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.

The Arlies: Vote for Your Favorite Real Estate Agent for Sellers + Home Renovation Company

By ARLnow.com

The Arlies continue today with a two new categories, but first, the results of last week’s voting.

Your favorite preschool/daycare is Trinity School of Early Learning on Columbia Pike, followed by Overlee Preschool on Military Road and Maria Teresa’s Babies Early Enrichment Center on 23rd Street S.

Now, let’s vote on this week’s categories.

Is there a real estate agent you’d recommend to sellers or a favorite real estate agent you’ve worked with when selling? Do you have a favorite home renovation company that turned your unfinished basement into a movie theater?

Let us know below or by clicking this link. Voting is open until next Tuesday, when we announce the winners and vote on a new category.

Photo by Francesca Tosolini on Unsplash

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Police Chief’s First Community Convo — “ACPD looks forward to engaging with the community at our first Community Conversations with the Chief at @MegamartMarket on Columbia Pike” today. [Twitter]

Registration Next Week for Fall Rec Classes — “As it begins to ramp back up after more than a year of COVID-caused pullbacks, the Arlington Department of Parks and Recreation has set registration dates for its fall programming. Online registration for classes begins Aug. 4 at 7 a.m. (gymnastics) and 7:30 a.m. (all other programs) for county residents.” [Sun Gazette]

New Name for Lee Hwy Alliance — “The Lee Highway Alliance (LHA) Board has unanimously voted to rename itself the Langston Boulevard Alliance (LBA), following the change in the name of the roadway itself that was approved by the Arlington County Board on July 17.” [Press Release]

Gun Brandishing in Pentagon City — “At approximately 10:55 a.m. on July 23, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspect entered the business and requested services. When the employee asked for his information, he became irate and was escorted out of the building by security. A short time later, the suspect walked by the store and lifted up his shirt to expose what appeared to be a handgun and threatened to shoot the employee before leaving the area. Arriving officers canvassed the surrounding area with negative results. The investigation is ongoing.” [ACPD]

Street Sweeping Schedule — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “The County street sweeping schedule is out for 2021-2022. Longbranch Creek: Prepare to hail the big brush truck Aug. 10, Oct. 12, April 12 and June 14.” [Twitter]

Chasten Shops at Pentagon City Mall — “‘We’re going to take those out the maximum,’ Chasten [Buttigeg] says, pulling at the thigh area of a new pair of suit pants two weeks later as he turns to examine himself in a three-way mirror at a Nordstrom in Arlington… After the Nordstrom stop, Chasten faced the good and bad of his new reality while trying to return some new purchases at Banana Republic: One star-struck salesperson wanted a photo with him, and another wouldn’t credit his account without a receipt.” [Washington Post]

Olympic Heartbreak for Huske in Tokyo

By ARLnow.com

Yorktown High School grad Torri Huske appeared poised for victory in the 100-meter butterfly last night in Tokyo, but ended up just off the Olympic podium by a tiny fraction of a second.

The 18-year-old was out in front by a head down the stretch, but ended up finishing at 55.73 seconds, 0.01 seconds away from the bronze medal and just 0.14 seconds after the gold medal time.

Arlington Aquatic Club teammates and other supporters cheered Huske on from Dudley’s Sport and Ale in Shirlington, as seen on NBC’s Olympics Twitter account, below.

Despite the disappointment, Huske is still early in her competitive swimming career. She will attend Stanford in the fall, swimming on the school’s elite women’s team, and will be a favorite to return to the Olympics in three years in Paris.

More from social media:

https://twitter.com/KelynSoong/status/1419471499455520771

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Prelude to Speed Cameras in Arlington — “This week the D.C. region’s Transportation Planning Board announced it is awarding a $60,000 grant to help Arlington with its plans to install the first-ever speed cameras in the county. The TPB says the money will go towards consulting services to help Arlington County install speed cameras in a fair, data-driven manner.” [WJLA]

NAACP Wanted Stronger Police Oversight — “Despite the County Board’s recent adoption of a Community Oversight Board (COB) ordinance, we are disappointed that the County Board refused to adopt the General Assembly-approved authority for the COB to be truly independent and to make binding disciplinary determinations. Nevertheless, we will work with all parties to ensure that the process is equitable and transparent.” [Press Release]

Judge’s Ruling on Rouse Estate Suit — “On May 14, Reeder filed a challenge to the county board’s rejection of local historic district status that some hoped would have protected the now-demolished 160-year-old Febrey-Lothrop house… Judge DiMatteo said Reeder faced ‘an uphill battle.’ The community ‘is not voiceless,’ she said. A community member can speak to board members and, if one doesn’t like their decision, ‘vote them out.’ But without standing, that party can’t appeal in court. Virginia law, she said, requires an ‘aggrieved party.’ She rejected Reeder’s claim.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Friday Carbeque on Route 29 — “Video from van fire and fuel leak impacting traffic on eastbound Lee Highway at Kirkwood.” [Twitter, Twitter]

GOP Blasts County for Biden Event — “Arlington County is misusing taxpayer resources and county bandwidth to actively promote a partisan campaign rally. One-party rule in Arlington continues to produce a lack of accountability for our elected leaders and county officials. Not only are they actively promoting a political event, they also went a step further to link to the event RSVP page.” [Press Release]

Guess the Price of This House — “The beauty of this 5,227 square-foot lot in Arlington, VA, is in its simplicity. Along with being a short Uber ride to Washington, DC, amenities include: Attached garage with one parking space, Big trees, Water heater (not new, just one in general), Great location to build on if you’re cool with bulldozing the home. How much for the world’s most average house?” [Morning Brew, Zillow]

Reminder: Vote in This Week’s Arlies — Do you have a favorite preschool or daycare you take your children to? Cast your vote in this week’s Arlies category by midday tomorrow. [ARLnow]

Thank You for Helping the ARLnow Press Club Grow!

By ARLnow.com

We just wanted to take a moment to thank you to everyone who has joined the new ARLnow Press Club over the past week!

Counting our existing Patreon supporters, who we’re working to fully move over to the Press Club, we now have more than 275 members. And we’ll be plowing all of that revenue into doing more local journalism that’s accessible to all readers. 

But this isn’t just a donation. Press Club members enjoy a number of exclusive benefits, including…

  • Early AM Newsletter: A synopsis of each of the coming day’s stories, before publication, first thing in the morning. It’s not quite Early Edition, but it’s close. Plus restaurant and happy hour recommendations, insider notes from our reporters, and more.
  • Weekend Newsletter: Follow along as we do a deep dive into a local story, chronicling our reporting along the way. Starting tomorrow: a look at the current state of Columbia Pike. Plus This Week in Arlington History, editorial cartoons, and more.
  • Daily Podcast: A 3-5 minute local news summary every night, read by us and not a robot, just in time for doing the dishes or taking out the trash.

We’re still getting ramped up so members can expect even more going forward. If you’re not yet a member, join today to save time, get informed and support local news. Thank you!

Join Now

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

5901 Williamsburg Blvd

Wanting to buy? Or maybe you just want to take a look. There will be dozens of open houses throughout Arlington this weekend.

But before taking a look, let’s review some of the numbers. In the past four weeks, we’ve seen 200 new listings, resulting in a total of 733 homes on the market, according to Homesnap. That includes 485 condos, 207 single-family homes and 41 townhouses.

Now, here are a few open houses scheduled for this weekend:

  • 5901 Williamsburg Blvd
    5 BD/4.5 BA single-family home
    Noteworthy: Home theater, billiards room, hot tub, volleyball court, greenhouse
    Listed: $1,850,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m.
  • 1314 21st Street S.
    3 BD/3.5 BA single-family home
    Noteworthy: Wood-paneled library, professionally painted chinoiserie walls
    Listed: $1,390,000
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
  • 4710 Old Dominion Drive
    3 BD/2.5+ BA single-family home
    Noteworthy: Three-level “sky dome,” quiet back deck, spa-like master bath
    Listed: $1,100,000
    Open: Sunday, 1-3 p.m.
  • 2829 24th Road S.
    3 BD/2.5 BA townhouse
    Noteworthy: New construction, two-car garage
    Listed: $975,000
    Open: Sunday, 2-4 p.m.
  • 1522 N. Edison Street
    3 BD/2 BA single-family home
    Noteworthy: Single-level home, updated bathrooms, quarter-acre lot
    Listed: $865,000
    Open: Saturday, 12-2 p.m.
  • 1423 N. Rhodes Street #202
    2 BD/2 BA condo
    Noteworthy: Two balconies, gas fireplace, secured storage room
    Listed: $759,900
    Open: Saturday, 1-3 p.m. and Sunday, 2-4 p.m.

Image via Google Maps

Covid Cases Continue to Tick Up in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

The rate of new coronavirus cases in Arlington hit a fresh summer high today.

New Covid cases remain low relative to earlier in the pandemic, but rose to a seven-day trailing average of nine cases per day today, after 13 new cases were reported.

That’s the highest point since May 13.

Virginia Dept. of Health data also shows the county’s test positivity rate hitting 2% today, for the first time since May 9.

The more contagious Delta variant of the virus is skyrocketing in prevalence in the United States and is even infecting those who were fully vaccinated in some cases. Vaccines still offer protection against infection, however, and serious illness or death is rare among vaccinated individuals who get infected.

At Tuesday’s Arlington County Board meeting, Arlington Public Health Director Dr. Reuben Varghese said that infections, hospitalizations and Covid-related deaths remain relatively low.

From the Sun Gazette:

Despite a recent uptick, “we are still at the lowest level of cases since June 2020,” Dr. Reuben Varghese told County Board members, with weekly reported cases among county residents running at approximately 5 percent of the level recorded at the height of the pandemic. […]

He noted that among the county residents vaccinated who nonetheless ended up with COVID, just three – or 0.07 percent – became so sick they needed hospitalization.

“It happens, but it is extremely rare,” he said.

Varghese also noted that the state health department may be undercounting the number of vaccinated individuals in Arlington.

VDH currently pegs the percentage of the county’s adult population who have received at least one vaccine dose at just under 70%. Varghese said adding in Arlington residents who were vaccinated in D.C. or Maryland could bump that up to around 76%.

Morning Poll: School in an Office Building?

By ARLnow.com

The capacity crunch at Arlington Public Schools is not as dire as it once was, particularly after the pandemic, but there is still a need for more school seats in certain areas.

One place where a school might be needed: the National Landing area, where hundreds of new apartments are planned and where the nearest elementary school — Oakridge, in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood — is getting increasingly overcrowded, according to APS projections.

There’s not much contiguous land on which to plop down a full elementary school with fields and a playground in the Crystal City or Pentagon City neighborhoods, but one thing both have in abundance is office space — particularly older, harder-to-lease office space.

The Washington Business Journal reported last week that the City of Alexandria is purchasing an office building on N. Beauregard Street for $18 million, with plans to eventually convert it into a 600-student elementary or secondary school. Might that be an example for Arlington Public Schools to follow?

https://twitter.com/CarFreeHQ2/status/1415147596755181574

If not purchase an entire building, APS could potentially lease part of an office building for school use. Of course, some parents and students might not love the idea of having to take an elevator to class, or not having the grassy fields and other amenities of a typical suburban school.

What do you think?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Road Closures for Biden Event — “The public can anticipate large crowds and increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the area related to the event. The following road closures will begin at 1:00pm: Park Drive from N. George Mason Drive to 3rd Street N., 3rd Street N. from N. Park Drive to N. Columbus Street. During the event, the following closure will also be in effect: George Mason Drive from N. Carlin Springs Road to N. Henderson Road.” [Arlington County]

Mahjong Bar Coming to Pentagon City — “Lo and Bun’d Up founder Scott Chung are taking the idea of post-dinner games one step further for their next business venture: Sparrow Room, a mahjong parlor and speakeasy-style dim sum bar tucked away behind Bun’d Up at Pentagon Row. During the day, patrons order Taiwanese-style gua bao stuffed with fried chicken or bulgogi beef at the fast-casual restaurant. Come evening, they can head to the dimly-lit, 42-seat bar for mahjong games, cocktails, and dim sum-style fare.” [Washingtonian]

In-Person Speakers Outnumber Virtual — “Two months after the Arlington County Board resumed in-person meetings, it appears members of the public are more comfortable showing up to voice their opinions. Of the 18 people signed up for the County Board’s July 17 ‘citizen comment’ portion kicking off the meeting, 13 were in-person speakers, the remainder checking in via Internet.” [Sun Gazette]

Fire Union Asks for Recognition — From the Arlington Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association, following the County Board authorizing collective bargaining with employee groups: “Start the collective bargaining process. We have petitioned the county to recognize us as the union representing all firefighters and paramedics in Arlington.” [Press Release, Twitter]

Flights Still Down at DCA — “The number of scheduled outbound passenger flights departing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the third quarter of 2021 is expected to be down 35 percent from the same period in 2019 – among the biggest sustained downturns in the nation, but still a sign of incremental progress.” [Sun Gazette]

Morning Poll: Should Kids Wear Masks in Elementary Schools?

By ARLnow.com

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam sits in on a lesson in Mr. Foster’s class at Barcroft Elementary School during a visit Monday morning (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Virginia is “strongly” recommending that all elementary students, staff and teachers wear masks indoors this fall.

The guidance from the state health and education departments, which is not binding, recommends requiring masks until “there has been sufficient time to allow for children [under 12] to be fully vaccinated,” the Washington Post reported.

The recommendation comes amid an increase in cases nationally, and a much smaller uptick here in Arlington, fueled by the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.

The latest guidance from Arlington Public Schools suggests masks will be required for everybody inside schools in the fall, as has been the case this summer. But the APS mandates could change in light of the new state guidance, which also recommends that fully vaccinated middle- and high school students be allowed to go maskless inside.

What do you think of local elementary kids wearing masks this fall inside schools?

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