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.
Large power outage in Pentagon City and Crystal City on Sept. 28, 2023 (via Dominion)
(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) More than 5,000 Dominion customers were in the dark this morning due to a large power outage.
Around 10:45 a.m. firefighters were dispatched to the power substation at the intersection of S. Fern Street and 18th Street S. for a report of a transformer explosion and fire.
Shortly before 11 a.m. firefighters on scene reported that they had put a small fire out and were awaiting the arrival of Dominion representatives.
The incident knocked out power to much of the Pentagon City and Crystal City area, prompting numerous calls for stuck elevators and tripped alarms.
As of publication the Dominion website was reporting 5,146 customers without power in Arlington. The power was fully restored, according to Dominion, by 12:30 p.m.
Crystal City Outage Info: A failed piece of equipment has caused 5,178 customer outages this morning. Our crews are on the scene making repairs. We expect to have power restored within the hour. Thank you for your patience.
This is the second month in a row for a large power outage in this area. An underground cable failure along 15th Street S. knocked out power to more than 10,000 Dominion customers on Aug. 22.
Construction continues in front of the US Air Force Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Crime Up Last Month — “Arlington County police handled 1,450 criminal incidents in August, according to new figures, up from 1,392 a year ago and from 1,196 in 2021.” [Gazette Leader]
Group Home Ribbon Cutting — “Arlington County’s Department of Human Services invites members of the media to a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the South Irving Street Group Home, a new home for people with developmental disabilities. This new home was designed and is constructed to provide permanent residence for up to six individuals with developmental and physical disabilities across their lifespans.” [Arlington County]
Health Dept. Addresses Board — “While two of the five top county officials (County Board member Libby Garvey and County Manager Mark Schwartz) were masked up, and while board members continue to maintain some distance from each other on the board dais, the tone of the discussion on Sept. 23 seemed to represent an acceptance that it’s time to live with respiratory diseases that tend to peak when weather gets colder.” [Gazette Leader]
Local Woman Carjacked in D.C. — From Alan Henney: “Here’s an update on the poor woman from Arlington who was carjacked in BROAD DAYLIGHT of her Rav-4 and robbed of her iPhone at gunpoint yesterday at 14th St and Swann St NW DC. Her Rav-4 was found abandoned and crashed hours later.” [Twitter]
It’s Thursday — A chance of showers later in the day, primarily after 2 pm, with mostly cloudy skies and temperatures reaching a high of around 68°F. There is a 30% chance of precipitation, accompanied by a northeast wind of approximately 10 mph. On Thursday night, the chance of showers increases to 50%, with a low temperature of around 60°F and an east wind circulating at about 9 mph. [Weather.gov]
Response to incident at Washington-Liberty High School in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 11 a.m.) An alleged shooting threat briefly sent students practicing on a school field indoors tonight.
The incident happened around 7 p.m. outside of Washington-Liberty High School. A police dispatch said the man was “yelling that there was going to be a shooting at the stadium.” He was being held down by several people until officers arrived, the dispatch said.
Numerous students were on the field at the time and were reportedly rushed inside the building.
“An individual threatened the field hockey players at a practice during a marching band rehearsal,” a tipster said. “I am a W-L student and I can confirm that the students were quickly brought in.”
An email sent to band families around 7:30 p.m., shared with ARLnow, said the man was arrested.
Good evening,
This evening there was an incident at the stadium entrance with a individual claiming to have a weapon. The police were called and the students were immediately sent inside. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody, and we have resumed rehearsal at this point now that the all clear from APD has been given. We will end at 9:00 as scheduled.
If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.
Thanks,
Dr. Sedatole
Arlington County police said in a subsequent crime report on Thursday that they arrested a 35-year-old Arlington resident. He is currently being held in jail on several threat-related charges.
“The adult male suspect entered the stadium and allegedly made threats of harm to other individuals.,” the crime report said. “The male suspect was detained by bystanders and taken into custody by responding officers. No weapon was seen or located.”
The suspect “was arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct and Threats on School Grounds (x2).,” the crime report continues. “He was held on no bond.”
Expect mostly cloudy skies with a peak temperature near 68 degrees on Thursday, accompanied by a gentle northeast wind at 7 mph. During Thursday night, there is a 40% chance of rain, and patchy fog may appear after 4am. The weather remains mostly cloudy with a low temperature around 60 degrees and a northeast wind at 8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
The forthcoming apartments dubbed “The Commodore” in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington has seen the greatest growth in people living alone of 342 U.S. cities.
That’s according to a new study by the website SmartAsset, which examined census data between 2016 and 2021.
Arlington is No. 1 on the list and neighboring Alexandria is No. 2, at a 3.54x and 2.98x increase of people living alone, respectively. In Arlington, about 42% of households only had one resident as of 2021.
“The rate of single people who live alone is rising dramatically in some U.S. cities,” a SmartAsset spokesman wrote. “Our findings show Arlington and Alexandria ranked among the top five cities where households changed the most.”
More from SmartAsset’s findings:
On average, the rate of single people living alone jumped to 28%. Five years prior, that figure was 24%. In Arlington, VA, which had the most drastic increase, the proportion of people living alone jumped from 11% to 41%.
Single people make up nearly half of households in these cities. The largest single populations across men and women are Washington, D.C. (48.23%); St. Louis, MO (47.49%); Alexandria, VA (46.52%); Richmond, VA (46.23%); Cincinnati, OH (46.20%); and Cleveland, OH (46.20%).
In the D.C. area, more than 25% of households are single women. Single-woman households are most prominent in Richmond, VA (28.00%); Washington, D.C. (26.74%); and Alexandria, VA (26.23%). These areas also saw the largest increases in the proportion of single women living alone over five years, with greater than 15% of households added to this cohort. Other areas with large bachelorette populations include St. Louis, MO (25.70%); New Orleans, LA (25.70%) and Cincinnati, OH (24.63%).
It’s perhaps worth pointing out that the end year of the study period, 2021, was in the midst of the pandemic — which might have prompted some to exit roommate situations.
2023 rankings for “Increase in People Living Alone in U.S. Cities” (via SmartAsset)
Water drops on a hedge along N. Longfellow Street in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Route 50 Trail Funding Sought — “County Board members on Sept. 23 included a request for up to $4 million to build the trail, which would run on the south side of Arlington Boulevard from South George Mason Drive (at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center) east to South Glebe Road (where the local Goodwill store is located).” [Gazette Leader]
Arlington Makes Fall Travel List — “Explore the awe-inspiring show put on by Mother Nature every fall in Arlington. The county is chock full of fantastic places to see the changing colors, including the walking trails at the Long Branch Nature Center, Mount Vernon Trail, and at the Potomac Overlook Regional Park.” [Travel + Leisure]
County Seeks Firehouse Memorabilia — “The Arlington County government is on the hunt for memorabilia and artifacts to be put on display once the new Fire Station #8 opens… ‘We would love to display your photographs, awards, artifacts, mementos and more,’ noted the Fire Station #8 History and Legacy Committee, which is working with the county library system’s Center for Local History on the effort.” [Gazette Leader]
Expungement Clinic This Weekend — “The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church and the Clerk of the Circuit Court are hosting their second annual Expungement Clinic on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The expungement clinic will provide everything attendees need to request arrests that did not result in convictions be removed, or expunged, from their record.” [Patch]
Amazon Facing Antitrust Suit — “The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Amazon Tuesday seeking to bar the company from allegedly abusing its powers to raise prices for shoppers and levy high fees against businesses that sell on its platform.” [Washington Post]
It’s Wednesday — A partly sunny fall day with a high temperature near 65 degrees and a gentle northeast wind at approximately 8 mph. As night falls on Wednesday, expect mostly cloudy skies with the temperature dropping to around 54 degrees. [Weather.gov]
Expect patchy drizzle and isolated showers before 9am, followed by mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature near 65 degrees. The northeast wind will be around 8mph, with a 20% chance of precipitation. Wednesday night will remain mostly cloudy, with a low temperature around 54 degrees and an east wind at around 7mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
(Updated at 1 p.m.) Police responded Monday afternoon to a reported shooting on Columbia Pike.
The incident happened shortly before 4 p.m. on the 1800 block of the Pike, at The Wellington apartment complex. Initial details were murky, but a man suffered what was described as a wound to the upper leg.
A female suspect was detained and a weapon found.
On Tuesday, Arlington County police confirmed that the man was shot and that the incident was “domestic in nature.”
More, below, from an ACPD crime report.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-09250189, 1800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 3:53 p.m. on September 25, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with a weapon. Upon arrival, it was determined that following a verbal dispute and physical altercation inside a residence, the female subject discharged a firearm, striking the male subject. The male subject was transported to an area hospital with injuries considered non-life threatening. The female subject ran from the scene and was located by responding officers in the 1200 block of S. Ross Street and subsequently charged with Malicious Wounding. A firearm was recovered. The incident was determined to be domestic in nature and additional information is restricted from release in accordance with Virginia Code § 19.2-11.2. The investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing.
NEW: One person was injured in an incident involving a weapon a short time ago in an apartment at 1850 Columbia Pike. It's unclear if it's a gunshot wound. Injury is considered non-life threatening. Another person was detained by @ArlingtonVaPD. Video via @SafetyVid.… https://t.co/9TaUfMbfCnpic.twitter.com/Zt5pexoURP
Fairlington Zoning Fix Floated — “Residents of Fairlington who have found themselves making interior renovations to condominiums recently, in some cases, have been forced to go before the Board of Zoning Appeals for adjudication… And it’s all due to a quirk in the county’s zoning ordinance. That ordinance requires special county-government approval of things like kitchen upgrades and attic buildouts when the property does not meet setback requirements in the zoning code.” [Gazette Leader]
Truck Rams Pike Business — “2600 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 3:35 a.m. on September 24, police were dispatched to the report of a possible burglary just occurred. Upon arrival, officers located property damage to the business and the investigation determined the two unknown suspects struck the exterior of the business with a truck before fleeing the scene on foot. Entry was not made inside the business and no items were reported stolen.” [ACPD]
GOP Seeks More Candidates — “Having gone 3-for-15 in candidate recruitment for 2023, the Arlington County Republican Committee is hoping for a better ratio in 2024. ‘If you’re frustrated about not having Republican candidates to support in every contest on this ballot, I encourage you to consider running for office in a future election,’ Arlington County Republican Committee chair Matthew Hurtt said in a recent e-mail to the party faithful.” [Gazette Leader]
Celebration for New Ikea Location — “IKEA is hosting a housewarming party at its new ‘plan and order point’ store in Pentagon City in Arlington on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The new IKEA store is the first of its kind in the Washington, D.C., area. The event will kick off with remarks from Raquel Ely, IKEA U.S. Market Manager, followed by Christian Dorsey, Arlington County Board chair, presenting IKEA with a Key to the County.” [Patch]
Funding to Combat Hunger — “The Arlington County Department of Human Services (DHS) on Monday, Sep. 25, 2023, launched a $150,000 grant funding program to support local organizations’ efforts to address food insecurity in the community.” [Arlington County]
Ribbon Cutting for Private School — “After spending the past two years searching for a larger space, The Sycamore School held a ribbon-cutting for its new location in an office building in Rosslyn. The six-year-old school moved from Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood to its new space on the third floor of 1550 Wilson Boulevard, just a block east of Arlington Public Schools’ H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program.” [Patch]
Another Loss for Yorktown — “Turnovers were costly for the Yorktown Patriots in their 14-7 non-district home loss to the West Springfield Spartans the night of Sept. 22 in Arlington in football action. The loss was the second straight for Yorktown (3-2).” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Tuesday — Cloudy skies and possible showers, with temperatures reaching a high of 62°F and a northeast wind of 8-10 mph throughout the day. For Tuesday night, expect a slight chance of showers before 2am and mostly cloudy conditions with a low of 55°F. [Weather.gov]
There is a 30% chance of rain and patchy drizzle throughout the day, with fog expected between 9am and noon. The high temperature will be near 62°F, with a northeast wind of 8-10 mph. Tonight, anticipate patchy drizzle and rain until 3am, and fog before 1am, with a low around 55°F and similar wind conditions. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
For sale sign in front of a business district (generated by DALL-E 2)
Last time we checked in on the Arlington businesses listed for sale online, in June, we highlighted a dozen restaurants and stores.
This time around we have ten — but a wider variety of business types.
The businesses listed on BizBuySell, an online aggregator, are described but usually not named.
The listings below are a reminder that the local business community is far from static — businesses are constantly opening, closing, and trading hands in a dynamic market like Arlington. It’s also a reminder that owning a local business is hard and requires considerable sacrifice, which sometimes leads owners to seek to exit their business and find another entrepreneur to take things over.
Popular restaurant centrally located in the high growth area of Arlington VA. Recognized in 2022 by The Washington Post, this business has established a loyal customer base from local residents and businesses with its authentic cuisine. Excellent signage and exposure with ample parking. Seating capacity of 60+ with off-street parking. Past 3 years upwarding trending sales and business operations including in-house dining, internet marketing, and catering. The sale includes furniture, fixtures and fully equipped kitchen with hood. Owner relocating internationally.
This established, single-operator hair color salon, located in the vibrant heart of downtown Arlington, is on the market. Despite the challenges of Covid, which led to a reduction in staff, this salon has shown remarkable resilience and is thriving under the operation of one experienced stylist. With its high-visibility location attracting substantial foot traffic, the potential for growth and expansion is immense.
A staple in it’s neighborhood. Located in a beautiful area, the store serves the high income demographic base (No Bullet-Proof Glass). The current owners have owned and operated this business for close to 15 years; they are retiring and seeking younger/energetic candidates to acquire and build on top of the fantastic base that they have established. Perfect for a Husband/Wife Team or a Seasoned Buyer with Experience that Knows how to Take Advantage of This Opportunity.
Brand Name Gas Station. 3 Repair Bays Rented at $ 12,000 per month. Gas Gross Profit is $22000 per month. Miscellaneous revenue $ 1000/ Month. Excellent location for buyers who are mechanics. Repair Shop tenants has been there for 11 years & running a busy repair business.
Popular restaurant & bar in Arlington VA for sale. This restaurant has been in business for almost 10 years and has become extremely popular within the DMV area. The menu consists of an American style cuisine which has earned this establishment 5 stars on google reviews. Phenomenal dining area build out including a large full service bar with draft beers on tap and outdoor seating. The current owner is ABSENTEE while the average sales of his restaurant are an amazing $4,000,000 annually.
