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.

UPDATED: Metro train derails near National Airport

By ARLnow.com
National Airport Metro station (Flickr pool photo by Bekah Richards)

(Updated at 4 p.m.) Metrorail service was suspended on the Blue and Yellow lines today after a train derailed.

Metro says no injuries were reported among the 50 people on the derailed train, adding that they have since been transferred via shuttle bus to another train.

The derailment happened around 10:45 a.m., south of the National Airport station, and involved the lead car of the train, according to scanner traffic. Arlington medics were dispatched to the scene but there were no reports of injuries.

Since the derailment, trains have been operating in two segments — Franconia/Huntington to Potomac Yard and Largo/Mt. Vernon Square to National Airport, according to Metro.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m., the transit agency said it was inspecting the track ahead of resuming service on a single track. As of 1:30 p.m., Blue and Yellow line trains were running every 24 minutes and single-tracking past the derailment.

A partial derailment near Rosslyn in October 2021 was found to have been caused by a wheel defect in newer, 7000-series trains. Earlier this year Metro unveiled a multi-year plan to change out wheelsets on hundreds of 7000-series trains.

Metro’s general manager said in a press conference this afternoon that it was a 7000-series train that derailed, but the agency believes a brake assembly came off of an older 3000-series train and caused the derailment.

 

Flickr pool photo by Bekah Richards

Listing of the Day: 3616 N. Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Address: 3616 N. Glebe Road
Neighborhood: Jamestown Village
Type: 4 BR, 3 BA single-family detached — 2,600 sq. ft.
Listed: $975,000

Noteworthy: 4 bedroom 3 bath 2 car garage, 1/4 acre Jamestown Williamsburg Yorktown pyramid

So much space and value in this sun filled home, well sited on a large, level and well landscaped lot. Bring your Pinterest imagination to make this home your own.

Open floorplan with a living room flowing into the dining room and updated kitchen featuring light wood cabinets, granite tops, and stainless appliances. The family room has windows on three sides, and doors to the patio and private rear yard. The primary bedroom has a step in closet and recently renovated private bathroom while the second and third bedrooms share an updated bathroom.

In the daylight lower level, there is a rec room, fourth bedroom and another updated bathroom, large laundry room and a utility room with additional storage. The deep two car garage accommodates even more storage. Near parks, bike lanes, Lee-Harrison Center and restaurants and shops along Langston Blvd. Easy commute to Washington, business and government centers, Amazon HQ2 at Crystal and Pentagon Cities, and National Airport. Good reverse commute to Tysons and Dulles Tech Corridor and Airport.

Listed by:
Betsy Twigg
[email protected]
(703) 967-4391

Morning Poll: Big snowstorm on tap this winter?

By ARLnow.com
Snow removal in Clarendon on Feb. 6, 2010 (file photo)

After several years of relatively meager winters, could this upcoming season have a big snowstorm on tap for us?

There’s some early suggestion of an elevated chance of large coastal winter storms between January and March, owing in part to a particularly intense El Niño climate pattern.

Of course, such a pattern could also leave Arlington high and dry again.

“Of the seven strong El Niño winters since 1950, four have been associated with well above normal snowfall while snowfall was virtually absent in the other three winters,” the National Weather Service wrote about winters in metro D.C. and Baltimore.

Climate prognosticating — it’s an inexact science, just ask the groundhog — has been raising the hopes of snow lovers this month, with some models suggesting a cold and snowy winter is likely for the Mid-Atlantic region.

The last really big winter storm to hit Arington was the Jan. 22-23, 2016 blizzard. The three large snow events of the winter of 2009-2010, meanwhile, are still fresh in the minds of many locals who lived through them.

What do you think? Would you welcome another big snowstorm this winter or do you prefer the mostly snowless winters of late?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Colorful paint on the neighborhood side of an I-66 barrier wall in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Free Pantry Being Removed — “After more than three years, a food pantry in Arlington County is closing and food-insecure families who take advantage of it say they only received a three-day notice. Now, volunteers are hoping to save the community resource… The food pantry is located outside the Arlington Central Library in Ballston and was started by the Eagle Scouts during the pandemic.” [WJLA]

Ovechkin-Owned Home for Rent — “Alex Ovechkin’s relatively modest Arlington home — at least compared to the mansion he lives in now — is back on the market for lease. The five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath home at 4906 16th St. N served as Ovechkin’s abode during his first years with the Washington Capitals. It is listed for rent by Ali Nasir of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty for $9,000 a month. The 5,000-square-foot residence, which sits on a half-acre lot, was last rented to Erik Gustafson, who played for the Caps during the ’22-’23 season.” [Washington Business Journal]

Pickleball Fight Continues — “If Arlington County Board members thought their two-month summer break would bring a respite from battles over pickleball courts, they were quickly disabused of the notion. A representative of the Columbia Heights Civic Association on Sept. 23 rapped efforts by the Department of Parks and Recreation at Walter Reed Community Center, saying the number of planned courts must come down and noise-mitigation efforts must improve.” [Gazette Leader]

Shots Fired Near the Serrano Apts — “5500 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 6:47 p.m. on September 27, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard. Responding officers recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired in the area. No injuries or property damage were reported. There are no suspect(s) descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.” [ACPD]

County Joins Insulin Suit — “Members of the Arlington County Board on Sept. 26 authorized the hiring of outside legal counsel to join lawsuits by local and state governments nationally against alleged price-fixing by insulin suppliers.” [Gazette Leader]

Motorcade This Morning — Updated at 10 a.m. — The president and vice president will be coming to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this morning to attend a farewell tribute ceremony for Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Rabies Exposure in F.C. — “On Saturday, September 23, 2023, an injured raccoon was euthanized by the City of Falls Church Police after being struck by two vehicles near the 500 block of S. Washington St. A witness stated that prior to officers arriving, both he and an unidentified driver came in direct contact with the injured raccoon while removing it from the roadway. On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, the Fairfax County Health Department reported that the raccoon had tested clinically positive for rabies.” [City of Falls Church]

It’s Friday — Patchy drizzle and a 30% chance of showers until 2pm, with mostly cloudy skies and a high of 69°F accompanied by a north wind at 9 mph. For Friday night, expect mostly cloudy conditions with a low of 60°F and an 8 mph north wind. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Sep 28, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 28, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

🌧️ Friday’s forecast

Expect patchy drizzle and scattered showers before 2pm, followed by isolated showers and fog later in the day, with a high of 69°F and a 30% chance of precipitation. Friday night will see possible isolated showers before 2am and fog after 11pm, accompanied by a low of 60°F, an 8 mph north wind, and a 20% chance of precipitation. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.”
– Henry David Thoreau

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Smallest and largest homes sold in Arlington (August 2023)

By ARLnow.com

Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the smallest and largest homes sold last month (August 2023).

Largest homes sold

  1. 3133 N Piedmont St — Bellevue Forest — $2,850,000 (5 beds | 8 baths | 9,004 sq. ft.)
  2. 5407 36th St N — Williamsburg — $2,695,000 (7 beds | 7.5 baths | 6,580 sq. ft.)
  3. 4A N Ridgeview Rd — Dover Crystal — $3,608,356 (5 beds | 6.5 baths | 6,404 sq. ft.)

Smallest homes sold*

  1. 1804 S Stafford St — Douglas Park — $950,000 (4 beds | 3 baths | 1,950 sq. ft.)
  2. 409 N Oxford St — Ashton Heights — $1,059,000 (3 beds | 2 baths | 1,950 sq. ft.)
  3. 112 N Highland St — Lyon Park — $1,100,000 (3 beds | 1.5 baths | 1,958 sq. ft.)

*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.

UPDATED: Large police response at Yorktown HS after threatening phone call

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 12:55 p.m.) It’s likely a hoax but a threatening phone call prompted another large police response at Yorktown High School today.

Someone called 911 shortly before noon, claiming to be in a bathroom at the school and planning a shooting, according to a police dispatch. The call taker could then hear gunshots and screaming in the background, possibly from a recording.

Officers arriving on scene reported no suspicious activity outside nor inside the school, which was quickly placed on “secure the school” mode as a precaution, per scanner traffic.

A large police presence remained on scene investigating.

In an email to school staff just after noon, Yorktown Principal Dr. Kevin Clark said that the call was not placed inside the school and that normal activities could resume inside the school.

In February 2022, an anonymous threat that turned out to be a hoax prompted a lockdown and evacuation of Yorktown. An Arlington man, meanwhile, was arrested last night after allegedly threatening a shooting outside of Washington-Liberty High School during a band practice.

UPDATED: Large power outage after reported substation fire

By ARLnow.com
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.

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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
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]

UPDATED: Shooting threat outside Washington-Liberty HS leads to arrest

By ARLnow.com
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.”

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Sep 27, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 27, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

🌥️ Thursday’s forecast

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.

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