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.
N. Old Glebe Road, near the Madison Community Center and Chain Bridge, is blocked after an SUV rolled onto its side.
The crash happened at a sharp bend in the road near the intersection with N. Richmond Street. The circumstances that led to the crash are unclear.
A man could be seen being evaluated by medics near the crash. No serious injuries were reported.
Arlington County police and firefighters from Arlington and Fairfax County are on the scene. The road is expected to remain blocked until the overturned vehicle can be uprighted and towed away.
A group of thieves went on an overnight crime spree this weekend, breaking into 14 cars and stealing another three, according to Arlington County police.
The crimes were first reported early Sunday morning and spanned at least three residential, North Arlington neighborhoods — Bellevue Forest, Donaldson Run and Westover — according to an ACPD crime report.
The thieves stole cash and personal items from cars and also drove off with three vehicles that had keys left inside. Two of the stolen cars were later found in D.C.
Police were not able to provide a description of any of the suspects.
More from ACPD:
GRAND LARCENY AUTO/LARCENY FROM AUTO (Series), 2022-05150056/05150063/05150066/05150070/005150071, 3000 block of N. Oakland Street/3000 block of N. Quincy Street/2900 block of N. Stafford Street/3700 block of 30th Road N./5700 block of 11th Street N. At approximately 4:45 a.m. on May 15, police were dispatched to the report of a vehicle tampering. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was inside his residence when he observed the unknown suspect enter into his unlocked vehicle in his driveway. The victim knocked on the window, during which the suspect entered into a nearby waiting vehicle and fled the scene. The investigation determined the suspect(s) entered into and rummaged through approximately 14 victim vehicles and stole personal items and an undisclosed amount of cash from several of the vehicles. Additionally, it was discovered three vehicles with keys inside were stolen from the 3000 block of N. Quincy Street, 2900 block of N. Stafford Street and the 3700 block of 30th Road N. During the course of the investigation, two of the stolen vehicles were recovered in Washington D.C. The remaining stolen vehicle is described as a red in color, 2019 Ford Edge bearing VA license plate UMT3257. There is no suspect(s) description. The investigation is ongoing.
Numerous car-related crimes have been reported in Arlington over the past month, encompassing the thefts of or from about 30 vehicles, not including this latest spree. That’s in addition to another eight or more that have been broken into without a reported theft.
The U.S. Air Force Memorial and surrounding construction at twilight (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Cristol Calls Out Displacement ‘Lie’ — “Time will tell, as it always does, but Arlington elected officials say the public and some activists are mistaken if they believe there will be wholesale displacement of residents of the Barcroft Apartments complex in South Arlington. At a May 14 meeting, County Board Chairman Katie Cristol – not one normally known for getting rattled while on the dais – decried as a ‘lie’ the displacement rumors at the sprawling, 1,334-unit apartment complex.” [Sun Gazette]
Crash Last Night on GW Parkway — From Alan Henney: “Another auto went over the wall on the northbound side of the GW Pky prior to the Key Bridge in Arlington. Amazingly driver is out uninjured after his auto slid down the embankment.” [Twitter]
Marymount University Commencement — From Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S.: “It was my tremendous privilege to give the commencement at @marymountu, a university that like many around the U.S. hosts Saudi students. It was my absolute honor to receive an honorary doctorate, thank you to the faculty and Dr. Becerra for this special day.” [Twitter, Sun Gazette]
Metro CEO and COO Resign — “The WMATA Board of Directors has accepted Paul Wiedefeld’s decision to make his retirement effective today. In addition, Chief Operating Officer Joe Leader has resigned, effective immediately.” [WMATA, DCist]
New Skyline Development Proposal — “Madison Marquette has filed plans to convert two Baileys Crossroads office building into live/work lofts, advancing a vision to resuscitate the huge multibuilding cluster known as Skyline Center. By repurposing the mostly emptied office spaces — which meet planning and code requirements to serve as apartments and/or offices for small firms — Skyline can once again become ‘the gravitational center for the area.'” [Washington Business Journal]
Body Cams for Falls Church Police — “Police officers with the City of Falls Church will now be equipped with body-worn cameras beginning this month.” [WJLA, City of Falls Church]
It’s Tuesday — Clear throughout the day. High of 77 and low of 59. Sunrise at 5:55 am and sunset at 8:17 pm. [Weather.gov]
Storm clouds over Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Update at 4:15 p.m. — A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has now been issued for most of Arlington.
BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Baltimore MD/Washington DC
407 PM EDT Mon May 16 2022
The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a
* Severe Thunderstorm Warning…
* Until 445 PM EDT.
* At 407 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Bull Run, or 8 miles southwest of Centreville, moving east at 40 mph.
HAZARD…70 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.
SOURCE…Radar indicated.
IMPACT…Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. This could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by downed trees. Localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.
* Locations impacted include… Arlington, Alexandria, Centreville, Waldorf, Dale City, Annandale, Clinton, Springfield, Fort Washington, Fairfax, Fort Hunt, Vienna, Groveton, Falls Church, Huntington, Coral Hills, Mantua, Fort Belvoir, Woodbridge and National Harbor.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Washington DC, Arlington VA and Alexandria VA until 4:45 PM EDT. This storm will contain wind gusts to 70 MPH! pic.twitter.com/5yObaSXzcn
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) May 16, 2022
Earlier: Arlington and surrounding areas are now under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
The watch is in effect until 9 p.m.
Severe storms are possible late this afternoon into the evening, forecasters say. The storms could pack damaging winds and hail.
More from social media:
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia until 9 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/vr7vujJl8A
— NWS Severe Tstorm (@NWSSevereTstorm) May 16, 2022
Weather Service likely to issue severe storm watch for DMV shortly. We expect hit or miss late afternoon and early evening storms. While not everyone will get storms, any storms that do form could produce damaging winds/hail. Update: https://t.co/nffp1ykYD7pic.twitter.com/wyKWKvGXfH
— Capital Weather Gang (@capitalweather) May 16, 2022
SPC has tightened their “enhanced risk” over our area to take a focus more on the I-95 and areas to the east. These are the areas most likely to get out under a severe thunderstorm watch soon. Latest HRRR (shown) has some clearing to DC, then storm re-firing between 4-6pm. ⛈ pic.twitter.com/KvjbHBjX9X
A woman was seriously injured over the weekend after police say she was apparently pushed out of a moving vehicle.
It happened early Sunday morning along Wilson Blvd at the intersection with N. Vermont Street, just west of Glebe Road.
“At approximately 3:06 a.m. on May 15, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown,” said an Arlington County Police Department crime report. “Upon arrival, medics were on scene treating the female victim before transporting her to an area hospital with serious injuries.”
“The reporting party stated she was driving in the area when she observed the passenger door of the vehicle in front of her open and the female victim being pushed out onto the roadway,” the report continued. “The suspect vehicle is described as a black SUV. There is no description for the driver. This investigation is ongoing.”
Additional details were not immediately available, though a police spokeswoman did confirm to ARLnow that the victim was an adult female.
Arlington police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) A wild scene played out Friday night along a quiet, dead end street in North Arlington.
Police say it started when a female resident brandished a gun at a person she knew, then “fired several shots into the front door of the home.” After police surrounded the home, the woman stepped outside and approached officers while still armed and ignoring verbal commands, according to ACPD.
She was reportedly tased and taken into custody without additional shots being fired.
The incident happened around 9 p.m. along the 3900 block of 26th Street N., near Potomac Overlook Regional Park.
More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
At approximately 8:59 p.m. on May 13, police were dispatched to the report of a female subject who had brandished a firearm at a known individual inside a residence and subsequently fired several shots into the front door of the home. As arriving officers were establishing a perimeter, the female subject exited the home while brandishing the firearm. Officers gave the subject verbal commands to drop the weapon, however, the subject disregarded the officers’ commands and continued to approach them while holding the firearm. Officers continued to provide verbal commands to drop the weapon before deploying a taser and taking her into custody and recovering the firearm. She was transported to an area hospital for medical evaluation. No injuries were reported related to the shots fired inside the residence. The investigation is ongoing.
While the crime report is vague on the exact circumstances, a tipster tells ARLnow that this was likely a case of mistaken identity.
“An elderly woman (over 80) on 26th Street N. thought her new caregiver was an intruder and chased him with a gun,” the tipster wrote. “Arlington police were called to the scene and had to [tase] her (she is now in the hospital).”
Arlington police spokeswoman Ashley Savage confirmed that the person with the gun was an “older adult” but declined to say whether the person who was fired upon was a caregiver.
“ACPD does not provide personal identifying information, such as occupation, of victims,” she told ARLnow.
Asked about whether the woman is likely to be charged, Savage said that “no charges have been sought at this time.”
County auditor Chris Horton (photo via Arlington County)
Chris Horton, Arlington County’s independent auditor since 2016, is leaving his post.
Horton was hired in late 2016 after previously serving in the Office of Auditor General at Fairfax County Public Schools. His predecessor — the first auditor hired by Arlington after receiving authorization to do so by the state legislature — resigned after less than six months on the job.
Just last month it was reported that Horton would be looking at whether the conditions set for site plan development actually end up getting carried out, in addition to other projects set to continue through the 2023 fiscal year.
It is not clear why Horton is leaving. A somewhat unusually worded press release said that the County Board “thanks County Auditor Chris Horton for his dedicated service and wishes him good fortune on his next professional adventure.”
The release also noted “the recent addition of two staff positions in the FY 2023 budget” for the auditor’s office.
The full press release is below.
It is with great appreciation that the County Board thanks County Auditor Chris Horton for his dedicated service and wishes him good fortune on his next professional adventure. Chris has announced his departure from Arlington County to pursue new career avenues and, while he will be missed in the County Board Office, the Board hopes for the best in his next chapter. Chris began his tenure with the Auditor’s office in 2016, in its infancy. He wisely pursued a path that prioritized building a firm foundation for the work products to be delivered through his office, along with building relationships throughout the enterprise so that his office could receive maximum cooperation and add value to County departments.
“Chris has decisively advanced the office of the Auditor to become a critical asset supporting the County Board’s work and a tool of good and transparent governance,” stated County Board Vice-Chair Christian Dorsey.
Chris has over twenty years of experience in audit and risk analysis within county, city, state, and school district functions. He has led or assisted in the development of performance audit functions in three different government audit shops. He has experience in broadening organizations’ focus toward risk management, and educating senior managers on the value of focusing on governance risks, process risks, IT risks, and reputational risks, in addition to the traditional financial risks.
“I have enjoyed the opportunity to serve the Arlington community by working to create and grow the County Auditor function. This has been an ongoing partnership with the County Board and the Audit Committee,” Chris said. “The support from County management has been critical to developing the County Auditor function, and continued support from management will be crucial for the next County Auditor. With several audit reports and follow-ups complete, a mature set of Audit Committee processes, and the recent addition of two staff positions in the FY 2023 budget, the foundation for the next County Auditor is well-established.”
Chris is a dynamic trainer, focusing on ethics for auditors, auditing techniques, audit report writing, and other audit-specific topics. He is a trained and experienced control self-assessment facilitator and is currently the President of the Association of Local Government Auditors. His BS and MS are from the University of Texas – Permian Basin and he has a PhD in Public Administration from Arizona State University.
“We are thankful for his many contributions, not the least of which is the fact that we are in a strong position to build upon his accomplishments as we approach the task of hiring his successor,” stated County Board Member Takis Karantonis.
Double rainbow over Crystal City (photo courtesy Will Wiard)
Double rainbow over Waverly Hills (photo courtesy Geoff Collins)
Double rainbow over Pentagon City (photo courtesy Dave Statter)
Double rainbow over Ashton Heights (photo courtesy Kelly Harrington)
Metro Delays Due to Safety Snafu — “Metro’s Chief Safety Officer reports that nearly half of Metro’s 500 rail operators have lapsed recertification… In consultation with the Board of Directors, Metro management is taking immediate corrective action to remove from service 72 train operators who became out of compliance prior to May 2021. This will result in a temporary reduction in Green and Yellow line service from every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes due to an operator shortage.” [WMATA]
APS Changes Bell Schedules — “The School Board in Arlington, Virginia, voted to lengthen the school day by a little less than 10 minutes and to rearrange school start and end times in the first change to the county school system’s bell schedule in more than two decades. At its Thursday meeting, the board unanimously voted in favor of the adjustments.” [WTOP]
Psaki Spat With Arlington GOP — Outgoing White House Press Secretary (and Arlington resident) Jen Psaki “acknowledged that there have been instances in which she shared information with the Secret Service about threats… She said that no one has physically come to her home, but added, ‘There is a circulation of my address among the Arlington Republican Party.’ The Arlington GOP in a statement to The Hill said it ‘has not publicly disseminated any Biden Administration official’s home address.'” [The Hill]
Rosslyn Tunnel Congestion Revisited — “The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is pressing leadership of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority not to forget about congestion at the Rosslyn tunnel. In a May 6 letter to (outgoing) Metro general manager Paul Wiedefeld, NVTC chair Carek Aguirre urged the transit agency to ‘recognize the strategic importance of moving swiftly to design a solution to relieve train congestion’ at the tunnel.” [Sun Gazette]
Wakefield Rowing Storms State Tourney — “At Saturday’s regatta… the Warriors stood just as deep as any other school on the Occoquan River and stepped into the dynasty conversation themselves, with the boys’ and girls’ top varsity eight boats each rowing to titles.” [Washington Post, Twitter]
Trucker Protest Returning — “The People’s Convoy is slated to be in D.C. by Tuesday, as they’re currently in Ohio. Further, a convoy leader tonight took to the microphone to try and squash fear over being hit with eggs in the city, saying: ‘I happen to like eggs.'” [Twitter]
DCA Using UV to Zap Covid — “Reagan National and Dulles International airports now have ultraviolet disinfection technology to combat the spread of viruses including Covid… The airports authority’s statement of work specifically called for the technology to disinfect the air in 39 spaces at National and 73 spaces at Dulles, including ticketing and baggage claim areas, security checkpoints, transit platforms and gate hold rooms.” [Washington Business Journal]
Local Real Estate is Really Expensive — “There may be an end in sight at some point for rising single-family home values in Arlington. But so far, it hasn’t been reached. The average sales price of the 100 single-family properties that went to closing in April was $1,348,813. That’s up 14.5 percent from a year before.” [Sun Gazette]
Missing Falls Church Teen — “City of Falls Church Police seek information to help a teen return home. Abigail… is 16 years old and was last seen at her home in the City at about 3 a.m. on Sunday after an argument with family. Abigail is about 5 feet tall, has black brown hair and a nose ring.” [City of Falls Church]
It’s Monday — Rain and storms, some severe, in the afternoon and evening. High of 77 and low of 64. Sunrise at 5:56 am and sunset at 8:16 pm. [Weather.gov]
A 53-year-old Florida man is behind bars after being found with a gun, ammunition and drugs on the grounds of Washington-Liberty High School, police say.
Officers were dispatched to a parking garage next to the school, on the 1300 block of N. Stafford Street, around 5:45 a.m. Thursday for what was reported as a “suspicious” parked vehicle.
“Upon arrival, officers located the occupied vehicle and observed the suspect asleep behind the wheel and alleged drug paraphernalia in plain view,” said the latest Arlington County Police Department crime report. “During a search of the vehicle, a firearm, ammunition and controlled substances were recovered.”
The man, a resident of St. Augustine, Florida, was arrested is now facing an array of charges, ACPD said, including: “Possession of Schedule I/II Controlled Substance (x3), Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substance, Possession of a Firearm on School Grounds, Possession of a Firearm while Possessing Schedule I/II Substance and Concealed Weapon Violation.”
Sally’s favorite things are: Long naps on the couch, cuddle sessions, sniffing the grass and looking out windows. She loves Vienna sausages, meatballs and string cheese!
Important facts about Sally: Sally loves to cuddle and give affection. She is a very calm, friendly dog but can be nervous around new sounds, people and environments. She would love a quiet family who’s willing to give her lots of love and affection!
Sally has not met children, cats or other dogs while in our care. Our team is happy to discuss these topics during your appointment.
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!
TGIF! We have a new list of open houses across Arlington for this rainy weekend ahead.
There have been 167 new listings in the last 4 weeks and 308 sales, according to Homesnap. There are currently 449 homes for sale. The median sales price is $650,000 and the median list price is $600,000.
Here’s a look at some of the open houses taking place in Arlington this weekend:
1881 N. Nash Street #2004
3 BR/3.5 BA Condo Noteworthy: Private elevator access, wine cooler, balcony Listed: $2,675,000 Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Annette Hinaman – McEnearney Associates)
3543 18th Street S.
6 BR/4.5 BA Single-family home Noteworthy: Arched doorways, butler’s pantry, finished basement Listed: $1,399,000 Open: Saturday, 2-4 p.m. (Kathleen Farrar – Compass)
2088 N. Oakland Street
4 BR/2.5 BA Townhouse Noteworthy: Four levels, 3 covered porches, hardwood floors Listed: $998,000 Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m. (Katie Grieco – TTR Sotheby’s International Realty)
623 N. Piedmont Street
2 BR/2.5 BA Townhouse Noteworthy: Updated kitchen, hardwood floors, attached garage Listed: $720,000 Open: Saturday, 12-2 p.m. (Clayton Chamberlin – McEnearney Associates)
1926 N. Woodstock Street
3 BR/1.5 BA Single-family home Noteworthy: Wood burning fireplace, porch, freshly painted Listed: $879,000 Open: Sunday, 12-2 p.m. (Susan Tull O’Reilly – McEnearney Associates)
2220 Fairfax Drive #507
2 BR/2 BA Condo Noteworthy: Wood floors, gas fireplace, washer/dryer in unit Listed: $625,000 Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Trey Grooms – KW Metro Center)
