ARLnow.com launched on Jan. 29, 2010, following a coffee-fueled all-nighter and lots of DIY WordPress tinkering.
What have followed are five years of continuous local news coverage, from tiny articles about potholes that no other news outlet would report on to big scoops that quickly have become international news.
As part of our five year anniversary, we’re looking back (in no particular order) at some of the defining Arlington stories of 2010. Some are weighty and easily remembered. Others, not so much.
Do you remember…
- The car that crashed into Rhodeside Grill?
- The opening of Bakeshop and Red Mango in Clarendon, kicking off the local cupcake and froyo crazes? (Red Mango has closed, Bakeshop is preparing to celebrate its own fifth year anniversary.)
- The county employee who tossed A-frame signs on N. Fillmore Street in the trash, as part of a crackdown on illegal signage? (A-frame signs are now allowed on sidewalks.)
- President Obama taking Russian president Dimitri Medvedev to lunch at Ray’s Hell Burger in Rosslyn?
- The triumphant announcement that Trader Joe’s would be opening in Clarendon? (“Break Out The Three-Buck Chuck,” our headline blared.)
- The hiring, then abrupt firing, of County Manger Michael Brown? (At the time, the county tried to pass off the firing as a “resignation” due to the health of Brown’s wife. Brown received a $110,000 severance payment.)
- The strong August storm that felled 40-50 trees in Fairlington and blew out car windows in Shirlington?
If you remembered all of those, congrats! You’re officially an ARLnow.com early adopter.
Come reminisce with us at our Fifth Anniversary Bash on January 27, from 6-8 p.m. at Crystal Tech Fund in Crystal City. Through 11:30 tonight tickets are discounted to an “early adopter” rate of $12.90. After that, the price goes up to $20.10.
The event is hosted by the Crystal City Business Improvement District and the price of admission includes adult beverages and delicious finger food.