POLITICS: Sun Gazette endorses in 8th District • See Page 6
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COUNTY ELECTION SEASON KICKS OFF
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ROUNDUP OF ACTION IN FIELD HOCKEY
EDUCATOR ADVANCES IN STATE COMPETITION
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Sun Gazette
VOLUME 83 NO. 42 SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2018
ARLINGTON’S SOURCE FOR HOMETOWN NEWS SINCE 1935
Upton Hill Plan Tweaked to Save More Trees Regional Park Authority to Re-Submit Revised Development Package to County Officials SCOTT McCAFFREY Staff Writer
The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority has agreed to make several changes to its development plan at Upton
Hill Regional Park, aimed at assuaging those concerned about the removal of existing trees. Under a proposal forwarded to the Arlington County government, the park authority (also known as NOVA Parks) has
“come up with a plan modification that will save 49 trees,” said executive director Paul Gilbert, calling it “a win-win for both the natural resources and the active users of the park.” To do so, the park authority will elimi-
nate plans for a lower parking lot and vehicular access directly off Wilson Boulevard, which also had been areas of contention with neighborhood residents. Continued on Page 22
NAMESAKE SHIP AGAIN OUT ON DEPLOYMENT
The USS Arlington, a U.S. Navy ship designed to transport Marines to world hot-spots and on humanitarian missions, is again on the high seas as part of its second major deployment. The ship, commissioned in 2013, was named to honor the Arlington community and first-responders for their work at the Pentagon following the 9/11 terrorist attack. A group of community leaders recently visited the ship to expand efforts connecting it with the Arlington community – see story on Page 10. BRANDON PARKER/US NAVY
Start-of-School APS Enrollment Up 2.2% from Record 2017 Figure It won’t be official until the end of the month, but Arlington Public Schools is on track for another all-time high in student enrollment. School officials counted 27,522 stu-
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dents in seats when the school year began Sept. 4. While that is lower than a projection of 28,022 made in the spring, it represents a 2.2-percent increase from the first day of school a year ago.
School districts statewide report official school counts to the Virginia Department of Education based on the number of students in class as of Sept. 30 each year. Arlington’s “official” count for 2017
was 26,927, a figure that surpassed 1963 – the height of the Baby Boom – in total student enrollment. Continued on Page 22
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