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.

Threat scrawled in girls’ bathroom prompts investigation at Gunston MS

By ARLnow.com
Gunston Middle School (file photo)

Gunston Middle School students returned to class today after a police investigation yesterday afternoon.

Arlington County police were dispatched to the school around 3:30 p.m. Thursday for a report of threatening graffiti. A subsequent email to families from the school’s principal said someone wrote “Im going to shoot up the dumb ass school” in a girls’ bathroom stall.

“While we do not believe this to be a credible threat, the investigation is ongoing,” Principal Carolyn R. Jackson wrote.

Arlington public schools have faced a number of gun-related threats in 2023.

In March, Gunston was put in lockdown after “a message written inside a restroom stall referencing gun violence” was discovered, prompting a significant police response. In May, a Kenmore Middle School student was charged after an implied shooting threat was posted on social media. In September a man was arrested outside Washington-Liberty High School after allegedly threatening a shooting during after-school student activities on the field.

The email sent to Gunston families Thursday afternoon is below.

Dear Gunston Families,

Gunston Administration was informed of a threat of violence written in a girl’s bathroom stall. The specific threat was written in pencil and barely legible, stating, “Im going to shoot up the dumb ass school”.

The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) and Safety, Security, and Emergency Management (SSEM) were immediately made aware of the threat and are investigating the situation. Any students who know of this are asked to contact the school.

While we do not believe this to be a credible threat, the investigation is ongoing. Students are reminded that making threats, regardless of credibility, is unacceptable and in violation of the Student Code of Conduct and will result in disciplinary action by the school and a referral to law enforcement.

We appreciate the student who brought this to our attention and ask all community members to report any threats they may see or hear, whether they believe they are credible or not. We also need to remind everyone that spreading rumors among classmates or on social media that have not been verified can create unnecessary stress for students.

We always take threats of violence of any kind very seriously.

Our top priority is the safety of our students and staff, and I want to thank the Gunston community for your support and responsiveness. If you hear or see something that concerns you, please let me or a staff member know immediately.

Thank you for working together to make our school safe.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
A crape myrtle and a blue wall (Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent)

Veterans Day Concert Today — “In honor of all who proudly serve and defend our nation, Arlington County will host a Veterans Day Commemoration and Concert, featuring the Brass Quintet from the U.S. Army Band ‘Pershing’s Own.’ Everyone is invited to join us in person at Bozman Government Center Plaza (2100 Clarendon Blvd.) Thurs., Nov. 9, at 11:30 a.m.” [Arlington County]

Pedestrian Struck in Crystal City — From Dave Statter: “Watch: Pedestrian struck, apparently without serious injury, at Route 1 and 23rd Street in Crystal City just after 6p.m. @ArlingtonVaFD & @ArlingtonVaPD handled.” [Twitter]

APS May Nix Wellness Reporting — “Arlington Public Schools apparently has not been abiding by its own requirements to present the public with annual reports detailing how each school is progressing as is works to meet the school system’s overall student-wellness goals. Instead of forcing schools to follow the rules and create/disseminate those mandated reports, the school system likely will rescind the requirement altogether unless School Board members step in.” [Gazette Leader]

Write-down for Local Developer — “The loss includes about $59.3 million in impairment charges related to reduced values at three properties… JBG Smith wrote down the values of two office buildings, both decades old, at 2100 Crystal Drive in Arlington and 2101 L St. NW in D.C., and of an unspecified development parcel, per the company’s quarterly report filed Nov. 7.” [Washington Business Journal]

Whitlow’s Gets Closer to Arlington — “WoW. It’s those three yellow letters with green shadowing that at one time marked the home of Whitlow’s on Wilson, the venerable Clarendon restaurant and bar that shuttered in 2021 after nearly three decades. Prepare for the return of the WoW factor. It won’t be on Wilson Boulevard this time; it’ll be a floating watering hole on the Potomac River.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Thursday — Expect mostly sunny skies with a high around 77, accompanied by south winds at 10 to 13 mph shifting to the northwest in the afternoon, and gusts reaching up to 20 mph. Clouds will increase Thursday night as temperatures drop to around 49, with northwest winds continuing at 8 to 14 mph and gusts still reaching 20 mph. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Jeff Vincent

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 8, 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 8, 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 77 degrees. Initially, there will be a south wind at 9-13 mph, transitioning to northwest in the afternoon, and wind gusts could reach up to 20 mph. As for Thursday night, it will be mostly cloudy with a low temperature near 49 degrees and prevailing northwest winds of 8-14 mph. Similar gusts as high as 20 mph might be experienced. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. “
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Alleged pickleball masturbator nabbed after Columbia Pike peeping incident

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A man whose stroke on the pickleball court was most unwelcome has allegedly been identified and arrested.

Police say a 49-year-old Arlington resident was taken into custody Monday after a peeping incident along Columbia Pike Friday night.

Just before 7 p.m. Friday, according to Arlington County police, the man was spotted masturbating while peeping into a business on the 1000 block of S. Edgewood Street. A source tells ARLnow that the business was a boxing gym.

Police were only told about the incident the next day, but a “review of evidence in the case” led them to the suspect, who was then also linked to a public masturbation incident on the morning of May 3 at the Walter Reed Community Center pickleball courts.

ARLnow previously reported about a pair of masturbation incidents at the Walter Reed courts in April. A police press release makes no reference to those incidents.

The suspect is currently being held in jail on two counts of public masturbation and one count of peeping, according to police.

More, below, from the ACPD press release.

The Arlington County Police Department’s Patrol Section is announcing the arrest of a suspect following investigations into exposure incidents. Alexei Rodriguez, 49, of Arlington, VA is charged with Public Masturbation (x2) and Peeping. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

At approximately 1:45 p.m. on November 4, police were dispatched to the 1000 block of S. Edgewood Street for the late report of a peeping. Upon arrival, it was determined at approximately 6:55 p.m. on November 3, the occupants of an open business allegedly observed the suspect peeping through a window and masturbating before leaving the scene on foot. Following the review of evidence in the case, officers identified the suspect and obtained warrants for his arrest. He was taken into custody on the morning of November 6.

As a result of the ongoing criminal investigation, officers identified Mr. Rodriguez as the suspect in an exposure incident from May and obtained an additional arrest warrant. At approximately 10:44 a.m. on May 3, a patrol officer was contacted by a community member regarding a male suspect allegedly observed masturbating by the courts of the Walter Reed Community Center located at 2909 16th Street S.

Crime prevention and control is a key initiative of the Arlington County Police Department and officers are committed to conducting active patrols throughout Arlington and comprehensive follow-up investigations to identify, deter and prevent criminal activity. Community members observing in-progress criminal activity should report information immediately for police investigation by calling the Emergency Communications Center at 703-558-2222 or 9-1-1 in an emergency.

Morning Poll: What are you going do with your Virginia tax rebate?

By ARLnow.com
Letter accompanying a Virginia tax rebate (photo courtesy anonymous)

Virginia residents have been receiving state tax rebates over the past week or so.

The rebates for those who paid taxes in 2022 — $200 for individual filers, $400 for joint filers — were approved by the Virginia General Assembly in a compromise budget and signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Putting aside the eyebrows raised by the checks going out during election week, we were wondering what our readers in Arlington are planning to do with their rebate.

Are you planning to go right out and spend it, invest it for the long term, or something in between?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Autumnal scene at Sharps Park in North Arlington (Flickr pool photo by Michael McCullough)

Flyover This Afternoon — From AlertDC: “The Naval Air Force Atlantic will conduct a military aircraft flyover in the NCR over the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, November 8, 2023, at approximately 3:10PM.”

Parents Still Coping With Son’s Death — “Some families cope with loss behind closed doors. Rose and Kris chose to shoulder theirs frequently out in the open. As the months passed, rather than avoid situations where Braylon should have been, they embraced them—and were embraced in return. They were in the bleachers for as many W-L basketball games as their schedules would allow. In the spring, they attended pre-prom gatherings and graduation parties for Braylon’s peers.” [Arlington Magazine]

Arlington Rents Dip Slightly — “Median Arlington apartment rents dropped 0.9 percent from September to October, in line with historic norms but slightly above the 0.7-percent national dropoff. The median rental rate for county apartments for the month was $2,275 ($2,146 for one-bedroom units and $2,567 for two bedrooms), according to figures reported Oct. 31 by Apartment List.” [Gazette Leader]

Local Thanksgiving Pie Guide — “Spend more time with family and guests—and less in the kitchen—with the help of these area bakeries.” [Arlington Magazine]

Guilty Plea in Child Exploitation Case — “A former FBI contractor pleaded guilty today to production and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). According to court documents, beginning in February, Brett Janes, 26, of Arlington, groomed a 13-year-old minor (MV1) to transition from playing Valorant with him, a popular first-person shooter game, to engaging in “strip” games on a video chat function in Discord.” [ARLnow]

Morning Robbery in Virginia Square — “At approximately 8:00 a.m., the female victim was inside her parked vehicle when the two suspects approached. Suspect One opened the passenger door while Suspect Two opened the driver’s side door, assaulted the victim and stole her cellphone. The victim screamed and Suspect One ran from the scene and Suspect Two fled in a white SUV. Medics evaluated the victim on scene.” [ACPD]

Local Company Makes Acquisition — “Arlington health-tech company Surescripts LLC has acquired Minneapolis-based analytics startup ActiveRadar Inc. in a deal the local firm says adds an important dimension to its electronic prescription service for health systems and pharmacies.” [Washington Business Journal]

HQ2 Lit Up in Green — “In honor of Veterans Day, more than 30 of Amazon’s operation sites around the U.S. and the company’s headquarters in King County, Washington, and Arlington County, Virginia will participate in Operation Green Light for Veterans from November 6 – 12.” [Press Release]

Doug Kammerer Predicts Snowy Winter — “Get those waterproof boots and snow shovels ready — because if you want snow, and lots of it, Storm Team4 says this could be your year. Storm Team 4 is predicting: 22″-30″ of snow this winter for the I-95 corridor and the D.C. metro area.” [NBC 4]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 61 degrees, accompanied by a north wind at 6 mph, later becoming light and variable. For Wednesday night, the sky will be partly cloudy with a low temperature around 49 degrees and a southeast wind at 6 mph. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Michael McCullough

DEVELOPING: Arlington Democrats celebrate another local election sweep

By ARLnow.com
1/2

(Updated at 11:15 p.m.) It is another good election night for Arlington Democrats.

While some might have hoped for a Missing Middle-inspired upset in the two-seat Arlington County Board race, Democrats Maureen Coffey and Susan Cunningham have commanding leads over Republican Juan Carlos Fierro and independent Audrey Clement.

All but one Arlington precinct have reported results as of 10 p.m.

There is some evidence of a relatively minor Missing Middle backlash at the ballot box on Election Day: Cunningham — who advocates for “closely monitoring and revising” the policy, also known as “Expanded Housing Options” — is running just shy of three points ahead of Coffey, who generally supports it.

Clement, the most outspoken Missing Middle critic among the four candidates, has nearly 13% of the vote, about the same as Fierro. That compares to about 35% and 38% for Coffey and Cunningham, respectively.

Elsewhere down the ballot, it’s a sea of blue votes.

Among competitive races, GOP state Senate candidate Sophia Moshasha kept it closest, with about 24% of the vote to 75% for incumbent Sen. Adam Ebbin. Republican David Henshaw has 21% of the vote to 79% for incumbent Sen. Barbara Favola. And incumbent Del. Alfonso Lopez is defeating independent Major Mike Webb 81% to 18%.

The remaining races have no active second candidates, resulting in the election of incumbent Del. Patrick Hope in the 1st House District, Adele McClure in the 2nd House District, incumbent Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Ferguson, incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Sheriff Jose Quiroz, Commissioner of Revenue Kim Klingler, incumbent Treasurer Carla de la Pava, and School Board member Miranda Turner.

“We’re really excited,” Arlington Democrats Chair Steve Baker told ARLnow. “It seems like the voter turnout was really high all day long… We had a lot of local issues this year that brought people out in the primary. I think that helped Democrats.”

“With respect to the General Assembly, it was every bit about protecting the progress Democrats made after the 2019 election on voting rights, on education, on common sense gun safety, on protecting reproductive rights,” Baker continued. “Arlington voters were motivated to go to the polls.”

On the County Board race, Baker said he expects “difficult conversations” to continue while Board members “find the right approach and combination of policy to solve the issue of housing.”

Local Democrats potentially have another reason to celebrate tonight: election watchers project the party has won control of both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly.

While the Arlington GOP came up well short in the vote tally, it did notch a national news story today.

A voter’s expletive-filled rant against local party chair Matthew Hurtt, who was handing out sample ballots — as previously noted by ARLnow — ended up on the homepage of Fox News, Townhall and other media outlets.

James Jarvis contributed to this report

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 7, 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 7, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Expect sunshine and a high around 61 with a north wind at 6 mph becoming light and variable. Wednesday night will be mostly cloudy with lows near 49, accompanied by a southeast wind around 6 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
– Steve Jobs

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Chico

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Say hello to one of the fluffiest cats, Chico!

This white cloud of fluff is currently in foster and up for adoption at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

Chico’s friends had this to say about him:

Meet the fluffy cloud named Chico!

He may be a bit shy at first, but give him time to show you just how special he is. Once he opens up, Chico wants to be the center of your world.

From getting pet and brushed, to the loving gazes into your eyes, this guy just wants to be pampered, and in return he’ll give his unconditional love. And true to pure-white fluffy cat behavior, he can be picky about his food. He’ll let you know if the stuff in his bowl isn’t up to his standards by giving you a stern look and loud meow.

  • Chico’s favorite things are napping, being pet, and playing with his mouse.
  • His special talent is floating silently through the house, just like a cloud.
  • His perfect day would involve ordering chicken tacos with his human on a clear blue-sky day so that he’s the only white cloud in your presence.

Important facts about Chico: He has not met children or dogs whilst in our care. Our team is happy to discuss these topics during your virtual appointment.

Is Chico the special fluffy companion you’ve been searching for? Read his entire profile to learn more and how to set up a virtual meet & greet!

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.

Changes to Chain Bridge intersection set for Arlington County Board vote

By ARLnow.com
1/2

The Arlington intersection just before Chain Bridge is set for some upgrades.

The proposed $1.1 million project “focuses primarily on upgrading the outdated traffic signal at the intersection of North Glebe Road and Chain Bridge Road as well as installation of a reversible lane control system to improve safety for vehicles approaching and travelling over Chain Bridge,” according to a report to the Arlington County Board.

The Board is set to vote on awarding the contract to M.C. Dean, Inc. at its meeting this Saturday.

“The project will also improve pedestrian safety and accessibility at the intersection by placement of ADA ramps and high visibility crosswalks,” the report adds.

The contract includes a $950,000 base and a $171,000 contingency.

This stretch of Glebe in Arlington’s far northern reaches has seen a number of construction projects lately, including a 2021 project to rehabilitate the bridge over Pimmit Run and the forthcoming restoration of a roadside ditch following a major water main break in 2019. Just up the steep, winding hill from Chain Bridge Road, VDOT is planning to replace the Old Glebe Road bridge in a few years.

Photo and map via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Glowing sky over Rosslyn (Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra)

It’s Election Day — Polls are open from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. today, with a number of local races on the ballot. Check out the candidate essays we published last week from those in competitive races. [Arlington County]

Fewer People Voting = Better? — From a newspaper editorial that has been getting some attention on social media: “With ‘Election Day’ having now morphed into ‘Election Season,’ we’re a little late to make this plea – and run the risk of being accused of ‘voter suppression’ as we do – but we’re still going to say it. We think those who are not willing to do the homework on Arlington’s local campaigns (the County Board races being the only ones seriously contested in 2023) and bring an informed perspective to the ballot box should do the broader community a favor and sit them out.” [Gazette Leader]

Drowsy Driving Prevention Week — From ACPD: “National Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, Nov 5-11, is a dedicated time to encourage motorists to prioritize sleep and only drive when they are alert and refreshed. In 2022, 24 people were killed nationwide in crashes involving drowsy drivers. Remember: Sleep First. Drive Alert.” [Twitter]

Yorktown Also Going to Region Playoffs — “The Yorktown Patriots (6-4, 3-3) rallied from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the visiting Herndon Hornets, 14-3, in a Liberty District high-school football contest Nov. 3 and clinch a region-playoff berth as the No. 7 seed. The region berth is Yorktown’s third straight and sixth in the last seven seasons. Yorktown will play a first-round road game against the undefeated and No. 2 seed South Lakes Seahawks (10-0).” [Gazette Leader]

Rosslyn: The ‘Brooklyn of Washington’ — Discover the ambitious tale of Rosslyn City, once heralded as the “Brooklyn of Washington” in an 1889 advertisement, and explore how this slogan represented the spirit of urban growth and the resilience of city evolution. [Ghosts of DC]

Drought Conditions Return — “The D.C. area has flirted with drought since the spring and, after an unusually dry October and early November, is on the brink of it again. The latest federal drought monitor shows abnormally dry conditions — the stage before drought — surging back into the southern half of the D.C. area, including parts of the District itself.” [Capital Weather Gang]

It’s Tuesday — Expect a mostly cloudy day with a high temperature close to 76 and a southwest wind at about 10 mph. At night, the sky will clear up with the low temperature around 48, accompanied by a north wind at approximately 7 mph. [Weather.gov]

Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra

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