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.
A woman suffered a significant injury in Rosslyn this morning after rebuffing a man who then threw a piece of concrete at her, police say.
The incident happened around 4:30 a.m. on the 1900 block of Fort Myer Drive, the same block as a large construction project on the former Holiday Inn site.
The man fled on a bike after striking the woman with the concrete, according to the Arlington County Police Department. The woman was hospitalized in stable condition.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2022-11030055, 1900 block of Fort Myer Drive. At approximately 4:37 a.m. on November 3, police were dispatched to the report of an assault in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined the unknown male suspect approached the female victim and attempted to engage her in conversation. When she refused, the suspect left the area. He soon returned and allegedly threw pieces of broken concrete at her, resulting in a laceration. She was transported to an area hospital in stable condition. The suspect fled the scene on a bicycle and a canvass of the area by responding officers yielding negative results. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 5’6, 160 lbs., with short curly black hair, wearing a red jacket and gray jeans. The investigation is ongoing.
Jeff Bezos at the Economic Club of Washington on Sept. 13, 2018 (staff photo)
(Updated at 9:05 a.m.) Dan Snyder may finally be selling the Washington Commanders.
Newsreports yesterday heralded the news that Snyder, who has provided over a long stretch of football futility and uglycontroversies, has hired bankers to explore a partial or full sale of the NFL team.
While the “sell the team” masses rejoice, it’s by no means a done deal and now speculation turns to who might buy the ‘manders.
The current betting favors Snyder selling, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is atop the list of potential buyers. And Bezos is reportedly “looking into” buying the team, potentially in partnership with Jay-Z, People and TMZ reported Thursday afternoon. Given that Amazon’s under-construction HQ2 is in Arlington, this seems like a local story for us!
MacKenzie Scott The ex-wife of Jeff Bezos has turned her 4% ownership of Amazon into an increaingly lauded career as an unassuming philanthropist. Buying a controversy-riddled football team seems out of character, but you never know.
Ted Leonsis
The former AOL executive owns the Wizards, the Mystics, and the Capitals — which has team offices and practice facilities in Ballston — so clearly he is someone who enjoys owning professional sports franchises. But he’s currently trying to buy the Nationals so might be a bit stretched at the moment.
Charles Koch
His libertarian-leaning institute and other associated organizations are based in Arlington, and he’s got more than enough money. Plus, selling the team to Charles Koch, noted for his financial contributions to the GOP, would allow Snyder one last thumb of the nose at those on Capitol Hill most vocal about driving him out.
Michael Bloomberg
The former New York mayor’s media and financial information empire has a major office in Crystal City and he previously had a campaign office in Pentagon City for his failed presidential bid. He wasn’t able to take the White House, but maybe FedEx Field is within reach?
Sands family
Sands Capital manages tens of billions of dollars from its Rosslyn offices and its late founder, who grew up in Arlington and attended W-L High School, made the largest ever gift to the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business prior to his passing. We have no idea if they have the money — net worth figures could not be found — but this is the most Arlington-connected family with significant wealth we could come up with.
Mars family
The Mars family and their eponymous, multi-national candy corporation are most associated with McLean, where the company is headquartered, but Mars, Inc. chair John Franklyn Mars (worth some $50 billion) was born in Arlington in 1935. The family has been mentioned elsewhere as potential local buyers, though a spokesperson told ARLnow after publication that “the Mars family is absolutely not going to buy the Commanders.”
Sheila Johnson
The co-founder of BET and CEO of Salamander Hotels and Resorts isn’t on the Forbes billionaires list, but her net worth is reported to be at least in the upper $100s of millions. Johnson is a co-owner of the Caps and Wizards and managing partner of the Mystics, so she has pro sports ownership experience. Her Arlington connections include being married to Arlington County Circuit Court Chief Judge William T. Newman, Jr. and speaking at last year’s Marymount University commencement.
Given those Arlington-linked options, who would you most like to see buy the Commanders?
“Colors creeping in with surprising, but not unwelcome speed along Arlington’s Bluemont Trail, with just a little bit of morning sun for highlighting.” (Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler)
Man Speeds Toward Pentagon Officers — “An Ethiopian man living in Virginia who allegedly yelled ‘F*** America’ and told officers ‘I hate America’ is accused of attempting to attack federal police officers outside the Pentagon last week… [the suspect], 36, allegedly drove through a security checkpoint outside the Pentagon on Friday, speeding over a second security barrier and forcing police to pull guns.” [CBS News]
Halloween Robberies in Crystal City — “At approximately 8:34 p.m. on October 31, police began receiving reports of robberies by force, larcenies and assaults within a close proximity to one another. A lookout for the two suspects was broadcast and responding officers located them in the area of S. Clark Street and 35th Street S. and took them into custody without incident. During the course of the investigation, it was determined the suspects allegedly approached victims, demanded their personal property and stole items to include a cell phone, purse and credit cards. Additionally, two cell phones were stolen from parked, unlocked vehicles.” [ACPD]
Clement Sees Potential Victory — “In her runs for County Board through the years, Audrey Clement once banked a little over 30 percent of the vote in a one-on-one showdown with Democrat Jay Fisette. Given opposition of some voters in North Arlington to the Missing Middle housing proposal, which will effectively eliminate single-family zoning in the county, she believes that, conservatively, she could improve her previous best by more than 10 percentage points.” [Sun Gazette]
Candidate: MM Will Win on Election Day — “‘What matters is the combined [vote] totals of myself and Mr. de Ferranti,” said [County Board candidate Adam] Theo, making his second bid for elected office. ‘It will be a majority, and I’m expecting it to be a supermajority, of voters who express support for Missing Middle.’ If so, ‘that should put a lid on Ms. Clement’s and Arlingtonians for Our Sustainable Future’s shameful misinformation campaign to scare homeowners for their own political gain.'” [Sun Gazette]
Notes on Portland and MM — “The data cited here on tree canopy in Portland predates our plex legalization, which may actually have a net benefit for tree canopy: – left max building footprint untouched in most situations – made driveways optional.” [Twitter]
Marymount Soccer in Championship — “The dream season continued on Wednesday night for Marymount men’s soccer as the Saints avenged their only conference loss to Centenary with a 1-0 win in the Atlantic East Tournament semifinals at Long Bridge Park.” [Marymount University, Twitter]
Zitkála-Ša Remembered — From Arlington National Cemetery: “During National Native American Heritage Month, we honor the life and legacy of [Arlington resident] Zitkála-Ša, buried in Section 2. As an activist and writer, she led national efforts to secure voting rights and socioeconomic equality for American Indians.” [Twitter, Arlington National Cemetery]
It’s Thursday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 66 and low of 51. Sunrise at 7:39 am and sunset at 6:07 pm. [Weather.gov]
Santa Claus awaiting visits at the Pentagon City mall in 2016
Starbucks holiday cup (Photo by Jasmin Schuler on Unsplash)
Tis the season for peppermint mochas and Santa photos.
Starbucks, famous for its ubiquity in Arlington, is bringing back its festive cups and holiday season beverages tomorrow (Thursday, Nov. 3), the company announced today.
The 2022 Starbucks offerings include Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, Toasted White Chocolate Mocha, Irish Cream Cold Brew and Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte, in addition to bakery items like Reindeer Cake Pop, Sugar Plum Cheese Danish, Cranberry Bliss Bar and Snowman Cookie.
Meanwhile, Santa Claus is coming to town — sooner than you might expect.
Santa is set to start snapping photos with children at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on Friday, Nov. 18, according to the mall’s website. Santa will be stationed on the first level of the mall near Nordstrom.
In addition to the daily photo ops, a special “Caring Santa” session for children with special needs is scheduled for Dec. 4 and pet photos with Santa is set for Dec. 11. Santa will also be hosting two breakfasts with kids at the adjacent Ritz-Carlton hotel on Dec. 3 and 17.
Reservations for the Pentagon City mall photo sessions can be made online.
Jolly Ol’ St. Nick will be arriving at the Ballston Quarter mall a bit later than his Pentagon City counterpart. Ballston’s Santa is set to start taking photos with kids on Dec. 3 and reservations can also be made online.
If you’re really jonesing for Father Christmas, there’s an even earlier option than the two in Arlington. Tysons Corner Center mall announced yesterday that Santa will be returning there next week, on Friday, Nov. 11.
Once you pick up your seasonal Starbucks tomorrow, to get in the holiday spirit — despite this week’s relatively warm weather — you might head over to the Westpost (formerly Pentagon Row) ice skating rink. The rink officially opened to the public yesterday. As of early this afternoon, no skaters could be seen on the ice.
Clarendon Apple Store after robbery (staff photo courtesy Jay Westcott)
Clarendon Apple Store after robbery (staff photo courtesy Jay Westcott)
Clarendon Apple Store (staff photo courtesy Jay Westcott)
A man with a gun robbed the Apple Store in Clarendon around lunchtime today.
The robbery happened at the store at 2700 Clarendon Blvd just before 12:30 p.m. Initial reports suggest that a suspect in his 20s pulled out a gold-and-black gun with an extended magazine and demanded laptops, before fleeing with four bags of items.
“At approximately 12:27 p.m., police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect was inside a business when he brandished a firearm and demanded merchandise. The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle with the stolen merchandise. The suspect is described as a Black male in his 20s. Police remain on scene investigating.”
The man fled east on Clarendon Blvd in an older model gold Cadillac sedan with Maryland tags, according to scanner traffic. The vehicle, the gun and the suspect seem to match a robbery at the Bethesda Row Apple Store on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 22.
Montgomery County police could be heard today discussing providing additional security for Apple Store locations there following the Clarendon robbery.
ARMED ROBBERY: Apple Store 4800 Bl. of Bethesda Ave. Bethesda, MD. Mont Co. PD on scene investigating an armed robbery with an individual walking into the store armed with a Gold Glock with an extended mag taken 3 Mac Computers.
ANOTHER APPLE STORE ROBBERY OR ATTEMPT — Apple Store at 2700 Clarendon Blvd in Arlington. Just before 12:30 p.m. gunman accosted store employee and fled in auto. Similar to previous Apple Store robbery in Bethesda. Search in progress. @ARLnowDOTcom h/t @CordellTrafficpic.twitter.com/wuSWiLAeYu
ARLnow columnist (and immigration attorney) James Montana
Sometimes, it seems like half of the people commenting on our stories are lawyers.
There are the fights over the exact technical meaning of words, citations of state and federal law, and — on occasion — people actually self-identifying as lawyers. That’s not to mention the ability to comment on news stories throughout the day.
And apparently we’re not the only site with a comment section that seems pretty lawyerly.
Defector, the site started by former employees of Gawker, noted in its recent annual report that, no, all of its commenters are not lawyers.
“The fact that nearly half of churned subscribers were experiencing financial hardship served as a good reminder that our readership is not a monolith,” the report said. But surely there is a not insignificant cohort of attorneys in there.
There is a decent chance that significant portions of the ARLnow commentariat and overall readership are, in fact, lawyers, given how many folks in the legal profession seem to live in Arlington. In Lyon Village, for instance, you can hardly ride an e-scooter down a curving single-family home street without passing a half-dozen two-lawyer households.
So today, we’re going to try to (unscientifically) see just how esquire-y our readers actually are. Feel free to discuss it ad nauseum in the comments while billing by the hour.
Workers taking a break at The Crossing Clarendon (photo courtesy George Brazier)
‘Insiders’ Don’t See Election Upset — “A consensus seems to have emerged that Democratic incumbent Matt de Ferranti should come away with victory in the Nov. 8 Arlington County Board race, yet likely will run below the traditional electoral majorities for Democrats in the county owing to a certain degree of public discontent.” [Sun Gazette]
Foggy Near-Miss on Key Bridge — A runner and a driver nearly collided yesterday morning at the Whitehurst Freeway entrance on the Key Bridge, in an encounter captured on video. [Twitter]
It’s Wednesday — Mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 66 and low of 52. Sunrise at 7:38 am and sunset at 6:08 pm. [Weather.gov]
Hangry Joe’s, a growing chicken sandwich restaurant chain, has applied for a license to serve beer, wine and mixed beverages at 875 N. Randolph Street, in the former Laura Cooks space.
No active construction permits could be found for the address on the county website, but the company says that it’s hoping to open next month.
“The expected opening date is early December,” a Hangry Joe’s rep tells ARLnow via email.
While in the midst of large office and apartment buildings, the restaurant space is a bit off the beaten path in Ballston, a block away from Wilson Blvd and 2+ blocks from the Metro station.
On its website, Hangry Joe’s touts its “secret chicken recipe” as a key to its success.
Derek Cha, who had founded the Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt in 2009 and other various concepts, with the [collaboration] with his partner, Mike Kim, comes up with the best chicken sandwich in town by bringing forth the Nashville style chicken sandwich.
After visiting many successful [Nashville] style chicken restaurant in LA, Nashville, and San [Francisco], we could successfully develop our secret chicken recipe to have the most juicy and crispy sandwich.
The expanding fast-casual franchise has existing locations in Alexandria, Fairfax County, and Loudoun County. It also lists locations currently open in or coming to Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Illinois, Arizona, California, Dubai, South Korea and the UK.
Hangry Joe’s will compete with Hot Lola’s, an existing “Sichuan X Nashville” spicy chicken stall that opened in the Ballston Quarter mall food hall in 2019.
Response to fight at the Pentagon City mall (photo courtesy Alan Henney)
Groups of teens were behind some chaotic scenes in Arlington over the weekend.
The latest Arlington County Police Department crime report has three separate items involving groups of juveniles. The first two incidents happened in Pentagon City, at or near the mall.
The first happened late Friday afternoon, when a group of suspects allegedly threatened a security guard during a shoplifting attempt. Three suspects — ages 18 and 19 — were arrested on assault charges.
ASSAULT BY MOB, 2022-10280198, 1200 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 4:21 p.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of an assault by mob. Upon arrival, it was determined a Loss Prevention Officer observed a female subject allegedly conceal a pair of sunglasses before confronting her and recovering the merchandise. A group of male suspects with the female subject then approached the Loss Prevention Officer and allegedly made verbal threats while at least one of the suspects displayed a knife. No injuries were reported. The suspects fled the scene prior to the arrival of police and responding officers located three suspects in the area. Suspect One ignored the commands of officers, resisted arrest and was taken into custody with the assistance of additional arriving officers. During a search of Suspect Two incident to arrest, a folding knife was recovered.
The crime report notes that “all three suspects were released on unsecured bonds.”
That night, police responded to Washington-Liberty High School for a report of four teens sneaking into the football game against McLean (W-L won 43-13), running through the stands and twice pushing someone to the ground. The bike-riding, ski-mask-wearing suspects fled the scene and police are still investigating.
From ACPD:
ASSAULT BY MOB, 2022-10280255, 1300 block of N. Stafford Street. At approximately 9:10 p.m. on October 28, police were dispatched to the report of a fight. Upon arrival, it was determined four unknown juvenile suspects climbed a fence and entered the stands of the stadium. As the suspects were running through the stands, they knocked the male [victim] to the ground twice before fleeing the scene. The victim refused medics on scene. The suspects are described as males wearing black hoodies and ski masks and riding bicycles. The investigation is ongoing.
The next day, around 5:30 p.m., a report of groups of teens fighting inside the food court at the Pentagon City mall drew a large police response.
One girl who was wanted in D.C. was arrested and now faces additional charges after allegedly assaulting police.
ASSAULT & BATTERY ON POLICE, 2022-10290193, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 5:32 p.m. on October 29, police responded to the report of a fight involving groups of juveniles inside a food court. Responding officers separated the groups and no significant injuries were reported related to the fight. During the course of the investigation, one juvenile was determined to be wanted out of Washington D.C. and she assaulted officers as they attempted to detain her. She was taken into custody and petitions for Assault on Police were obtained.
The police response to that incident was noted on social media.
TEEN BRAWL— Pentagon City Mall at 1100 South Hayes St in Arlington. Around 5:30 p.m., police were called when about a dozen kids were fighting in the food court. They fled into Metro (jumped turnstiles). #wmata@ARLnowDOTcompic.twitter.com/jcaym5N1GJ
