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

Apartment Rents Bounce Back — “It took a little while, but average rents for Arlington apartments have now shot past pre-pandemic levels, according to new data. With median rent prices of $2,013 for a one-bedroom unit and $2,437 for two bedrooms, Arlington is among 92 of the nation’s 100 largest urban communities that has seen rents return to, or exceed, levels of March 2020, when the pandemic hit.” [Sun Gazette]

Ballston Resident Creates Bourbon Brand — “I Bourbon is one Arlingtonian’s ode to this classic American whiskey. Now, if he could just get it on store shelves.” [Washington Business Journal]

Reston to Crystal City Bus Proposed — “One of two projects proposed by Fairfax County, the new express bus service would connect Fairfax Connector’s Reston South Park and Ride lot with key employment destinations in Arlington County, including the Pentagon and Pentagon City and ending in Crystal City. The county is seeking $5.1 million to cover two years of operating costs for the service as well as the purchase of six buses.” [Reston Now]

AWLA Takes in Louisiana Pets — “A special delivery arrived Wednesday afternoon at Manassas Regional Airport: a plane carrying more than 100 pets that were evacuated from the Louisiana hurricane zone ahead of Ida’s arrival earlier this week. As the plane landed, rescue organizations from throughout the D.C. area were standing by to take the animals in. ‘There were mostly dogs, but also a few cats in the mix,’ said Samantha Snow with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.” [WJLA]

Student Housing May Become Hotel — “Marymount University is moving to convert some of its recently acquired student housing in Ballston into hotel rooms, giving its hospitality program a boost in the process. The Arlington university filed documents with county planners Tuesday seeking permission to convert as much as half of the 267-unit residential building at 1008 N. Glebe Road into a hotel. Marymount has operated the building, dubbed The Rixey, as housing for students, faculty and staff since buying it back in 2019.” [Washington Business Journal]

Press Club: Early Morning Notes for Tuesday, Sept. 7

By ARLnow.com

Good morning, Arlington. Dana here. It’s Tuesday, September 7: National Grateful Patient Day and Leslie Jones’ 54th birthday.

This post is exclusively for ARLNow Press Club members. Not a member? Join here.

Members can sign in here.

Yes, We Work on Labor Day (Plus Nights and Weekends)

By ARLnow.com

We generally don’t publish on weekends or holidays, but that doesn’t mean we’re not working.

ARLnow’s small but mighty team works hard to bring you the local news even when we’re not supposed to be working. Attending nighttime meetings, tracking down stories on a weekend, sending emails from bed past midnight — it’s how the proverbial sausage gets made around here.

Our team may be mighty, but we’d like it to be bigger so we can break even more Arlington news while providing more breadth and depth of coverage. That’s why we launched the ARLnow Press Club.

Help us cover more local news in Arlington, and we’ll let you know what we’re covering in advance. Join the Press Club and get access to the Early Morning Notes, which chronicles what we’re covering that day, first thing in the morning.

To those who have already joined, thank you for supporting ARLnow and local journalism!

Most-Read Arlington Stories of the Week: Sept. 3, 2021

By ARLnow.com
Screenshot of lightning striking above Ballston Quarter (via Jordan Tessler/@terpweather)

It was a workweek that started with a sense of impending doom and ended with some very nice weather and light traffic.

Ida is long gone and the Labor Day weekend is here. For the several dozen of you still hanging around this afternoon, here are some of the most-read ARLnow stories of the week:

  1. Video: Lightning Strikes Above Ballston Quarter Mall
  2. Flash Flood Watch Issued Ahead of Arrival of Ida’s Remnants
  3. ACPD: Man Stabbed and Robbed Along Columbia Pike
  4. HQ2 Reaches 3,000 Employees As Construction Progresses
  5. More Ghost Kitchens Appear in Clarendon Parking Lot Eyed for Redevelopment
  6. Car Overturns in Crash Near Westover
  7. Man Survived Serious Bike Crash in Yorktown Last Month
  8. Most Expensive Arlington Homes Sold in August

Now go forth, enjoy the near-perfect weather and those last few days of outdoor pool time, and — if you are sufficiently reclined — discuss the above stories or anything else of local interest from your lounge chairs. Have a nice holiday weekend!

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com
1812 24th Street S. (via Google Maps)

Although we’ve got a holiday weekend ahead of us, you can still find plenty of open houses in the area. These range from 6 BD/6.5 BA new construction homes to 1 BD/1 BA centrally located condos.

Take a look at a few open houses in Arlington this weekend:

  • 4151 39th Street N.
    6 BD/6.5 BA single-family home
    Noteworthy: New construction, floor-to-ceiling windows, private yard
    Listed: $2,695,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-4 p.m.
  • 3501 N. Pershing Drive
    6 BD/4 BA single-family home
    Noteworthy: Large addition with cathedral ceilings, screened porch, lower level with separate entrance
    Listed: $1,500,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m.
  • 2007 S. Monroe Street
    4 BD/2.5 BA single-family home
    Noteworthy: New construction, close to HQ2, two large attic spaces for storage, landscaped yard
    Listed: $1,050,000
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
  • 1812 24th Street S.
    3 BD/3.5 BA townhouse
    Noteworthy: Elevator, exposed brick, three fireplaces, an assigned parking space
    Listed: $899,000
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
  • 1122 N. Utah Street
    2 BD/2.5+ BA townhouse
    Noteworthy: Blocks from the Ballston Metro, private patio, office space
    Listed: $749,900
    Open: Sunday, 1-4 p.m.

Image via Google Maps

Driver Struck By Vehicle After Crash on Route 50

By ARLnow.com

An early morning, single-vehicle crash along Route 50 led to the driver being struck by an oncoming vehicle.

The crash and a subsequent police investigation closed eastbound Route 50 (Arlington Blvd) at the Glebe Road overpass for several hours. The victim suffered serious injuries but is expected to survive, police say.

“At approximately 4:23 a.m. on September 3, police were dispatched to the area of Arlington Boulevard and South Glebe Road for the report of a crash with injury,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Kirby Clark tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was driving eastbound on Arlington Boulevard when they struck the overpass wall on the right shoulder. The victim then pulled over in the left lane along the median, exited their vehicle and was in the roadway when they were struck by an oncoming vehicle.”

“The victim was transported to an area hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries,” Clark continued. “The driver of the striking vehicle remained on scene. Eastbound Arlington Boulevard was closed from Glebe Road to N. Jackson Street while the crash investigation took place.”

The highway reopened shortly before 7 a.m.

Flickr photo by Kevin Wolf

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Closures for Labor Day — County-run Covid vaccination clinics and testing will be closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday. County offices, libraries, rec centers, courts and schools will also be closed. Trash will be collected, but parking meters will not be enforced. [Arlington County]

Two Libraries Reopening Next Week — “Starting September 7, 2021, Arlington Public Library will reopen two locations — Cherrydale and Glencarlyn Libraries… ‘The Library continues to make steady progress toward filling an unprecedented number of public service vacancies caused by the pandemic and subsequent hiring freeze. We believe we are turning the corner and look forward to seeing more of our patrons,’ said Arlington Public Library Director Diane Kresh.” [Press Release]

No County Cash for Amazon This Year — “Arlington won’t pay Amazon.com Inc. any cash incentives this year — the second year in a row the pandemic has essentially thwarted that deal… ‘As a result of the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions in place during much of the year, Arlington’s FY2021 Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) revenues did not yield the incremental growth necessary for Amazon to receive a grant for the second year of the 15-year performance period.'” [Washington Business Journal]

VRE Ridership Remains Low — “Despite upticks over the summer months, passenger counts for Virginia Railway Express (VRE) remain well down from pre-pandemic levels. For the weeks ending July 30, Aug. 6, Aug. 13 and Aug. 20, passenger counts were down 85.7 percent, 85.8 percent, 85.8 percent and 86.5 percent from the same periods in 2019, according to information provided by VRE officials to the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission.” [InsideNova]

New Restaurants Coming to Crystal City — “The Kabob Palace in Crystal City will soon have new neighbors. A halal restaurant franchisee has signed a lease for about 2,400 square feet at 2323 S. Eads St., where it plans to open a combined Peri Peri Original and Kallisto Steakhouse inside an end-cap space where the buffet-style Kabob Palace Family Restaurant had been.” [Washington Business Journal]

Map Chronicles Close Calls — “Developed with the help of Virginia Tech graduate students, the Near Miss Survey allows walkers, bicyclists, drivers, and other road users to report instances where they came close to getting into a crash or accident but were fortunate enough to avoid it. The resulting map highlights specific incidents as well as hotspots that are especially accident-prone, with the goal of helping local transportation and public safety officials see what areas need their attention.” [FFXnow]

Flickr photo by Bekah Richards

Press Club: Early Morning Notes for Friday, Sept. 3

By ARLnow.com

Good morning, Arlington. Scott here. It’s Friday, September 3: National Lazy Mom’s Day and actor Charlie Sheen’s 56th birthday.

This post is exclusively for ARLNow Press Club members. Not a member? Join here.

Members can sign in here.

Arlington Sees Slight Dip in Covid Cases Heading into Labor Day Weekend

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 1:25 p.m.) The start of the extended Labor Day weekend is a day away and there’s a bit of good news beyond the nice weather: there’s been a slight dip in coronavirus cases.

After a mid-August plateau, the seven-day moving average of new cases in Arlington started moving upward again, peaking at 41 cases per day this past Saturday, Aug. 28. That’s now down to about 32 cases per day, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.

The rates of both Covid tests administered (1,134 to 1,051 daily tests per day) and test positivity (4% to 3.5%) have also dipped during that approximate time period, suggesting that while people being out of town due to pre-Labor Day vacations may partially explain the dip in cases, it’s not the entire explanation.

(As pointed out by a reader, the timing of the dip may also correlate to college students returning to campus.)

Hospitalizations and deaths in Arlington attributed to Covid are still being reported, though at a lower level compared to earlier in the pandemic. A dozen hospitalizations and two deaths have been recorded over the past month, according to VDH.

Arlington’s high (and slowly rising) vaccination rate — nearly 73% of the adult population has received at least one dose — is likely a major contributor to the relatively low incidence of serious illness and death.

There’s some talk of the current delta-variant-fueled Covid wave peaking on a national level, though the jury is still out as to what the next few months will hold. That’s especially true given the emergence of a new viral variant dubbed “mu” that’s said to have a greater ability to evade immunity from vaccines or prior infections.

Morning Poll: Nice Weather Is Here, How Happy Are You About It?

By ARLnow.com

In our area it seems like every September there’s a stretch of perfect late-summer or early-fall weather, with sunny skies and comfortable temperatures.

And it appears we have just entered such a stretch.

The ten-day forecast currently includes no rain, and a range of high temperatures between 75-84 degrees. Granted, such stretches are often too fleeting, but — it sure is nice while it lasts.

Today’s kickoff of the D.C. area’s Nice September Stretch follows an extended period of awful weather. Deluges of rain, storms that knock out power, and borderline unbearable combinations of heat and humidity in between. It felt like it was never going to end.

With our weather dreams coming true, albeit temporarily, we were wondering just how excited locals were about it. Beyond extended stretches of nice weather being a bit… well, boring… there’s also a thought given to the need to water plants, wash the car, etc. if it stays dry for too long.

And, just how much do locals care about the weather after all? If we really prioritized warm temperatures and sunny skies to go along with the expensive real estate, wouldn’t more of us be packing up and moving to Southern California?

Given the national picture — destruction caused by Hurricane Ida and deadly floods and devastating wildfires — we should be counting our weather blessings. This is not to minimize the suffering of those recently affected by severe weather, which top scientists say is being made worse by climate change.

But sticking to our local reality here in Arlington, this morning we’re wondering just how jazzed everyone is for our run of September weather perfection.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Rosslyn Food Hall Now Open — “Assembly, the area’s latest food hall, located above the Rosslyn Metro stop in Arlington, hopes to entice you by taking a something-for-everyone approach, including plenty of healthy-ish options. Their lineup includes Great Lake Diner; Charo’s vegetarian tacos; Asian street food stall Beng Beng; GiGi’s salads, smoothies, and grain bowls; Big Day Coffee; sandwich joint Sammy Pickles; modern-minded bodega PNTRY; and Fog Point, a 40-seat sit-down oysters and seafood restaurant with a separate entrance.” [DCist]

Abduction Suspect Arrested in Va. Square — “The victim was inside a business when the suspect approached and attempted to engage her in conversation. The suspect then left the business, but remained seated outside. When the victim left the business, the suspect followed her into a neighboring building and onto an elevator, where he again attempted to engage her in conversation, advanced towards her, grabbed her waist and touched her buttocks. The victim attempted to step away but the suspect prevented her from exiting the elevator.” [ACPD]

Courthouse ‘DMV Select’ Office Reopening — “‘DMV Select’ services operated by the Arlington Commissioner of Revenue’s office in conjunction with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles will reopen Sept. 7 after an 18-month COVID shutdown. The office will operate by appointment Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center, 2100 Clarendon Blvd.” [Sun Gazette]

How Ashton Heights was Sold — “‘Build Your Love Nest in Ashton Heights, Virginia,’ read the ad in the Evening Star a century ago. ‘$500 cash will finance your home; $20 will reserve your lot.’ Exclusive sales agents at the D.C.-based (all female) Kay-Alger Co. were luring federal employees to join the automobile generation’s embrace of suburbanization, to ‘get away from the crowded city and enjoy the freedom of a most picturesque surrounding.'” [Falls Church News-Press]

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