚 policy is to refer homeless people they encounter to the sheltering services. 鈥淭he police know on a first name basis the A-SPAN shelter monitors and works with them when intervention is needed on the streets,鈥� Simon, of A-SPAN, said.听

Once the homeless person reaches the shelter, they have access to the center鈥檚 health services, in addition to other resources.听听

The community and its leaders see mental health intervention as the best alternative over police confrontation when working with the homeless.听

Trusty Wallace, a retired Washington metropolitan police officer, grew up in the historically Black Arlington community called Nauk and is the trustee for the , a neighborhood parish founded in 1895.

Wallace has experience working with many police officers who lacked racial bias training and were not trained professionally to address the homeless population, who often experience mental illnesses.

鈥淚 welcome Arlington County鈥檚 much needed approach to working with the homeless by having professional staff work with the local police department,鈥� Wallace said. 鈥淭his is a more effective way than having the police officer, only, approach the homeless.鈥�

The Department of Human Services offer those services plus others through the , a consortium of interrelated services ranging from emergency sheltering to permanent housing options. The CoC is committed to Arlington County Board鈥檚 by gathering racial disparity data in Arlington and tracking improvements.

The 2019 Equity Resolution is a commitment by Arlington County to have a diverse and inclusive community that focuses on reducing racial disparities and equity even during the coronavirus pandemic. The performance based homeless shelter contracts is Arlington County鈥檚 way to incentivize the contractors to promote equitable outcomes for their clients who are Black.

Addressing the racial disparities during the coronavirus pandemic is a challenge for A-SPAN. But Simon said his organization has the necessary personal protective equipment, COVID-19 testing and other medical capability, as well as space needed to address clients with significant health issues without impacting others.听

鈥淲e have had to actually expand onto another floor of our building so that people staying in the shelter can space out more and not be any closer than six feet apart,鈥漇imon said. 听 we have less volunteers helping,听

A-SPAN depends on a network of dedicated volunteers and financial donations to accomplish their mission. They are looking for both, especially through the upcoming holidays during the pandemic.听

If interested in donating, go to the donation tab of their .

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Although early voting ended on Oct. 31 after 45 days, five times the number of people voted early in 2020 compared to the 2016 general election.

Arlington was no exception as 105,048 voted early compared to 38,399 in 2016, according to data from the .

Voters who came out early were motivated because of fears over crowded polls and the coronavirus pandemic on election day.

Francisco Samayoa is a construction worker who was scheduled to work a 10 hour shift on election day.

He brought his niece and sister out to the in Halls Hill, Arlington, to make sure they all cast their vote early.

The experience of coming to vote early was 鈥渆asy, quick and painless and I wish more people would vote this way before election day,鈥� Samayoa said.

Virginia voters are only required to show a like a passport, Virginia driver鈥檚 license or voter ID card to vote.

Those who are disabled were given the opportunity to vote curbside at any of the locations without getting out of the vehicle.

Some living near the five early voting stations showed up early because they wanted to make sure their vote was counted by voting in person.

Brian Hill, a father of two girls and a local resident, came to the in Columbia Heights, Arlington, to cast his ballot early.

鈥淚 originally planned to mail in my absentee ballot but I heard about the lack of efficiency with mail delivered by the post office and decided to bring the absentee ballot here and vote early,鈥� Hill said.

The staffed 50 polling stations throughout the County on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Cynthia Picard, a local election official, has been preparing for this election for over a year. She has hired many temporary hires, some volunteers, to process the mail in ballots and support voters at the polling stations. 鈥淭he operations at the polling stations have gone incredibly smooth,鈥� Picard said.

Beside the U.S. presidential contest on the ballot, the Senate race between Democrat-incumbent Mark Warner and Republican Daniel Gade, the Congressional race between Democrat-incumbent Donald Beyer and Republican Jeff Jordan and an Arlington Board of Supervisor and Arlington School Board member race are all on the ballot.

There are also two ballot initiatives on amending the Virginia constitution, one to include a redistricting commission consisting of citizens and law makers and the other to exempt disabled veteran vehicle tax.

Arlington voters will also have the opportunity to vote on five construction bonds related to the improvement of the community transportation, public school, community infrastructure and parks.

Jocelyn Flores is no exception. She lives in Columbia Park, a neighborhood in Arlington, and she walked to Polling Precinct 030 at the . 鈥淚 traditionally have taken the day off during Election Day to vote and I always vote Democrat,鈥� Flores said.

鈥淭his election was no exception.鈥�

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Mark Schwartz, Arlington County manager, began the series asking residents to answer a about perspectives on race and equity in Arlington. The County Manager鈥檚 office has already received more than 500 responses.听

Another component to DRE involves six online conversation sessions with community members, led by facilitators trained by , a local organization that educates people about the existence of racial inequities of systemic racism. These sessions will engage the community in a discussion on privilege and bias. The first session began on Oct. 24 and the last session is on Dec. 9. So far, over 100 Arlington residents have signed up to join the virtual conversation sessions.

The Arlington County Board made a commitment to begin a conversation on racial equity starting in 2019 when it created an to address structural racism.听

The resolution focused on five critical questions to address racial disparity: 鈥渨hat did we do, who benefits, who is burdened, who is missing, and how do we know?鈥� Now, county officials hope to use the DRE series to determine the quality of life for an individual living in Arlington.听

In 2019, Arlington County Board members discovered from a research study that there exists a 10-year life expectancy gap between some residents depending on where they live. They also found that students of color faced higher rates of obesity, teen pregnancy and lower rates of care for mental health.

Because of the 2019 research study results, the county board recognizes the need to use DRE in order to address unequal policy outcomes to include and 辫辞濒颈肠颈别蝉.听听

Arlington County Board member Christian Dorsey created the virtual communication tool concept.

鈥淚f we ignore areas of past disparities, our community will be impacted by unintentional harmful public policy,鈥� Dorsey said.听

But some community leaders are concerned that DRE will have little to no impact on closing the black community鈥檚 disparity gap.

Scott Taylor is an Arlington community spokesman and the president of the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington who said he believes that the Black community may not be receptive to having these types of conversations, considering the city鈥檚 previous history.听听

鈥淭he black community in Arlington has a long history of being excluded from growing as a community,鈥� Talyor said.

Taylor said the county should consider providing reparations to black individuals living in the community, much like what the D.C. Council has done, rather than focusing its efforts on starting conversations.听

Taylor also recommends that the reparations take the form of Arlington investing funds back into the few historically Black neighborhoods since freed slaves originally established them.听

According to the U.S. Census reports, Arlington鈥檚 population has been 9% Black since the 1980s. Economic exclusion and gentrification, according to Taylor, were the main reasons for a lack of growth in the black population of the city.听

James Moore is an Arlington community activist and owner of a 60-year-old听 neighborhood barbershop in the Hall鈥檚 Hill neighborhood.听

鈥漁ur communities in Arlington will want action more so than just conversation,” Moore said.听

Moore said he would like to see the county support Black people living in the community by providing more mental health and housing resources.听听

Dorsey saw community health and housing disparities from last year鈥檚 research and hopes the DRE process will address them too.

County officials will continue to collect DRE questionnaire responses until Dec. 31.

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The board officials held a meeting in September and directed the county manager to assess by December how much it will cost to replace the logo and seal, what will be the process to select a new one and how long will it take before the county adopts a new one.听听

,听an elected board member since 2015, said every board member expressed the need to remove the logo.听

Because the logo is prominent throughout the county on so many things, Dorsey said, 鈥淲e want to make an informed and well thought out decision as we move forward with a logo replacement.鈥�

He also pointed out the importance for the county to have 鈥減articipatory involvement鈥� which would include community input during the logo selection process.听听听

Dorsey said the logo change alone 鈥渨ill not dismantle systemic racism鈥� but that it was an important step in removing a piece of symbolism.听

鈥淲e are looking for equity in government decision-making through a dialogue that brings community voices and policy making to the table,鈥� Dorsey said.听听听

The Arlington House mansion was built in 1803 by , George Washington’s adopted grandson, as a living memorial to his grandfather. It was named after Custis鈥檚 southern Virginia slave plantation, the Arlington Plantation.听

Prior to the Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee married Mary Anna Custis, a distant relative to George and Martha Washington. The couple lived in the house until the South conceded during the Civil War, after which the Lee family fled to Richmond, Virginia, and the property was turned over to the federal government.听听听听听

The Arlington chapter of the NAACP sees the image as a slave plantation built by slave labor, created to glorify the socioeconomic status of the slave master. said the symbol is racist as it divides the community rather than uniting it.听

In July the chapter filed a formal request to the Arlington County Board of Supervisors demanding the image be removed. The letter expressed how the seal needs to be 鈥渞etired鈥� and 鈥渁 new era of inclusiveness and equity ushered in immediately.鈥澨�

Lifetime Arlington resident , an African American descendent of George Washington, said there is a lot of historical value in the Arlington House. He agrees with removing Robert E. Lee鈥檚 name from the title of the memorial, but he is indifferent about seeing the county logo change. He said he will continue to pay allegiance to the county flag no matter what is on the logo.听

Syphax is a graduate of Washington Lee High School which was recently renamed to Washington Liberty High School. He is also a trustee at the , a non-profit overseeing a $12 million dollar building renovation of the museum, due to be completed in spring of 2021.听听听听

Once the renovation is completed, visitors will see the mansion as it was originally built in 1860, including the quarters where enslaved people lived.听听

, recently proposed legislation to remove General Lee鈥檚 name from the title of the building.听

鈥淭he choice of Lee鈥檚 home for the site of a national military cemetery was intended to be a punitive measure against Lee, who himself said after the Civil War that he opposed erecting Confederate monuments,鈥� Beyer said.听

Beyer said he also wants the name removed because descendents of slaves still live in Arlington today.听

Other changes in the Arlington area include changing the name of , also known as Route 29, which extends throughout the state, located in the city of Arlington and the South Abingdon Street , called Fairlington Bridge.听听

Other regional听name changes last year include Washington-Lee High School High School, Jefferson Davis Highway and听Route 1 .

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Black students in Arlington make up 10% of the total student population but account for the most disciplinary actions and the lowest performing rates at APS, according to their 2018 student performance data.

The Black Parents of Arlington (BPA) is a community nonprofit that advocates for Black children at APS. In 2018, the organization compiled data from 2015 to 2018 APS records on Black and white student performance. They saw significant disparities.

BPA saw APC data disparities in the number of disciplinary suspensions between Black and white students, Standards of Learning (SOL) pass rates and college readiness rates. The data is no longer available for public review as APS has taken the data off of the school website. Community advocates demand the information be available to the public again.

Whytni Kernodle, a BPA founding member, is heartfelt in saying 鈥渞ace-based discrimination, implicit and explicit bias exist at APS and needs to be elliminated.鈥� BPA was created from the need to empower Arlington parents to demand equal treatment to black student lives and education, Kernodle said.

Kernodle demands APS require anti-racism training and cultural competencies for all APS teachers, administrators and supporting staff. She also expects APS to hire more Black and brown teachers and use funding on student wellness resources rather than on School Resource Officers (SRO). An SRO is an employee of the Arlington police department who can detain a student and even arrest them. These actions impact how students are disciplined in school and school dropout rates.

BPA hosted a bike protest rally this past weekend where Arlington police escorted over 200 bicycle riders through the city streets to the Arlington County Courthouse. MOMS Demand Action, is a community-based group in Arlington advocating for public safety measures to protect people from gun violence. This group supported the community protest rally by providing water and refreshments.

In light of the national narrative and local community concerns on the policing of Black students, APC Superintendent Francisco Duran, who has a doctoral degree in organization and leadership, wants all students to receive a world class educational experience. Duran has been the appointed APC Superintendent for just over the last four months. Rather than ignore the community鈥檚 demand for equitable treatment of Black students, he began the school year focusing on the disparities of school policing of students.

Duran held his first school board work session this month addressing the existence of Arlington Police SROs at schools. He admitted there is a need for change in the relationship between APS and SROs. He assigned the working group to provide recommendations to him by June, 2021.

Tannia Taliento, a community member attending the meeting, said she 鈥渋s concerned that by June of next year the school board鈥檚 focus will be on the following school year and not this one.鈥�

The Arlington NAACP is working with parents and the community advocacy groups. Education Committee official Simone Walker feels strongly that literacy is a civil right. 鈥淪tudents are graduating from Arlington High Schools semi illiterate,鈥� Walker said. 鈥淣inth graders are reading at a third grade level.鈥�

Virginia House of Delegate Democrat Alfonso Lopez, representing a portion of Arlington County, sees student policing in schools as structured racism and wants to eliminate it. He sees how He said he is proud to 鈥渨ork in alliance with鈥� the Arlington community. During the 2020 summer before school began, he helped pass 37 criminal justice reform bills to the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committees to help stop systemic and structural racism. Some of the bills included prohibiting neck restraints, demilitarizing the police and ending violent policing.

Amina Luqman-Dawson, who is a Black parent, is optimistic of the future as 鈥渨e are seeing unprecedented times and political awareness.鈥� But she is disheartened that APS will not share their student data that show the significant gaps.

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