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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Sunset (photo courtesy James Mahony)

It’s Hanukkah — The Jewish festival of Hanukkah started last night. Public menorah lightings are planned in Clarendon and Pentagon City are planned on Sunday and Monday. [ARLnow]

Federal Funds for Long Bridge — “Virginia has received $729 million in federal money that advances a plan to boost train capacity over the Potomac River and grow passenger rail operations within the decade, members of the state’s congressional delegation announced Thursday. The grant will support construction of a new Long Bridge, which is projected to cost nearly $2.3 billion.” [Washington Post, Twitter]

Beyer Running for Reelection — From Rep. Don Beyer: “I am seeking reelection to Congress to carry forward our work on building a stronger and more equitable economy, to be the most powerful voice and vote against climate change that I can, and to fight for my Northern Virginia constituents.” [Press Release]

New County Board Candidate — “DeVita, who last year unsuccessfully challenged state Sen. Barbara Favola (D-Arlington) in the Democratic primary, used his time before the rank-and-file to criticize the County Board’s adoption of ‘Missing Middle’ housing policies. Opposition to them will be ‘the key to my campaign,’ DeVita said. The current County Board’s move toward urbanization ‘is going to convert Arlington from a suburb to a city,’ DeVita said.” [Gazette Leader]

No Turns at Park and George Mason — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “You’ll see some added infrastructure at N Park Drive and George Mason. Drive safely. #VisionZero” [Twitter]

Funding for Bus Stops — “The Commonwealth Transportation Board has approved a request from the Arlington County government for funding to support accessibility at Arlington Transit (ART) bus stops in the county… The project involves construction of a new bus stop and Americans with Disabilities (ADA) improvements at three more. Funding also will enable the county government to use on-call contractors to immediately address accessibility issues.” [Gazette Leader]

Weekend Storm on Tap — “Drawing abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, it will generate heavy rains from Mississippi to Maine over the weekend, producing totals of 1 to 3 inches. Nashville, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York City and Boston should all anticipate moderate to heavy rainfall. Flight disruptions are possible given heavy rain and the system’s expansive area of strong winds, particularly late Sunday into early Monday in the Northeast.” [Capital Weather Gang]

It’s Friday — Expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures reaching 56°F and calm winds from the south at 5-8 mph during the afternoon. Tonight, watch for patchy fog after midnight alongside partly cloudy sky and lows around 37°F, with south winds at 3-6 mph. [Weather.gov]

Listing of the Day: 43041 Greeley Square

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Address: 43041 Greeley Square
Neighborhood: Brambleton at Birchwood
Type: 3 BR, 3 BA courtyard, single level — 2,500 sq. ft.
Listed: $859,990

Noteworthy: 55+ Single Level Living

Located in Brambleton, Virginia this 55+ living community of Birchwood at Brambleton has everything you need, right on your doorstep.

Just minutes from the Brambleton Town Center, you are desirably located near shopping, dining, entertainment and more. Residents at Birchwood have unlimited access to community events, yoga, arts and crafts classes, and other social gatherings. At the Clubhouse there are endless amenities such as indoor/outdoor pools, game rooms, a golf simulator, yoga studio, sports court, community garden and even trails containing a quaint fishing pier.

Birchwood at Brambleton’s healthy and social lifestyle delivers both accessibility and luxury resort living right to your front door.

*Model Home shown in pictures

Listed by:
Eric Hansen
[email protected]
(703) 896-0717

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Dec 7, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Dec 7, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Friday’s forecast

Expect a mostly sunny day with highs around 56, accompanied by a calm wind transitioning to a southerly breeze at 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. The evening will bring partly cloudy skies and lows near 37, with a gentle south wind at 3 to 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Most and least expensive homes sold in Arlington (November 2023)

By ARLnow.com

Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive single-family homes sold last month (November 2023).

Most expensive single-family homes sold

  1. 6512 36th St N — Williamsburg — $3,034,680 (6 beds | 6.5 baths | 6,815 sq. ft.)
  2. 5409 32nd St N — Rock Spring — $2,700,000 (5 beds | 5.5 baths | 6,461 sq. ft.)
  3. 4012 N Woodstock St — Stafford Albemarle Glebe — $2,625,000 (5 beds | 4.5 baths | 6,467 sq. ft.)
  4. 3212 N Kensington St — Williamsburg — $2,615,000 (7 beds | 6.5 baths | 6,015 sq. ft.)
  5. 5821 25th Rd N — Leeway — $2,175,000 (7 beds | 6.5 baths | 5,856 sq. ft.)

Least expensive single-family homes sold*

  1. 2121 S Oxford St — Green Valley — $545,000 (2 beds | 2 baths | 1,216 sq. ft.)
  2. 5729 1st St S — Glencarlyn — $650,000 (3 beds | 2 baths | 1,062 sq. ft.)
  3. 4936 14th St S — Claremont– $675,000 (3 beds | 2 baths | 1,610 sq. ft.)

*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.

Fundraiser for family whose duplex exploded nearly triples initial goal

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 11:35 a.m.) When the GoFundMe campaign for the Smith family launched 24 hours ago, it had a goal of raising $50,000. As of publication, it has raised about $140,000.

An outpouring of support for the family that lost everything in the explosion of their Bluemont duplex has been attracting donations from across Arlington, the region and the country. More than 2,000 have donated so far, including individuals and local groups.

“We KW Barrett Elementary kids wanted to support you all,” said one note of support on the fundraising page. “We had a hot cocoa stand to raise funds to help and then added a little extra from us. Hope this helps! Sincerely, KW Barrett Fifth Graders and friends.”

Students at the school in the Arlington Forest neighborhood raised more than $260 yesterday, including from a group of police officers who stopped by, according to social media posts.

The moment the Smith’s home blew up in a giant fireball has been viewed more than 30 million times on X (formerly Twitter) alone.

While they were evacuated by first responders well before the blast, knowledge that the family of four had all of their possessions and physical memories go up in flames prompted people to almost immediately start asking — in comments and social media — how they could support them in their time of need.

Thus stepped in local real estate agent Derek Cole, close college friend of Lance Smith from their time at Oklahoma State in the mid-1990s.

While the family is “not speaking to media at this time,” Cole said, he noted that they “have enjoyed calling Northern Virginia home for many years.” They had extensively renovated their side of the duplex, he wrote on GoFundMe, “working tirelessly to create a special home for their children to flourish.”

“Thankfully, the Smith family and their their sweet dog, are alive, healthy, and very much together,” Cole wrote. “Because of the explosion,” however, “the Smith family sadly lost all their worldly possessions.”

“It is the goal of their friends and loved ones to see the Smith family get back to normal as best they can following this horrible tragedy… especially, as we approach the holiday season,” he wrote. “Please join us in supporting the Smith family as they work to restore balance in their lives and focus on their incredible family, while we also respect their privacy.”

Cole told ARLnow that he was unsure how the funds raised on GoFundMe would be used, saying that it depends on what their insurance covers.

The family’s duplex neighbor, 56-year-old James Yoo, is presumed dead in the explosion, which followed an hours-long standoff with police. Yoo suffered apparent mental health problems and three days before Monday’s incident had posted a paranoid rant against the Smiths on his LinkedIn account.

It is still not clear what triggered the massive explosion, which is being investigated by both Arlington County authorities and federal law enforcement.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A damaged sign pointing to the Custis Trail along N. George Mason Drive in Bluemont (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

More on House Explosion Suspect — “The Virginia man presumed to have been killed when his house exploded while cops tried to serve a search warrant had posted rambling conspiracy theories — and filed frivolous lawsuits, including one accusing his ‘witch’ ex-wife of committing him ‘against his will’ in New York.” [New York Post]

What’s Left of the House — From ABC 7’s Tom Roussy: “For the first time since Monday night’s house explosion in Arlington, police have opened up North Burlington St. and we are getting a close look at the destruction left behind.” [Twitter]

Flyover This Afternoon — From Alert DC: “The US Military will conduct a flyover in the NCR, at Arlington National Cemetery, on Thursday, December 7, 2023 at 3:15 PM.”

Championship for YHS Grad — From Arlington Magazine: “Florida State Seminoles women’s soccer just won their fourth national championship and Arlington’s own Lauren Flynn, a Yorktown alumna, was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player.” [Facebook]

Flakes to Fly in 2024? — “Euro Seasonal Outlook for January just posted. What does it say? Buckle up Buttercup! The map below is showing where the model thinks most of the storms will locate in January.” [Twitter]

It’s Thursday — Expect a partly sunny day with highs reaching around 45 degrees, accompanied by a southwest wind at 5 to 9 mph. As for Thursday night, it will be mostly clear with lows around 33 degrees. The southwest wind will be around 5 mph, calming down in the evening. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Dec 6, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Dec 6, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌥️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect a mostly cloudy day with a high temperature close to 45 degrees accompanied by a southwest wind of 5 to 9 mph. As for Thursday night, it will be partly cloudy and the temperature will dip to around 33 degrees. The southwest wind around 5 mph will become calm during the evening. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
– Marcus Aurelius

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Former Arlington prosecutor named Va. Deputy Attorney General

By ARLnow.com
Theo Stamos (staff photo)

Former Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos is taking a top job in the Virginia Attorney General’s Office.

Stamos lost her reelection bid in 2019, defeated in the Democratic primary by now-Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti. Once Arlington’s top prosecutor, today Stamos was named the state’s Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

After her election defeat Stamos went on to work as a Law Enforcement Liaison in the U.S. Dept. of Justice during the Trump and Biden administrations, before starting to work with Jason Miyares, Virginia’s newly-elected Republican Attorney General, in January 2022. As Special Counsel to the Attorney General for Special Investigations, Stamos recently wrapped up the successful prosecution of former Loudoun County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Ziegler.

Miyares has been a critic of the progressive justice reform movement, which helped to sweep Dehghani-Tafti into office and Stamos out of a job.

Also announced today: the current Deputy Attorney General of Criminal Justice and Public Safety, Nicole Wittmann, is becoming the Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney in Loudoun County, where Republican Bob Anderson defeated progressive prosecutor Buta Biberaj in the November election.

More, below, from a press release.

Attorney General Jason Miyares is pleased to announce that Deputy Attorney General of Criminal Justice and Public Safety Nicole Wittmann is joining the Loudoun County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office as Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney. Theo Stamos will become Attorney General Miyares’ Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice and Public Safety. Theo Stamos currently serves as the Special Counsel to the Attorney General in charge of Special Investigations, Cold and Actual Innocence Cases.

“Nicole has been an invaluable team member and has served the Commonwealth diligently. Virginians are better off because of her commitment to the rule of law and public safety. I look forward to seeing the positive change she’ll bring to Loudoun County as the Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney, returning the office’s focus to prioritizing public safety and protecting victims, which has long been missing,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares.

Nicole Wittmann has spent the majority of her career serving the people of Loudoun County as the Commonwealth’s Attorney, Chief Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney and Director of the Victim Witness Program. She specialized in the prosecution of sex crimes, crimes against children, human trafficking, internet solicitation of children, child pornography, child abuse, domestic abuse, homicide, and violent crimes. Wittmann received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College and her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law.

“As the attorney responsible for our office’s special investigations, cold cases, and actual innocence petitions, Theo Stamos has tirelessly pursued the truth that Virginians deserve. Her unwavering dedication to public service makes her a core pillar of my administration. I am thrilled to have her serve as Virginia’s next Deputy Attorney General for Criminal Justice and Public Safety,” the Attorney General continued.

Theo Stamos began her career as a prosecutor in 1987 in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, capping off her career there as the elected Commonwealth’s Attorney from 2012 to 2019. She worked in the U.S. Department of Justice where she served as a state and local law enforcement liaison in the Office of Legislative Affairs. Most recently, Theo spearheaded the investigation into the Virginia Parole Board and the Loudoun County School Board, which resulted in the termination of the previous superintendent and a successful conviction for retaliatory firing.

Both Wittmann and Stamos joined the Office of Attorney General at the beginning of the Miyares’ administration in January 2022.

Study: Virginia has 4th strongest residents in U.S.

By ARLnow.com
Weight room at Life Time fitness center in Clarendon (via Life Time)

Arlington ranked as the ‘fittest city’ in the U.S. for the sixth year in a row earlier this year. But the state in which the county is located is no slouch either.

Virginia is the fourth strongest state in the nation, according to a new study.

The Commonwealth weighs in behind Texas (1), Florida (2) and New York (3) in the rankings, which looked at data from the website Open Powerlifting.

“Virginia’s results: average squat: 573 lbs; average bench press: 364 lbs; average deadlift: 667 lbs,” noted a PR rep.

More from a press release:

Lift Vault, an online resource for powerlifting, bodybuilding and strength training, analyzed data, and set out to determine where in America do the country’s physically strongest men & women reside? They scoured through 5 years of data provided by Open Powerlifting focusing on 3 main powerlifting categories – the squat (a strength exercise in which the trainee lowers their hips from a standing position and then stands back up); the bench press (an upper-body weight training exercise in which the trainee presses a weight upwards while lying on a weight training bench); and a deadlift (in which a weight is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, before being placed back on the ground).

The full set of rankings can be found here. The top and bottom five are below.

2023’s Five Strongest States:

1. Texas
2. Florida
3. NY
4. Virginia
5. California

2023’s Five Weakest States:

50. Vermont
49. Wyoming
48. Arkansas
47. North Dakota
46. West Virginia

Morning Poll: Have you had the latest flu and Covid vaccines?

By ARLnow.com
A vaccine shot (via Arlington County/YouTube)

Chances are you know someone who’s sick right now — if you’re not sick yourself.

We’re in the thick of cold and flu season, and each is on the rise alongside Covid and RSV, though the latter might be peaking. In at least one local drug store, meanwhile, ARLnow noted that Kleenex and Pedialyte seemed to be in short supply.

This morning, in light of the rising levels of illness, we’re wondering about vaccinations. Are you up-to-date on the vaxes for this year’s cold, flu and Covid season? Or are you just letting things play out and hoping for the best?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Building in Crystal City (Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra)

Flyover Planned Today — From Alert DC: “The US Military will conduct a flyover in the NCR, over Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at approximately 1:40 PM.”

APS ‘Preps Tutoring Blitz’ — “The Arlington school system is planning to use a mix of paid hourly workers and volunteers as it builds up a tutoring corps to address COVID-era learning loss among students. Though running a little behind many other districts, Arlington Public Schools recently submitted its plans to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for participation in the state’s ‘All IN’ efforts to provide extra services in core subjects in third through eighth grades.” [Gazette Leader]

Multiple Crashes on Camera — From Dave Statter: “About 9:15 this morning at the crash-prone intersection of Army-Navy Drive, S. Hayes and the I-395 ramp.” “This crash at Langston and N. Scott was just after 11 a.m. Report of 2 people hurt.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Board Statement on Explosion — “‘The Board recognizes the Arlington County Police Department for their patience, skill, and bravery in handling this situation, as well as the Fire Department’s quick response to bringing a rare and challenging explosion under control and minimizing collateral damage,’ Chair Dorsey said. ‘We also want to thank the Red Cross for supporting resident evacuations and the FBI and ATF for their assistance in this ongoing investigation.'” [Arlington County]

Blast Scattered Suspect’s Mail — “Chilling pics of the now deceased Mr. Yoo’s mail found a block away from his house explosion. The ATF is now going door to door the next street over to see if anyone has additional videos.” [Twitter]

It’s Wednesday — Expect scattered rain and snow showers in the morning, transitioning to rain showers between 11am and 4pm, under mostly cloudy skies and a high near 44. Winds from the northwest will be around 7 to 14 mph, gusting up to 21 mph, and there’s a 40% chance of precipitation. For Wednesday night, enjoy mostly clear conditions with a low around 29 and northwest winds at 7 to 13 mph. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra

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