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.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Oct 18, 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 — Oct 18, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌥️ Thursday’s forecast

Clouds will increase throughout the day, reaching a high temperature of approximately 69 degrees. The south wind will blow at 6 to 11 mph, gusting up to 18 mph. Tonight, expect a cloudy sky with the temperature dropping to around 55 degrees while the south wind continues at 7 to 9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The secret of success is to know something nobody else knows.”
– Aristotle Onassis

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Police investigating hammer and knife attack in Lyon Village

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A man was seriously injured after a hammer and knife attack in the Lyon Village neighborhood yesterday.

The Tuesday evening incident happened on the 1700 block of N. Calvert Street, a few blocks from Lyon Village Park, and involved two men who knew each other, police said.

Officers were not made aware of the attack until later that night, after the victim was treated at Inova Fairfax Hospital, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

More from ACPD:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING (late), 2023-10170254, 1700 block of N. Calvert Street. At approximately 9:22 p.m. on October 17, police were dispatched to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for the late report of an assault that occurred in Arlington County. The preliminary investigation indicates at approximately 4:50 p.m., the male victim and male suspect, who are known to each other, became engaged in a verbal dispute during which the suspect allegedly struck the victim with a hammer. A witness separated the victim and suspect and a short time later, the suspect reapproached the victim, brandished a knife and struck the victim, causing a laceration. The suspect left the scene and the victim self-reported to the hospital with serious, non-life threatening injuries. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
N. Highland Street in Clarendon (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Teens Missing in Arlington — From the Arlington County Police Department: “MISSING: Anne Arundel County Police are seeking the public’s assistance locating missing juveniles who may be in Arlington County. Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to contact the Anne Arundel County Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit at 410-222-4731.” [Facebook]

APS Tackles Bathroom Vaping — “Some of Arlington’s secondary schools may see vape-detection equipment placed in bathrooms to address ongoing use of nicotine and THC oil by students. ‘Bathrooms are a trouble area – other students feel unsafe,’ School Board member Mary Kadera said during a recent School Board meeting.” [Gazette Leader]

School Board Chair Wants Drug Data — “Arlington parents and the broader community might at some point in the future be able to see how the county’s various schools compare in terms of drug use and abuse. After quiet prodding apparently didn’t get the response she wanted, School Board Chairman Christina Diaz-Torres on Oct. 12 went public in her call for the school system to provide more specific information on drug cases at local schools.” [Gazette Leader]

Today: Dog Film Fest — “Join the Animal Welfare League of Arlington at Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse for a special screening of the 2023 New York Dog Film Festival… Doors open at 6 PM.” [Event Calendar]

Are You Missing a Pigeon? — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “Do you recognize these animals? A0054604332 – neutered male gray and white cat found on 10/16. A0054608585 – female brown dog found found on 10.17. 0054536387 – rock pigeon found on 10.5. Thank you for helping us reunite these pets with their families!” [Twitter]

Design Award Submissions Open — “Arlington County’s design awards program, DESIGNArlington, is now accepting submissions for architectural, historic preservation, landscape and public art projects. Submissions will be accepted through December 7, 2023.” [Arlington County]

Another DCA Gun Arrest — “Police arrested a Bethesda, Maryland, man on Monday after he was stopped by security officers with a loaded handgun at a checkpoint at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The .40 caliber gun was loaded with 13 bullets and was packed in the man’s carry-on bag, the TSA said. It was the 30th gun that TSA officers at the airport have detected at one of the checkpoints, which ties the record at Reagan National Airport set in 2021.” [Patch]

Bottomless Brunch Horror Story — “The birthday cake was the first bad sign. Bringing your own food technically wasn’t allowed at the Arlington restaurant where Lorraine McNamara was working the bottomless-brunch shift, but she let it slide. She was already serving the entire patio by herself. Plus, the kitchen was backed up. The birthday group was pounding mimosas on empty stomachs.” [Washingtonian]

It’s Wednesday — Mostly sunny today with a high temperature near 65 degrees. For Wednesday night, expect partly cloudy skies and a low around 49 degrees. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Oct 17, 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 — Oct 17, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

The weather will be mostly sunny with a high temperature of around 65 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind at 3 to 5 mph. In the evening, it will turn partly cloudy and the temperature will drop to approximately 49 degrees, with a south wind at the same speed of 3 to 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Reston man faces charges in Arlington sex crimes investigation

By ARLnow.com
Matthew Coble (photo courtesy ACPD)

A 21-year-old Reston man is facing charges after a sex crimes investigation involving victims under the age of 18.

The charges stem from “criminal incidents that occurred in 2020,” Arlington County police said. ACPD says they’re now seeking other potential victims of the suspect, identified as Matthew Coble.

Coble was already on the radar of law enforcement. In July, an Arlington jury found Coble guilty of Aggravated Sexual Battery of a mentally incapacitated or physically helpless individual in a public park. His sentencing in that case is currently set for Dec. 15.

More on the latest charges and the search for additional victims, below, from an ACPD press release.

The Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit is investigating a suspect charged with sex offenses against a teenage juvenile and is seeking possible additional victims.

On September 18, police received information regarding criminal incidents that occurred in 2020 and immediately initiated a comprehensive investigation. As a result, Matthew Coble, 21, of Reston, VA was charged on October 13 with Indecent Liberties with a Child (x3) and Production of Child Pornography. He is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility without bond. Additional information regarding the investigation is restricted from release in accordance with Virginia Code § 16.1-301 and Virginia Code § 19.2-11.2.

Based on the investigation, detectives believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with past inappropriate encounters with this suspect or who has additional information related to this investigation is asked to contact Detective P. Pena at 703-228-4183 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

VHC re-routes ambulances after systems issue

By ARLnow.com
Ambulance (file photo)

Ambulances were temporarily re-routed to other hospitals after VHC Health suffered some technology issues this morning.

The re-routing for non-critical cases was broadcast to Arlington County Fire Department medics around 10:30 a.m. As of 12:45 p.m., another broadcast suggested that the hospital was back on line for ambulances.

A spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow that technology issues prompted a re-route notice out of “an abundance of caution.”

“VHC Health is experiencing intermittent downtime of some non-critical systems,” the VHC spokesperson wrote. “The redirection is in an abundance of caution. Care for all patients on campus is not impacted.”

VHC did not directly answer a question about what caused the systems issue. American hospitals have been dealing with a wave of cyberattacks and ransomware hacks, sometimes knocking systems out for weeks at a time, various news outlets have reported.

Formerly known as Virginia Hospital Center, VHC Health opened an expansion of its Arlington campus earlier this year and has been expanding to other Northern Virginia locations.

Two nabbed in foot chases after vehicle theft attempt from Amazon HQ2 garage

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police vehicle responding to assist with foot chase in Pentagon City on Oct. 16, 2023

A pair of suspects led Arlington County police on extended foot chases through Pentagon City yesterday afternoon.

Police first responded to a parking garage below Amazon’s HQ2 building around 3:30 p.m. Monday after security observed suspects in ski masks trying to break into a car.

The suspects were later spotted in the area and took off running. Personnel from some federal law enforcement agencies with nearby offices — the DEA and the U.S. Marshals Service — helped police spot the fleeing suspects, according to scanner traffic. Both suspects were apprehended around 4:30 p.m.

More, below, from today’s ACPD crime report.

ATTEMPTED GRAND LARCENY AUTO, 2023-10160155, 500 block of 14th Road S. At approximately 3:30 p.m. on October 16, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined security personnel were inside a parking garage when they heard an activated car alarm and observed the two male suspects wearing ski masks allegedly tampering with the steering column of the vehicle. Security personnel verbally confronted the suspects and they exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. A lookout was broadcast and officers canvassed the area for the suspects. A short time later, officers located the suspects in the area of S. Fern Street and 12th Street S. and attempted to detain them during which both suspects ran from the area. Following foot pursuits, both suspects were located and taken into custody. During the course of the investigation, burglarious tools were recovered from the scene. No injuries were reported. [Suspect 1], 18, of Fort Washington, Md. was arrested and charged with Attempted Grand Larceny Auto, Possession of Burglarious Tools, Destruction of Property, Obstruction of Justice, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony and Wearing a Mask in a Public Place to Conceal Identity. [Suspect 2], 18, of Alexandria. Va. was arrested and charged with Attempted Grand Larceny Auto, Obstruction of Justice, Conspiracy to Commit a Felony and Wearing a Mask in a Public Place to Conceal Identity.

Morning Poll: Best tacos in Arlington?

By ARLnow.com
Tacos El Chilango truck in Radnor-Fort Myer Heights (file photo)

National Taco Day earlier this month reminded us that, for an East Coast suburb, Arlington has some pretty solid taco options.

But which one is the best? On this Taco Tuesday, we’re letting readers weigh in.

The following selections were compiled via a number of lists, including this recent list from Arlington’s tourism website. If we missed your favorite, let us know in the comments.

Vote for up to three of your favorite taco spots in Arlington, below.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Rosslyn as the sun sets (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Final APS Enrollment Figures — “Arlington Public Schools’ official 2023-24 school-enrollment figure is down 656 students from earlier projections and remains below pre-pandemic levels… The final figure of 27,452 for all students from pre-kindergarten to adult was down just three from the 27,455 reported for the 2022-23 school year, while the K-12 enrollment of 26,533 was up 94 students, Superintendent Francisco Durán said.” [Gazette Leader]

WHS Football Still Winless — “The Wakefield Warriors had their closest game of the high-school football season when they lost to the visiting Marshall Statesmen, 21-3, in an Oct. 14 afternoon Liberty District contest. The winless Warriors (0-8, 0-4) trailed just 6-0 at halftime, and got on the scoreboard with a 32-yard field goal by Josh Bronfield in the third period, cutting the lead to 6-3.” [Gazette Leader]

Narrow Victory for Yorktown — “One week after suffering a disappointing road loss in the final seconds, the Yorktown Patriots responded in their next high-school football game with a thrilling walkoff home victory. The Patriots defeated the Langley Saxons, 31-28, in that seesaw Liberty District Oct. 13 clash on a game-winning 35-yard field goal by Max Yoon on the final play with no time remaining.” [Gazette Leader]

Honor for W-L Junior — “Aaron Rafael Zevin-Lopez and Elijah Lee, co-presidents of the Virginia Chapter of Voters of Tomorrow (VOT-VA), received the 2023 AMPLIFY Award for a youth-led organization on Tuesday… ‘I am honored that our team has been recognized by Voices for Virginia’s Children for our advocacy work in the Commonwealth,’ Zevin-Lopez, an 11th grade student at Washington-Liberty High School.” [Patch]

Spooky Season in Full Force — “Arlington never disappoints when it comes to Halloween decorations. I loved seeing these gems up near Williamsburg MS.” [Twitter]

It’s Tuesday — Partly sunny conditions and a high temperature of around 63°F, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 6 to 8 mph. Tuesday night will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of approximately 47°F. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Oct 16, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Monday 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 — Oct 16, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌤️ Tuesday’s forecast

The weather forecast predicts a partly sunny day with a high temperature of about 63°F accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 6 to 8 mph. At night, the skies will be partly cloudy with a low temperature of around 47°F and a gentle northwest breeze of 3 to 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Leaders can let you fail and yet not let you be a failure.”
– Stanley McChrystal

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Tesla smashes into Columbia Pike playground

By ARLnow.com
1/5

The driver of a Tesla careened down a hill and smashed into a playground over the weekend along Columbia Pike.

The crash happened around 1:45 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of the Wildwood Park apartments, on the 5500 block of Columbia Pike.

No other vehicles were involved, according to police, and no injuries were reported.

“The preliminary investigation indicates the driver was attempting to park in the 3400 block of S. Jefferson Street when the vehicle proceeded down a hill and struck a fence, wall and utility pole,” Arlington County police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow.

Scanner traffic suggests the vehicle — a Tesla Model Y with Maryland temporary tags — overturned at least once while going down the hill but came to rest upright.

The playground, which is “usually packed with kids,” was empty amid a steady rain, a tipster tells ARLnow.

The driver, a 59-year-old Maryland woman, “was issued a summons for reckless driving,” according to Savage. She works at a nearby senior living facility, online records suggest.

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