Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. Started by a Pentagon City resident who has spent the past several years working in local TV news, ARLnow.com seeks to distinguish itself with original, enterprising, up-to-the-minute local coverage.
“The Arlington nail-filled tire. The perfect holiday gift with so many uses.” (Cartoon by Mike Mount)
This month’s Mike Mount creation references a very specific driving experience that is unfortunately not uncommon in these parts.
“The constant nails in the tire, thanks to all of the construction and unpoliced construction dumpsters,” Mike said of the topic. “Seems to be a thing for a lot of people I talk to around here.”
See Mike’s local ‘toons in the ARLnow Press Club weekend edition newsletter.
Fighter jets fly over St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (staff photo)
Outdoor Fire in Courthouse — “Traffic is closed on N Courthouse Rd from 12th Ct N to Fairfax dr… This is reportedly due to a sizable outdoor fire. ACFD on scene… A second fire along Langston Blvd at N. Adams Street was also reported. Per an ACFD spokesperson, investigators are trying to determine if the fires are related and/or intentionally set.” [Twitter]
N. Va.’s Economic Power — “Were Northern Virginia its own independent country – and let’s not give regional leaders any ideas – it would have the world’s 48th largest economy… That would rank Northern Virginia just below the Czech Republic and Finland and just above Iraq, Portugal and New Zealand.” [Gazette Leader]
New Operator for Food Hall — “The Assembly food hall in Rosslyn is being primed for a refresh. American Real Estate Partners has tapped Mothersauce Partners, the hospitality company behind The Eleanor, Thompson Italian and City-State Brewing Co., to oversee the roughly 27,000-square-foot space at Rosslyn City Center. AREP owns the building, 1700 N. Moore St., and opened the food hall in 2021. Mothersauce hopes to freshen up the design, branding and concept curation at the food hall.” [Washington Business Journal]
FCPS Keeps Kaiser — “Employees and retirees of the Arlington school system may be looking with envy at their counterparts one locality to the west. Because Fairfax County Public Schools staff and retirees get to keep their insurance provider for 2024 and beyond. Fairfax County School Board members on Dec. 14 approved a health-maintenance organization (HMO) and Medicare Advantage plan agreement with Kaiser Permanente to provide health services to about 5,550 FCPS employees and retirees and their 4,921 dependents.” [Gazette Leader]
Upcoming Holiday Closures — “Arlington County Government offices and services are operating on modified schedules for the Christmas holiday, Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, and the New Year’s Day holiday, Monday, Jan. 1, 2024. Trash/Recycling/Yard Waste Curbside Routes – No collection on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. Curbside collection will shift by one day for all routes (e.g., Monday routes will be serviced on Tuesday).” [Arlington County]
Some Restaurants Open on Xmas — “Many restaurants in Arlington and the D.C. area will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but some will remain open to serve people who don’t want to fuss with a big meal, are traveling or who don’t celebrate the holiday.” [Patch]
It’s Friday — Expect a gradual transition from mostly cloudy to sunny skies, with temperatures reaching a high of around 46 degrees. In the morning, the light and variable wind will shift to southeast at around 6 mph. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with lows around 33 degrees. [Weather.gov]
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.
🌤️ Friday’s forecast
Expect a transition from mostly cloudy skies to sunshine, reaching a high near 46 degrees. Morning winds will be light and variable, later shifting to southeast at around 6 mph. Friday night will be partly cloudy with a low around 33 degrees and southeast wind speeds between 3 and 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” – Norman Vincent Peale
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive townhouses sold last month (November 2023).
Metro is planning a major closure of two Arlington Metro stations next month.
The Rosslyn and Courthouse stations will be closed the weekend of Martin Luther King Jr. Day — from Friday, Jan. 12 to Monday, Jan. 15. The four-day closure is for repairs and maintenance.
“Blue Line trains will run from Franconia-Springfield to Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom to Downtown Largo; Orange Line service will operate from Vienna to Clarendon and Foggy Bottom to New Carrollton; and Silver Line trains will run between Ashburn and Clarendon only,” Metro noted in a press release.
The full press release is below.
During the Martin Luther King Day holiday weekend, starting on Friday, Jan. 12 through Monday, Jan. 15, Metro will close segments of the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines, between Foggy Bottom and Arlington Cemetery/Clarendon to perform infrastructure repairs and maintenance. The Rosslyn and Court House stations will be closed, and free shuttle buses will provide frequent service between all affected stations.
The four-day closure will allow Metro to address critical repairs, infrastructure improvements and other maintenance at one time. The same work would have required multiple weekends of single tracking with severe disruption to service, including some lines operating every 26 minutes or with truncated service.
The work is scheduled for the MLK holiday weekend when it will impact the fewest customers. Ridership during the four-day period is historically 27 percent lower on Metrorail than the average Friday through Monday. Additionally, with post-pandemic changes 15 percent fewer customers use Metrorail on Fridays than the midweek peak and on MLK Day ridership is less than half of a normal Monday.
The Rosslyn tunnel beneath the Potomac River is one of the busiest sections of the system, with trains passing through every three to four minutes all day causing more frequent wear on the infrastructure.
During the weekend crews plan to replace dozens of concrete grout pads, which support the rails. To do this, the rails must be removed, and the old grout pads demolished. After framing, new concrete will be poured with additional time needed to set. The work will be coupled with installation of new rails, fasteners, platform edge lighting and fiber-optic cables, drain maintenance, and welding rails together to eliminate joints for a smoother, better ride.
Outside of the work zone, Blue Line trains will run from Franconia-Springfield to Arlington Cemetery and Foggy Bottom to Downtown Largo; Orange Line service will operate from Vienna to Clarendon and Foggy Bottom to New Carrollton; and Silver Line trains will run between Ashburn and Clarendon only.
Travelers over the holiday weekend going to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport may use the Yellow Line via Gallery Place or L’Enfant Plaza as an alternative with service operating every six minutes during weekday peak periods and eight minutes at all other times. Customers may also use the Manassas Line on VRE to connect to the Blue or Yellow lines at Alexandria. South of the airport, the Blue and Yellow lines will continue to be available for customers with no impact for those headed to the airport.
Customers traveling through Washington Dulles International Airport should allow additional time for shuttle buses to connect to the Silver Line. Additional details will be provided on shuttle buses and other travel alternatives in January.
In addition, Saturday, Jan. 13 and Sunday, Jan. 14, the MDOT MTA Purple Line project will also be doing construction, impacting Metro’s Red Line. There will be no Red Line service between Takoma and Forest Glen. The Silver Spring Station will be closed. Trains will operate in two segments from Shady Grove to Takoma and Glenmont to Forest Glen. Metro will utilize the closure to perform leak mitigation, replace rail ties, and preparatory work for switch replacement.
Customers are encouraged to sign up for MetroAlerts text or email messages for the latest service information or follow us on X @wmata @metrorailinfo @metrobusinfo. Metro’s customer service team is also available to respond to social media, email, chat, or by phone at 202-637-7000 (automated information available 24/7) weekdays from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Meet Skylar, the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week!
This beautiful, cream colored pup is currently in foster with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and searching for her forever home.
Her friends had a few words to say:
Skylar is an affectionate and intelligent girl who is looking for a loving home.
Her personality shines through in her intelligence and eagerness to please. Skylar is a quick learner and will thrive with a family that can provide mental and physical stimulation to keep her happy and healthy.
Skylar is a friendly dog who enjoys the company of people. She enjoys long sniff walks and dog gazing from a distance.
While in care we have not found a dog that matches Skylar’s play style, we are willing to offer meetings if you have a dog in your home. Skylar is still young and will need guidance, an enriching home and lifestyle, as well as some basic training as she adjusts to her new home.
Skylar must definitely be a match for you, right? Don’t forget to check out her entire profile to set up a meet and greet!
Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with 2-3 paragraphs about your pet and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos.
Holiday lights (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent)
Shots Fired Arrests — “The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing two arrests in the shots fired incident that occurred on December 2, 2023, at S. Kenmore Street and 23rd Street S.” [ACPD]
Another Gun Seized at DCA — “A Maryland man was stopped by security at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday with a loaded handgun in his carry-on bag, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The gun was the 38th detected by TSA officers at Reagan National Airport in 2023, far surpassing the previous record of 30 guns confiscated at the airport in 2021.” [Patch]
YHS Grad’s College Football Career — “Yorktown High School graduate Davis Patterson finished his college football career playing his final season for the Division I Northern Illinois University football team. The 6-foot-4, 198-pound wide receiver caught 16 passes for 197 yards during the 2023 season.” [Gazette Leader]
Free ART Bus Rides Extended — “Great news, travelers! We’ve got a special holiday surprise just for you. Due to overwhelming demand and in the spirit of spreading joy, we’re extending the ART FREE-FARE RUSH promotion through December 31!” [Arlington Transit]
VDOT Lifting Lane Closures — ” To help make end-of-year holiday travel more enjoyable, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will be suspending many highway work zones and lifting most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia from noon on Friday, Dec. 22 until noon on Tuesday, Dec. 26 and from noon on Friday, Dec. 29 until noon on Tuesday, Jan. 2.” [VDOT]
VSP Urges Safe Driving — “As we approach the holidays and the end of 2023, Virginia State Police is asking Virginians to please drive safely in the coming days, so that everyone can safely reach their holiday destinations. Preliminary data indicates that as of Dec. 20, 2023, 813 people have lost their lives on Virginia roadways this year. That is 76 fewer traffic deaths than in 2022 as of this same date.” [Press Release]
It’s Thursday — Expect a sunny day with temperatures reaching up to 46°F, accompanied by a north wind at around 7 mph. As for Thursday night, the skies will be mostly cloudy, experiencing a low of around 30°F. [Weather.gov]
Expect a mostly sunny day with a high temperature of around 46 degrees and a north wind at approximately 7 mph. Transitioning into Thursday night, the sky will turn mostly cloudy and the temperature will drop to around 30 degrees, accompanied by a gentle north wind of 3 to 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
Possible albino squirrel seen in the Yorktown neighborhood (photo courtesy anonymous)
Possible albino squirrel seen in the Yorktown neighborhood (photo courtesy anonymous)
A rare albino squirrel may be living near Yorktown High School.
A local teen sent ARLnow photos of the squirrel, above, taken in the Yorktown neighborhood. The critter has noticeably red eyes, a characteristic of albino squirrels.
Another photo of the squirrel, taken in Greenbrier Park near the high school, was posted earlier this month to the Capital Naturalist Facebook group.
The last white squirrel spotted in Arlington and reported on by ARLnow was back in 2016 near Columbia Pike.
Albino squirrels in particular are exceptionally rare — about 1 in every 100,000 gray squirrel births, according to a post on the Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources website.
“There are two basic types of white squirrels: albino and leucistic. Albinos have pink or blue eyes and no dark pigments anywhere on their bodies,” the post notes. “Squirrels that have white coats and dark eyes are called leucistic.”
“The scarcity of albino squirrels is thought to be at least partially linked to the animal’s lack of any dark eye pigment: This leaves them more susceptible to the harmful effects of sun rays, which can permanently damage their eyes,” the post adds. “In turn, their poor eyesight makes them more likely to suffer injury and death by falling out of trees.”
Alonso Abugattas, Natural Resources Manager for Arlington County and the administrator of the Capital Naturalist group, said there have also been reports of white squirrels in neighboring jurisdictions like McLean and D.C. — on the National Mall — over the past few months.
“Most of these are white squirrels, but not albinos,” Abugattas told ARLnow. “Albinos due to a lack of pigment have pink eyes [and] are indeed very rare as this affects their sight.”
Comcast employee works on lines in 2010 (file photo)
As we have been reporting, local public access station Arlington Independent Media is at a crossroads as it vies for funding from Arlington County and local cable providers.
Despite some internal strife, a bigger force is driving the existential questions around AIM: the ongoing loss of cable TV subscribers known as cord cutting.
Cable providers are losing some 10% of video customers every year, as consumers rely instead on some combination of broadcast TV and streaming. For some, cutting the cord is all about saving on those steep cable bills, while for others it’s simply a matter of not wanting to watch commercial-laden cable channels anymore.
Whatever the case, cord cutting will have notable impacts on everything from cable access channels to local TV news to professional sports teams — which derive significant revenue from cable channels — in the coming years.
Given that, we’re wondering how many readers have decided to cut the cord so far.
Westpost, formerly known at Pentagon Row, at sunset (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Confederate Memorial Removal to Proceed — “A day after halting work to remove the Confederate memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, a federal judge in Virginia on Tuesday said he would allow the removal to proceed. On Tuesday evening, Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. of the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia ruled against a request from a group called Defend Arlington that the memorial remain undisturbed.” [Washington Post]
Crash with Entrapment Last Night — “The NB lanes of N Glebe Rd are closed at the intersection of N Glebe Rd. and Military Rd. Traffic is being diverted… This is a crash with 1-2 injuries. One driver was trapped and freed by firefighters, per scanner.” [Twitter]
Ranked Choice Voting Approved — From UpVote Virginia: “Arlington County just voted unanimously to make #RankedChoiceVoting permanent for County Board primaries (the only office currently eligible for RCV)” [Twitter]
Local GOP Sets Fundraising Goal — “‘My goal for 2024 is to raise $30,000 for this committee,’ Hurtt said in a recent e-mail to supporters. Fund-raising efforts for 2023 brought in about $25,000, and ‘I don’t think raising an additional $5,000 in a presidential year is unachievable,’ he said.” [Gazette Leader]
New Reporter Joining ARLnow — From Daniel Egitto: “Today is my last day at the Vallejo Times-Herald. I am moving back to the East Coast to be closer to family – look for my work starting next month at @ARLnowDOTcom. Thank you to my readers and sources for all your support and feedback.” [Twitter]
Eulogy for Charlie Clark — “During retirement Charlie continued the work from which perhaps some here know him best, his columns on the history of our home community of Arlington. In his years as the ‘Our Man in Arlington’ columnist for the Falls Church News-Press he told stories of all sorts of connections, personal, business, social, entertainment, academic, political, religious—all of the ways that people relate to each other. He loved working with the Arlington Historical Society and his columns became several books.” [Falls Church News-Press]
TikTok Ban for Kids Proposed — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin wants to ban the popular social media app TikTok for anyone under the age of 18, as concerns mount that social media is causing a host of psychological problems in children and adolescents… John Littel, Youngkin’s secretary of Health and Human Resources, told the State Board of Health that TikTok uses ‘addictive’ and ‘aggressive’ tools to hook young viewers. Legislators will introduce multiple bills next month to address TikTok and the mechanisms used by all social media companies.” [Richmond Times-Dispatch]
It’s Wednesday — Expect a sunny day with temperatures reaching nearly 46°F and a northwest wind of 5-7 mph. The night will be mostly clear with temperatures dropping to around 31°F and a west wind of 3-6 mph. [Weather.gov]
