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.
For all the talk on one side of the debate about parking, school capacity and neighborhood character, and on the other about welcoming new residents and providing more reasonably priced housing, there may be those with a more simplistic view, the cartoon suggests.
Mike’s weekly cartoons are on currently vacation but will return in August. Catch all of them in the ARLnow Press Club weekend newsletter.
Rooftop sunset in Rosslyn (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent)
SFH Prices Up 11 Percent — “Something may have to give, eventually, but, for now, average single-family-home sales prices in Arlington continue to spike, according to new data. The average sales price of the 108 existing single-family homes that went to closing across the county in June stood at just over $1.35 million, up 11 percent from the already red-hot market of June 2021.” [Sun Gazette]
CAIR Backs Arlington House Bill — “The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today expressed its support for legislation that would rename a memorial currently dedicated to Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Arlington, Va.” [Press Release]
Arlington Crisis Line Now at 988 — “A new 9-8-8 crisis and support hotline is now active across the United States, including here in Arlington County. In 2020, Congress designated a new 9-8-8 dialing code to operate through the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) network, which has more than 200 locally operated and funded crisis lines across the country. PRS, Inc. operates the local network in Arlington.” [Arlington County]
Public Comment Rules Stretched — “After getting pilloried a month before for what critics called a heavy-handed approach to enforcing rules on public comment, County Board Chairman Katie Cristol on July 16 loosened her grip on the gavel just a bit. Cristol acknowledged that she was being a little more loose in her interpretation of rules for the July board meeting than she had been in June, when she shut down comment on the government’s Missing Middle housing proposal after just two speakers at the public-comment period.” [Sun Gazette]
Late Metro Critic Was Arlingtonian — “Matt Hilburn, a journalist and communications specialist best-known for his creation and curation of the popular and unsparing transportation social media account Unsuck DC Metro, died July 17 at his home in Arlington, Va. He was 54. The cause was complications of kidney cancer that had metastasized, said his father.” [Washington Post]
Board Members on Abortion Rights — From Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol: “We are joining with the many Arlingtonians who are now expressing their anger and frustration and their fear at the Dobbs v Jackson decision and at Gov. Youngkin’s threat to abortion rights in Virginia. We are committed as this Board to mitigating and preventing the public health crisis that these actions could precipitate and we will advocate for the protection of the fundamental human right to bodily autonomy.” [Blue Virginia]
Tech Event in Rosslyn Tonight — “For the 7th consecutive year, DCA Live and our partners are excited to recognize the 2022 Red Hot Companies, the Washington region’s fastest growing and most exciting companies. We’ll be profiling these companies over the coming weeks and will celebrate them with a lively, fun event on the evening of Wednesday, July 20 on the rooftop of Sands Capital in Rosslyn, VA.” [DCA Live]
Falls Church Check Fraud — “Last week, after being notified of suspicious activity, the City of Falls Church discovered fraudulent checks were cashed using the City’s accounts… City of Falls Church Police are aware of a possible national trend of checks being stolen from blue USPS mailboxes. The Police advise residents and businesses to mail checks and valuables directly through a post office.” [City of Falls Church]
It’s Wednesday — Humid throughout the day. High of 91 and low of 75. Sunrise at 6:01 am and sunset at 8:31 pm. [Weather.gov]
Two people were killed in the 200 block of Century Drive on Saturday, July 16 (staff photo by James Cullum)
(Updated at 4:30 p.m. on 7/20/22) The man arrested after the fatal shooting of two construction workers in Alexandria over the weekend was set to be tried for weapons and drug charges in Arlington earlier this year, but charges were dropped.
The reason: a ruling that police conducted an unconstitutional search prior to a 2020 arrest.
Francis Deonte Rose, 27, has so far only been charged with burglary in connection to an incident earlier Saturday morning at an Alexandria apartment complex, the scene of the double murder, but additional charges are expected.
Police say two workers, ages 48 and 24, were shot in the head and were “innocent bystanders to the whole situation.” Officers had been called to the Assembly Alexandria apartment complex around 7:30 a.m. Saturday for reports of someone kicking in the doors at “multiple” apartments, our sister site ALXnow reported yesterday.
Alexandria police radio traffic at the time suggested that the burglary suspect was the ex-boyfriend of an apartment resident and known to carry a gun.
Rose, meanwhile, has a history of gun charges. In 2019, a then-24-year-old Rose was arrested by Metropolitan Police in D.C. and charges with Carrying a Pistol without a License, Bench Warrant, Possession of Unregistered Ammunition, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.
The .45 caliber handgun he was allegedly carrying in the Columbia Heights neighborhood was confiscated, according to an MPD press release.
In October 2020, Rose was arrested again, this time in Arlington.
From Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage:
At approximately 10:23 p.m. on October 17, 2020, officers conducted a traffic stop in the 2300 block of Richmond Highway for a suspended operator’s license. During the course of the investigation, the passenger was found to be in possession of narcotics and a loaded handgun and ammunition were located in a bag alleged to belong to the passenger. Francis Rose, 25, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substance (x2), Possession of a Firearm while in Possession of a Controlled Substance (x2), Possession of a Firearm as a Convicted Felon, Possession of Ammunition as a Convicted Felon and Carrying a Concealed Weapon.
Rose was charged with possession of cocaine and intent to manufacture, sell or distribute fentanyl, according to court documents, as well as possession of a gun and ammunition by someone convicted of a felony within the past 10 years.
The charges against Francis Rose, which were then dropped
A grand jury indicted Rose in September 2021, and he was set for a jury trial this past February when defense attorneys made a motion to suppress evidence in the case.
That motion was granted by Arlington Circuit Court Chief Judge William Newman, according to court records, and charges were then dropped for a lack of evidence. Rose was later freed.
In all, he was in the county jail from Oct. 18, 2020 until Feb. 23, 2022, according to the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office.
Reached via email by ARLnow, Arlington and Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti said the case was made impossible to prosecute after the judge’s ruling.
“As court records show, our office attempted to proceed on those charges, but during a suppression hearing, a judge ruled that the police had performed an unconstitutional search and, as the law required, suppressed the evidence in the case,” the county’s top prosecutor said. “Obviously, we could not prove a case without the evidence, and therefore dismissed it.”
“My heart breaks for the families and loved ones of the people killed this weekend,” Dehghani-Tafti said.
Asked about the case, an Arlington police spokeswoman said “ACPD does not opine on decisions made by the court.”
The defense motion to suppress the evidence, obtained by ARLnow from the circuit court after the initial publication of this article, argues that both the drugs and the guns should be excluded from any jury trial. It says that officers found the gun in a bag that Rose was wearing but ordered by officers to leave in the car. The bag was then searched and the gun found, followed by the discovery of “a small quantity” of drugs, the motion says.
Police on scene of a shots fired report at Washington-Liberty High School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of a shots fired report at Washington-Liberty High School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Response to incident at Washington-Liberty High School in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Police on scene of a shots fired report at Washington-Liberty High School (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 12:50 p.m.) Police received a report of shots fired inside Washington-Liberty High School this morning, prompting a massive emergency response, but it turned out to likely be something else.
Police say an extensive search of the school found evidence of fireworks being discharged inside but no gunshots. No one has been hurt.
POLICE ACTIVITY: At approximately 7:50AM police responded to the report of possible shots heard at Washington-Liberty High School. During the investigation, police located evidence of discharged fireworks. No injuries have been reported and no weapons have been found. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/IsUrhAqvZJ
UPDATE: The search of the building has concluded and no evidence of a shooting was located and no injuries were reported. @ApsVirginia will dismiss students – follow APS for directions. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Several 911 callers reported hearing gunshots inside the school, possibly on the fourth floor, shortly before 8 a.m., according to police radio traffic.
That prompted police and medics to rush to the scene en masse and search throughout the building. The school remained on lockdown for much of the morning, until the search concluded around 10:30 a.m. The county bomb squad, including a K-9 unit, was requested to the scene during the search.
Summer school classes were underway at W-L at the time of this morning’s incident. In a School Talk email to families, sent shortly before 9 a.m., Arlington Public Schools said that students will be dismissed for the day once the lockdown is lifted.
W-L Summer School Families
We are following up on this morning’s incident at Washington-Liberty. At [approximately] 7:50 a.m., a student reported that they heard shots in the building. The school [immediately] went on lockdown. During the investigation, police located evidence of discharged fireworks. No injuries have been reported and students and staff are all safe.
W-L remains on lockdown as the ACPD continue to investigate and conduct a [thorough] search of the building. Students will be [dismissed] for the day as soon as the investigation is concluded. Regular dismissal will be followed once the all clear is given.
As of 9 a.m., there was a report of one adult who was inside the school seeking treatment for a minor medical issue.
Walking along Columbia Pike at twilight (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Local Man Sentenced for Philly Fire — “The first protester to face sentencing for setting police cars ablaze during the 2020 racial injustice protests in Philadelphia received a 364-day federal prison term on Monday — nearly nine months less than the time he’s already spent behind bars since his 2020 arrest. Ayoub Tabri, 25, of Arlington, Va., has been incarcerated since he confessed to FBI investigators that he threw a lit road flare into a Pennsylvania State Police car during the demonstrations that erupted in Center City.” [Philadelphia Inquirer]
No Change in HQ2 Construction Plan — “Amazon.com Inc. has confirmed it is pausing construction on office towers as part of planned expansions in its two main Seattle-area and Nashville hubs, but it is not halting its hiring at either location, nor does it plan changes to its HQ2 campus thus far… ‘We remain committed to bringing 25,000 jobs to HQ2 and are looking forward to celebrating the opening of Met Park next spring and breaking ground at Pen Place early next year,’ Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty said.” [Washington Business Journal]
Homebuyer Demand Still High Here — “Fears of an autumn of disquiet and a winter of discontent in the real-estate market may be growing, but in Arlington, summertime buyer interest remains strong, according to new data. The county led all D.C.-region localities in the monthly T3 Home Demand Index, created by the Mid-Atlantic multiple-listing service Bright MLS.” [Sun Gazette]
GW Parkway Work Starting Soon — “For the first time since the George Washington Parkway was completed 60 years ago, the scenic past-its-prime commuter route — combined-with-a-national park and trail system — is getting a major rehabilitation. And it will begin soon. ‘We anticipate by late summer to be involved in transition lanes,” said Charles Cuvelier, superintendent of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.'” [WTOP]
RIP @UnsuckDCMetro — Matt, the creator of the Twitter account @unsuckdcmetro and a indefatigable critic of WMATA, reportedly passed away over the weekend. Here’s a podcast episode we recorded with him in 2018. [ARLnow, Apple Podcasts]
Arlington Donut Shops Make Local List — “Whether it’s breakfast or dessert, anyone with a sweet tooth will surely agree that doughnuts are an irresistible choice. This American staple will always be a crowd pleaser, and these NoVA spots will show you exactly why.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
It’s Tuesday — Humid and mostly cloudy throughout the day. High of 88 and low of 74. Sunrise at 6:00 am and sunset at 8:32 pm. [Weather.gov]
Police are looking for a group of men who carjacked a man as he was getting out of his car around midnight last night.
The incident happened on the 2700 block of S. Fern Street, a dead-end residential street near a park in the Crystal City area.
Police are now searching for four suspects, including two who allegedly assaulted the man and forcibly took his keys, wallet and cell phone after he refused to turn them over when approached, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.
More from ACPD:
CARJACKING, 2022-07170241, 2700 block of S. Fern Street. At approximately 12:07 a.m. on July 18, police were dispatched to the report of a carjacking. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male victim was exiting his parked vehicle when he was approached by the two unknown suspects. The suspects pushed the victim against the vehicle and demanded his belongings. When the victim refused, Suspect One assaulted him and Suspect Two reached into his pockets and stole his car keys, wallet and cell phone. The suspects then pushed the victim out of the way and entered his vehicle, accompanied by two additional suspects, and fled the area at a high rate of speed. Officers canvassed the area for the suspect vehicle yielding negative results.
The last reported carjacking in Arlington happened on July 5.
Update at 1:50 p.m. — A Severe Thunderstorm Watch was just issued for parts of the D.C. area, including Arlington, and much of the D.C.-Baltimore-Philly-NYC corridor. That’s in addition to the Flood Watch, below.
From the National Weather Service:
Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening, mainly north of the D.C. metro area. Damaging wind gusts are the primary threat with an isolated tornado also possible.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of CT, DE, DC, MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WV until 10 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/eal2Prh0i3
— NWS Severe Tstorm (@NWSSevereTstorm) July 18, 2022
Earlier: It’s the middle of July and the humidity level outside is roughly that of an unventilated bathroom after a half-hour hot shower.
Unsurprisingly, that combination is a recipe for possible downpours — and flooding — tonight.
The National Weather Service just issued a Flood Watch, which will go into effect at 4 p.m. Forecasters say “multiple rounds of storms” could cause flooding later today.
There is a marginal risk of severe weather this afternoon and evening from @NWSSPC. Damaging winds are the primary threat, though isolated instances of flooding are possible. #DCwx#MDwx#VAwx#WVwxpic.twitter.com/MxVvFeR5NO
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 18, 2022
More from NWS:
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
931 AM EDT MON JUL 18 2022
…FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING…
* WHAT…FLASH FLOODING CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE.
* WHERE…PORTIONS OF DC, MARYLAND AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA […]
* WHEN…FROM 4 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING.
* IMPACTS…EXCESSIVE RUNOFF MAY RESULT IN FLOODING OF RIVERS, CREEKS, STREAMS, AND OTHER LOW-LYING AND FLOOD-PRONE LOCATIONS.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…
– AFTERNOON TO EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL CAPABLE OF FLASH FLOODING. THIS COULD INCLUDE MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF STORMS WHICH WOULD ENHANCE THE FLOOD RISK. RAINFALL RATES MAY REACH 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR, LOCALLY HIGHER IN SPOTS. THE D.C. AND BALTIMORE METROS WILL BE THE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE GIVEN RECENT HEAVY RAINFALL THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS.
– HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/SAFETY/FLOOD
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.
A man is facing numerous charges for allegedly going on a shopping spree immediately after stealing someone’s wallet in Virginia Square.
The incident started Thursday morning at a building along the 3800 block of Fairfax Drive, a block or two down the road from the Metro station.
“At approximately 11:02 a.m. on July 14, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred,” said an Arlington County Police Department crime report. “Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect entered the lobby of a business and allegedly stole the victim’s wallet and car keys from behind the counter.”
“The victim then began receiving multiple notifications of attempted and approved fraudulent charges on his credit cards,” the crime report continued. “A lookout was broadcast and officers located the suspect in the area of Langston Boulevard and N. Glebe Road and took him into custody without incident. During the course of the investigation, the victim’s property and the fraudulently purchased merchandise were recovered.”
The 34-year-old suspect from Montgomery Village, Maryland is facing nearly a dozen charges, including “Credit Card Theft (x3), Attempted Identity Theft (x3), Identity Theft, Attempted Credit Card Fraud (x3), Credit Card Fraud (x1), and Petit Larceny,” according to ACPD.
A turtle, seen in Arlington (Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann)
New Rail Bridge Design Revealed — “The new rail bridge will be built with many of the features in the existing span, including its structure, material and form, with steel girders and similar pier spacing, according to preliminary site plans approved this month by the National Capital Planning Commission. The plans also call for the use of Ashlar stone cladding for the bridge piers, and abutments and walls near the George Washington Memorial Parkway.” [Washington Post]
County Board Approves ‘Heights’ Parking — From School Board member Barbara Kanninen: “‘APS did us a solid.’ Thx @kcristol for that comment regarding our hosting the County’s temp fire station for several years! Glad to see the use permit for Phase 2 [of The Heights building in Rosslyn] approved this morning, providing important universal access improvements for all students, esp @APS_Shriver.” [Twitter]
APS Hiring Hundreds of Teachers — “Officials in Arlington Public Schools will also spend the summer working to fill an atypically large number of empty positions. Arlington, which enrolls 27,045 students, according to state data, saw 284 teachers resign between August 2021 and mid-May 2022. The district usually employs about 3,000 teachers, per spokesman Frank Bellavia. That is 96 percent higher than the average number of resignations between 2018-2019 and 2020-2021: 145.” [Washington Post]
Free Chicken Today — “July 18th is Nelson Mandela’s birthday. His birthday is recognized and celebrated world wide as Mandela day; a day for us all to inspire change and make a difference in our communities. At Nando’s we are proud of our South African heritage. We will join in celebrating his birthday on July 18th by following his example and giving back to our communities.” [Nando’s Peri Peri]
Cyclist Struck on Busy Ramp — “Police, fire on scene of cyclist struck by driver on the WB Route 50 / Washington Blvd ramp. Cyclist was thrown from bike and is being treated by medics, per scanner.” [Twitter]
Treasurer Honored, Again — “Arlington County Treasurer Carla de la Pava received the President’s Award for her service and leadership to the Treasurers’ Association of Virginia (TAV). The award was presented during the association’s annual conference in June. It is the second time de la Pava has be recognized with the President’s Award.” [Arlington County]
More Bad Driving on I-395 — From Dave Statter: “You’ll want to see this one. Driver goes bowling with the barrels & almost takes one along for the ride. @VaDOTNOVA time for clean-up again on aisle 8C.” [Twitter]
It’s Monday — Mostly cloudy, with rain and possible storms in the evening. High of 88 and low of 74. Sunrise at 5:59 am and sunset at 8:33 pm. [Weather.gov]
She is a unique and gorgeous girl who has an amazing personality to go along with her look. Narwhal is the extrovert in the group that loves to meet all the neighbors and spend her time hanging out with her people.
Narwhal came to us as a timid dog, but has opened up to be a sweet and playful dog! She is quite the extrovert and hasn’t met a person she doesn’t like. Her favorite thing is so to play tug, chase balls, or smell new things in the neighborhood. She will nap happily during most of the day so she’s ready to play in the evenings.
While she doesn’t bark at things outside the house, she does like to share her thoughts and opinions with the people she loves.
AWLA is currently holding an “Empty the Shelters” event as its kennel capacity has reached a “critical” level.
“Our kennels are very full and more pets are coming in every day. We desperately need adopters and fosters,” said AWLA spokeswoman Chelsea Jones. “Until the end of the day Sunday, AWLA is taking part in Empty the Shelters, an adoption event with Bissell Pet Foundation. Adult dogs and cats are just $25 and small animals are FREE.”
Is Narwhal the furry companion you’ve been searching for? Check out her complete profile to arrange a meet and greet!
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 galleries!
Happy Friday everyone! We have a new round of open houses this weekend.
In the last 4 weeks, there have been 235 sales and 186 new listings according to Homesnap. There have been 219 price changes. The median sales price is $730,000 with a median list price of $715,000.
Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place in Arlington this weekend:
4110 31st Street N.
6 BR/5.5 BA Single-family home Noteworthy: Gas fireplace, wine room, screened porch Listed: $2,450,000 Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Jane Morrison – Keller Williams Realty)
3732 N. Oakland Street
4 BR/3 BA Single-family home Noteworthy: Heated bathroom floors, hardwood floors, fenced in backyard Listed: $1,400,000 Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Steve Wydler – Compass)
901 21st Street S.
5 BR/3 BA Single-family home Noteworthy: Multiple living spaces, detached single garage, over 2,000 sq. ft. living space Listed: $1,249,900 Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. (Jason Cheperdak – Samson Properties)
5719 11th Street N.
3 BR/3.5 BA Townhouse Noteworthy: End unit, 2 car garage, above ground lower level Listed: $999,995 Open: Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (Bonnie Harrison – Century 21 Redwood Realty)
1705 S. Walter Reed Drive
4 BR/3.5 BA Single-family home Noteworthy: One car garage, gas fireplace, energy control solar window film Listed: $849,900 Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Patrick Coen – Samson Properties)
5623 2nd Street S
4 BR/3 BA Single-family home Noteworthy: Walk out basement, all brick, fireplace Listed: $750,000 Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Sanjiv Shah – Samson Properties)
