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.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 30, 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 — Nov 30, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌧️ Friday’s forecast

Expect rain to begin after 2pm, with highs near 50°F, accompanied by a south wind at 5-9 mph. There’s an 80% chance of precipitation, with less than a tenth of an inch likely. On Friday night, there is a 50% chance of rain mainly before 9pm, followed by patchy fog after 3am. The night will be mostly cloudy, with lows around 46°F and a southwest wind at 5-9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
– Thomas A. Edison

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Smallest and largest homes sold in Arlington (October 2023)

By ARLnow.com

Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the smallest and largest homes sold last month (October 2023).

Largest homes sold

  1. 1718 N Harvard St — Lyon Village — $4,225,000 (6 beds | 8 baths | 7,360 sq. ft.)
  2. 4903 Williamsburg Blvd — Rock Spring — $1,975,000 (5 beds | 4.5 baths | 5,932 sq. ft.)
  3. 3114 1st St N — Lyon Park — $2,550,000 (6 beds | 5.5 baths | 5,623 sq. ft.)

Smallest homes sold*

  1. 5104 14th St N — Waycroft/Woodlawn — $1,615,000 (4 beds | 2 baths | 1,950 sq. ft.)
  2. 1820 21st St N Unit 1820 — North Highland — $970,000 (2 beds | 4 baths | 1,964 sq. ft.)
  3. 900 N Stafford St Unit 2625 — -Ballston – $1,050,000 (2 beds | 2.5 baths | 1,974 sq. ft.)

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

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Kumo

By ARLnow.com
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The newest Adoptable Pet of the Week is Kumo!

This adorable and fluffy senior pup is up for adoption at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. He is currently in foster and his adoption fees have been paid!

Kumo and his friends had this to say:

Hello, I’m Kumo! I’m looking for a home where I can bask in the simple joys of life, surrounded by love and warmth.

I promise to be a loyal friend and fill your days with the quiet joy that comes from sharing your life with a wise and grateful soul.

I may have a few white hairs, but my heart is still full of love and companionship. Due to my age, I am seeking a special type of adoption known as a hospice adoption. While it might sound serious, it simply means I’m looking for a compassionate soul who can provide me with a comfortable and caring environment for the time I have left.

Kumo’s foster told us that he is an elderly gentleman and he likes to go on a leisurely 1 to 1½ mile walk once a day and a very short potty walk at other times. He likes being out off-leash in my yard and just rolling in the grass and sniffing around. When he wants to he can run quite fast.

He gets along well with my dog who is a little smaller. He gets along well with my cats. He is okay with well mannered children. Kumo does sleep a lot. He either sleeps in his crate or on the floor. He is house trained but has to go out at least four times a day for potty breaks. He does not do staircases, can’t really go easily up or down stairs.

Is Kumo the match you’re been looking for? You can read his entire profile to learn how to start the adoption process!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with 2-3 paragraphs about your pet and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos.

Morning Poll: Are you shopping more locally this holiday season?

By ARLnow.com
The Lee Heights Shops in May 2023 (via Google Maps)

It’s been a banner year so far for online holiday shopping.

Fresh records for online shopping were set on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There’s some question, however, as to whether the online holiday shopping growth — in total up 7.8% from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, according to Adobe — is a good sign or bad sign for brick-and-mortar merchants.

From Axios:

E-commerce sales don’t tell the whole story.

The segment makes up less than 16% of U.S. retail sales.

The National Retail Federation separately reported on Tuesday that more than 200 million people shopped online and in-person during the five day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday — exceeding last year’s record number of 196 million. […]

Thanksgiving fell early this year, which may have boosted numbers. Same goes for “favorable” weather, according to NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay.

On the other hand, overall traffic to in-person retail locations was down slightly. From Reuters:

Online shoppers rose 3.1% to 134.2 million during the Thanksgiving weekend, making up for a slight dip in the number of customers who visited brick-and-mortar stores. The period saw about 121.4 million in-store shoppers, down from 122.7 million in 2022, according to the retail body.

Today we’re wondering how these numbers translate locally. Are Arlingtonians shifting more of their holiday spending online? Or are they still supporting local shops?

We have two polls, below, to try to gauge the state of local retail.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
View from the W&OD trail bridge over Langston Blvd (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

American Legion Drama — “Bob Romano has been Post 139’s field manager and coach the last 13 seasons, leading the team to district championships and state-tournament berths. He has heard he will not be permitted to return to the team, if one is fielded… Along with two other past commanders, Romano filed a complaint with the American Legion Department of Virginia, on issues related to the Post’s operations, he told the GazetteLeader. As a result, Post 139 is being investigated by the state and temporarily lost its charter, but got it back.” [Gazette Leader]

New Leader for Planning Dept. — “Samia Byrd has been named Arlington County’s next Director of Community Planning, Housing and Development (CPHD), beginning on Jan. 3, 2024. In this new role, she will provide vision and leadership for the next generation of land use regulations, plans, development policies and practices, housing, and community and neighborhood planning programs. Samia will succeed Claude Williamson who is retiring at the end of the year after a 26-year career with the County.” [Arlington County]

Latest on Lee Arts Center — “Its death sentence has been lifted, at least temporarily, but a modest patch of county parkland located behind the Lee Arts Center on Langston Boulevard may still need friends in high places to ensure its continued existence. ‘It’s maybe at risk,’ Arlington Park and Recreation vice chair Jill Barker said at the committee’s Nov. 14 meeting.” [Gazette Leader]

Armed Shoplifting Suspect Nabbed — From Dave Statter: “Good coordination between @ArlingtonVaPD & @PFPAOfficial tonight after an initial report a shoplifter pulled a knife on Macy’s staff at the Fashion Centre. As soon as the lookout was broadcast a Pentagon officer said that man just went into the Pentagon Metro Station. Pentagon officers went in after him and soon delivered one in handcuffs to Arlington officers.” [Twitter]

Tuesday Crash on I-66 — From Dave Statter: “This was the collision that tied up I-66W near Glebe Road just after 5 p.m. The crash caught the attention of the person walking their dog.” [Twitter]

Marker to Commemorate Lawyers — “The Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) on Nov. 15 gave approval to the markers, which will commemorate buildings that have fallen to the wrecking ball as redevelopment engulfs the Courthouse neighborhood. Among the buildings are five constructed between 1927 and 1941 along what was informally designated ‘Lawyers Row.'” [Gazette Leader]

New Site Design Coming in 2024 — ARLnow will be kicking off a major (for us, at least) website development project in January. We expect to replace ARLnow’s current site design, which dates back to early 2019, by mid-year. ARLnow’s sister sites and partner sites will also be updated. The work is being done by Australia-based The Code Company.

It’s Thursday — Mostly sunny with temperatures reaching a high of 53, accompanied by a south wind at 5 to 9 mph. As the night progresses, expect partly cloudy skies and a low of around 37, with a southwest wind blowing at 6 to 10 mph. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 29, 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 — Nov 29, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Expect a mostly sunny day with a high around 53 and gentle south winds at 5 to 9 mph. As night falls, the sky will turn partly cloudy, accompanied by a low of approximately 37 and southwest winds blowing at 6 to 10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
– Winston Churchill

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Smoke shop employee beaten during overnight robbery in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
1/2

An employee of a shop in Courthouse was beaten by a robber early Wednesday morning, according to police.

The robbery happened around 3 a.m. at the Tobacco Vape Cigars store at 2305 Wilson Blvd.

“The employee was inside the closed business when he heard the male suspect force entry into the store by shattering a glass door,” Arlington County police said today in a crime report. “The employee attempted to confront the suspect, who began collecting merchandise, and a physical altercation ensued during which the suspect struck the employee before fleeing the scene on foot.”

“Medics evaluated and released the employee on scene,” the crime report continued. “Responding officers broadcast a lookout and canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results.”

The smoke shop is located in a small building that formerly housed SuperStar Tickets.

The circumstances surrounding this morning’s robbery are somewhat similar to those of a high-profile case in Arlington from March 2020. A group of three people broke into a smoke shop in the Green Valley neighborhood during early morning hours, and an employee who was sleeping in the back shot one of them. The employee was charged with Malicious Wounding but found not guilty last year.

The wee hours of the morning ended up being a busy time for Arlington first responders today. Around the same time as the robbery was dispatched for police, firefighters were arriving on scene of a small fire at the Ethiopian Community Development Council building, just off Columbia Pike on S. Highland Street.

NOW: Police searching for suspect after man with gun robs two people

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Police are investigating back-to-back reported armed robberies in the Arlington Mill neighborhood.

The robberies happened around 2:30 p.m. on the 800 block of S. Frederick Street. Initial reports suggest that a masked man with a semiautomatic handgun separately robbed two people of cash.

The Fairfax County police helicopter is currently overhead, assisting Arlington police with a search for the suspect.

Neither robbery victim has been reported to be injured.

Cartoon: “The one thing that unites most of north and south Arlington.”

By ARLnow.com
“The one thing that unites most of north and south Arlington.”

This month’s Mike Mount creation is more of a graphic than a cartoon.

People in Arlington, like people in many communities, enjoy complaining about certain things. Now imagine a house in Arlington so perfectly configured that you basically have an endless supply of things to complain about. That’s what is depicted above.

See Mike’s local ‘toons in the ARLnow Press Club weekend edition newsletter.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Tree adorned for the holidays in the Williamsburg neighborhood (photo courtesy John Seymour)

Bus Costs Well Exceed Fare — “Depending on their age, passengers riding Arlington Transit (ART) Route 62 – which connects the Lorcom Lane area with Courthouse and Ballston – during the transit system’s 2022 fiscal year paid either $1 or $2 per ride. County taxpayers kicked in a subsidy of about $75 for each of those passengers. That’s according to data presented at the Nov. 14 County Board meeting.” [Gazette Leader]

County Seeking Budget Feedback — “Arlington County, Va. officials are asking for public input on the Fiscal Year 2025 budget as the county faces a $25 million to $40 million shortfall. In a survey shared on social media, county officials are asking community members to share their recommendations for balancing the budget for the upcoming year.” [WJLA]

Approval for Ball Marker — “The Arlington County government’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) has given approval, allowing for any minor tweaks, to an historical marker noting the Robert Ball Sr. Family Burial Ground in the family’s namesake community of Ballston. The marker will join gravestones of family members in a small parcel – but where exactly those interred lie, or whether they are even on the site, is something of a mystery.” [Gazette Leader]

‘Snouts’ Grand Opening Saturday — “Expect various fun activities while you and your dog experience the first Indoor Dog Park & Bar in the DMV… Day passes to Snouts & Stouts will become available the day after the Grand Opening party.” [Snouts and Stouts]

YHS Grad Leads ODU Team — “Yorktown High School graduate Grant Wilson has enjoyed a productive season as the starting quarterback for the Old Dominion University football team this fall. In 11 games, the 6-foot-3 junior helped the Monarchs finish with a 6-6 regular-season record, making the team eligible to play in a bowl game. Wilson led ODU to victories in its final two games.” [Gazette Leader]

Race Closures in Pentagon City — “The Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell 5k Run will be held Sunday, December 3, 2023 beginning at 8:00 a.m. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures in order to accommodate the event.” [Arlington County]

Snow Seen in Arlington — “ARLnow can confirm: there was a period of light flurries [Tuesday afternoon] in North Arlington.” [Twitter]

Alexandria Passes Housing Plan — “Single-family-only zoning is no more in Alexandria. Alexandria’s City Council voted unanimously at around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29, to approve the Zoning for Housing/Housing for All initiative. The plan includes zoning changes that aim to encourage the development of more housing units.” [ALXnow]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunshine and a high around 39 degrees, accompanied by a south wind blowing at 7 to 10 mph. The night will be mostly clear and cooler with a low temperature of 28 degrees, while the southwest wind continues at 6 to 10 mph. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 28, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Tuesday 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 — Nov 28, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect sunny skies and a high around 39 degrees with south winds ranging from 6 to 10 mph. The night will be mostly clear with a low near 28 degrees and southwest winds also between 6 and 10 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
– Helen Keller

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

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