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.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Snow

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Meet Arlington’s Pet of the Week, Snow, a 12 year old cat that enjoys smoked salmon for Sunday brunch.

Here is what Snow’s owner had to say about her life here in Arlington:

Snow is a 12-year-old little lady that enjoys bird watching and Sunday brunches – as long as there is smoked salmon. She begins each day quietly waiting in the bathroom until someone turns the sink on for her morning drink. She then inventories her box collection, having a good sit in each one. As each day progresses, Snow luxuriates in patches of sunshine as they traverse the floor from one end of the apartment to the other

Snow is a real foodie. She is happy to share your meal with you. Though she does not like vegetables, she often requests to try them. At least baby carrots make good toys. She is fond of a variety of cheeses and is first to vocalize her feelings on the subject. In Snow’s eyes, all cans contain tuna fish. She can be drawn out of a deep sleep, under the bed somewhere, to that first pop of a can lid being punctured. At only 8 pounds, she manages to keep herself svelte despite eating all the fish and cheese she can get her mitts on.

Each evening Snow gets a brief workout chasing a laser or string. At bedtime she likes to burrow under the covers and snuggle for a little extra warmth, even if it is 107 degrees outside. Snow has a diagnosed heart condition but has already exceeded her prognosis, so we keep things simple and easy for her. She has very much enjoyed the extra snuggle time that quarantine has provided, and all of the meals taken at home.

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!

Reduced School Bus Capacity Prompts APS to Expand Elementary ‘Walk Zones’

By ARLnow.com

Fewer kids will be able to take the bus when in-person classes resume at Arlington Public Schools.

APS says that it is expanding the “walk zones” for 16 of its 24 elementary schools, as buses will only be able to carry 11 students at a time due to social distancing guidelines.

“As we start to plan for returning to school buildings, we want to make you aware of some changes to bus transportation starting this year,” the school system said in an email to families this morning.

The proposed expansion of the walk zones around schools “will allow transportation to focus our bus service on routes that are farthest from school and allow them to move more quickly between stops and school,” said the email.

“APS is developing route maps to help families find their way and will work with the school to ensure families have access to them,” the email continues. “This year, with the many COVID-related challenges, walking and biking to school will provide more flexibility to your arrival/dismissal time from school, and give your students a little extra activity before and after their modified school day.”

According to the APS website, the changes apply to the following elementary schools: Abingdon, Ashlawn, Arlington Traditional School, Barcroft, Barrett, Claremont, Discovery, Drew, Hoffman Boston, Jamestown, Key, Long Branch, McKinley, Science Focus, Taylor, and Tuckahoe.

Barring a deterioration of Arlington’s coronavirus metrics, APS announced last week that it was it tentatively planning to bring students with disabilities back in mid-to-late October; PreK-3, technical education and English learner students back in early-to-mid November; and all other students electing the two-day-per-week, in-person learning model in early December.

As of Tuesday, families of the middle group of students could select, via the online ParentVUE system, whether they want their kids to return to classrooms or stay at home, according to APS.

Arlington Reaches 500 Total Coronavirus Hospitalizations

By ARLnow.com

Arlington has reached something of a pandemic milestone on the last day of September: the cumulative total of residents hospitalized for COVID-19 has reached 500.

The pace of new hospitalizations, however, has been slowing, and it has taken three and a half months for the county to record the past 100 COVID hospitalizations, after hitting 400 on June 14.

The number of COVID-related deaths, meanwhile, reached 150 on Tuesday, and by tomorrow total cases in the county should cross 4,000, from 3,995 today.

Though all are large numbers for a 26 square mile county, the overall number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths are just 1.7%, 0.2% and 0.065% of the overall Arlington population, respectively.

Current coronavirus trends in Arlington are a mixed bag. The seven-day average test positivity rate has ticked up to 3.2%, from a low point of 3.0% a few days ago. Yesterday the seven-day total of new cases hit 130, the highest point since Sept. 3. Today the seven-day total of new hospitalizations hit 3, the lowest point since Aug. 18.

Nationally, concerns remain about a rise in COVID-19 cases in the fall and winter. New York City’s health commissioner said yesterday that the city, which had an extended lull in virus spread this summer after being hard-hit early in the pandemic, is now seeing an “alarming increase” in new cases.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

RBG Buried at Arlington National Cemetery — “The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was buried at Arlington National Cemetery Tuesday. A spokesperson for the Supreme Court confirmed that she was laid to rest and said it was a private service. She was set to be buried alongside her husband, Martin David Ginsburg, who was buried there in 2010.” [WJLA]

DCA Work May Cause Traffic Delays — “Beginning on or about Thursday, October 1, portions of the Terminal B/C Ticketing (upper-level) roadway will close for work related to Project Journey. At least two vehicular lanes will remain open as the construction areas periodically change.” [Press Release]

Police Investigating Lyon Park Attack — “As the parties exited the business, the dispute continued and became physical. The suspect waved a knife at Victim One, who then fell to the ground. The suspect kicked her, at which point a second victim attempted to intervene, but was struck with the knife by the suspect. The suspect then fled in a vehicle.” [Arlington County]

Cristol Joining New Equity Program — “Arlington County Board Member Katie Cristol has been named one of 14 Southern elected leaders who will form the inaugural class of E Pluribus Unum (UNUM) fellows. The program is designed to equip Southern leaders with resources that advance racial and economic equity within their communities.” [Arlington County]

Ballston Hosting Local Restaurant Week — “You’re invited to sip and savor your way through Ballston. Join our neighborhood’s Sip & Savor Restaurant Week. From October 1st through the 4th, support your favorite restaurants and eat local!” [Ballston BID]

Morning Poll: What’s Your Halloween Candy Plan?

By ARLnow.com

Halloween is a month away, but people are already starting to wonder how it’s going to play out.

Health authorities are cautioning against trick-or-treating during the pandemic. So far it has not been officially banned, but there is historical precedence for doing so.

During the 1918 influenza pandemic, which was at its deadliest between October and December, a number of U.S. cities banned Halloween parties and celebration, according to CNN.

What to do about Halloween is a hot topic on local Nextdoor threads.

“As tough as it is we are not going to engage in this this year to protect not only ourselves but others,” one resident said, on a recent thread visible to those in some North Arlington neighborhoods. “I really wish everyone could just buckle down so we can get the schools back open, even if it means sitting it out this year.”

Others disagreed.

“If people can safely protest, kids can trick or treat,” said another local resident. “This is nuts. This is an outdoor activity. I’m certain kids and their parents can social distance and those over the age of 2 yrs can wear proper masks.”

Given the current likelihood of there being some trick-or-treaters out and about this year, what is your plan for offering candy? Will you be answering the door, leaving a jar outside, or skipping the holiday altogether?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

New Name for Green Valley Park — “A year after it was first proposed, the renaming of Nauck Town Square in honor of a longtime Green Valley civic leader looks headed to success. The name ‘John Robinson Jr. Town Square’ has won the support of the Park and Recreation Commission, Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Commission, Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) and the civic associations of Green Valley, Shirlington and Douglas Park.” [InsideNova]

Beyer Blasts Trump Taxes –“The revelation that Donald Trump paid almost no personal income taxes for many years is not surprising, but it is outrageous. Far more important, however, is Trump’s use of the government for his personal benefit rather than that of the American people.” [Press Release]

Memorial Circle Changes — “The National Park Service is taking action to make the roads and trails at Memorial Circle safer. Starting today, drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists will see higher visibility crosswalks, new signage & flashing beacons, clearer lane markings & repaved road markings.” [@NationalLanding/Twitter]

Officials Seek Info About Abandoned Dog — “Do you recognize this dog or vehicle? On 9/24 @ 8pm, a person in this vehicle abandoned a dog in a crate near the 5000 blk 7th St S. If you have information regarding this dog or vehicle, please contact Animal Control.” [@AWLAArlington/Twitter]

Rainbow Over Arlington After Sunshower — “Courthouse rainbow spotted from our office with a view.” [@ArlingtonVaPD/Twitter]

Heavy Rain Tonight — “A slug of heavy rainfall is set to drench the Washington area and points east during the middle of the week, with an inch or so likely… It seems likely that a band of heavy downpours arrives [this evening], then perhaps lasting much of the overnight and tapering down from west to east Wednesday morning.” [Capital Weather Gang]

Democratic Precinct Captain Booted for Supporting Independent School Board Candidate

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 9:15 p.m.) Arlington Democrats have forced out a precinct captain for supporting a School Board candidate who had to withdraw from seeking the party’s endorsement because she’s a federal employee.

Heather Keppler said in an email obtained by ARLnow that she was pressured to step down as the Arlington County Democratic Committee’s captain for the Lexington precinct because of her support of Symone Walker, a “lifelong Democrat.”

Though School Board races in Virginia are technically nonpartisan, with no party designation next to candidate names on the ballot, Arlington Democrats endorse candidates each year through a party caucus. Walker, a federal employee, initially sought the endorsement, but withdrew after another candidate filed complaints about her candidacy being a Hatch Act violation due to her federal employment.

Walker is now facing the two Democratic endorsees, Cristina Diaz-Torres and David Priddy, in November’s general election.

Keppler, according to a statement from the campaign, is Walker’s campaign manager. The statement called the situation “disturbing” and characterized the party’s actions as “shamefully undemocratic.”

“The ACDC caucus process disenfranchises Black and other minority voters and effectively blocks federal workers from serving in their local government when the Hatch Act provides a pathway to do so,” Walker’s campaign said. “We will not be intimidated and will continue to keep our students, teachers, staff, and families the priority of our campaign, unlike ACDC whose only priority is their own power.”

Jill Caiazzo, Chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee, said it’s against party rules to support the opponents of Democratic candidates and endorsees.

“The Arlington Dems bylaws require party officials, such as Precinct Captains, to support all Democratic nominees and endorsees in general and special elections,” Caiazzo said. “If a party official cannot do so for whatever reason, they are asked to take a step back from their party leadership role until the next election cycle, when they are welcomed back to party leadership.”

A similar situation played out with current Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey, who faced a temporary expulsion from the local party after supporting independent County Board candidate John Vihstadt over Democrat Alan Howze in 2014.

Julius Spain, Sr., a community activist and supporter of Walker, said the move to oust her campaign manager from the local party’s ranks — even temporarily — is unnecessarily divisive.

“As a Democrat, I am highly disappointed by the recent decision of ACDC to remove Ms. Walker’s Campaign Manager, Heather Keppler, from her role as a local Democratic party precinct captain,” Spain said. “Ms. Keppler was yet another dedicated Democrat who has done so much over the years to advance inclusivity within our party. This decision did more to divide rather than unite us.”

(Spain is also the head of the Arlington branch of the NAACP, which does not endorse candidates.)

Keppler’s full email is below.

(more…)

Space Is the Frontier for This Arlington-Based Startup

By ARLnow.com

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!

A Shirlington-based tech startup has received a fresh vote of confidence in its work, in the form of a follow-on investment from a key funder.

NOVI is “developing the next generation of integrated hardware and inspection analytics solutions” for everything from inspecting asphalt to deploying satellites. It recently received an investment from CIT GAP Funds, a state-funded investment organization that makes seed-stage investments in Virginia startups.

The amount of the investment, which followed an initial round of funding in 2019, was not disclosed.

According to an announcement last week, the new capital “will be used to accelerate their commercial go‐to‐market strategy and support key hires.”

NOVI operates in the infrastructure and manufacturing industries, but it’s the offerings for the space and defense sectors that were highlighted in the announcement.

NOVI is focused on combining machine learning and data fusion to provide a new approach for edge intelligence in ground, aerial and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) applications. Today’s small-satellites represent single-payload “point-solutions” without on-board data fusion or processing. NOVI’s patent-pending, reconfigurable, additively-manufactured structures enable flexible and rapid customization as a low-cost, experimental test platform to accommodate different payload types, and on-board processing and data fusion for coincident gathering of multiple signals.

“Over the last year, NOVI has rapidly grown our team and received five new contracts. We have a unique opportunity to capture the growing demand for multi-sensor platforms, and to move space activity into the next generation of satellites,” said Dr. Amit Mehra, Managing Partner, NOVI. “Our core capabilities are centered around development of aerospace hardware that is tightly coupled with data fusion and machine-learning based processing of multi-sensor data, which leads to significant reductions in capital cost for constellation deployments. We are grateful for the continued support of CIT GAP Funds, which will enable us to build out and execute on our go-to-market strategy.”

The firm — based in an office at 2800 Shirlington Road, across the street from Shirlington Village — has won a number of government contracts and grants recently, including from the Air Force and the National Science Foundation.

“Since CIT’s initial investment in 2019, NOVI has proven their potential to disrupt the new space industry,” CIT GAP Funds Senior Investment Director Marco Rubin said, in a statement.

“The need for low earth orbit constellations is growing, such as earth imaging and remote sensing, IoT, weather forecasting, high bandwidth connectivity, and a host of other critical use cases,” Rubin said. “NOVI’s innovations will have an impact on the future of space activity, and CIT looks forward to their continued success.”

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

JUST IN: Summers Restaurant Closing Permanently After 38 Years

By ARLnow.com
1/3

The pandemic has claimed yet another local restaurant — and this time, it’s one of the oldest bars in Arlington.

Summers, the soccer bar at 1520 N. Courthouse Road, will not reopen, owner Joe Javidara confirmed to ARLnow today. The restaurant’s furnishings — from kitchen equipment to framed soccer memorabilia to the Tiffany-style stained glass lamps — are now being offered for auction through Oct. 13.

Summers temporarily closed at the end of August, warning that the closure could be permanent if it was unable to obtain a permit for an expanded outdoor seating area. Javidara said he was not able to get the county permit and instead made the tough decision to close permanently.

A staple of the Courthouse neighborhood, Summers first opened in December 1982. It showed soccer matches from around the world at a time “when no one else in the U.S. watched soccer,” Javidara said, but went on to serve millions of customers over its 38 years.

It has remained in business through big changes to Arlington, but rent increases have made it difficult to make ends meet, said Javidara. It was set to close eventually due to a planned redevelopment of the block, but COVID-19 hastened the inevitable.

Javidara says he has been losing money every month since the start of the pandemic. The main dining used to hold 150 cheering soccer fans, but social distancing restrictions reduced that to 16. Only a handful actually would show up to watch the games, making it hard to retain employees who rely on tips.

Sales were off 95%, Javidara said, but the rent remained $20,000 per month. He said he was also unable to obtain a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan as a potential lifeline.

“It’s disappointing we have to go like this after 38 years,” Javidara told ARLnow.

Still, there’s some hope for the future. After taking some time off, something he hasn’t been able to do for decades, Javidra said he’ll test the waters to see if any investors might want to help Summers reopen elsewhere, perhaps as soon as next year.

Any new location would have to have more outdoor seating and, potentially, a rooftop. A German beer garden with sports could be a new format worth exploring, he said.

“We’ll look for another place,” he said.

Man Arrested After Accidentally Firing Bullet into Apartment Below

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington man was arrested last night after police say he accidentally fired a bullet into the apartment below his.

The incident happened around 9:30 p.m. on the 3800 block of Columbia Pike, a couple of blocks west of S. Glebe Road.

The suspect was “engaged in a dispute with a group of people,” police said. “When the suspect allegedly went inside to retrieve his firearm, it discharged and a bullet entered the residence below.”

Police were called when the downstair resident “observed a stray bullet come through the ceiling.” No one was hurt.

The 36-year-old suspect is facing a number of charges, including “possession of a firearm by a foreign national.”

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

WEAPONS VIOLATION, 2020-09270168, 3800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 9:30 p.m. on September 27, police were dispatched to the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was inside his residence when he heard noise and observed a stray bullet come through the ceiling. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect was engaged in a dispute with a group of people behind a residential building. When the suspect allegedly went inside to retrieve his firearm, it discharged and a bullet entered the residence below. Officers located the suspect outside his residence and took him into custody without incident. No injuries were reported. Jose Gomez, 36, of Arlington, Va., was arrested and charged with Reckless Handling of a Firearm, Discharging a Firearm or Missile in/at an Occupied Building, and Possession of a Firearm by a Foreign Alien.

Eight Months Ago: ARLnow’s First Reference to Coronavirus

By ARLnow.com

Eight months ago — on Jan. 29, 2020 — the employees of ARLnow and our sister sites all gathered to celebrate ARLnow’s 10th anniversary.

Together with friends, family and readers, we all packed into Bronson Bierhall in Ballston to drink, eat and chat. There were no masks to be seen. Social distancing was not yet a thing that was being practiced.

It would prove to be one of the last times those in attendance were able to enjoy such an evening.

Two days before the event, ARLnow published its first reference to the novel coronavirus. Just six days before that, the first coronavirus case in the U.S. was announced.

The following is a timeline of those fateful few weeks between our first mention of the virus and the first confirmed case in Arlington.

  • Jan. 27 — Health officials were investigating a possible coronavirus case in Northern Virginia.
  • Jan. 29 — Local pharmacies, including Preston’s on Lee Highway, report selling out of surgical masks.
  • Jan. 31 — “With the Virginia Health Department investigating a second possible case of coronavirus in Northern Virginia, Arlington County is preparing for the worst-case scenario: a local outbreak.”
  • Feb. 4 — Tests on both possible coronavirus cases in Northern Virginia came back negative. There are still no local cases.
  • Feb. 13 — “Arlington Public Schools is barring recent visitors to China from schools.”
  • Feb. 27 — Another Northern Virginia resident was being tested after contracting coronavirus-like symptoms.
  • Feb. 28 — “As the global coronavirus outbreak spreads and the stock market sinks, both Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools are ramping up their public outreach on the disease.”
  • March 5 — During an online Q&A, Arlington’s health director urges residents to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly.
  • March 5 — Most local stores have been picked clean of face masks, hand sanitizer and rubbing alcohol.
  • March 6 — Arlington Public Schools says it is “preparing for the possibility of school closures in the future, if necessary.”
  • March 9 — “Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Health have announced the county’s first ‘presumptive’ case of coronavirus.”

That first local case was followed two days later by the suspension of the NBA season, widely seen as a turning point in the country’s response to the pandemic, and four days later by the announced closure of Arlington Public Schools.

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