Author: ARLnow.com

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.

Overturned vehicle shuts down S. Walter Reed Drive

By ARLnow.com
Flipped vehicle on S. Walter Reed Drive (photo courtesy Jennifer G.)

Only minor injuries were reported after a vehicle overturned on S. Walter Reed Drive this afternoon.

The crash happened around lunchtime, just north of the intersection with Four Mile Run Drive and near the bottom of a steep hill. All lanes of Walter Reed Drive were closed during the crash response but fully reopened by 1:30 p.m.

It’s unclear how the crash happened. No serious injuries were reported.

This is at least the second crash involving an overturned vehicle in Arlington in as many days. Yesterday a vehicle overturned on westbound I-66 at the entrance to the Rosslyn tunnel, blocking traffic for about an hour.

Open houses in Arlington this weekend

By ARLnow.com

Happy Friday!

The end of October is near, but there are plenty of open houses to check out this weekend.

According to Homesnap, there are 548 homes for sale. Of those homes for sale, 328 are condos, 185 are detached homes and 35 are townhomes. The median sales price is $570,000 and the median list price is $699,000 with 202 price changes taking place.

Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place in Arlington this weekend:

  • 1801 N. Herndon Street
    5 BR/5.5 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: Renovated, private dining patio, gas fireplace
    Listed: $2,999,000
    Open: Saturday, 1-4 p.m. (Michelle Sagatov – Washington Fine Properties)
  • 4909 Rock Spring Road
    5 BR/3.5 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: Three finished levels, private rear yard, storage attic
    Listed: $1,750,000
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Bret Brock – Brock Realty)
  • 1405 N. Longfellow Street
    4 BR/2.5 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: All brick, wood floors, wooded back patio
    Listed: $949,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Robert Sanders – TTR Sotheby’s International Realty)
  • 1170 N. Utah Street
    4 BR/3.5 BA Townhouse
    Noteworthy: End unit, built-in wine fridge, wood burning fireplace
    Listed: $1,025,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Brian Blackburn – TTR Sotheby’s International Realty)
  • 5252 5th Street N.
    3 BR/2 BA Single-family home
    Noteworthy: Rear porch, finished lower level, brick wood burning fireplace
    Listed: $825,000
    Open: Saturday, 12-2 p.m. (Kenneth Evans – RE/MAX Real Estate Connections)
  • 2542 S. Walter Reed Drive #A
    3 BR/3.5 BA Townhouse
    Noteworthy: All brick, private patio, hardwood floors
    Listed: $739,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Frank Jackson – RE/MAX Allegiance)

See all Arlington open house listings here.

Want your open house to appear here? You can now submit sponsored listings.

5252 5th Street N.

* Denotes sponsored listing

5252 5th Street N. image via Google Maps

Shucktoberfest beer and oyster fest returns to Shirlington this weekend

By ARLnow.com
1/4

The annual Shucktoberfest oyster and craft beer festival is returning to Shirlington this weekend, complete with a number of road closures.

The 5th annual event is taking place in Shirlington from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday. It will feature local breweries, food and oyster tents and local vendors, and is being billed as family- and dog-friendly.

Tickets to the event, organized by Shirlington restaurant Copperwood Tavern, are $46 for those 21+ and include a beer tasting mug and tickets redeemable for beer and oysters.

Arlington County police will be shutting down some main streets in Shirlington to make way for the festival.

From an ACPD press release:

The 5th annual Shucktoberfest in the Shirlington Village will take place on Saturday, October 22, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures from approximately 6:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. in order to accommodate the event:

  • Campbell Avenue, from S. Quincy Street to S. Arlington Mill Drive
  • S. Randolph Street, from S. Arlington Mill Drive to 2800 S. Randolph Street

The public should expect to see an increased police presence in the area, and motorists are urged to follow law enforcement direction, be mindful of closures, and remain alert for increased pedestrian traffic. Additionally, vehicles will not be allowed to enter or exit the covered Harris Teeter parking structure on Campbell Avenue. Harris Teeter customers can access the parking garage via the alternative entrance behind the store.

Attendees are encouraged to use multimodal transportation services, as parking in the area will be limited around the event. In addition, street parking in the area will be restricted and motorists should be on the lookout for temporary “No Parking” signs. Illegally parked vehicles in violation of the posted signage may be ticketed or towed. If your vehicle is towed from a public street, call the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222.

Morning Poll: In retrospect, did APS make the right call in closing classrooms for a year?

By ARLnow.com
Arlington Public Schools headquarters lobby (staff photo)

There are rising regrets about the extended closure of public schools as a result of Covid, the Associated Press reports.

A lengthy article published by the newswire this morning discusses the wide-ranging impacts of pandemic-era learning loss and the inefficacy of “Zoom school.”

From the AP:

But her daughter became depressed and stopped doing school work or paying attention to online classes. The former honor-roll student failed nearly all of her eighth grade courses.

“She’s behind,” said Kargbo, whose daughter is now in tenth grade. “It didn’t work at all. Knowing what I know now, I would say they should have put them in school.”

Preliminary test scores around the country confirm what Kargbo witnessed: The longer many students studied remotely, the less they learned. Some educators and parents are questioning decisions in cities from Boston to Chicago to Los Angeles to remain online long after clear evidence emerged that schools weren’t COVID-19 super-spreaders — and months after life-saving adult vaccines became widely available.

There are fears for the futures of students who don’t catch up. They run the risk of never learning to read, long a precursor for dropping out of school. They might never master simple algebra, putting science and tech fields out of reach. The pandemic decline in college attendance could continue to accelerate, crippling the U.S. economy.

Arlington Public Schools closed in March 2020 at the outset of the pandemic and did not start to reopen, on a two-day-a-week hybrid basis, until March 2021 when mandated by the state and Gov. Ralph Northam (D). During that time, dueling Arlington parent groups formed to alternately push for and urge caution about a return to classrooms.

Most Arlington private schools resumed some degree of in-person learning in the fall of 2020. The Sun Gazette reported this week that APS enrollment is still below pre-pandemic levels; many public schools in the wealthier parts of northern Arlington in particular saw enrollment drop as parents sent students to private schools.

While APS opened classrooms sooner than many school districts in California, for instance, it took awhile to even get most students back in classrooms part time, with the School Board pushing the superintendent later in March 2021 to accelerate the return.

APS finally reverted back to full-time, in-person learning in the fall of 2021 and stuck with it through the Omicron surge that winter. A small minority of students and parents opted for a new full-time virtual learning option, which ended up being beset by problems.

Given what we know now about the health impacts of Covid and about pandemic-era learning loss, do you think — with the benefit of hindsight — APS should have resumed in-person school sooner than it did?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Fall arrives… in a rental van (staff photo)

New Tenant and Sign in Crystal City — “Developer JBG Smith has reached an agreement to lease 36,809-square-feet of space to defense contractor HII at 2451 Crystal Drive… Under the 11.5-year lease, HII will move into the space in late summer 2023 and will have signage rights to the 11-story office tower. The company will remain headquartered in Newport News and will maintain company office space next to the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.” [Patch]

Too Much Midday Engagement?  — From Chris Slatt: “You love to see the County working hard to reach that notoriously unreachable demographic of *checks notes* ‘people with free time in the middle of the workday.'” [Twitter]

‘Fill the Cruiser’ Returns Next Month — “Help spread joy this holiday season by donating new, unwrapped toys during the Arlington County Police Department’s (ACPD) eighth annual Fill the Cruiser Holiday Toy Drive. Your generosity helps ensure the holidays are bright for some of our most vulnerable community members – children in need.” [ACPD]

It’s Friday — Clear throughout the day. High of 63 and low of 40. Sunrise at 7:25 am and sunset at 6:23 pm. [Weather.gov]

Daily Debrief for Oct 20, 2022

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Today we published 6 articles that were read a total of 5091 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Oct 20, 2022.

  1. ACPD: Armed suspects carjacked delivery driver’s Prius last night
  2. Falls Church restaurants to hold crawl fundraiser for Four Courts staff
  3. Redevelopment has changed the fabric of Halls Hill. Do residents think ‘Missing Middle’ would help or hurt?

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

🌦 Tomorrow’s forecast

Clear throughout the day. High of 63 and low of 44. Sunrise at 7:25 am and sunset at 6:23 pm. See more from Weather.gov.

👂 Audio summary

Get caught up on all of our reporting today with this brief audio summary.

👀 A look around town

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

UPDATED: Firefighters battle shed blaze in Green Valley

By ARLnow.com
Smoke from the shed fire in Green Valley (photo courtesy anonymous)

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) A shed next to a house caught fire and filled a portion of the Green Valley neighborhood with smoke this afternoon.

The blaze prompted a large fire department response to the 2400 block of S. Oakland Street but firefighters later determined that the flames had not spread to the house, according to scanner traffic. The fire has since been extinguished.

Despite the main house not catching on fire, the blaze has displaced seven residents, according to the Arlington County Fire Department. One person was taken to a local hospital in stable condition, ACFD said.

https://twitter.com/ArlingtonVaFD/status/1583188664120537089

TRAFFIC ALERT: Westbound I-66 blocked by overturned vehicle

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Updated at 2:45 p.m. — At least one lane has reopened as crews work to finish clearing the crash scene.

Earlier: All lanes of westbound I-66 are currently blocked at the Rosslyn tunnel due to a crash.

An SUV crashed and overturned near the entrance to the tunnel around 1:30 p.m. Police are on scene and report that the driver was able to get out of the vehicle prior to their arrival.

The crash happened near the beginning of what had been a backup between Rosslyn and the N. Glebe Road exit of I-66.

No serious injuries have been reported. Westbound I-66 traffic is being diverted to Rosslyn and drivers in the area should expect heavy traffic.

ACPD: Armed suspects carjacked delivery driver’s Prius last night

By ARLnow.com
Police speeding to a call at night (staff photo)

A pizza delivery driver was carjacked in the Arlington Mill neighborhood last night.

The incident happened Wednesday night on S. Dickerson Street, a couple of blocks north of the Arlington Mill Community Center and Columbia Pike.

A pair of suspects, at least one of whom was armed with a gun, threatened the delivery driver and stole his 2005 Toyota Prius, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report. The driver was not hurt.

More from ACPD:

CARJACKING (Late), 2022-10190259, 800 block of S. Dickerson Street. At approximately 11:20 p.m. on October 19, police were dispatched to the late report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the victim was delivering pizza when he was approached by two unknown male suspects. The suspects allegedly threatened the victim with a firearm and demanded his personal belongings and the keys to his vehicle. The suspects then stole the victim’s belongings and fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle. No injuries were reported. Suspect One is described as a Black male, approximately 5’10”, wearing a ski mask and dark clothing. Suspect Two is described as a Black male with a husky build, approximately 5’6″, wearing a ski mask. The vehicle is described as a 2005 White Toyota Prius with Virginia tags TZE7770. The investigation is ongoing.

The last reported carjacking in Arlington happened in July in the Crystal City area, though a few attempted carjackings have been reported since then.

Falls Church restaurants to hold crawl fundraiser for Four Courts staff

By ARLnow.com
Ireland’s Four Courts boarded up on 9/15/22 (staff photo)

The Falls Church restaurant community is coming together to raise money for the employees of Ireland’s Four Courts.

The Courthouse mainstay was heavily damaged on Aug. 12 when a rideshare driver, who was apparently suffering a medical emergency, slammed into the front of the pub during a Friday happy hour. Three people were seriously injured and a raging fire sparked by the crash charred much of the interior.

Arlington County police announced yesterday that the driver will not face criminal charges. A Four Courts co-owner told ARLnow that the first step of rebuilding, a partial demolition, will start soon, followed by construction “in a couple of months.”

In the meantime, fellow restaurants have been banding together to support Four Courts employees while the pub remain closed.

Samuel Beckett’s Irish Pub in Shirlington held a fundraiser last month and, in early November, a number of prominent Fall Church restaurants are holding a fundraiser dubbed the “Crawl for the Courts.”

“Clare and Don’s Beach Shack and Ireland’s Four Provinces are organizing this Falls Church effort to support the staff of Ireland’s Four Courts,” said a press release for the event.

Three employees were reported to be among the 12 who suffered injuries not considered serious.

More on the event, from the press release:

On Saturday, November 5, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., the local Falls Church restaurant community is coming together to host a Crawl for The Courts to benefit the employees of Ireland’s Four Courts. To participate, one will need to buy a voucher. The vouchers for the restaurant crawl will be available for purchase at each participating restaurant, on the day of the event. The cost is $100 per person and 100 percent of the proceeds raised will be presented to Irelands Four Courts. The patrons who come out to support this community effort will show their voucher to enjoy a bite and a drink special at each of the six participating restaurants.

A half dozen restaurants are participating, including:

Clare and Don’s Beach Shack
130 North Washington Street

Ireland’s Four Provinces
105 West Broad Street

Liberty Barbecue
370 West Broad Street

Northside Social
205 Park Avenue

Dogwood Tavern
132 West Broad Street

Harvey’s
513 West Broad Street

Crawl for the Courts poster (via Clare and Don’s Beach Shack)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A park bench and a large spider web near the Gulf Branch Nature Center (staff photo

APS Enrollment Still Down — “Two-and-a-half years after COVID upended the international landscape and forced many American students to try and learn from home, Arlington Public Schools is still playing catchup. The school system’s official start-of-the-year count of 26,439 students in kindergarten through 12th grade is down 467 students, or 1.7 percent, from the total reported at the start of the 2019-20 school year.” [Sun Gazette]

Cars Damaged Near Wakefield High — “5000 block of S. Chesterfield Road. At approximately 7:49 a.m. on October 18, police were dispatched to the report of vandalism. Upon arrival, it was determined that between approximately 10:30 p.m. on October 17 and 7:49 a.m. on October 18, the unknown suspect(s) smashed the driver’s side windows of three vehicles. No items were reported stolen and no additional damage was reported. The victim vehicles are Honda, Subaru and Chevrolet models.” [ACPD]

Earthquake Drill Today — “More than 11 years after the Virginia earthquake that was felt by people up and down the East Coast, governments, schools and residents in Virginia will participate in the Great Southeast ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on Thursday. The Great Southeast Shakeout Earthquake Drill is part of International ShakeOut Day on Oct. 20, at 10:20 a.m. local time, when millions of people worldwide prepare for the possibility of an earthquake.” [Patch]

More on FCPD Chase into Arlington — “Armed Robbery @Homedepot Seven Corners at 1858HRS. Red F-150 VA Temp Tag… [Fairfax County police] pursuit into Old town after ramming PO. Chase up to I395 NB w/ foot bail out at Exit 10C… Driver arrested… Extensive History in Fairfax County. Felonies always Nolle Pros & sentences suspended. All fines remain unpaid.” [Twitter]

Silver Line to Dulles Opening Soon — “The second phase of the Silver Line may finally be ready to begin in time for the start of busy Thanksgiving travel, Metro announced today. But the opening of the long-anticipated and long-delayed extension into Loudoun County is pending security certifications.” [FFXnow]

It’s Thursday — Clear and cool. High of 57 and low of 36. Sunrise at 7:24 am and sunset at 6:24 pm. [Weather.gov]

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