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.
Rescue of injured worker along Columbia Pike (via Arlington County traffic camera)
Rescue of injured worker along Columbia Pike (via Arlington County traffic camera)
A worker fell into a hard-to-access area at a construction site along Columbia Pike this afternoon, prompting a rescue operation.
Firefighters were dispatched to the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Oak Street just before 4 p.m. for a report of someone who fell into a concrete box and needed to be hoisted via a rescue basket.
Columbia Pike was closed in both directions near the Sheraton hotel while firefighters worked to bring the person to safety. The victim was then reportedly taken via ambulance to Virginia Hospital Center for possible broken bones.
“At 3:51 p.m. the ACFD was dispatched to the area of Columbia Pike and S. Oak St. for a female patient that fell into a concrete utility box,” fire department spokesman Capt. Nate Hiner tells ARLnow. “Crews made quick access to the patient and removed her utilizing a Stokes basket. The patient was transported to an area hospital with non life threatening injuries.”
Construction in the area includes the realignment of Columbia Pike and the expansion of Arlington National Cemetery. It was not immediately clear at which construction site the person was injured.
LOCATION: Columbia Pike / S Oak St. INCIDENT: Fire Department Activity IMPACT: All lanes of Columbia Pike are closed at S Oak St. Seek alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/Jhu26H4orP
Another Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for the county, for D.C., and for much of the region. It’s in effect until 11 p.m. tonight.
“[The] main hazards for these storms will be heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail,” the National Weather Service says. “Additionally, isolated instances of flooding rainfall are
possible, mainly in urban areas.”
The scattered storms are expected to arrive locally at or after dinnertime and, like yesterday, could miss Arlington entirely.
Numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected again today, some of which could be severe with damaging winds and produce isolated instances of flooding. #DCwx#MDwx#VAwx#WVwxpic.twitter.com/HjVjQHImgB
Like yesterday, we expect storms more numerous west of the Beltway than in the immediate DC area. But anywhere in this watch zone could see showers/storms, especially after 6 or 7p. We'll keep you posted. https://t.co/BTibA2DBP5
Announcing the Princess Kona!, the newest Arlington Pet of the Week.
This royal is living it up in her penthouse in Clarendon. She even has her own website that her loyal subjects can follow!
Her owner had this to say about the princess:
Princess Kona! is lovable and enjoys playing, sitting on the balcony chirping at the crows, and advocating for adoption at AWLA.
She was adopted just 10 months ago from AWLA and has made her home in Clarendon. She celebrated her 2nd birthday in May with family from New York. Being a princess, she enjoys going out in Clarendon in her backpack and sightseeing all that Arlington has to offer.
Her favorite toys are a red sparkly ball and a nice mouse to share with you.
She loves face rubs and back rubs. Most of all, while she likes chirping at birds, her food of choice is salmon and tuna. That includes not only her food; also her treats.
Her other fun thing to do is to sight-see while she is in her litter, after all, there is so much to see.
Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with 2-3 paragraphs about your pet and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos.
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Arlington National Cemetery was closed for most of the day today due to a bomb threat.
The cemetery said on social media Friday morning that the threat is being investigated.
“The cemetery’s response teams and local law enforcement partners are on site investigating the threat,” ANC said. “The public is requested to avoid the area and wait for updates posted to our social media platforms.”
An Arlington County police K-9 unit was dispatched to the cemetery around 8:40 a.m. for what was described as a threat received via email.
Bomb scare at Arlington Cemetery see funerals cancelled and hearses stuck waiting outside. Area still closed. pic.twitter.com/0ZilTkSXww
Officials said shortly after 3 p.m. that no threat was found but the cemetery remains closed except for funerals.
More from a press release:
Arlington National Cemetery officials and Joint Base Myer Henderson-Hall emergency services responded to a bomb threat early this morning. The cemetery closed to the public and funeral services scheduled this morning were postponed. The cemetery’s response teams and local law enforcement partners spent the morning on site investigating the threat. Nothing suspicious was found, and law enforcement safely cleared all areas.
The cemetery will remain closed for the remainder of the day to visitors and family pass holders. We are focusing our efforts now on working with families to ensure that funerals scheduled earlier this morning and this afternoon will be conducted later today.
Arlington National Cemetery’s commitment to providing a safe and secure environment for our visitors, families and employees guided our actions this morning.
“Every threat to Arlington National Cemetery is taken seriously. I want to thank our visitors and family members for their patience and understanding, and an extensive team of our law enforcement partners across the National Capital Region for their swift and thorough response. We will spend the remainder of the day focused on our mission of laying our service members and their loved ones to rest,” said Army National Military Cemeteries and Office of Army Cemeteries Executive Director Karen Durham-Aguilera.
For additional information please contact: 703-614-0024 and follow Arlington National
Cemetery on our social media platforms @ArlingtonNatl and this website.
2/2 The cemetery's response teams and local law enforcement partners are on site investigating the threat. The public is requested to avoid the area and wait for updates posted to our social media platforms.
Storm clouds on the move over Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Rent Keeps Rising — “Arlington saw the third highest month-over-month increase in apartment rents nationally in August, and now stands as the eighth priciest locality among 100 urban areas monitored by Apartment List. The median rent for an apartment in Arlington stood at $2,318 in the new data, reported Aug. 30. That was up 0.9 percent from a month before, and represents an increase of 9.6 percent since a trough at the start of the year.” [Gazette Leader]
Garvey Mulling Reelection — “Will it be a last hurrah, or serve as the precursor to a re-election bid? Libby Garvey hasn’t made up her mind, but says that either way, she aims to make her (expected) coming year as chair of the Arlington County Board in 2024 an effective one.” [Gazette Leader]
FCPD Chase Through Arlington — “Fairfax County PD chased the pickup truck seen below through Arlington on I-66. Crossed the bridge into D.C. just before 12:45 p.m. ACPD monitored the chase but did not pursue into the District.” [Twitter]
Reminder: Weekend Events — “Roads in Pentagon City and Rosslyn will be temporarily closed this Saturday for the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K and 2023 Rosslyn Jazz Fest… The festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and feature several jazz acts… The race, which kicks off at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m., will start and end at the DoubleTree Hotel.” [ARLnow]
More Road Closures — “The following roads along the National Mall and Memorial Parks and George Washington Memorial Parkway will be closed from approximately 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 9, 2023: Arlington Memorial Bridge, Arlington Memorial Circle…” [National Park Service]
Crash-Prone Local Intersections — “Arlington saw 2,052 total crashes in 2022. That’s about 15% higher than in 2021, but still 18% lower than pre-pandemic levels in 2019, when there were more cars on roads… Here are the intersections with the highest number of crashes in 2022—and what Vision Zero is doing in the way of safety improvements at each location.” [Arlington Magazine]
Feds Planning Big Raise — “Two million federal employees just got one step closer to an average 5.2% pay raise next year. President Joe Biden wrote a letter to leaders of the House and Senate on Thursday formally declaring the boost for all federal civilian employees, thereby setting his intent to give employees the largest base pay increase in nearly four decades.” [Federal Times, Twitter]
It’s Friday — A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Areas of fog before 9am. Otherwise, mostly sunny, with a high near 92. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 50%. On Friday night, anticipate a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, with mostly cloudy skies and a low of 70. [Weather.gov]
There’s a 50% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms with areas of fog clearing by 8am. Apart from this, expect mostly sunny skies, a high of 92°F, and calm winds 5-9 mph from the south. Friday night, the chance of precipitation increases to 60%, with showers and potential thunderstorms starting before 8pm and carrying on, with new rainfall amounts ranging from a tenth to a quarter of an inch, except in thunderstorms. Temperatures will drop to a low of about 70°F as winds decrease after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch graphic (via National Weather Service)
Arlington — along with D.C., Alexandria, Fairfax County and other neighboring jurisdictions — is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
Amid temperatures in the mid-90s and several Severe Thunderstorm Warnings to the west, the National Weather Service issued the watch around 1:15 p.m. It is in effect until 9 p.m. and includes much of eastern Pennsylvania and portions of New York State.
Forecasters say that scattered strong storms are likely later today in the immediate D.C. area.
“Scattered to numerous severe storms are possible this afternoon and evening,” the National Weather Service said. “Damaging wind gusts are the primary threat. Isolated instances of considerable wind damage from severe thunderstorms are possible. Isolated instances of large hail are possible as well.”
After the line of storms passes things should quiet down for the rest of the night, but another round of severe weather is expected Friday, forecasters say.
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Salvaged jersey (foreground) at Ireland’s Four Courts (staff photo)
Jersey after fire at Ireland’s Four Courts (photo courtesy Dave Cahill)
Salvaged decorative item at Ireland’s Four Courts (staff photo)
Salvaged table in front of the bar at Ireland’s Four Courts (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Rebuilt interior of Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Glasses at Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Liquor at Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Coasters at Ireland’s Four Courts just before reopening (staff photo)
Damage inside Ireland’s Four Courts from crash and fire (photo courtesy Dave Cahill)
Damage inside Ireland’s Four Courts from crash and fire (photo courtesy Dave Cahill)
Damage inside Ireland’s Four Courts from crash and fire (photo courtesy Dave Cahill)
Under construction exterior of Ireland’s Four Courts (staff photo)
Under construction exterior of Ireland’s Four Courts (staff photo)
(Updated at 12:10 p.m.) The first thing you notice when walking into the rebuilt Ireland’s Four Courts — which is officially reopening today, at long last — is that it’s both familiar and new at the same time.
The interior is a bit brighter and more open — the crash that smashed and torched the long-time Courthouse watering hole last summer revealed to the owners that the columns near the front were decorative, not structural.
The predominant color scheme is now teal instead of red. The mugs that used to hang behind the bar are gone — the heat from the fire melted them, leaving just handles hanging from the peg board. Additionally, the back room is now more inviting for patrons and private events, with a library and an upgraded second bar.
On the other hand, the general layout is the same. And you’ll notice touches that were salvaged from the old Four Courts: the handmade-in-Ireland tables have a fresh coat of paint and varnish, the soccer jersey that miraculously survived the flames, the antique Irish fireplace that needed 30 hours or restoration work, the Men of Aran sculpture, and a few other items.
Four Courts would have probably needed an interior refresh at some point this decade, but this was not the way managing partner Dave Cahill and other owners wanted it to happen.
When the rideshare driver who was suffering an apparent medical emergency slammed into the pub on Aug. 12, 2022, a group of coworkers were marking an occasion together near the front. They never saw the car barrelling toward them.
The 14 people who were injured, including the three critically hurt from that group — who spent an extended period of time in the hospital — were honored during a private event at the pub Wednesday evening.
The Arlington first responders who rushed to the scene and — along with fellow patrons — helped to pull the injured out of the building just as the inferno started spreading were also honored at the event. Without them, according to Cahill, multiple people would have died and Four Courts would never have reopened.
That everyone survived is its own miracle. The force of the impact was such that a patron sitting at the bar, well away from where the car came to rest, with the dazed driver and rideshare passenger inside, was blown off of his barstool.
Ahead of their reopening, @irelands4courts honored ACPD, @ArlingtonVaFD and community members who provided critical assistance and care following the vehicle crash into the building on August 12, 2022. Plaques recognizing their heroism are displayed in the restaurant. pic.twitter.com/dasmvjid6g
After eight months of a complete interior demolition and reconstruction — and despite some work left to be done with the exterior facade — Four Courts will reopen to the public at 4 p.m.
There will be live music today, Friday and Saturday. And as before, those hoping to catch some sports from across the pond can expect a 9 a.m. opening time on Saturday.
For Cahill and others who witnessed the crash and its aftermath, memories of the horror of that day are still fresh. But for now he’s focusing on the reopening, which is also a homecoming for Four Courts’ legion of displaced regulars.
“I am feeling a huge relief to be at the finish line and a great of excitement to open the doors and see all the familiar face again,” Cahill told ARLnow. “Four Courts is a home and away from home for so many of our customers and we are excited to welcome them back. It’s like having my birthday, St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas Day all at once. We can not wait!”
An Arlington Public Schools bus (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Flyover Planned This Morning — “The Naval Air Force Atlantic will conduct a military aircraft flyover in the NCR over the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday, September 7, 2023, at approximately 11:10 AM.”
BB Gun Confiscated at W-L — “1300 block of N. Stafford Street. At approximately 10:26 a.m. on September 5, police were dispatched to Washington-Liberty High School to the report of found property. Upon arrival, it was determined school administration located a BB gun in a student’s possession on school property. Responding officers took custody of the BB gun and petitions for the juvenile were sought for Possession of a Weapon on School Property.” [Arlington County]
Columnist on Jail Death — “Much remains unknown about Woldegeorges. Her relatives have not yet spoken publicly about her, and her cause of death has not yet been announced. But even without a clear picture of her life, this much is known: She shouldn’t have died in jail. Woldegeorges’s death shows what happens when places choose to criminalize homelessness and mental illness rather than invest in ways to assist people who are experiencing a crisis.” [Washington Post]
Wrong-Way Driver on I-395 — From Dave Statter: ” Where’s a cop when you need one? Tonight, just after 9 pm, a @VSPPIO
trooper was right there for one driver’s U-turn & wrong way jaunt on I-395N near the Pentagon.” [Twitter]
General Assembly Passes Budget — “The Virginia General Assembly passed a budget compromise Wednesday that both Republican and Democratic lawmakers praised — though Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) got only a few of the recurring tax cuts he had been seeking.” [Washington Post, Virginia Mercury]
Temp Records at DCA and IAD — From the National Weather Service: “Just after 5PM the temperature at IAD reached 100F! First time ever in the month of September it has reached triple digits at Dulles Airport (records since 1960)!” [Twitter]
Storm Threat Today — From the Washington Weather Geeks: “Hot weather continues tomorrow but shower and storm chances return. Some could be strong to severe and we have been placed under a 2 out of 5 risk for severe storms. The main threat is damaging winds but large hail and some flooding cannot be ruled out.” [Twitter]
It’s Thursday — There is a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm, with otherwise mostly sunny conditions and a high of 96°F. Light south wind will increase to 5-10 mph in the morning. Thursday night, a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am, turning mostly cloudy, with a low of 71°F. [Weather.gov]
There is a 40% chance of afternoon showers and thunderstorms, with mostly sunny skies and a high near 96°F. Light south wind will increase to 5-10 mph in the morning. Thursday night, showers and thunderstorms are likely before 2am, with a 50% chance of precipitation. Patchy fog is expected after 3am, and a low around 71°F. The southwest wind at 5-8 mph will become light and variable after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Silence is a source of great strength.” – Lao Tzu
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
