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.
Firefighters battled a house fire in the Penrose neighborhood this morning.
The fire was reported around 11 a.m., on the second floor of a duplex on the 300 block of S. Courthouse Road.
Firefighters from nearby Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall arrived on scene and quickly doused the flames. Arlington County firefighters searched the home and set up fans to remove the smoke from inside.
No injuries were reported, according to ACFD. S. Courthouse Road remains closed in the area due to the emergency response.
#Breaking#structurefire 300 blk S Courthouse Rd, Fire on 2nd floor of duplex. Quick knock down of fire from @JBMHH Engine161, ACFD performing search, ventilation and overhaul. No injuries reported. Please stay clear of area while crews are working. pic.twitter.com/CLI7u0Ccws
— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) July 30, 2020
Arlington County is clarifying how it responds to reports of graffiti, following the controversial removal of a child’s Black Lives Matter chalk art on Juneteenth.
The June 19 incident — which started as a neighbor’s complaint to the county — garnered widespread outrage, prompted an apology, and led County Manager Mark Schwartz to reflect on the policies that led up to it.
“[Does] our complaint driven enforcement efforts lead us to address concerns (regardless of how serious they are) by some residents for any problem that frustrates them, while larger problems that affect our residents go unaddressed?” he asked in an internal memo.
Arlington ended up pausing all but the most urgent graffiti cleanups while working to “establish guidelines on graffiti removal from public property.” Those guidelines were revealed recently and graffiti removal resumed earlier this week.
Notably, the policy does not allow for exceptions based on the content of the graffiti, which would be a likely violation of the First Amendment.
The new policy states:
The county will respond within three business days to graffiti complaints, “or as soon thereafter as feasible.”
Graffiti will not be removed from private property, “even when requested or authorized by [the] property owner.”
“Under no circumstance shall content of graffiti or [an] unauthorized sign be reason for a delayed response in removal.”
There’s a big caveat, however, which could have applied to the Juneteenth incident.
“Employees may practice judgment on effective use of resources when it comes to permanence of medium used to create graffiti. For example, sidewalk chalk or traditional stick chalk is easily and quickly removed by rain. To conserve labor resources, employees and supervisors may exercise judgment in removal of stick chalk.”
With the new policy in place, county crews were out power-washing graffiti this week, including on the S. Abingdon Street bridge over Fairlington. There, Black Lives Matter advocates and supporters of President Trump had been scrawling dueling messages on the sidewalk, while the letters “BLM” were posted on the bridge’s fence in ribbon.
The removal did not sit well with some residents on the Arlington Neighbors Helping Each Other Through COVID-19 Facebook group, who called it “disappointing” and “a shame.”
“That is awful, seriously what harm was it doing?” said one person. But others were more supportive of the policy.
“The sentiment is beautiful, however it being a public place, it’s probably for the best that it was removed to reduce conflict and keep things neutral,” said another commenter.
After a pause to establish guidelines on graffiti removal from public property, staff have resumed such cleanups this week. Once backlogs of removal requests are addressed, residents can expect new requests to be addressed within 3 business days. https://t.co/oXUHgDxjDnpic.twitter.com/NOQaABLya2
— Arlington Department of Environmental Services (@ArlingtonDES) July 29, 2020
Trash Collection Delays — “Due to truck breakdowns, some residential trash/recycling routes were not completed yesterday and today. If your trash and/or recycling carts have not been emptied, please leave them at the curb for collection.” [Arlington County]
BLM Event Planned on Saturday — The group Arlington for Justice is holding a March for Black Lives on Saturday from 4-6 p.m. The event will start at the Charles Drew Community Center in Green Valley (3500 23rd Street S.). [Facebook]
Pro-School Opening Group Planning Rally — The group Arlington Parents for Education is planning a rally in support of opening Northern Virginia schools in the fall. The event is planned from 9-10 a.m. Saturday at Arlington Public Schools headquarters (2100 Washington Blvd). “Wear green. Social distance and wear masks. Bring banners and friends & families who support this cause,” the group says. [Twitter]
Marymount Offers to Host Int’l Students — Marymount University is currently planning to bring students back to campus in the fall, including international students. With Immigration and Customs Enforcement not allowing international students to enter the country if their school is operating entirely online, Marymount is also offering to host international students from other schools. [Press Release]
Arlington Ranks High for Single Homeownership — A new set of rankings from the website SmartAsset puts Arlington at No. 25 for places “where singles are increasingly choosing to buy over rent.” [SmartAsset]
Startup CEO Facing SEC Lawsuit, Too — “Former Trustify CEO Danny Boice is accused of spending millions of investors’ dollars on private jet flights, vacations, jewelry and mortgage payments on a beach house as part of what’s alleged to be an $18.5 million fraudulent scheme, according to a lawsuit the Securities and Exchange Commission filed Friday against both Boice and Trustify Inc.” [Washington Business Journal]
Arlington County logo on basketball court in Waverly Hills
Former Arlington County logo on basketball court in Waverly Hills (staff photo)
Arlington County logo
(Updated at 4 p.m.) Arlington County should change its logo and seal, the local branch of the NAACP says.
The civil rights group says the logo’s use of Arlington House — the former home of and a memorial to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee — is “divisive and racist.”
Enslaved people were forced to build the Greek revival style mansion, which overlooks the Potomac and was the centerpiece of a plantation that utilized slave labor. Until it was seized during the Civil War, Arlington House had primarily been the home of descendents of George Washington. The house is now a National Memorial and part of Arlington National Cemetery.
Arlington House, the NAACP said in a letter to the editor this afternoon, is “a symbol of a slave labor camp.” The “racist plantation symbol” should be removed, as it “divides, rather than unites us,” the branch said.
The call to change the logo — which adorns the county flag, website, parks and other county-owned property — comes amid a national reckoning about race, sparked by the police killing of George Floyd and subsequent national protests.
In 2018, the County Board responded to a resident’s request for the logo to be redesigned by saying that the Board “will certainly give the matter more thought as budget and staff resources become available in future years.”
Reached for comment today, Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said that the county has received numerous requests recently to change everything from the logo to the names of buildings, bridges and streets.
As for changing the logo, the county is “happy to consider it,” Garvey said, but only after a community engagement process — “a good solid conversation with everyone in Arlington.”
“When you take something away, you have to put something in its place,” Garvey said.
The letter to the editor was written by NAACP Arlington Branch President Julius Spain, Sr., as well as branch member Carolynn Kane and former Arlington School Board member Dr. Emma Violand-Sánchez. The full letter is below.
Arlington County’s most prominent symbol is its logo and seal. A symbol that is everywhere … on government correspondence, uniforms, buildings, vehicles, websites. A symbol of a slave labor camp. A symbol of the southern plantation economy designed to ensure White privilege and Black subjugation. A place that the National Park Service named, “Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial.” This is the symbol placed in the center of our flag. A divisive and racist branding of our diverse, usually progressive community. It is a symbol that divides, rather than unites us. Yet, despite community members bringing this problem to their attention, it appears that the County Board is uninterested in changing its logo. Instead the County proudly states in its manual that this symbol reflects its “values … identity … traditions;” and tells residents that there are “good sides” to this racist plantation symbol.
We ask, how can the County have courageous conversations on race, tackle the inequities in Arlington, heal the deep historical wounds here or enact its platform to address racial inequities when it will not confront and change its own symbol? If it refuses to acknowledge its own blindness to the logo’s meaning, it cannot. The County Board must end its embrace of this symbol of Black bondage, oppression and pain. The County’s Robert E. Lee Memorial logo, flag and seal needs to be “retired” and a new era of inclusiveness and equity ushered in immediately. We call on the County Board and County Manager to stop delaying, put this item on the Board’s Agenda, and vote. Now.
Hawkers Asian Street Fare coming to Ballston Exchange
Hawkers Asian Street Fare coming to Ballston Exchange
Hawkers Asian Street Fare coming to Ballston Exchange
A growing restaurant chain, offering food in the style of that served by street vendors from around Asia, is opening a new location in Ballston.
Signs are up for Hawkers Asian Street Fare at 4201 Wilson Blvd, in the Ballston Exchange complex across from Philz Coffee. The company says via social media that it is planning to open in the spring of 2021.
Hawkers was founded in Orlando in 2011 by a group of partners “inspired by our travels to Asia and memories of growing up,” determined to serve “the unapologetic flavors of true Asian food.”
Hawkers has nine locations currently open in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, according to its website. Additional locations are coming to Nashville and Bethesda.
The menu includes Asian wings, noodle and rice dishes, curries, and dim sum, as well as sake and Japanese whisky cocktails.
Eater reports that the Ballston location “will function as the first test site for an expanded menu of dumplings and dim sum stuffed with everything from soup to pork to faux meat from Impossible.” It will also “sport a large patio and an indoor/outdoor bar slinging cocktails like a fiery Margari-Thai and to-go boozy pouches.”
Arlington Pet of the Week Duke (photo courtesy of Alex and Virginie)
Arlington Pet of the Week Duke (photo courtesy of Alex and Virginie)
Arlington Pet of the Week Duke (photo courtesy of Alex and Virginie)
Arlington Pet of the Week Duke (photo courtesy of Alex and Virginie)
Arlington Pet of the Week Duke (photo courtesy of Alex and Virginie)
Meet the newest Pet of the Week, Duke, an 8 month old Cockapoo who loves watching birds.
Here is what Duke had to say about his new life here in Arlington:
Hi – Meet Duke, an 8 month old Cockapoo who calls Arlington home since March 2020. With his boundless energy, he often uses his amazing speed and pouncing to catch people’s attention.
Duke loves watching squirrels and birds around, playing with his hundreds toys around the house, walking around the neighborhood and, of course, eating! He is also a punctual helper around the house by overseeing all food preparation.
Duke is a one of a kind puppy, and we couldn’t be happier to have him as a part of our home!
Ruthie’s All Day exterior rendering (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All Day interior (courtesy photo)
Chef Matt Hill and business partner Todd Salvadore
Ruthie’s All Day exterior rendering (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All Day interior (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All Day interior (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All Day interior (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All Day interior (courtesy photo)
Ruthie’s All Day interior (courtesy photo)
An ambitious new restaurant is coming to an unlikely place: a former chocolate factory and paint store.
Ruthie’s All-Day — a family-friendly neighborhood restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner — plans to open this fall at 3411 5th Street S., a historic building that most recently housed a Sherwin-Williams store, in the front parking lot of the newly-renovated Dominion Apartments.
Behind the restaurant are two veterans of the local food scene: Matt Hill, formerly Executive Chef for Liberty Tavern Restaurant Group, which operates The Liberty Tavern, Northside Social, Lyon Hall and Liberty Barbecue; and Todd Salvadore, formerly a general manager for Chef Robert Wiedmaier’s RW Restaurant Group. Both Hill and Salvadore also worked at Charlie Palmer Steak in D.C.
Located along S. Glebe Road, between Columbia Pike and Route 50 in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, Ruthie’s will be a sit-down restaurant with a bar, a takeout counter, an outdoor patio, and a wood-burning hearth. It is expected to open in phases, starting in September with outdoor dining, takeout and catering.
Signature offerings include wood-smoked barbecue and southern-style dishes, in addition to seasonal cocktails, a curated wine list, and a rotating selection of draft beer.
“Ruthie’s All-Day will feature a take-out counter with Counter Culture coffee, ridiculously delicious breakfast biscuits, stone ground grits, house-made sausage, crispy fried chicken sandwiches, vinegar spiked pulled pork sandwiches, and hearty salads,” said an announcement Wednesday morning. “In the evening, Ruthie’s will be Chef Hill’s modern take on a meat and three which will include pepper smoked prime grade brisket, fresh Chesapeake rockfish, char-grilled gochujang rubbed spare ribs, southern style mac and cheese, white-soy braised greens, and more.”
(Updated at 11:05 a.m.) The rate of new COVID-19 cases in Arlington is again pointing upward, if only modestly so.
An additional 50 cases have been reported over the past three days in Arlington, bringing the seven-day rolling rate of increase up to 94 cases and the cumulative total to 2,857.
On the plus side, no new COVID-related hospitalizations have been reported over the past week, and it has been nearly two weeks since the last coronavirus death was reported, according to Virginia Dept. of Health data. Cumulative hospitalizations and deaths stand at 431 and 135 respectively.
The age range of those testing positive for the virus, meanwhile, is now even more skewed toward younger adults than before. Those ages 20-29 comprise 42% of new cases in the county over the past ten days. The next-highest age cohort, was 30-39, with 17% of new cases.
During a press conference yesterday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said there has been a “significant shift” towards people in their 20s contracting COVID-19. Northam also announced new restrictions on bars and restaurants in the Hampton Roads area, a coronavirus hotspot.
Cases and hospitalizations have been on the rise in the Commonwealth, but new cases have held relatively steady in Northern Virginia.
Arlington is the No. 1 best city to live in the U.S., according to 2020 rankings from Niche.com, and two Arlington neighborhoods are No. 2 and No. 3 on the website’s new list of the Best Places to Live in America.
Arlington, which is technically a county, has topped the Niche “Best Cities to Live” list since 2016.
The site calculates the rankings “based on crime, public schools, cost of living, job opportunities, and local amenities.” Niche previously lauded Arlington for high-quality public schools, low crime rate, abundant nightlife options and walkability.
In its rankings this year, Niche cites the following recent review of Arlington from a current resident.
Arlington is a very clean and open-minded town with educated individuals and businesses that are dedicated to producing less waste. Many stores and retail centers are modern and well-kept. It is a family friendly area with great public schools. However, traffic is prevalent and real estate prices are through the roof. But, living a healthy lifestyle is easy in Arlington with many healthy food options and amazing trails all over.
Arlington neighborhoods also ranked remarkably well on Niche’s 2020 Best Places to Live lists for both the state and the country, thanks in large part due to highly-rated public schools and walkability.
The Bluemont neighborhood, west of Ballston, is the No. 2 best place in the nation, according to Niche. Radnor-Fort Myer Heights, near Rosslyn and Courthouse, is No. 3. Ballston/Virginia Square is No. 12 in the U.S. and Clarendon/Courthouse is No. 24.
Within Virginia, Arlington neighborhoods dominated the top 25: Bluemont (1), Radnor/Fort Myer Heights (2), Ballston/Virginia Square (3), Clarendon/Courthouse (4), Waycroft/Woodlawn (6), Colonial Village (11), North Rosslyn (12), Lyon Village (13), Cherrydale (14), Arlington Forest (15), Dominion Hills (16), Arlington Ridge (18), Claremont (20), Columbia Heights (21), Aurora Highlands (22), Alcova Heights (23), and Ashton Heights (25).
Va. Coronavirus Cases Skewing Younger — “Gov. Ralph Northam said during a press conference today that local health officials are pointing to a “significant shift” of people in their 20s or younger getting COVID-19.” [Tysons Reporter]
Northam Announces New Restrictions — “Gov. Ralph Northam is rolling back reopening in Hampton Roads as cases there surge but stopped short of doing so statewide. Gov. Northam’s announcement came after a private meeting Tuesday with Dr. Deborah Birx, the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House. Virginia was her last stop on a five-state tour… she came to all of these states with the same message: put additional mitigation measures in place before things get worse.” [WAVY, InsideNova, Commonwealth of Virginia]
Bill May Tackle Local Helicopter Noise — “A local addition to the National Defense Authorization Act — a $740 billion bill approved through the House and Senate and headed to the White House — would require the Pentagon to establish a helicopter noise abatement group for the region… The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Don Beyer (D) would also require the Pentagon to establish a noise inquiry website.” [ALXnow]
County Wants to Become More ‘Age Friendly’ — “With AARP’s recent approval of Arlington’s Age Friendly Action Plan, Building an Age Friendly Community, the County is now entering a three-year process to achieve the plan’s goals and objectives — and enhance the County’s standing as a livable community for people all ages.” [Arlington County]
Nearby: Falls Church Unveils New Permit — “To help businesses and non-profits cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Falls Church Recreation and Parks Department has created the Temporary Outdoor Commercial Activity Permit. Certain parks and amenities can be rented for commercial activities like exercise classes and children’s entertainment.” [City of Falls Church]
Thousands of Comcast customers are reported to be without TV and internet service in Arlington tonight.
The outage is affecting a wide swath of the county, from far northern Arlington down at least to Columbia Pike, according to outage maps viewed by ARLnow.
Comcast is telling customers that it is working to restore service and hopes to do so by later tonight.
