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.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Tuco and Fig

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Welcome the newest Arlington Pet of the Week duo, Tuco and Fig! These fluffy twins came from Pennsylvania, but now call Arlington home.

Tuco and Fig have a few things to say about their paw-fect life in Arlington.

Greetings from Tuco and Fig!

We came from humble beginnings from a farm in Pennsylvania. Thanks to our mom’s Tesla driving friend, we were whisked away to the city of Arlington, and are living a paw-fectly splendid life!

Life in the city was an easy transition for us twins because we have each other, and also the paw-somest parents. Our daily schedule consists of sunbathing on our balcony, wrestling with each other, and reposing wherever we want.

Also, people love coming up to us to pet us and take pictures of us. Once we got a free tote bag just for sitting on it. Why are humans ever stressed out??

Sometimes, we hang out with our best friends Tater Tot and Mister Waffles (who was a previous Pet of the Week). Dad hopes we get bigger than Tater Tot, because he says he is his “rival.” We don’t understand what that means, but we love our playdates together!

And mom made us an Instagram account @tucoandfig because she has no hobbies. Hopefully she takes a break from all the pictures of us, so we can take a nap before dinner.

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet. Please don’t send vertical photos — they don’t fit in our photo gallery!

Metro changes planned due to large-scale emergency exercise at the Pentagon this weekend

By ARLnow.com
Clouds over the Pentagon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Expect to see lots of emergency activity around the Pentagon this weekend. But don’t worry, it’s just a drill.

The emergency response training exercise is scheduled to take place from 6 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday and will include first responders from a number of jurisdictions.

“Expect flashing lights/sirens near the Pentagon Transit Center,” Pentagon police said on Twitter.

The Pentagon Metro station will be closed until around 2 p.m. as a result of the exercise. Buses going to or from the Pentagon will be relocated to the Crystal City and Pentagon City stations.

More from a WMATA press release:

On Saturday, September 24, Metro will temporarily close the Pentagon Station to bus and rail service from opening until approximately 2 p.m. due to a security exercise at the request of the Pentagon. During this time, people in the area may notice a large amount of emergency personnel; however, customers should be aware this is only an exercise.

During the temporary station closure, Metrobus service that normally serves the Pentagon Transit Center will instead be relocated to Pentagon City. Express shuttle buses operating to/from Huntington and Franconia-Springfield to Pentagon due to major construction on the Blue and Yellow lines will be diverted to Crystal City where customers can transfer to/from the rail system.

While Pentagon Station is closed, Blue Line trains will bypass the station, passing through without stopping. Customers may wish to use Pentagon City Station as an alternative.

Bus and rail service will resume to the Pentagon at approximately 2 p.m. at the conclusion of the exercise. Metro will notify customers through our social media channels @MetrobusInfo @MetrorailInfo, online on the Status and Alerts page, and through MetroAlerts text and email messages. Customers are encouraged to sign up for MetroAlerts to be notified about the latest service information.

Metro’s customers service team will also be available to assist customers from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to provide real-time information online or by phone. Metro’s customer service team responds to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram social posts, emails and chat conversations. Customers may also get information by calling 202-637-7000 or visiting wmata.com.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Construction in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Development Plan for Papillon Cycles Building — “The Christopher Companies has filed plans with Arlington County for a new 88-unit residential development at 2801 Columbia Pike, currently home to a two-level commercial building. The new project, designed by Devereaux Architects and Planners, would rise 7 stories, have two levels of underground parking and 5,800 square feet of retail space.” [UrbanTurf]

Another Gun Caught at DCA — “Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) prevented a Prince George’s County, Md., man from carrying his loaded handgun onto a flight this morning, Wednesday, Sept. 21. It was the 20th gun detected by TSA officers at the airport so far this year. The 9mm gun was loaded with seven bullets, including one in the chamber.” [Press Release]

New Retail and Restaurant at Airport — “Local burger joint Lucky Buns and Black-owned bookstore MahoganyBooks are among the businesses that will open new locations at National Airport, according to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Lucky Buns, which is from Chef Alex McCoy and known for its burgers and chicken sandwiches influenced by British and Southeast Asian cuisine, will be located by the B gates.” [DCist]

Ukrainian Kids Visit USS Arlington — “Twenty-seven children of Ukrainian soldiers visited the U.S. Navy San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS Arlington (LPD 24) during a port of call to Riga, Latvia, in late August. The National Defense Patriotic Foundation (NAMEJS), a charitable organization run by retired Latvian Army Lt. Gen. Raimonds Graube, hosted the Ukrainian children for a week-long summer camp at the time of USS Arlington’s arrival.” [Sun Gazette]

N. Va. Job Growth Trails Rest of State — “Northern Virginia accounts for nearly 38 percent of the jobs in the commonwealth but only was responsible for 30 percent of the statewide rebound in employment over the past year, according to new data. From August 2021 to August 2022, the local region picked up a net 35,700 new jobs to stand at 1,533,700, according to figures reported Sept. 16 by the Virginia Employment Commission.” [Sun Gazette]

Metro Track Issues Revealed — “Wheel problems similar to those that sidelined about half of Metro’s rail car fleet also occurred years earlier on older cars, partly stemming from a track issue Metro never addressed, the transit system’s regulatory agency said Tuesday while citing a years-old report that recently came to light.” [Washington Post]

It’s Thursday — Partly cloudy throughout the day, plus a chance of showers and storms, getting windy and cooler in the afternoon and evening. High of 78 and low of 61. Sunrise at 6:58 am and sunset at 7:07 pm. [Weather.gov]

Family believes missing man might be seen in video of alleged carjacking attempt

By ARLnow.com
Suspect in alleged carjacking attempts seen in the roadway along I-395 after being struck by a car (courtesy Dave Statter/Twitter)

The family of a missing man thinks he may be the one who allegedly tried to carjack two drivers along I-395.

The Byrne family is going public with its concern for Sean, 27, who was last seen Sunday night leaving Reagan National Airport, where he was set to fly home to the Chicago area. They believe he had a psychiatric episode that led him to run off, but they don’t know where he is headed.

Meghan Byrne, the man’s sister, said Sean was in town visiting her for her birthday. She says he is in crisis and is urging anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact local authorities.

“I’m hoping to get as many people and resources as possible to help look for and locate my brother,” Byrne told ARLnow. “We just want to make sure that he’s okay.”

“We want to get the word out so that if anyone sees him or might have information that they’ve they’ve seen him in recent days that they can contact local authorities,” she continued.

Missing person poster (courtesy Meghan Byrne, via Dave Statter)

Sean is described as a 27-year-old white male who’s 6’2″ with a “very athletic” build, a short brown buzzcut, and a bit of facial hair. He was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, gray athletic shorts, black tennis shoes, and black socks, and may also have a black backpack and a white face mask.

Meghan saw a video of one of the alleged carjacking attempts along I-395 early Monday morning, posted by Pentagon City resident and public safety watchdog Dave Statter, and believes it shows Sean.

“We are convinced that that was my brother,” said Meghan. “The video that Dave Statter posted matches my brother’s general description and matches his behavior.”

Arlington County police said Monday morning that a younger white male suspect with a buzzcut tried to carjack two people around the Boundary Channel Drive interchange along I-395. One male victim struck the suspect with his car and drove off, while a female victim got out and gave up her car — only for the suspect to be foiled by the vehicle’s stick shift.

Statter’s video shows the apparent suspect being struck by the one victim’s car, before getting up and running across the highway.

“The suspect was last seen running across I-395 towards the exit for the George Washington Memorial Parkway,” Arlington County police said in a crime report Monday. “A perimeter was established and a lookout was broadcast for the suspect. Police helicopters assisted with a search of the area which yielded negative results.”

Meghan said a missing person report was filed with airport police and the family is also in contact with Arlington County police.

An ACPD spokeswoman today released a brief statement in response to an inquiry from ARLnow, not directly addressing whether police believe the missing man is the person seen on video.

From ACPD:

Mr. Byrne was reported missing to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police Department and they are the primary agency investigating the missing person’s report.

The investigation into the attempted carjackings on September 19 are ongoing and no arrests have been made at this time. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Hat tip to Dave Statter

Poppyseed Rye revamps menu, adds former Le Diplomate chef

By ARLnow.com
Exterior of Poppyseed Rye (staff photo)

Sandwich and salad spot Poppyseed Rye is revamping its menu and bringing on a new chef in the kitchen and as a partner.

Greg Lloyd, who worked as Executive Chef at D.C.’s busy Le Diplomate since 2016, is now the Ballston restaurant-slash-flower-shop’s chef and managing partner.

“At Le Diplomate Greg oversaw a kitchen team of 125 people, and ran one of the busiest kitchens in Washington,” a press release notes. “Prior to Le Diplomate he ran Parc in Philadelphia and Buddakan in [NYC], other properties of restaurant magnate Stephen Starr.

“This is a dream addition to our team. Greg’s talent and tenacity know no bounds,” said Poppyseed Rye partner and local serial entrepreneur Scott Parker. “He’s someone we’re looking forward to growing with, and he has revolutionized our offerings at Poppyseed Rye. We’re really thrilled to bring one of D.C.’s top chefs to Arlington, and specifically Ballston.”

Lloyd said in a statement that he wants to “make bellies happy.”

“Greg’s new menu kicks off at Poppyseed Rye effective immediately, it’s already live,” said the press release. “It features breakfast all day, with all new breakfast sandwiches and awesome classics like biscuits and gravy. He’s also added some of his favorite sandwiches and will run daily specials.”

Other menu items include a bahn mi sandwich, mushroom tart toast, and pork belly biscuit breakfast sandwich.

Poppyseed Rye has changed its hours, focusing on lunch and later breakfasts.

“To coincide with the changes, Poppyseed Rye is now open daily from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., and has added a coffee menu to go with the new food,” the press release said. When it opened last November, the hours were 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Parker and Lloyd have their sights set on other ventures, as well. The team is now “busy concepting upcoming restaurants… to be announced in the coming months, including one project in Fells Point, Baltimore.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Giant skeleton in a North Arlington yard (staff photo)

Amazon Donating to Abingdon ES — “To help address food insecurity in the community surrounding Amazon’s second headquarters (HQ2), and support families as students go back to school, Amazon is donating more than $250,000 worth of products from Amazon Fresh to Food For Neighbors, Abingdon Elementary School, and DC Food Project to support more students facing food insecurity have access to fresh and shelf-stable food, in addition to essential toiletries.” [Amazon]

It’s Almost Officially Autumn — “On Tuesday, we prepared to enter the last third of September, what we might call the September part of September, the time when the autumn equinox usually occurs, and the time for shedding the spirit and sense of summer. Midnight Tuesday left us a little more than 33 hours until the equinox. Wednesday is autumn’s eve.” [Washington Post]

Small Apartment Fire in Fairlington Area — “There were no injuries after a small fire in the vent shaft of an apartment building in the Fairlington neighborhood on Tuesday, September 20. The Alexandria Fire Department was dispatched to the Waypoint apartment building at 2451 Menokin Drive at around 10 a.m. It took just over an hour for AFD to leave the scene.” [ALXnow]

Comic Book Burglary in Falls Church — “Someone stole an estimated tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of comic books from a store in Falls Church, Virginia, police said. A patrol unit responded to a call from the 500 block of S. Washington Street about 6:45 a.m. Tuesday and discovered Victory Comics’ front door shattered, Falls Church police said… The estimate of the stolen material has increased to around $75,000 to $100,000.” [NBC 4]

It’s Sept. 21 — Clear throughout the day. High of 84 and low of 64. Sunrise at 6:57 am and sunset at 7:09 pm. [Weather.gov]

JUST IN: Crash closes N. Glebe Road in Ballston area, knocks out power

By ARLnow.com
1/3

All lanes of N. Glebe Road are closed just south of Quincy Street due to a crash involving an overturned vehicle.

The single-vehicle crash took down power lines, according to scanner traffic, and the southbound lanes of Glebe are expected to be shut down for an extended period of time as a result.

One person was reportedly taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

Police are on scene and investigating the cause of the crash and whether the driver might have been intoxicated.

Dominion, meanwhile, is reporting via its outage map that nearly 2,750 homes and businesses are without power in the area of the crash. The utility company expects power to be restored between 3-6 a.m.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Smoke from western wildfires turns the setting sun red near the U.S. Air Force Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Close Call at DCA — From Dave Statter on Saturday: “#caughtoncamera : Urgency in the voice of an air traffic controller after an @AmericanAir jet crossed Runway 15 at Reagan National as @RepublicAirways 4676 tried to land at 5:30 p.m. today.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Video of Carjacking Suspect? — Also from Dave Statter: “Here’s a view from a different camera. This occurred at 12:18 a.m. @ArlingtonVaPD say the carjacker couldn’t drive the first car he took & tried to get another one when he was hit. The driver called police after he left the scene & got away from the man his car struck.” [Twitter]

New Childcare Centers Approved — “In one fell swoop – technically speaking, three – Arlington County Board members on Sept. 17 voted to increase the number of available child-care spaces in Arlington by about 8 percent. Three different projects totaling 472 new seats were approved as part of the board’s consent agenda.” [Sun Gazette]

Blue Ribbon School in Arlington — “The new list of National Blue Ribbon Schools was released on Friday, and one school in Arlington was on the list… Saint Agnes Catholic School on N. Randolph Street. Part of the Arlington Diocese, Saint Agnes School was the only non-public school in Virginia to make the list.” [Patch]

County Rethinking Retail Policy — “Arlington County Board members continue to drive the final stakes into the heart of a one-time local-government policy to force retail uses onto the ground floors of residential and commercial buildings. Board members on Sept. 17 approved a switch from requiring retail uses to accepting ‘retail-equivalent’ in a number of buildings across the county.” [Sun Gazette]

ACPD K-9 Retires — “An Arlington County Police K-9 named Duke just wrapped up his final day on the job after eight years. Authorities said Duke worked in the patrol and narcotics detection division. He will now spend retirement with his handler and his family.” [WJLA]

Yorktown Dominates Oakton — “What a difference a year makes for the Yorktown Patriots. This season, the high-school football team won back-to-back non-district games against the Madison Warhawks at home then the host Oakton Cougars. Last fall Yorktown lost to each of those Vienna teams at reversed sites on consecutive Friday nights. The Patriots’ most recent win against one of those squads was Sept. 16 with a 49-7 rout over Oakton for their third win in a row and to improve to 3-1.” [Sun Gazette]

Guilty Plea in ABC Scheme — “A former Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority employee pleaded guilty to a felony computer trespassing charge after he was implicated in an unusual scheme to sell agency inventory data to buyers looking for early intel on which stores would have hard-to-find bottles of bourbon, ABC officials announced Monday. Edgar Smith Garcia, 28, of Manassas, received a suspended sentence of two years in prison after entering the guilty plea in Hanover County Circuit Court.” [Virginia Mercury]

It’s Tuesday — Clear throughout the day. High of 81 and low of 67. Sunrise at 6:56 am and sunset at 7:10 pm. [Weather.gov]

Arlington event calendar highlights (Sept. 19-25)

By ARLnow.com

Looking for something to do this week in Arlington?

Check out the following selections from our event calendar. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out this form.

“Water is Life” Open Mic Night at Busboys and Poets Shirlington

Wednesday, September 21 @ 8:00 PM

Busboys and Poets Shirlington (4251 Campbell Avenue)

Saint Ann Parish Jubilee Festival

Saturday, September 24 @ 10:00 AM

Saint Ann Catholic Church & School (980 N. Frederick Street )

Come join us for the Saint Ann Parish Jubilee Festival with games, rides, raffle, silent auction, a beer garden, live music and food!

Annual Celtic Festival

Saturday, September 24 @ 12:00 PM

Samuel Beckett’s Irish Pub (2800 S Randolph St Ste 110)

Maddie & Eddie’s Annual Oyster Festival

Saturday, September 24 @ 12:00 PM

Mattie & Eddie’s (1301 S Joyce St.)

Sips & Chips

Saturday, September 24 @ 12:00 PM

Osteria da Nino (2900 South Quincy St)

You may not realize this–potato chips actually go really well with wine. Let us teach you more!

Family Fun Day!

Saturday, September 24 @ 2:00 PM

High View Park Playground (1945 N. Dinwiddie St)

Disney’s Newsies

Saturday, September 24 @ 8:00 PM

Thomas Jefferson Community Theatre (125 S. Old Glebe Rd)

Join TAP as we strike for our rights in this classic Disney musical!

Japanese Game Day

Sunday, September 25 @ 2:00 PM

Central Library (1015 N Quincy St)

Highlighted items are sponsored

UPDATED: False ‘shooter’ call at W-L prompts large emergency response, one of multiple hoaxes around Va.

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 5:35 p.m.) Police and firefighters swarmed Washington-Liberty High School this afternoon after an apparent hoax about an active shooter.

A caller told Arlington’s 911 dispatch that someone shot numerous people in a specific classroom at the school, according to scanner traffic, but no such shooting was located by authorities.

Scanner traffic suggests that Fairfax and Culpeper county schools might have received a similar alarming but false report. InsideNova later reported that “schools in Spotsylvania and Culpeper counties were among several across the state on Monday to fall victim to fake 911 calls reporting an active shooter.”

A Twitter thread details other false active shooter reports at schools around Virginia today — including in Loudoun County, Charlottesville, Norfolk, Fauquier, Lynchburg and elsewhere — and in other parts of the country today and last week. the Loudoun sheriff’s office described the incident as an instance of “swatting.”

A portion of the emergency activity at W-L started clearing the scene shortly after it became apparent that there was no shooter, but police continued to sweep the high school and its annex as a precaution.

Washington-Liberty, one of three comprehensive public high schools in Arlington, was evacuated in October 2021 after a false report of an active shooter. Two people were charged in July after fireworks set off during summer school at W-L prompted another active shooter panic and large emergency response.

NEW: A bank was robbed in the Courthouse area Friday afternoon

By ARLnow.com
Banks on the 2500 block of Wilson Blvd (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 1:35 p.m.) A middle-aged man robbed a bank in the Courthouse area Friday afternoon.

The robbery happened on the 2500 block of Wilson Blvd, near the border of the Courthouse and Clarendon neighborhoods, around 3:15 p.m.

From an Arlington County police crime report:

BANK ROBBERY, 2022-09160150, 2500 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 3:20 p.m. on September 16, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the unknown male suspect entered the bank, approached a teller, implied he had a weapon and demanded money. The suspect then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of cash. No weapon was seen or displayed and no injuries were reported. The suspect is described as a light-skin Black male, approximately 40-60 years old, 5’04”, 180 pounds, wearing a black and white hat, black glasses, black face mask, light-gray long sleeve button-up shirt, black pants, and dark shoes, carrying a grocery bag. The investigation is ongoing.

ACPD typically does not reveal the name of a business that has been the victim of a crime. There are two banks on the 2500 block of Wilson Blvd: FVCbank and National Capital Bank.

The last reported bank robbery in Arlington was back in May, when three banks in the Ballston area were robbed in the span of about a week. The suspect in two of those robberies was also described as a short, middle-aged Black man who ran off while carrying a plastic bag.

“This is an ongoing investigation and detectives will work to determine if it is linked to the incidents reported in May,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage, in response to an inquiry from ARLnow.

Image via Google Maps

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