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

Crystal City Development Approved — “The Arlington County Board today approved JBG Smith’s plan to develop Crystal Gateway, a nine-story office building with ground-floor retail,  at 101 12th Street S. in Crystal City. Community benefits associated with the project include the developer conveying 54,500 sq. ft. of land for Gateway Park, which will connect Long Bridge Park to Crystal City.” [Arlington County]

Teacher Groups Banding Together — “Representatives from teacher associations in Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Arlington and Manassas Park will host a news conference Monday urging a return to virtual-only learning. In a statement Sunday evening, the Fairfax Education Association said it ‘stands with our colleagues from the Northern Virginia region to ask the Governor to return the Commonwealth to a full Phase II of the reopening plan and to recommend that our schools return to a fully virtual method of instruction.'” [InsideNova]

Feedback Sought for Police Chief Search — “The County Manager has launched a search for a new leader of the Arlington County Police Department. During the first phase of the search, the County is interested in hearing from the community. ‘We value the perspective of every resident and business,’ said County Manager Mark Schwartz… You can offer feedback through December 11.” [Arlington County]

Joint Chiefs Chair’s Wife Saves the Day — “When a bystander collapsed at the Veterans Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Wednesday, a nurse was nearby and rushed to his aid. She happened to be the wife of the nation’s top military officer, Gen. Mark Milley.” [NBC News]

‘Click It or Ticket’ Starts Today — ” The Thanksgiving celebration is traditionally one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. As the holiday approaches, the Arlington County Police Department is teaming up with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on a high visibility Click It or Ticket campaign.” [Arlington County]

State Sen. Pushing Pot Legalization — “We’re continuing to build a bipartisan coalition to #legalize responsible adult use of #marijuana in Virginia. I am working hard to ensure that ending the war on drugs is a top priority.” [@AdamEbbin/Twitter, Virginia Mercury]

N. Va. Delivered State for Biden — “Updated counts from the Virginia Department of Elections show that President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, defeated Trump by over 520,000 votes in Northern Virginia, defined as the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park… Across the rest of Virginia, Trump, a Republican, defeated Biden by about 70,000 votes, winning 50.2% to Biden’s 47.9%.” [InsideNova]

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Due to late-breaking news, the weekend discussion is being posted a day later than usual. But that seems likely to stop the usual robust conversation.

Without further ado, here are the week’s most-read stories:

  1. Four Arlington BBQ Restaurants Make Post’s New Top 10 List
  2. Another High Point for New Coronavirus Cases in Arlington
  3. Coronavirus Cases Surging in Arlington
  4. Two Schools, One Gathering: COVID Cases Also Take St. Thomas More Cathedral School Online
  5. There’s a Coyote Roaming the Fairlington Area
  6. Virginia State Police Trooper Seriously Injured in Arlington Crash
  7. Columbia Pike Development May Include New Grocery Store
  8. Here’s a Look at the Forthcoming Arlington National Cemetery Expansion
  9. APS Staff Worried About Unsafe Conditions As Some Students Return

Feel free to discuss those stories or anything else of local interest in the comments. Have a nice weekend!

Northam Announces New Coronavirus Restrictions in Virginia

By ARLnow.com

Virginia is getting several new coronavirus-related restrictions after the weekend, as the upward trajectory of new cases and hospitalizations continues.

Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement Friday afternoon.

“COVID-19 is surging across the country, and while cases are not rising in Virginia as rapidly as in some other states, I do not intend to wait until they are,” Northam said. “We are acting now to prevent this health crisis from getting worse.”

“Everyone is tired of this pandemic and restrictions on our lives. I’m tired, and I know you are tired too. But as we saw earlier this year, these mitigation measures work. I am confident that we can come together as one Commonwealth to get this virus under control and save lives.”

The restrictions, detailed below, include slashing the maximum size of indoor and outdoor gatherings, reducing the age for the state’s mask requirement, and a 10 p.m. alcohol sales curfew at all restaurants and other dining and drinking establishments. The Commonwealth also plans to step up enforcement.

The new restrictions will take effect on Monday.

The rate of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise across the state. Hospitalizations also spiked by nearly 25% over the past week, InsideNova reported.

In Arlington, the average daily rate of new cases ticked down Friday, after reaching the highest point since the spring epidemic on Thursday. The seven-day rate of new COVID-related hospitalizations, however, rose to 15 on Friday, after 6 new hospitalizations were reported overnight.

The full announcement from the governor’s office is below.

(more…)

Morning Poll: Is Now The Right Time to Start Playing Christmas Music?

By ARLnow.com

Thanksgiving is two weeks away. Hanukkah is four weeks away. Christmas is six weeks away.

The holiday season is upon us, which may be why today local radio station 97.1 WASH-FM is making its annual switch to all Christmas music, starting at 5 p.m.

That’s three days sooner than the station’s switch two years ago, which perhaps could be cited as an example of Christmas creep. Yesterday the anchors of the Fox 5 morning show debated the merits of Christmas music in mid-November.

We posed a similar poll question in 2018, but perhaps the intervening two years — and the pandemic — has resulted in a shift in attitudes, so today we’re asking: is today too early to start listening to Christmas music?

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Real Estate Market Remains Hot — “A total of 264 properties went to closing in October, up 25.7 percent from the 210 transactions a year before… The Arlington-wide average sales price of $757,378 recorded in October was up 14.5 percent from $661,447, with a 16.7-percent increase in the average sales price of single-family homes (to $1,148,445) and a 2.7-percent increase for attached homes, such as townhouses and rowhouses (to $537,547).” [InsideNova]

Investment for Arlington Tech Firm — “The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today announced that Virginia Founders Fund (VFF) has invested in Rosslyn, Va.-based Mesh Intelligence, developer of a proactive food safety and supply chain solution to predict upcoming and evolving risks and disruptions globally to help organizations plan and act faster.” [GlobeNewswire via Potomac Tech Wire]

A-SPAN Gets New CEO — “The Board of Directors of A-SPAN, a nonprofit organization that provides life-saving supportive services for vulnerable people, has announced the appointment of Betsy Frantz to the position of President/CEO on a permanent basis.” [Press Release]

Outdoor Music Prompts Complaints in F.C. — “Live music has been a major draw for Falls Church Distillers over the past few months, which has moved outdoors due to Covid-19 concerns. However, residential neighbors in nearby apartment complexes haven’t taken to the adaptation as well.” [Falls Church News-Press]

ACPD Investigating Another Note-Passing Robbery Attempt

By ARLnow.com

Perhaps the pen is not mightier than the sword, after all.

A man who tried to rob a local store by passing a note to a clerk yesterday left empty-handed, according to Arlington County police.

The incident happened shortly after 1 p.m. on the 2100 block of 15th Street N., in Courthouse. That’s the same block as the CVS Pharmacy adjacent to the Metro station entrance.

Police say a man passed a threatening note to a store clerk, demanding cash, but “the employee declined.” The man then snatched the note back and ran off, according to a crime report.

ACPD is investigating whether the crime may be connected to three similar note-passing robberies and robbery attempts in September and October.

“Based on similarities with the other reported incidents, detectives from the Homicide/Robbery Unit are investigating this as a possible additional case in the series,” police spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow.

More from the crime report:

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 2020-11110082, 2100 block of 15th Street N. At approximately 1:19 p.m. on November 11, police were dispatched to the report of an attempted robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined that at approximately 1:09 p.m., the suspect approached an employee at the counter and passed them a note demanding cash and threatening them. The employee declined to provide cash and the suspect took the note and fled prior to police arrival. The suspect is described as a middle aged Black male, approximately 5’10”-6’0″, with a slim build, wearing a yellow jacket with the hood up, a dark colored baseball cap, a dark colored shirt, dark blue jeans, tan shoes and a tan backpack. The investigation is ongoing.

Columbia Pike Development May Include New Grocery Store

By ARLnow.com
1/5

A smaller-format grocery store is now part of the plan for the redevelopment of the Westmont Shopping Center.

The strip mall, at the busy corner of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road, is set to be torn down and replaced with a six-story mixed use building with 250 housing units and 22,500 square feet of retail space. The redevelopment plan was approved by the County Board last fall.

The project’s developer is coming back to the Board this weekend to request modifications that would allow a grocery store to occupy the retail space.

More from a county staff report:

The use permit allows the construction of a six-story structure containing 250 multi-family residential units, approximately 22,500 square feet of retail, and two levels of structured parking. The Applicant is pursuing a grocery store tenant to occupy the ground floor tenant space of the building, and these amendments are necessary to accommodate the grocer’s delivery trucks. The grocery store’s delivery model requires the use of large, 53-foot delivery trucks, which requires the alley’s egress and proposed public access easement area to be widened east of S. Glebe Road and results in an undergrounding of the existing at-grade transformers. The proposed underground utility vault and ventilation grates will encroach into the proposed widened public access easement.

Given the smaller size of the retail space, one could expect a grocery store more along the lines of a Trader Joe’s, as opposed to a full-service supermarket.

The new grocery store would be located between the Giant at Penrose Square and the new Harris Teeter at the Centro development (Columbia Pike and S. George Mason Drive).

County staff is recommending the Board approve the requested changes. The staff report does not specify when work on the project is expected to begin.

Hat tip to Chris Slatt

Four Arlington BBQ Restaurants Make Post’s New Top 10 List

By ARLnow.com

If there’s one thing Arlington does particularly well, from a culinary perspective, it’s barbecue.

Four Arlington restaurants have made it on to Washington Post critic Tim Carman’s new top 10 D.C. area barbecue joints list, placing Nos. 3, 4, 8 and 9.

The overrepresentation of Arlington restaurants on the list is a remarkable achievement, considering that local eateries often underperform on regional restaurant lists and awards.

The BBQ joints that made Carman’s 2020 list (below) include two that opened this year: Smokecraft and Ruthie’s.

  • Texas Jack’s (2761 Washington Blvd, Lyon Park) — “This Arlington restaurant has topped this list for the past two years, a difficult task given the vagaries of barbecue, and it might have retained the title if not for some tiny slippages.”
  • Smokecraft Modern Barbecue (1051 N. Highland Street, Clarendon) — “Darneille buys Duroc pork, Wagyu beef and all-natural chicken and cooks them over six different types of wood, constantly tinkering with techniques to get the best out of his gas-assist smokers. The results are often mouthwatering.”
  • Ruthie’s All-Day (3411 5th Street S., Arlington Heights) — “Formerly the culinary director for the Liberty Tavern Restaurant Group, including its smokehouse in Falls Church, Hill is blessed with an all-wood smoker at Ruthie’s… where he turns out superb specimens of brisket, pulled pork and spare ribs.”
  • Sloppy Mama’s (5731 Lee Highway & 4238 Wilson Blvd in Ballston Quarter mall) — “The shop’s chopped pork, rich and smoky, remains the gold standard. The housemade sausage, a pork link emboldened with brisket fat, snaps on first bite, its richness cut ever so gently with pickle brine.”

Another High Point for New Coronavirus Cases in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

The average rate of coronavirus cases in Arlington, and the county’s test positivity rate, both hit fresh multi-month highs today.

Twenty-eight new cases were reported overnight, which bumped up the trailing seven-day average to 40.9 daily cases. That’s the highest daily case rate in Arlington since the initial spring wave.

Arlington’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, is now 5.6%, the highest point since July. One month ago it stood at 3.5%.

No new COVID-related deaths were reported overnight, but the Virginia Dept. of Health reported five new hospitalizations in Arlington, bringing the trailing seven-day total to 10.

Statewide, Virginia’s COVID-19 daily case count hit a new high yesterday, InsideNova reported, surging past 1,500 for the first time.

Cases are also up significantly in D.C. and Maryland. Montgomery County, Maryland reported the biggest daily increase in COVID cases since June yesterday, according to Bethesda Magazine.

The increase in cases locally comes amid a surge in cases nationwide, as the weather gets colder and people spend more time indoors, where the virus spreads more easily.

“New coronavirus infections jumped by 40% over the past week,” Axios reported today. “The U.S. is now averaging roughly 119,000 new cases per day — by far the highest daily average of any point in the pandemic.”

A new report found that restaurants, gyms and coffee shops ranked high “among locations where the coronavirus is most likely to spread outside the home.” But the virus has also been spreading via informal social gatherings — like dinner parties, game nights, sleepovers and carpools — according to the Washington Post.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Daisy & Henry

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week is duo Daisy and Henry, 4-year-old Shar-Pei pups who love schmoozing with their Clarendon neighbors.

Here’s what Daisy and Henry had to say about their life in Arlington:

Hi Arlington! We’re Daisy and Henry, two Shar-Pei pups. We are both 4 years old and were born in Long Island but have lived with our parents in Courthouse since we were puppies.

We absolutely love everything about living in Arlington — long walks through Clarendon and saying hi to everyone, getting treats at Lululemon, hitting up Loyal Companion for our weekly cookie and dining out at Rhodeside Grill. We’ve also been lucky enough to travel around the East Coast, seeing Montreal, New York, Asheville, Charleston and even Florida. We hope to one day make it out to the West Coast. That said, we’re happy to stay home right now and think it is absolutely awesome that both of our parents don’t go to that thing called “work” anymore. That means more attention and walkies for us.

We’re also honored to be “ambassadors” of the Shar-Pei breed. When we are walking around town, we always get a lot of questions about what kind of dogs we are and what our personalities are like. Although Shar-Pei have a reputation for being standoffish or guarded, we are quite the opposite — we love meeting people and socializing. Daisy especially loves giving kisses, so if you ever see us around town, make sure to stop and say hi!

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!

UPDATED: Flood Warning Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Update at 11:05 p.m. — A Flood Warning has now been issued for Arlington.

1057 PM EST WED NOV 11 2020

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING…

* UNTIL 500 AM EST THURSDAY.

* AT 1057 PM EST, DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED HEAVY RAIN. FLOODING IS ONGOING OR EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY IN THE WARNED AREA. UP TO AN OF RAIN HAS FALLEN THIS EVENING.

ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. ALL INTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY.

TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING.

Earlier: Arlington, D.C. and other surrounding areas will be under a Flash Flood Watch tonight through Thursday morning.

Forecasters say heavy rain and even some thunderstorms are likely to roll through tonight, bringing the possibility of flash flooding. Some 2-4 inches of rain are expected.

More from the National Weather Service:

…FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM EST THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WATCH…

* FROM 9 PM EST THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING

* SEVERAL ROUNDS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL, WITH A FEW EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE, ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. THE FIRST ROUND IS ONGOING, WITH A LULL EXPECTED LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THE SECOND ROUND COMES THIS EVENING THROUGH TONIGHT, WITH MORE MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL EXPECTED. STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF 2-4 INCHES IS EXPECTED THROUGH THURSDAY. WHERE HEAVIER ELEMENTS PERSIST, WE COULD SEE LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THIS COULD RESULT IN LOCALIZED INSTANCES OF FLASH FLOODING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.

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