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.

ACPD Investigating Early Morning Gunfire Outside Elementary School

By ARLnow.com
File photo

Police are investigating gunshots heard early this morning in Arlington’s Green Valley neighborhood.

The gunfire was reported to 911 dispatchers by multiple callers. It happened shortly after 2 a.m. on the 3500 block of 23rd Street S., in the area of Drew Elementary School.

“Arriving officers located evidence confirming multiple shots had been fired in the area of the school parking lot and field,” the Arlington County Police Department said Sunday afternoon. “The preliminary investigation indicates that a large group had been congregating in the parking lot and immediately fled the area following the incident. No injuries or property damage have been reported.”

A resident told ARLnow they heard the shots.

“We called 911, and were on hold for about three minutes before we made it through to report the incident,” the resident said. “It sounded like at least two guns were fired. Multiple cars and individuals immediately fled the area in vehicles and on foot.”

“Police responded and canvased the area for a long time and called back to speak to individuals who had witnessed the incident or called it in,” the resident added. “They said they found shell casings from at least two guns.”

The police department is now seeking more information on the incident.

This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information or home surveillance that may assist with the investigation is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected]. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

At last, a sunny weekend is on tap. Of course, it’s going to be hot.

Speaking of hot, below are the most-read ARLnow articles of the past week.

  1. New Renderings Show JBG Smith’s Vision for National Landing
  2. A Boozy Barbershop Battle Is Brewing in Ballston
  3. Accessory Dwelling Units Begin Popping Up in Arlington Backyards
  4. EXCLUSIVE: Discolored Water in Halls Hill Tied to Virginia Hospital Center Construction
  5. Authorities Investigating Reports of Dead and Sick Birds Around Arlington, Region (May 26)
  6. Sloppy Mama’s BBQ Closes Ballston Quarter Location
  7. After Pandemic Hiatus, Arlington County Fair Returns
  8. Arlington Forest Homeowner’s New Tree Sculpture Depicts Greek Myth
  9. Bethesda-Based Sushi Restaurant Set to Expand to Pentagon City
  10. Weekend Crash on GW Parkway Leads to Arrest

Feel free to discuss those stories or anything else of local interest. Have a nice weekend, everybody!

Acting Police Chief Andy Penn Tapped for Permanent Role After Search

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 3:55 p.m.) A national search for Arlington’s new police chief has ended with a familiar choice.

Andy Penn, a 29-year veteran of the Arlington County Police Department and its current acting chief, has been named as the county’s new permanent chief by County Manager Mark Schwartz.

“Andy embraces the values and important work that is needed around issues of equity, justice, and safety and will work to advance racial diversity and inclusion in all of our public safety efforts.” Schwartz said in a statement Friday afternoon. “He will bring a balanced approach to leading and understanding the issues of today and their implications for the Department’s areas of growth and opportunity.”

The police department has been without a permanent leader since September, when the former police chief M. Jay Farr retired, citing souring relations with the County Board as one of his reasons for leaving.

Schwartz also announced a pair of appointments within the police department.

Deputy Chief Wayne Vincent will now lead a newly-created Community Engagement Division within the department, and Capt. Darrin Cassedy has been promoted to Deputy Chief of Operations.

The appointments of Penn, Vincent and Cassedy come as the county is in the midst of establishing a Civilian Review Board for the police department, as well as implementing reforms recommended by a Police Practices Work Group in the wake of last summer’s national dialogue on race and police violence.

Reform advocates, like the Arlington branch of the NAACP, have said the Civilian Review Board, as proposed, is watered down as it lacks independent investigative authority.

In a statement this afternoon to ARLnow, NAACP Arlington Branch President Julius “J.D.” Spain said he was disappointed by Penn’s appointment.

The lack of transparency with citizens throughout the hiring process is striking. Supposedly a national search was conducted, yet what has occured is another example of cronyism in plain sight. Communities of color are disrespected, many of whom have suffered under Mr. Penn’s tenure as Deputy Chief of Police over the recent years. The hiring of Mr. Penn also reveals a profound insularity in county governance that needs to be offset by an empowered citizenry. This hiring decision further reinforce the need for meaningful and robust civilian oversight through a Civilian Oversight Board. As a civil rights leader, I am not satisfied with the selection of the new Chief of Police. This selection represents “Status-Quo” and has not yielded a transformational leader. Current idealisms are rooted in a culture that does not support substantive or progressive policy changes or police reform. Noteable, Mr. Penn only supports the minority opinion of the PPG CRB Subcommittee, which again, will not yield comprehensive oversight of the police department. The citizens asked for sound leadership, and the County failed to deliver.

Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti, however, said he trusts Penn to improve the department.

“The efforts to continue to improve our police department will require leadership and collaboration throughout the County on issues that range from mental health response to direct public safety work to our approach to managing 911 calls,” de Ferranti said in a statement. “I fully support the Manager’s choice of Andy Penn as our next chief as he has earned my trust and the trust of many in our community, and is the right person to lead this important work… I respectfully ask all Arlington residents to give Chief Penn the chance to earn your trust, too.”

The county’s press release about hte appointments is below.

Today, following a nationwide search, County Manager Mark Schwartz announced his pick for the top law enforcement officer in Arlington County, Chief Charles “Andy” Penn. Having started his career as an Arlington patrol officer in 1992, Chief Penn brings almost 30 years of experience providing professional law enforcement services to our community. As Acting Chief of Police over the past nine months, he has provided the necessary leadership to implement a new body worn camera program and advance new policies to align with 21st Century policing practice. This includes updating policies and practices on bias-free policing and use of force. He has also worked collaboratively with other law enforcement agencies to form the Northern Virginia Critical Incident Response Team.

County Manager Mark Schwartz says that “Andy embraces the values and important work that is needed around issues of equity, justice, and safety and will work to advance racial diversity and inclusion in all of our public safety efforts.” Schwartz also noted, “He will bring a balanced approach to leading and understanding the issues of today and their implications for the Department’s areas of growth and opportunity. I am confident that Andy will be instrumental in advancing partnerships across our community and similarly with regional stakeholders.”

“The efforts to continue to improve our police department will require leadership and collaboration throughout the County on issues that range from mental health response to direct public safety work to our approach to managing 911 calls,” stated County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti. “I fully support the Manager’s choice of Andy Penn as our next chief as he has earned my trust and the trust of many in our community, and is the right person to lead this important work. His commitment to listening, hard work, honest conversations, and openness will help keep our community safe. I respectfully ask all Arlington residents to give Chief Penn the chance to earn your trust, too.”

“As a longtime member of the Arlington County Police Department and our community, I am honored and humbled to be appointed to this position,” stated Chief Andy Penn. “I am committed to bringing change and transformation to public safety and working collaboratively with the community on a broad range of issues, including racial equity.”

Andy’s role as Chief of Police becomes effective immediately.

County Manager Announces New Community Engagement Division

Schwartz also announced the creation of a new Community Engagement Division within the Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) aimed to strengthen the County’s commitment to public safety and enhancing relationships across our community. Deputy Chief Wayne Vincent has been selected to lead this new effort, coordinating ACPD engagement-focused units and programs, including the Community and Business Outreach Units, Arlington Restaurant Initiative, and the Homeless Outreach Program. The Division will work closely with the County Manager’s Communication and Public Engagement team and other Departments on key areas of importance.

(more…)

JUST IN: Severe Thunderstorm Warning Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Storms on radar at 12:35 p.m.

A portion of Arlington County is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning as a line of potent storms bears down on the area.

The warning encompasses a southern portion of the county.

From the National Weather Service:

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
1236 PM EDT FRI JUN 4 2021

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING…

* UNTIL 115 PM EDT.

* AT 1236 PM EDT, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER MANTUA, MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

HAZARD…60 MPH WIND GUSTS AND QUARTER SIZE HAIL.

SOURCE…RADAR INDICATED.

IMPACT…DAMAGING WINDS WILL CAUSE SOME TREES AND LARGE BRANCHES TO FALL. THIS COULD INJURE THOSE OUTDOORS, AS WELL AS DAMAGE HOMES AND VEHICLES. ROADWAYS MAY BECOME BLOCKED BY DOWNED TREES. LOCALIZED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE. UNSECURED LIGHT OBJECTS MAY BECOME PROJECTILES.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE… ARLINGTON, ALEXANDRIA, ANNANDALE, CLINTON, SPRINGFIELD, FORT WASHINGTON, FORT HUNT, VIENNA, GROVETON, FORESTVILLE, FALLS CHURCH, HUNTINGTON, MANTUA, FORT BELVOIR, NATIONAL HARBOR, REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT, CRYSTAL CITY, ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, BURKE AND LINCOLNIA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
BUILDING.

Grilled Chicken Restaurant Farmbird Opening Next Week in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Expanding, D.C.-based grilled chicken restaurant Farmbird is opening its new location in Ballston next week.

The restaurant at 4121 Wilson Blvd, in the Ballston Exchange development, is opening for customers on Tuesday, employees tell ARLnow. It replaces the Miami-based, health-oriented restaurant Dirt, which closed in January 2020.

Farmbird has existing locations at 625 H Street NE and in Penn Quarter in D.C. The company was founded in 2015 and first operated as a catering business for a year at D.C.’s Union Market. It aims to make fast-casual dining more healthy, humane and sustainable.

“Since its founding, Farmbird has strived to change the way people think about chicken by serving only the highest quality, never-frozen birds,” a PR rep said. “Farmbird’s chickens are humanely raised on regional farms with no antibiotics ever and fed an all-vegetarian diet. All of the food served, from salads and sandwiches to Farmbird’s signature grilled chicken plates and roasted vegetable sides, are prepared from scratch with fresh ingredients daily.”

“Farmbird has seen great success at its location on H Street and is ready to bring flavorful food with sustainable origins to Arlington where Ballston Exchange has reimagined the area’s streetscape,” the PR rep added “The space will feature indoor and outdoor seating, accommodating patrons in a safe and socially distanced manner.”

Neighboring businesses in Ballston Exchange — across the street from Ballston Quarter mall — include Philz Coffee, CAVA, and the yet-to-open Hawkers Asian Street Fare.

This morning Farmbird employees could be seen sitting outside the restaurant, sampling the food in anticipation of next week’s opening.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County and the D.C. area is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch tonight.

The watch is in effect until 9 p.m. Forecasters say strong storms packing quarter-sized hail and strong winds are possible.

“The main threat is damaging wind gusts, though a tornado cannot be ruled out,” the National Weather Service says.

More from NWS:

UPDATED: Portions of Fort Myer Closed Due to Suspicious Package

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4 p.m.) Portions of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall were closed this afternoon after a suspicious package at one of the gates.

A witness described seeing a “large law enforcement response inside the base with crime scene tape and everything blocked off within a few hundred yards” of the Hatfield Gate, near the intersection of 2nd Street S. and Washington Blvd.

Around 2:30 p.m., a spokeswoman confirmed to ARLnow an “active situation” at the base.

“Hatfield Gate, the main gate at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall accessed of Washington Blvd., is closed at this time due to an incident at the gate,” said JBMHH Community Relations Officer Leah Rubalcaba. “Details of the incident are not in as it is an active situation. In the interim, traffic to the base is being diverted to Wright Gate and the Henderson Hall Gate.”

Via social media, the base announced that its medical clinic and exchange store, along with some roads, had been closed. ARLnow also hears that the child care center on the base was evacuated.

Just before 4 p.m. the “all clear” was given.

“There was a suspicious package detected at the gate,” Rubalcaba said. “It was checked out and we just received the ‘all clear’ a few minutes ago. Hatfield Gate has re-opened and operations are back to normal.”

Sloppy Mama’s BBQ Closes Ballston Quarter Location

By ARLnow.com

Local barbecue spot Sloppy Mama’s has closed its outpost in the Ballston Quarter food hall.

The location closed last week after “operating costs became too much, especially with the recent meat pricing spikes,” owner Joe Neuman tells ARLnow. “The volume of sales just wasn’t there to sustain operations land we had to cut our losses.”

But Sloppy Mama’s is not going anywhere. Its primary, standalone location at 5731 Lee Highway is doing just fine, Neuman says.

“We’ve been staying quite busy at our Lee Highway location,” he said, adding that the Ballston Quarter closure “will allow us to consolidate some staffing and operate more efficiently to provide even better BBQ and service.”

Sloppy Mama’s Ballston and Lee Highway locations opened within a few months of each other in 2019. The latter is where the meats are actually smoked and cooked, whereas the mall location was simply a sales outpost.

In a bit of additional positive news for barbecue fans, Neuman said breakfast service on Lee Highway, launched 10 months ago, is “going well” and “here to stay,” while adding that “we might tweak our hours a little bit.”

For now, Neuman is focused on re-opening the restaurant for in-person dining.

“Our number one priority is getting the dining room open,” he said. “We’ve been doing some remodeling so even as Virginia opened up we weren’t able to open just yet — but I think we’re gonna be able to get it open next week.”

“Once we get the dining room open and get our feet under us with… we will possibly look to going back to seven days a week,” he added.

One additional focus: a program recently launched by Sloppy Mama’s to provide free meals as a thank you to local teachers. Community members are being encouraged to donate to the program, for which the restaurant subsidizes 40% of the costs.

This past fall the Washington Post ranked Sloppy Mama’s as the No. 9 barbecue joint in the D.C. area.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Progress on Revamped VRE Station — “It could just be just a matter of months until the Virginia Railway Express plan to create a new station in Crystal City reaches another milestone. VRE officials project it will be in the third quarter of 2021 that preliminary engineering and environmental-impact steps toward eventual construction will be completed.” [Sun Gazette]

Amazon Sponsoring Arlington Youth Soccer — “Kids in Arlington’s travel soccer programs will play with the Amazon logo on the backs of their jerseys this fall thanks to a sponsorship between the retailing giant and the Arlington Soccer Association.” [Washingtonian]

Board Mulls Police Oversight — “Throughout June and July, the Board will consider different models of a Civilian Review Board with the goal of creating a CRB and Independent Policing Auditor function that can enhance community trust in and collaboration with the Arlington County Police Department… In the coming weeks, the County Board will be studying these models, as well as others from around the Commonwealth and country, and encourages community members to provide their feedback and perspectives on the different models.” [Arlington County]

Storms Expected Today — “Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible Thursday afternoon and evening across the DMV, with strong to locally damaging winds being the main threat. The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has the region at a Level 2 out of 5 slight risk for severe weather.” [Washington Post, Twitter]

Weekend Crash on GW Parkway Leads to Arrest

By ARLnow.com
1/4

(Updated at 9:20 a.m.) A man who was allegedly involved in a significant crash on the GW Parkway was later stopped by police while walking along N. Glebe Road.

The multi-vehicle wreck blocked the GW Parkway in both directions between Spout Run Parkway and Chain Bridge Road for several hours this past Saturday night.

“At approximately 10:47 p.m., United States Park Police officers responded to a multi-vehicle crash southbound George Washington Memorial Parkway south of the First Overlook,” U.S. Park Police spokesperson Sgt. Roselyn Norment tells ARLnow. “Arriving units discovered four vehicles with significant damage on the north and southbound side of the GWMP.  One vehicle travelling southbound was struck and sent across the median into northbound traffic.”

Several people were injured and taken to local hospitals, but none had life threatening injuries, Norment said.

An hour or so later, a person who police say was involved in the crash was taken into custody along N. Glebe Road, in the largely residential Old Glebe neighborhood — about a three mile walk from the crash scene.

“At approximately 11:33 p.m., police received a lookout from USPP regarding a subject involved in a crash in their jurisdiction,” said Arlington County Police Department spokesperson Ashley Savage. “ACPD officers later located the subject in the area of N. Glebe Road and N. Albemarle Street. He was detained and custody was transferred to USPP.”

“One operator was arrested for fleeing the scene of an accident with injury and reckless driving,” Norment said.

Photo (2) via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Car Chase Speeds Through Arlington — “Virginia State Police just chased a U-Haul pickup truck from Arlington into Alexandria on Mt. Vernon Ave, then back into Arlington and finally into D.C. via I-395.” [Twitter, Twitter, ALXnow]

Masks Not Required at Polling Places — “Those headed to vote in the June 8 Democratic primary in Arlington will have to make their own choices about mask-wearing. State election officials this time have not provided local elections offices with specific guidance on masks, although Arlington election officials have issued a request. ‘Several polling places are in schools with mask requirements, so we are still encouraging voters to wear masks, and will have them available for voters who forget one,’ county election chief Gretchen Reinemeyer told the Sun Gazette.” [Sun Gazette]

Chicken Restaurant Eyes Arlington — “It turns out that Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers has a bigger appetite for Greater Washington than the two Northern Virginia locations the Washington Business Journal reported about in May. The Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based chain aims to open around 50 locations across the region… the company is actively pursuing sites in Arlington, Ashburn and Leesburg, among others.” [Washington Business Journal]

AWLA Reopening Shelter to Public — “We are very excited to announce that starting Wednesday, June 2nd, AWLA will be open to the public! Potential adopters no longer need to make an appt to meet our in-shelter pets — just stop by!” [Twitter]

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