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.
Eastbound I-66 at Exit 72 / Langston Blvd (via Google Maps)
Someone driving the wrong-way on I-66 in Arlington caused a crash that seriously injured three people, state police say.
The crash happened early this morning around 1:30 a.m., near one of the Langston Blvd exits between Rosslyn and Glebe Road.
“At approximately 1:23 a.m. Monday (Sept. 19), Virginia State Police received an emergency call concerning a vehicle driving west in the eastbound lanes of I-66,” VSP spokeswoman Corinne Geller tells ARLnow. “As state troopers were responding, the wrong-way vehicle struck an eastbound vehicle head-on near Exit 72.”
“The driver of the wrong-way vehicle, and the driver and passenger in the eastbound vehicle were all transported to a nearby hospital for treatment for serious injuries,” Geller continued. “The crash remains under investigation and charges are pending.”
ARLnow is awaiting an update on the condition of the three people seriously hurt in the crash.
Police car speeding to a call at night (staff photo)
(Updated at 12:50 p.m.) A carjacker was reportedly foiled by a manual transmission early this morning.
The attempted carjacking happened around 12:20 a.m. at the Boundary Channel Drive and I-395 interchange, between Long Bridge Park and the Pentagon. Arlington police radio traffic suggests that the would-be carjacker might have been flummoxed by the stick shift of the car he was trying to take, though that has not yet been confirmed by police.
Arlington police were assisted by Virginia State Police, Pentagon police, U.S. Park Police and the Fairfax County Police Department helicopter in searching for the suspect, who fled the scene on foot.
No injuries were reported.
Additional information on the carjacking was released by police this afternoon, seemingly confirming the stick shift report.
The ACPD crime report, below, also notes that the suspect allegedly tried to carjack a second victim, who then struck the suspect with his vehicle and drove off before calling police. Despite an extensive search, the suspect was not located and no arrests were made.
More from ACPD:
ATTEMPTED CARJACKING, 2022-09190006, Boundary Channel Drive at I-395. At approximately 12:18 a.m. on September 19, police were dispatched to the report of an attempted carjacking. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was driving on the ramp for northbound I-395 from Boundary Channel Drive when the unknown male suspect approached on foot from the median. The male suspect allegedly began banging on the victim’s windshield and demanded she exit her vehicle while holding an unknown object. The victim exited her vehicle and ran down the ramp. The suspect then entered the victim’s vehicle but was unable to operate it. While officers were on scene, an additional victim contacted the Emergency Communications Center to report an attempted carjacking. The male victim stated he had been travelling on the ramp for northbound I-395 from Boundary Channel Drive when a suspect matching the description given by the first victim jumped in front of his vehicle, banged on the hood and demanded he exit the vehicle. The victim accelerated his vehicle, making contact with the suspect and left the area before contacting police. The suspect was last seen running across I-395 towards the exit for the George Washington Memorial Parkway. 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. The victims were not injured. The suspect is described as a White male with a slim build, approximately 30 years old, 6’0″, with dark buzzcut hair, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and dark pants. The investigation is ongoing.
(3) One man who ran across I-395 to help came back to his car followed by a man in shorts. That man then goes towards an SUV that stopped in the express lanes after the driver apparently saw the commotion. That driver left & the man in shorts is seen jogging toward D.C. (more) pic.twitter.com/kNUMieq1Rb
An outdoor concert in Long Bridge Park (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington Lawyer’s Jeopardy! Run Ends — “Both Luigi and Emmett got Final Jeopardy! correct, but for the second time this week, the leader going into Final didn’t win, as Luigi’s gambit hoping that Emmett wouldn’t get Final correct didn’t work out–Emmett bet $10,000 and is the Jeopardy! champion going into the weekend! He’ll be back on Monday to defend!” [The Jeopardy! Fan]
ANC Confederate Statue Removal? — “An independent commission is recommending that the Confederate Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery be dismantled and taken down, as part of its final report to Congress on the renaming of military bases and assets that commemorate the Confederacy… Some of the figures also on the statue include a slave woman depicted as ‘Mammy’ holding what is said to be the child of a white officer.” [NBC 4]
Michael Wardian Profile — “Scabby and blistered and peeling like a sunburn, the arch of his size-11 foot looks as if it’s been gnawed on by a small critter, like corn on the cob. I feel as though this wounded appendage ought to be swaddled in gauze, but it’s bare inside his shoe, and Wardian’s walk seems unaffected. He started the morning at 5:30 playing pickleball for hours and would end the day driving to a Dead & Company concert at Jiffy Lube Live.” [Washingtonian]
Chamber Prez Celebrates Fifteenth Year — “This month, Arlington Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Kate Bates celebrates 15 years of service with the organization. Kate Bates joined the Chamber in 2007 as Member Services Manager… before being named President and CEO in 2014 after the organization held a national search to find a replacement for Rich Doud when he announced his retirement after 23 years. Only 29 at the time, Kate was the youngest Chief Executive Officer, and the first female to lead the Chamber.” [Press Release]
Local National Merit Semifinalists — “Seniors from Washington-Liberty High School, Wakefield High School, Yorktown High School, H.B. Woodlawn and Bishop O’Connell High School will be eligible for National Merit Scholarships in 2023 after being named semifinalists. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation named over 16,000 semifinalists Wednesday for its competitive scholarship program in 2023.” [Patch]
Per Square Foot Rate Falling — “Another sign of the slowing local real-estate market: Sellers are getting less, on a per-square-foot basis, than they had earlier in the year… Arlington led suburban jurisdictions, with an August 2022 rate of $451 per square foot, down from $454 a year before (the lone year-over-year decliner) and off from a year-to-date average of $484.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Monday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 83 and low of 66. Sunrise at 6:55 am and sunset at 7:12 pm. [Weather.gov]
In the interest of letting everyone enjoy the outdoors after what has been an exceedingly busy week — at least for us — let’s get right to this week’s top stories.
We’re in the middle of September with a much cooler weekend ahead.
Currently, the median sales price is $637,000 with a median list price of $699,000. There are 528 homes for sale. Of those homes for sale, 311 are condos, 174 are detached homes and 43 are townhomes according to Homesnap.
Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place in Arlington (and elsewhere of potential interest) this weekend:
818 N. Fillmore Street, Lyon Park*
5 BR, 3 BA (+1 half) single-family detached Noteworthy: A classic from Lyon Park that has been expanded and updated Listed: $1,660,000 Open: 1-4 p.m. (Natalie Roy – Keller Williams Metro Center)
80 Holly Hill Court, Berkeley Springs, WV*
2 BR, 2 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: Custom home on 2.56 acres, private community Listed: $470,000 Distance from Arlington: 107 miles (~1 hour, 45 minute drive) Open: Sunday, 1-4 p.m. (Megan Rippon – Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.)
5325 16th Road N.
4 BR, 3.5 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: Wooded corner lot, four brick fireplaces, two-car garage Listed: $1,425,000 Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Reem Trahan – Compass)
4408 1st Street S.
3 BR, 1 BA (+1 half) condo Noteworthy: Brick front, wood burning fireplace, patio Listed: $899,990 Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Shane Canny – Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.)
Here are some other options to consider if you’re in the market to rent or buy:
1300 Army Navy Dr #822*
2 BR, 2 BA condo Noteworthy: This property features 2 balconies and lots of upgrades throughout the residence Listed: $499,900 (Matt Leighton – The Battle Group with Century 21 Redwood Realty)
2600 N. Nottingham Street
4 BR, 3 BA single-family detached Noteworthy: New oak hardwood floors, expansive kitchen, refinished garage Listed: $1,350,000 (Jason Walder – Compass)
989 S. Buchanan Street #206
1 BR, 1 BA condo Noteworthy: Waterfall quartz kitchen island, assigned parking space, in-unit washer/dryer Listed: $1,950/mo (Kay Houghton – KW Metro Center)
Want your listing to appear here or as the Listing of the Day? You can now submit sponsored listings.
A 54-year-old Arlington woman was arrested after an apparent road rage dispute escalated to violence.
The incident happened around 8:30 a.m. around the intersection of King Street and S. Chesterfield Road, near the Wendy’s and a short distance from Wakefield High School.
Police say a dispute among drivers ended with the suspect cutting off the victim, pepper spraying him when they both got out of their cars, and then driving off before returning and continuing to argue. The suspect was arrested by police nearby. She is charged with Malicious Wounding by Caustic Substance.
More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING BY CAUSTIC SUBSTANCE, 2022-09150074, 5000 block of Chesterfield Road. At approximately 8:25 a.m. on September 15, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with injury. Upon arrival, the male victim was being treated on scene by medics for non-life threatening injuries. The investigation determined the victim and suspect had been driving in the area of King Street and S. Chesterfield Road when they became involved in a dispute. The victim continued driving and the suspect allegedly followed and cut him off. Both drivers then exited their vehicles and the suspect allegedly pepper sprayed the victim before driving away. The suspect immediately returned and another verbal dispute ensued. Arriving officers locate the suspect in the area and took her into custody without incident.
Christmas decoration in the Pentagon City Costco on 9/14/22 (photo courtesy John Antonelli)
Christmas items are now on display at the Pentagon City Costco.
Reader John Antonelli sent the photo above, which is perhaps jarring given the current beautiful, 80 degree weather — and the fact that many of us have not even started thinking about Halloween.
“Ho ho ho,” Antonelli said in his email.
But perhaps Christmas items in September are fine. Maybe there’s a subset of the population that appreciates getting to prepare for the holiday more than three months in advance.
Which of the following do you most associate with?
Rosslyn as the sun sets (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Local Lawyer on Five-Day Jeopardy! Streak — Arlington attorney Luigi de Guzman is now on a five-day winning streak on Jeopardy! and will likely be included in future Tournament of Champions. De Guzman has won $140,700 so far and will next face a homemaker from Arkansas and a freelance writer from Baltimore. [The Jeopardy! Fan]
Local Coworking Space is Bankrupt — “Coworking firm and government contracting accelerator Eastern Foundry has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and appears to have shuttered all operations, according to court records and interviews. The company — which at one point maintained three locations, in Crystal City, Rosslyn and Fayetteville, North Carolina — closed a checking account that contained $0 on Oct. 1, 2021… In 2016, it leased 19,000 square feet at 1100 Wilson Blvd. in Rosslyn that Arlington County heavily subsidized.” [Washington Business Journal]
State Tax Rebate Coming — “This fall, approximately 3.2 million eligible taxpayers will receive one-time tax rebates of up to $250 if they filed individually, and up to $500 if they filed jointly. To be eligible, taxpayers must file by November 1, 2022 and have had a 2021 tax liability.” [Press Release]
More on Custis Trail Stabbing — “A teenager named Max, who considers himself fortunate to be alive, wants to help police find the man who stabbed him last month in an unprovoked attack as he was jogging in Arlington, Va. He said he’s worried that the assailant, if not caught, will eventually plunge a knife into another innocent victim and that person’s story will have a sadder ending than his own.” [Washington Post]
Store Employee Robbed in Pentagon City — “two suspects allegedly entered the business and began to conceal merchandise when they were confronted by an employee. The suspects left the business without the merchandise and a short time later, returned and became involved in a verbal dispute with the employee. The suspects then threatened the employee, implying they had a firearm and physically assaulted him before stealing his cellphone and fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]
Arlington Lags in Apartment Construction — “Alexandria is one of the cities with significant increases in new apartment construction in 2022, according to a new study from RentCafe… The largest share of the region’s projected units would come from Washington, DC — 4,572. Alexandria is second in the region with 1,730 projected units, followed by Arlington with 1,635 projected units, Ashburn with 762, Gaithersburg with 630 and Reston with 546.” [Patch]
Mormons Give Tons of Food to AFAC — “The Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) recently received 39,000 pounds of food through a partnership with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The donation made its way to Arlington from Utah, where the church provides groceries to members in need. AFAC and other organizations around the country receive surplus food.” [Sun Gazette]
APS Enrollment Up vs. Last Year — “Arlington’s first-day-of-school count, while up from a year ago, remains below the pre-pandemic high of 2019, suggesting some students whose families pulled them out of the public-school system will not be coming back. Superintendent Francisco Durán on Sept. 8 reported a first-day-of-class enrollment of 27,524, up 613 students from last year’s official count of 26,911.” [Sun Gazette]
It’s Friday — Yet another gorgeous early fall day. Clear throughout the day. High of 80 and low of 59. Sunrise at 6:52 am and sunset at 7:17 pm. [Weather.gov]
The company grew rapidly after its January 2017 founding by Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz, former stars of Rosslyn-based Politico, which itself was recently acquired.
Just a year after its launch Axios graduated from a co-working space on a lower floor of 3100 Clarendon Blvd to snazzy new digs on a top floor. In 2020, after establishing itself as a prolific publisher of scoops in the worlds of U.S. politics, dealmaking, media and other topics, it set its sight on an unlikely expansion opportunity: local news.
Axios acquired the local news website Charlotte Agenda in December 2020 for a reported $5 million, rebranding it Axios Charlotte and enlisting its co-founder, Ted Williams, to help lead the rapid expansion of Axios Local.
Not even two years later, Axios Local now has 24 local newsletters across the country, operated by two-to-three person local teams that do a mix of original reporting and curation of other local news sources. The Axios D.C. newsletter launched about a year ago.
Local news, of course, is a difficult business. Newspapers are in rapid decline, with revenue down 60% and overall employment down 70% since the mid-2000s. TV stations, which generate much of their revenue from local news, may be at or near a peak before revenue starts to decline. Cox sold a majority stake in its TV station group to a private equity company in late 2019 and sold off stations in 12 markets earlier this year.
Axios is among a newer generation of online-only local news publishers that have not yet matched the journalistic firepower of local newspapers in their pre-internet heyday, when the printed paper was the go-to route into the homes for local advertisers, from department store inserts to “help wanted” classifieds.
Google, Facebook, Craigslist, Angie’s List, Yelp and any number of other online resources have since given advertisers more ways to reach local consumers, leading to a decades-long bleeding of revenue away from local newspapers and what had been their distribution-based monopoly on customer attention.
Into the breach have stepped Axios and its fast-growing local newsletter competitor 6AM City, as well as earlier local-news-at-scale efforts like Patch and more localized, independent online-only publications like ARLnow (plus sister sites ALXnow and FFXnow).
There are currently more than 700 independent local news startups in the U.S. and Canada, according to Local Independent Online News Publishers, a trade group that ARLnow helped to found. While a handful of online news ventures have grown to rival the size of local newspapers — the nonprofit Texas Tribune has more than 50 journalists — none so far have achieved anything approaching nationwide ubiquity.
Axios is seeking to be the first.
“Our goal of 100 cities is in reach,” Axios Local publisher Nick Johnston told Poynter’s Rick Edmonds in August. “I have a list of 384 metropolitan areas in my office, and we cross them off one by one.”
It was those kind of grand local ambitions that drew the 124-year-old, privately-held Cox Enterprises — which dates back to 1898, when its founder purchased the Dayton Daily News in Ohio — to Axios.
The company ramped up talks to buy Axios several months ago, intrigued by the company’s push into local journalism, VandeHei said in an interview. […]
While some current investors weren’t interested in adding more capital, Cox felt confident in the leadership’s ability to monetize local journalism at scale with a lean digital-first approach, said Cox Enterprises Chief Financial Officer Dallas Clement in an interview.
“Cox became an investor in Axios last year and has a lengthy history of supporting local news,” Axios spokesperson Lauren Shiplett told ARLnow last month. “Cox’s leadership has publicly expressed its excitement about Axios Local’s rapid growth as well as the strength of our national platform.”
Four Mile Run at dusk near Arlington Mill (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
PARK(ing) Day Returns Tomorrow — “THIS FRIDAY: PARK(ing) Day returns to Arlington for the first time in three years. Visit highly creative groups as they temporarily repurpose drab curbside clusters in an exploration of ‘public space’ and possibility.” [Twitter, Arlington County]
Four Courts Fundraiser Tonight — “The fundraiser will be on September 15th at Samuel Beckett’s Irish Pub in Shirlington at 6pm. We ask that you share this and that we can get as many folks possible both in the Irish community and those that love Ireland’s Four Courts to come out and raise a glass and support those who need it most.” [Facebook]
Thunderbirds Flyover for Funeral — “Two of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds founding members were recognized Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery during a rare inurnment ceremony. Part of the ceremony included a flyover salute from the Thunderbirds. If you were in Arlington on Wednesday, you may have see smoke in the sky and hear loud noises.” [WJLA]
More Amazon Housing Funding — “Amazon.com Inc. is awarding more than $163 million in loans and grants to 12 developers working on 11 affordable housing projects in the District, Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, the company said Wednesday. Amazon’s commitment will create or preserve 1,571 housing units, kept affordable long-term, which, in most cases, is 99 years.” None of the housing developments mentioned are in Arlington. [Washington Business Journal]
Child Porn Arrest in Falls Church — “The City of Falls Church Police Criminal Investigation Division began investigating the suspect after receiving a cyber-tip from the Northern Virginia and Washington, DC Internet Crimes Against Children (NOVA-DC ICAC) Task Force about possible crimes involving child pornography. During the execution of the search warrant at the suspect’s residence on August 31, 2022, multiple digital devices were forensically previewed and child pornography was located.” [City of Falls Church]
It’s Thursday — Clear throughout the day. High of 77 and low of 64. Sunrise at 6:51 am and sunset at 7:18 pm. [Weather.gov]
A former county employee arrested and convicted for assaulting a police officer after being fired is back behind bars.
Vincent Moody, a 57-year-old Arlington resident, is now accused of trying to rape a woman in the restroom of a business on the 4800 block of Langston Blvd. The name of the business was not given, but that block includes a McDonald’s, a body piercing business, a tattoo parlor, and an Indian grocery store.
After the alleged sexual assault, according to a police press release, Moody started walking east on Langston Blvd and punched a man who happened to be walking by.
The alleged incidents happened on the evening of Monday, Sept. 12, according to Arlington County police.
Arlington County Police have arrested a 57-year-old Arlington man after he assaulted two individuals in separate incidents along Langston Boulevard on the evening of September 12. Vincent Moody, 57, of Arlington, VA is charged with Attempted Rape, Abduction with the Intent to Defile and Assault and Battery. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
At approximately 10:47 p.m. on September 12, police were dispatched to the 4800 block of Langston Boulevard for the report of a dispute in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was inside a business when she entered the women’s restroom and was followed in by the suspect. The suspect allegedly requested sex, grabbed the victim, attempted to remove her clothing and pushed her into a stall. The victim called a friend, who entered the restroom and pulled the suspect away from the victim.
The suspect left the business and was walking in the 4700 block of Langston Boulevard when he approached the male victim and female witness, who were unrelated to the previous incident. The suspect struck the male victim and began walking towards the witness. The witness ran into a business for assistance and they contacted police. Arriving officers located the suspect and took him into custody without incident.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Detective P. Pena at 703-228-4183 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously to Arlington County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
Moody worked as a facilities assistant for the county prior to the dispute over his employment at county government headquarters in Courthouse on Nov. 15, 2017. He pled guilty to assault on a law enforcement officer in December of that year and received a 360 day sentence with all but four days suspended.
In the years since, he has been in and out of Arlington’s court system, with the office of former prosecutor Theo Stamos dropping three separate probation violation charges in 2018 and 2019. Moody was also found guilty of assaulting a law enforcement officer again in 2018 and given a one year sentence, with all but two months suspended.
Fines levied by the court are marked as not paid, according to court records.
More recently, Moody was issued a citation for destruction of property in December 2021 and charged with trespassing in March of this year. The trespass charge, the third on his record since 2017, was dropped by current prosecutor Parisa Dehghani-Tafti’s office after a hearing in May, Arlington County General District Court records show.
