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.
Rush hour isn’t what it used to be, but a crash has caused a big backup on southbound I-395 in Arlington.
A vehicle flipped on its side in the main outbound lanes of I-395 between Washington Blvd and S. Glebe Road around 4:15 p.m. The driver suffered minor injuries and is out of the vehicle, according to scanner traffic.
Police and firefighters are on the scene. Traffic cameras currently show 1-2 lanes of traffic getting by the crash scene.
Drivers should try to avoid southbound I-395 until the crash is cleared.
ARLnow’s parent company, Local News Now, is proud to announce three new full-time hires.
These hires, two of which are for newly-created positions, are made possible by a strong recovery in LNN’s advertising business since the depths of the pandemic-induced recession. We were further emboldened to add to our team, despite uncertainty about the economy and the pandemic, by our ARLnow Patreon community and the support provided by readers.
LNN publishes ARLnow, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in January, as well as ALXnow, Tysons Reporter and Reston Now. We also provide sales and technical services to PoPville.
The new hires will allow us to improve the breadth and depth of our local journalism, while also strengthening our increasingly-popular sponsored content offerings.
Angela Woolsey is joining us as the new Tysons Reporter editor, replacing Catherine Douglas Moran, who is now an Associate Editor at Industry Dive. Angela was formerly a general assignment reporter for the Fairfax County Times.
Jo DeVoe is joining us as a reporter and copy editor for ARLnow and Tysons Reporter. She joins us from Hearst newspapers in Connecticut, including the Greenwich Time, where she primarily reported on education.
Carson Kohler will be joining the team on Nov. 2 as our new Content Marketing Manager, helping advertising clients maximize their sponsored content investment with us and better engage our readers. She is currently a writer with The Penny Hoarder.
Additionally, Scott Fields will be joining us as a part-time contributor, providing coverage for both our Arlington and our Fairfax County sites.
Thank you to our Northern Virginia and D.C. communities for your support and readership. We look forward to continuing to find ways to better serve you.
Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups, founders, and other local technology news. Monday Properties is proudly featuring Shirlington Gateway. The new 2800 Shirlington recently delivered a brand-new lobby and upgraded fitness center. Experience a prime location and enjoy being steps from Shirlington Village. Spec suites with bright open plans and modern finishes are under construction and will deliver soon!
It’s with that backdrop that Ballston-based “threat-intelligence-as-a-service company” GroupSense has announced a special Election Threat Protection package for state and local governments.
The company said in a press release that the package “includes a readiness assessment, pre-election preparations, and cyber threat monitoring both during and after an election.”
“This approach to election security protects city and state governments and their citizens from cyberattacks on voting technology, mis/disinformation campaigns, ransomware attacks, hacktivism, physical threats and other crimes,” the company said. “Ensuring the security and integrity of elections is an immediate and vital concern for democracies worldwide.”
GroupSense was founded in 2014 and formerly based in Crystal City. The company has received at least $1.2 million in funding, according to Crunchbase, and in July announced 65 percent year-over-year growth despite the economic downturn.
GroupSense says it has “a proven track record of providing cyber threat intelligence for elections and is trusted by some of the largest U.S. states and municipalities to identify and mitigate electoral threats.” It has a team of analysts using both human and artificial intelligence “to monitor, alert and take down cyber threats that attempt to influence elections.”
The Election Threat Protection offering is a package of the following services, according to the company.
Readiness Assessment – assesses the digital threat profile of the organization and the election to identify threats, adversaries, vulnerabilities and high-risk issues as well as advise on security improvements. It also includes initial threat monitoring.
Pre-election Preparation – includes tracking identified threat actors, identifying and monitoring disinformation and disruption campaigns, and assessing the impact and response to adversaries. It also includes any recommendations for last-minute security changes based on threat activity.
Election Day – includes continuous monitoring before, during, and after polls close, real-time monitoring to detect active threats and constant communication with the client’s security team.
Post-election – monitoring post-election communication, documenting behavior of threat actors, and a debrief with the client on findings and results.
“Election Day is just around the corner, but it’s not too late for city and state governments to take preventive action to protect the integrity of their elections,” Kurtis Minder, co-founder and CEO of GroupSense, said in a statement. “GroupSense has a long history of protecting large state governments and municipalities from a variety of cyber threats, and we hope that by providing this new, rapid readiness assessment, we can help make those same protections available to a much broader range of governments.”
Government officials interested in finding out more can contact GroupSense via email.
A pair of men, each armed with a knife, held up the 7-Eleven store on the 4500 block of Lee Highway last night.
Police were dispatched to the store just after 11:15 p.m. Sunday after the suspects pointed knives at the store clerk and stole cash and cigarettes, according to a police crime report and scanner traffic at the time.
Both suspects wore masks and dark clothing. They fled the scene by vehicle. No injuries were reported.
More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
ROBBERY, 2020-10040207, 4500 block of Lee Highway. At approximately 11:20 p.m. on October 4, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined that two suspects entered a business and approached an employee at the counter. Suspect One pointed a knife at him, and told him to open the cash register, then began to take money from it. Suspect Two brandished a knife, then took money from the second register. As the suspects exited the business, they stole boxes of merchandise from behind the counter. The suspects then fled in a vehicle prior to police arrival. Suspect One is described as a Black male, medium build, 5’9″-6’0″ wearing black pants, a black and brown parka with the hood up, a mask, and white shoes. Suspect Two is described as a Black male, wearing gray sweatpants, a black hoodie with the hood up, black shoes, and a green balaclava. The investigation is ongoing.
Destroyed election signs (photo courtesy Arlington County Democratic Committee)
Destroyed election signs (photo courtesy Arlington County Democratic Committee)
Destroyed election signs (photo courtesy Arlington County Democratic Committee)
Destroyed election signs (photo courtesy Arlington County Democratic Committee)
(Updated at 12:10 p.m.) Arlington Democrats are decrying what the local party describes as a wave of vandalism of Democratic election signs.
Almost every election cycle in Arlington there are reports of small-scale vandalism and mischief involving campaign signs. Rarely do those reports, on message boards and community listservs, rise to the level of county-wide news.
But the Arlington County Democratic Committee says the latest vandalism spree, which happened just after the signs went up, is different.
“At least 30 election signs lawfully placed in public street medians by the Arlington County Democratic Committee encouraging citizens to vote in the Nov. 3 election and to support Democratic candidates, including presidential nominee Joe Biden and Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, were destroyed and vandalized overnight,” the party said in a press release Sunday. “Signs not specifically referencing the Democratic ticket were not disturbed.”
Each election season, the signs for candidates of all stripes pop up in roadway medians 31 days before the election, as permitted by local and state law. Democratic signs are particularly prolific, given the party’s electoral dominance in Arlington and the committee’s organizing prowess.
But this time around, Democrats say, the signs appear to be the target of a wider-scale vandalism effort. Signs “along Sycamore Street between Williamsburg Circle and Lee Highway, and on Little Falls Road at Lexington Street were either destroyed or vandalized” over the weekend, according to the press release.
The latter intersection is about a 15 minute walk from where a church’s Black Lives Matter sign was vandalized in June.
“We always get a certain amount of vandalism, but the vandals are off to a fast and aggressive start this year,” Arlington Democrats Chair Jill Caiazzo wrote in an email to the Arlington County Police Department, reporting the crimes. At Little Falls Road, “it looks like someone actually drove onto the median in order to run over the signs.”
“Arlington Dems understand the police department has more urgent issues to address, but wanted to document the destruction,” the press release adds.
Arlington Republicans tell ARLnow that the Democrats tried to pressure them into condemning the vandalism, which the local GOP says is nothing new.
“This is every election cycle’s ‘dog bites man’ non-story,” Arlington GOP Chair Andrew Loposser said in an email to ARLnow last night. “Nearly every candidate’s signs — regardless of political party — get vandalized at some point during the campaign, usually by bored high school kids.”
“Arlington Democrat campaign hacks attempted to pressure us into condemning this vandalism over the weekend,” Loposser continued. “Let me be clear: Vandalism of any kind is unacceptable — whether it’s Antifa and BLM rioters destroying small business storefronts or bored high school students ripping up political yard signs.”
The Arlington Democrats press release goes on to report that signs in the front yard of famed local civil rights figure Joan Trumpauer Mulholland were also vandalized. In a bout of rhetoric not typically seen in Arlington politics, at least among official Democratic communications, the release quotes Mulholland in equating supporters of President Trump to “Klan sympathizers.”
(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) A teen girl was allegedly touched inappropriately by a man in the Buckingham neighborhood, near Ballston, late last night.
The incident happened just before midnight on N. Pershing Drive.
Initial reports suggested that the man might have attempted to abduct a 13-year-old girl, but a police spokeswoman tells ARLnow the crime is currently believed to be a sexual battery, not an abduction attempt.
The man reportedly fled in a vehicle after the incident.
More from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
SEXUAL BATTERY, 2020-10040211, 4300 block of N. Pershing Drive. At approximately 11:56 p.m. on October 4, police were dispatched to the report of a sexual assault just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the juvenile female victim was walking in the area when she observed the suspect following her. The suspect then approached the victim from behind and grabbed her buttocks. The victim pushed the suspect away and yelled for help, prompting the suspect to flee the scene. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 25 – 35 years old, approximately 5’0″ tall, chubby, with short black hair. He was wearing shorts and a dark blue shirt at the time of the incident. A silver Honda mini-van was observed by witnesses leaving the area immediately after the incident occurred. The investigation is ongoing.
The Arlington branch of the NAACP is calling for an independent investigation into an inmate’s death inside the county jail last week.
The incident happened on the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Arlington County Detention Facility in Courthouse. Darryl Becton, 46, was found unconscious in his cell and later declared dead on scene by paramedics after resuscitation efforts failed.
Becton, a D.C. resident, was being held on an alleged probation violation following his conviction on a felony “unauthorized use of a motor vehicle” charge last year.
The death is being investigated by the Arlington County Police Department. A separate law enforcement entity — the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office — manages the jail, but the NAACP says a different agency, like Virginia State Police, should conduct the investigation.
“It has been reported that in Arlington there has now been at least three deaths in the past few years at this Detention Facility,” said NAACP branch president Julius Spain, Sr. “It is time to find out the reasons why. Transparency, accountability, and review are extremely critical. The public deserves to know.”
The NAACP sent the following letter to the county’s sheriff, acting police chief and other top officials, as well as members of the media.
Arlington Branch #7047 calls for a full AND independent investigation (to include policy, procedural, and criminal violations) into the death of Mr. Darryl Becton, 46, who died on October 1, 2020, after he was found unconscious in his cell at the Arlington County Detention Facility. Releasing the results of the investigation to the public immediately is paramount to promoting transparency and public trust in our community. The results of the autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determining the cause and manner of death should also be released to the public immediately.
Mr. Julius D. Spain, Sr., President of the branch stated, “Any death in the custody of law enforcement officials should require an independent investigation with full public disclosure. It has been reported that in Arlington there has now been at least three deaths in the past few years at this Detention Facility. It is time to find out the reasons why. Transparency, accountability, and review are extremely critical. The public deserves to know.”
Mr. Kent D. Carter, Vice President of the branch who serves as chair of the branch criminal justice committee added, “the Arlington Branch NAACP intends to push county leadership to include a review of ACPD/Sheriff Office collaboration and custody and detention policies as part of the work on the recently established police practices group.” Mr. Carter continued, “this death raises yet another area that we on the committee should be expected to analyze in order for our work to be meaningful.”
The deaths of inmates over the last few years in the local Detention Facility are overly concerning. The public needs to know what policies and procedures have been implemented to prevent inmate deaths.
Furthermore, while we understand Arlington County Police Department will investigate, we feel strongly that incidents of this nature should be investigated by an independent outside agency such as the Virginia State Police.
Girl’s Study Shed Featured on NBC — With the help of a local Facebook group called “Buy Nothing,” an Arlington dad built a study shed for his daughter using materials donated by neighbors. The project was featured on Saturday’s national NBC Nightly News broadcast. [YouTube, Washington Post]
APS Graduation Rate Improves — “Arlington’s public-school students posted a 93.4-percent on-time graduation rate up from 92.5 percent a year before, according to new data from the Virginia Department of Education. Rates rose among both genders and in major racial/ethnic groups compared to the Class of 2019, while the school system’s dropout rate showed improvement, declining from 5.6 percent in 2019 to 4.9 percent in 2020.” [InsideNova]
Crystal City Halloween Shop Struggles — “This was supposed to be the biggest Halloween of Lorenzo Caltagirone’s career.
For the first time in 95 years, it would fall on both a full moon and a Saturday — an equation that normally would mean big profits for his Virginia costume shop. Instead, sales are down 80 percent and he is running low on cash.” [Washington Post]
Vehicle Tampering Suspects Flee — “Police were dispatched to the report of two subjects trespassing and tampering with vehicles in a parking garage. Upon arrival, it was determined that security observed two suspects enter the garage on motorcycles and begin trying door handles. Arriving officers observed the suspects, however, when they attempted to stop them, Suspect One got on a motorcycle, then fled on foot and the Suspect Two fled on a motorcycle.” [ACPD]
Memorial Service for Erik Gutshall — A memorial service for the late County Board member Erik Gutshall was held last night at outdoor the Lubber Run Amphitheater. Some mourners attended in person, though the service was also broadcast online. [YouTube]
Beyer’s Warnings Unheeded By White House — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) “specifically and directly warned the White House and the Trump Campaign in June, July, August, and September that refusing to wear masks or social distance could create ‘super-spreader events.’ We used those words,” said Beyer’s spokesman. [Twitter]
Cross-Country Tandem Bike Ride — “Terri and Bruce Brown are finishing up a more than 3,000-mile, three-month bicycle trip from Oregon to the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, not with two bikes, but one.” [WTOP]
It was, to be honest, a relatively light news week in Arlington.
Most of the local news revolved around restaurants, at a time when much of the population is still not even considering dining out at a restaurant. The restaurant stories did well, readership-wise, but not as well as we would expect during normal times.
The lived experience of this week probably doesn’t feel like it was light on news, given what’s happening nationally. Given the presidential debate, reports about the president’s past tax returns, the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis, and — for those sport-inclined — a constant barrage of sports news and post-season action, the last few days have been exhausting for many.
Here are the ARLnow stories that had the highest readership this week:
The restaurant is a bit off the beaten path: it’s located along S. Glebe Road at 3411 5th Street S., in a single-story, historic building that once served as a chocolate factory.
Ruthie’s aims to be a neighborhood destination, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner in a place that’s blocks from the nearest sit-down restaurant and a half hour walk from the Ballston Metro station.
Despite the understated name, “RAD” has a menu that is more culinary than quick-service.
Starters include Southern staples like deviled eggs, cornbread, hushpuppies and pimento cheese, mixed in with tuna tartare and wood grilled octopus. Pork, chicken and brisket sandwiches are joined on the menu with entrees like wood fired bacon wrapped trout, roasted diver scallops, and smoked Rohan duck breast.
Though Ruthie’s doesn’t have barbecue in its name, it does have two all wood burning smokers and a custom wood hearth, fed by North Carolina hickory and oak wood. It offers meat by the pound and half pound, including brisket, pulled pork and chicken, as well as racks of ribs.
In addition to the food, the restaurant will have eight local beers on tap, on a rotating basis, in addition to seasonal cocktails and a curated wine list.
Ruthie’s, which is touting its COVID precautions as it opens amid the pandemic, also has a large patio for outdoor dining. It plans to roll out coffee, breakfast, brunch and lunch service at later dates.
More from a press release:
We are pleased to announce the official opening of Ruthie’s All-Day by Chef Matt Hill and Partner Todd Salvadore. This will be Chef Matt’s and Todd’s first solo restaurant after working in the industry for more than twenty years. […]
As a full-service, family friendly, all-day neighborhood restaurant and bar with a custom-built wood-burning hearth, Ruthie’s All-Day will offer coffee/counter, lunch, brunch, and dinner service scratch made food with an emphasis on locally-sourced ingredients. “We are beyond excited to finally open our doors to Ruthie’s All-Day! We plan to open in phases. Currently, we are open for dinner and takeout. In the coming weeks, we will be introducing Counter Culture coffee, breakfast/lunch counter, and brunch service,” says Chef Matt Hill.
The opening dinner menu is Chef Matt Hill’s modern take on a meat and three with 100% wood smoked barbecue and grilled meats including: smoked pulled pork shoulder with scratch made milk bread; wood fired citrus marinated 1/2 chicken with a raisin caper vinaigrette, smoked brisket; and smoked half rack sticky spare ribs. These are accompanied by twos and threes: buttermilk biscuits; mac and cheese; pulled pork pinto beans; anson mills grits; crispy brussels in fish sauce vinaigrette; hand cut fries; or charred kimchi dirty rice. Super tasty starters, such as skillet cornbread, hot hushpuppies with shrimp and roasted jalapeno, wood grilled oysters, and brunswick stew are also featured. The menu will showcase delicious entree salads, including fried chicken cobb salad and nice grilled salmon salad, as well as several sandwiches including Chef Hill’s crispy fried chicken sandwich with gojuchang aioli, bread and butter pickles, and slaw. The beverage program led by Todd Salvadore offers Cocktails with twists on classic favorites, and a rotating eight draft beer program from local breweries.
In the coming weeks, in the morning, the take-out counter will feature an evolving menu with our ridiculously delicious breakfast biscuits and bowls, think stone ground grits, house-made sausage, crispy fried chicken, and brisket, egg and cheese biscuits, alongside Counter Culture coffee from Chef Hill’s (and Ruthie’s) home state of North Carolina. Lunch time brings a mix of fresh ground burgers, sandwiches and entree salads with greens from local farmers and producers, packed with seasonal superfoods.
Both indoor and outdoor seating are currently available. “While following the CDC, WHO, and VA government guidelines, our number one priority is keeping our guests and staff safe,” says Todd Salvadore.
(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) As of this morning, the cumulative total of coronavirus cases in Arlington is now above 4,000.
The cases rose from 3,997 to 4,009 overnight, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. The trailing seven-day total of new cases in Arlington continues to fluctuate and is now down to 100, after reaching 130 on Tuesday.
Local hospitalizations and deaths both rose overnight. Three new COVID-related hospitalizations and one new death were reported, bringing the cumulative total of both to 503 and 151, respectively. The county has recorded five new hospitalizations over the past seven days.
Arlington’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, has fallen slightly, to 2.9%. That compares to the statewide rate, which has also been falling and is now 4.5%.
Following the news of the President and First Lady testing positive for COVID-19, both of Virginia’s U.S. senators have wished the first couple well.
Wishing the President and the First Lady a speedy recovery from COVID-19. This is another reminder to us all to take this virus seriously.
I wish the President and First Lady a speedy recovery. Having had COVID-19, let me stress: all need to take this seriously. Please follow CDC guidelines of mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who spent much of the morning tweeting about the latest payroll and unemployment numbers, weighed in a bit after the initial publication of this article.
My best wishes for a speedy recovery to the President, the First Lady, Hope Hicks, Ronna McDaniel, and the millions dealing with this terrible disease.
COVID-19 spares no one, and we all must do our best to look out for the health and safety of one another.
