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<b>Crash Closes Parkway<b>

<bt>US Park Police closed the northbound lanes of the George Washington Parkway early Monday, following an accident south of the Key bridge.

Police reported that a Ford Explorer lost control on the curve of the northbound lanes just below the bridge, flipping and rolling before coming to a rest on the right side of the road at about 3:40 a.m. Monday.

Three people in the SUV were extricated by EMS crews, and taken from the crash scene to George Washington University Hospital. Preliminary information indicated that no one suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash.

The northbound lanes of the parkway were closed at the time of the accident, and reopened at 5:45 a.m.

<b>Arlington, Alexandria Split $300 K

to Employ People with Disabilities</b>

<bt>Under a newly-passed federal appropriations bill, Arlington and Alexandria will be distributing some $300,000 to encourage the hiring people with disabilities.

The Alexandria/Arlington Workforce Investment Board will divide the $300,000 allotment between the municipalities, with decisions made by the 42-member board, appointed by the Alexandria City Council and Arlington County Board from area business leaders.

Scott McGeary, the WIB’s board chair, said the money is needed to encourage local employers to hire people with disabilities, a key goal to bringing the local workforce into the 21st Century. McGeary estimated that there are some 21,000 persons with disabilities who live in the Alexandria/Arlington area.

County Board Chair Chris Zimmerman said credit for the money should go largely to Sen. John Warner (R) and US Rep. Jim Moran (R-8th), calling them "champions" of the initiative.

<b>School Surveys Set</b>

<bt>Arlington Public Schools announced Tuesday that parents and Arlington community members will be surveyed over the course of the next month, to determine their "customer satisfaction" with the school system.

The survey will be conducted by the University of Maryland Survey Research Center, focusing on "educational services and learning environments" in Arlington.

Randomly selected Arlington residents and parents will be contacted by phone through mid-March, and surveyors are available for Spanish- and English-speaking Arlingtonians.

School officials said surveyors will ask for parents by name, but all responses will be confidential, and they encouraged parents to be honest, thorough, and critical if need be in answering the survey questions. Superintendent Robert Smith will include survey results in his report to the school board on meeting annual priorities, delivered in September.