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

Metro Resuming Midnight Service — “Metro will expand train service to midnight, seven days a week starting Sunday, July 18. The extended operating hours are the first in a package of service improvements passed by Metro’s Board of Directors in June that will add more all-day rail service, create high-frequency bus routes and improve service across the region.” [WMATA]

New Leader for Signature Theatre — “Signaling the rise of a younger generation of leadership for the American musical stage, Signature Theatre announced Tuesday that it has chosen Matthew Gardiner, the company’s second-in-command, as its new artistic director after a year-long, nationwide search. At 37, Gardiner — who has directed or choreographed more than 30 productions for the company — becomes the youngest head of a front-line Washington-area theater.” [Washington Post]

Dems to Hand-Deliver Annual Newsletter — “Party leaders are gearing up to hand-deliver 50,000 to 60,000 copies of the ‘Democratic Messenger,’ the party’s annual get-out-the-vote newsletter, to homes across Arlington in mid-September. It’s done the old-fashioned way – hand-delivery – and ‘we’re going to need roughly 600 volunteers,’ said Carol Fontein, who heads precinct operations.” [Sun Gazette]

TSA Has Caught Three Guns and a Knife So Far Today at DCA

By ARLnow.com
TSA officers caught a Florida man with this loaded gun, ammunition and tactical knife in his carry-on bag on Wednesday, July 14. It was the second of three guns caught at the checkpoint as of Wednesday afternoon. (photo courtesy TSA)

Security at National Airport has caught three guns at checkpoints so far today and it’s only mid-afternoon.

Among the three people caught trying to illegally bring weapons on to a plane today, according to the Transportation Security Administration, was a Florida man who packed a handgun, five dozen bullets, and a tactical knife.

The TSA says firearms caught at DCA checkpoints for 2021 have now surpassed those for all of 2019.

More from a press release, below.

Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) caught three handguns at the airport checkpoints today, the 15th, 16th and 17th guns caught so far this year, surpassing the number of guns caught in 2019, prior to the pandemic when significantly more people were traveling through the airport. The incidents were not related.

“It looks like there is an epidemic of guns showing up at our airport,” said Scott T. Johnson, TSA Federal Security Director for Reagan National Airport. “Here at DCA we are still experiencing notably lower checkpoint volumes compared to 2019, while we are seeing an increase in the number people bringing their guns to the checkpoints. Let me be crystal clear, TSA does not permit guns, ammunition or gun parts to be carried through our security checkpoints and if you bring a gun, loaded or not, you will face a stiff federal financial penalty in addition to any possible law enforcement criminal charges. Even if you have a permit to carry a gun, it cannot be brought into the cabin of a plane.”

Johnson pointed out that passengers can travel with their firearms if they pack them unloaded in a hard-sided locked case and declare them with their airline to ensure the guns are transported in the belly of the plane so that nobody has access to them during the flight.

On Wednesday morning, TSA officers caught a Fredericksburg, Virginia, woman with a .380 caliber handgun and a gun magazine loaded with five bullets in her carry-on bag. Shortly afterward, a Florida man was stopped with a 9mm handgun loaded with 15 bullets plus two additional gun magazines with 45 bullets and a tactical knife in his carry-on bag. Then, this afternoon, a Wisconsin man was prevented from carrying his 9mm handgun loaded with five bullets, including one in the chamber, from getting through the security checkpoint.

Each traveler was cited by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police, who confiscated the weapons. In addition, all three individuals face a federal financial civil penalty for bringing a gun to an airport security checkpoint.

(more…)

Arlington Pet of the Week: Boomer

By ARLnow.com
1/3

OK, Boomer… we see you! Boomer, an almost 1-year-old black lab (her birthday is July 20!), is our latest Pet of the Week. She’s quite vocal and isn’t afraid to share her opinions.

Here’s what Boomer’s mom had to say about her:

Meet Boomer. She’s an almost 1-year-old black lab, who, like her mom, was born in Iowa before making the move to the DMV.

Boomer is a true Labrador retriever. People and fetch are her two loves — probably because she needs people in order to play fetch. Boomer is also very opinionated and isn’t afraid to let you know what she’s thinking. She’s happy to share her thoughts if she hears something scary, if she’s really tired or if she isn’t ready to go to sleep. She is quite the conversationalist!

One of the best things about Boomer, though, is her love for little kids. For as active and rambunctious as she is with grown-ups (she’s working on her manners!), she is extra tender around children and knows to lay down and let them come to her, which is one of the sweetest things you’ve ever seen.

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!

We are also looking for local pets who look like their owners or like celebrities. Email us photos of your pet and their doppelgänger, explaining the resemblance and whether it has been noticed in your neighborhood.

Clarendon Day Cancelled Again This Year

By ARLnow.com

Organizers have pulled the plug on this year’s planned Clarendon Day celebration.

For the second year in the row, one of Arlington’s biggest street festivals will not be happening. The Clarendon Alliance, which organizes the fall event, made the announcement yesterday.

We regret to inform the community that we have canceled Clarendon Day for 2021.

A compressed production timeline, increased costs, staffing changes, and the ongoing concern of Covid-19 and the delta variant make the viability of an event at this scale too risky.

Watch for more great programming on a smaller scale. We all continue to bring our community together and celebrate all that Clarendon has to offer!

The event is expected to return in the fall of 2022.

More than 1,000 people had already said on Facebook that they planned to attend Clarendon Day, which was scheduled for Sept. 25. It would have featured “several music stages, a large kid’s area, arts and crafts vendors, business and nonprofit exhibitors from Clarendon and the region, plenty of great food from local and regional restaurants, craft beers and Virginia wines, and more.”

Coronavirus cases have started rising both locally and nationally, though numbers remain relatively low in Arlington.

Other outdoor community events, like the Bands & Brews on the Boulevard event in Ballston next weekend, are still on at last check.

Hat tip to @clarendonnights

After Quiet June, Coronavirus Cases Starting to Rise in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

After hovering around zero since Memorial Day, coronavirus cases in Arlington have started to rise again since the beginning of July.

The rate of new cases remains relatively low, but the trend is unmistakable: up. Eleven new cases were reported yesterday, bringing the trailing seven-day average to six cases per day.

That’s the highest point since mid-May.

Arlington’s COVID-19 test positivity rate, meanwhile, has crept up to 1.3%. That’s the highest point for that figure since mid-May, after bottoming out at 0.3% on June 18.

The rise in cases here comes amid a rise nationally, attributed primarily to unvaccinated individuals contracting the newer, more contagious delta variant of the virus. About 70% of the adult population in Arlington has received at least one vaccine dose, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data.

One death and about a dozen Covid-related hospitalizations have been reported in Arlington over the past month.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Getting Hipper Restaurants? —  “Clarkson said the Clarendon-Courthouse area is drawing some bar and restaurant operators from the District who previously haven’t had any locations in Virginia. He said he has seen this type of interest as his team has begun to lease the 17,500 SF of retail in the Landmark Block project. ‘You’re starting to see good retail from D.C., Shaw-type retailers, plant flags in the R-B corridor in Clarendon,’ Clarkson said. ‘Folks I never thought would consider the R-B corridor are now interested… Hopefully there will be some names that haven’t necessarily been seen in Virginia yet, especially on the [food and beverage] and bar side.'” [Bisnow]

Committee Critiques HQ2 Phase 2 Plan — “‘I am still seeing three — on the bulky side, seems to me from the rendering I’ve seen – office buildings at 22 stories high,’ Siegel said. ‘I think the community — certainly, speaking for myself — had hoped for more of a varied skyline.’ James Schroll, the committee chair, said he agreed with Siegel’s concerns. ‘While we appreciate the modifications, I don’t think they achieve what folks were after in our last discussion,’ he said.” [Washington Business Journal]

Environmental Review for ‘CC2DCA’ Bridge — “Arlington County, in coordination with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), has initiated a study to explore the possibility of providing a multimodal connection between Crystal City and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). An online community meeting on July 15 will serve as the public kick-off for the study, which is anticipated to take approximately three years to complete.” [Arlington County]

Va. Lauded for Business Climate — “A year of pandemic and social reckoning has changed the nation in countless ways. But one thing has stayed the same: America’s Top State for Business is Virginia. The Old Dominion captures top honors in CNBC’s 2021 competitiveness rankings, just as it did in the previous study published in 2019. It is Virginia’s fifth win since the study began in 2007, more than any other state.” [CNBC]

‘Uncommon Luncheonette’ Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com
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A new restaurant with a unique name is coming to Clarendon.

“Uncommon Luncheonette” filed yesterday for a building permit at 1028 N. Garfield Street. That’s the former location of Riverside Hot Pot, which closed last fall after about a year in business, and Bowl’d, which closed in 2017 after about two years.

The permit application seeks permission to make interior alterations but gives no clues as to what the restaurant will serve. There is nothing by the name “Uncommon Luncheonette” that could be found via search engine or social media.

An Virginia LLC by that name was formed last week, however. The address and attorney for the newly-formed company match that of Pentagon City restaurant Epic Smokehouse, which opened in 2012, though it’s unclear whether the two are connected. The owners of Epic Smokehouse could not be immediately reached for comment.

Hat tip to Chris Slatt

The Arlies: Vote for Your Favorite Dentist

By ARLnow.com

Before we get to the latest Arlies category this week, let’s cut right to the results for last week’s voting.

Arlington’s favorite hair salon is Casal’s De Spa & Salon in Clarendon, followed by Smitten and Urban Halo.

Your favorite barbershop is Bearded Goat Barber in Ballston, followed by Willy & Babib’s Barber Shop and Westover Barber Shop.

Now, let’s sink our teeth into this week’s category. Do you have a favorite dentist — for adults — that makes you look forward to routine cleanings? 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 Atikah Akhtar on Unsplash

Police Investigating Man’s Death Outside H-B Woodlawn

By ARLnow.com

A man was found dead on a bench outside the H-B Woodlawn school in Rosslyn this morning.

Police are now investigating the man’s death, but note that there is no known threat to the community.

“At approximately 8:36 a.m., police were dispatched to the 1600 block of Wilson Boulevard for the report of a check on the welfare of a man lying on a bench,” said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Upon arrival, officers located an adult male deceased. The police department is conducting a death investigation and there is no apparent threat to the community related to this incident.”

The deceased individual was wearing a hospital gown when he was found unresponsive by first responders, Savage confirmed to ARLnow.

Arlington Public Schools’ H-B Woodlawn high school program moved into The Heights building at 1601 Wilson Blvd in the fall of 2019. The Shriver special education program is also based in the building.

Photo via Google Maps

Woman Robbed by Man With Gun Along Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

A man with a gun robbed a woman along Lee Highway late Sunday night.

The robbery happened around 11:30 p.m., near the intersection of the soon-to-be-renamed road and N. Columbus Street — across the street from the McDonald’s.

“As the victim was entering her office space, the suspect approached from behind and brandished a firearm towards her,” Arlington County police said in a crime report. “He forced the victim to remove her jewelry before entering her office space. At that time, the victim was able to run from the scene. It was later determined that the suspect rummaged through the space and stole cash.”

There were no reports of injuries.

Police searched the area but could not locate the suspect, who was only described as a man wearing black clothing.

Photo via Google Maps

JUST IN: Arlington Named ‘Fittest City’ in U.S., Again

By ARLnow.com
1/7

Arlington is once again “America’s Fittest City,” according to the annual American Fitness Index rankings.

The new 2021 rankings were released this morning by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the Anthem Foundation. It’s at least the third year in a row that Arlington ranked No. 1 on the list.

“Arlington, Virginia, earned its #1 designation by ranking first in eight indicators and scoring among the top 10 cities in 18 of the 34 categories,” the organizations said in a press release. “Residents reported the most physical activity with 85.7% exercising in the previous month. In the lowest-ranked city, Lubbock, Texas, only 64.2% of residents exercised in the previous month.”

Being a healthier place has benefits beyond just wellness, experts say.

“Beyond the health and wellness benefits of being a fit city, we know there are many economic advantages as well,” Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., the chief health officer for Anthem, said in a statement. “Cities designed to encourage physical activity have enjoyed higher home values, business and job growth, and more robust retail activity — leading to overall improved social drivers of health for our communities.

Separately, Virginia was again named America’s Top State for Business this morning by CNBC.

Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti is scheduled to be presented with an award by ACSM members at county government headquarters in Courthouse later this morning.

Rounding out the top 25 on the latest “fit” list were:

  1. Arlington, VA
  2. Minneapolis, MN
  3. Seattle, WA
  4. Denver, CO
  5. Madison, WI
  6. Washington, D.C.
  7. St. Paul, MN
  8. Irvine, CA
  9. Portland, OR
  10. Atlanta, GA
  11. Oakland, CA
  12. Boston, MA
  13. San Francisco, CA
  14. Chicago, IL
  15. San Diego, CA
  16. Buffalo, NY
  17. Boise, ID
  18. Sacramento, CA
  19. Austin, TX
  20. San Jose, CA
  21. New York, NY
  22. Lincoln, NE
  23. Honolulu, HI
  24. Pittsburgh, PA
  25. Miami, FL
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