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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Congrats to the Nats — Fireworks could be heard in parts of Arlington as the Nationals won the World Series in Game 7 just before midnight. [Twitter, Twitter]

Nats World Series Run Helps Local Startup — “BreakingT’s business is very much staying in the fight. The Arlington T-shirt retailer had already seen a significant boost from the Nationals’ playoff run… Until last week, BreakingT’s biggest revenue day was during the All-Star Game hosted at Nationals Park last July. But each of the three home World Series matchups have now exceeded that.” [Washington Business Journal]

Severe Storms Expected Tonight — “Hazardous Halloween weather is possible in the Washington area and many parts of the Mid-Atlantic, where a line of storms, some of which may be severe, will sweep through during the evening. ‘A potentially dangerous weather event is unfolding for Thursday,’ wrote the National Weather Service serving the Washington region.” [Washington Post, Twitter]

Chick-fil-A Customers Cause Crystal City Cycling Consternation — “Diving deeper geographically from streets to blocks and overlaying vehicle type, a story starts to emerge from the data. We already knew the majority of bike lane blockages were on Crystal Drive, but now we can see that the 2100 block of Crystal Drive is where all the action is, why? Chick-fil-a!” [Greater Greater Washington]

Kudos for Hot Lola’s in Ballston — “Got a hankering for a fried chicken sandwich? Forget Popeyes — go for Hot Lola’s’s version in Arlington, says a new report. Washingtonian says Hot Lola’s hot-chicken sandwich are the best in the D.C. area, tied with Wooboi in Herndon for the No. 1 spot in their list of the top five in our region.” [Washingtonian, Patch]

Paul Rudd’s Pentagon Ice Cream Connection — “While searching for the quickest route to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City from my apartment, I went down a weird internet black hole and discovered that the Google Maps photo for the Baskin-Robbins at the Pentagon features Paul Rudd dressed as a Baskin-Robbins employee. What’s the deal with that?” [Washingtonian]

Tomorrow: Horticultural Event at Arlington National — “Friday Nov 1: Join ANC’s Horticulturist for a walking tour of the cemetery’s Memorial Arboretum. We’ll look at trees, shrubs and perennials that survived the wet spring and hot, dry summer of 2019.” [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Modern Mobility: Micromobility Ordinance – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

By ARLnow.com

Modern Mobility is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.

On November 16th the County Board will hold a public hearing on the “micromobility ordinance.”

In addition to providing a permanent framework for “for-hire” micromobility companies like Bird and Lime to offer e-scooters and e-bikes on Arlington streets, the ordinance tries to finally make some sense of Arlington’s vague and conflicting rules and regulations around bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, e-scooters, motorized skateboard and a whole range of other weird and unique ways to get a person around without a car.

Unfortunately, the ordinance still needs some work and time is short – if Arlington does not regulate these devices before the first of the year, state law will take over and the window of opportunity will have closed.

The Good

The draft ordinance gets several things right. First off, it creates clear regulations on where it is and is not appropriate to park micromobility devices. They must not be parked:

  1. Where they would obstruct curb ramps, pedestrian access within bus stops or fire access
  2. On private property without permission
  3. On public property other than streets and sidewalks except where designated.

Finally, it requires them to be “parked upright, in such a manner as to afford the least obstruction to pedestrians and vehicular traffic.” The fine for violation is set at $50.

Second, the ordinance brings much needed clarity and consistency around who can ride where. All micro-mobility devices would be allowed on streets, in bike lanes, on trails, and on most sidewalks.

Finally, the ordinance transitions the framework of “for-hire” micromobility devices from pilot to permanent and adds a requirement for geographic dispersion to help ensure that this new mobility option is available across Arlington.

Giving “for-hire” micromobility a permanent home on Arlington’s mobility menu is an important milestone given micromobility devices’ potential role in replacing cars for short trips. Half of all trips taken in the U.S. are 3 miles or less. If we don’t regulate them into oblivion, these devices can be extremely attractive and competitive at providing a short distance mobility option to driving alone.

We’ve already seen the beginnings of this in the pilot – micromobility devices were used for 70,000 trips per month during the pilot (despite much of the pilot being during the winter) and about one third of scooter trips replaced what would have otherwise been a car trip.

The Bad

Unfortunately, some not-so-good, nasty provisions have made their way into the ordinance and there’s not much time to get them fixed. The ordinance provides the County Manager the option to unilaterally ban micromobility devices (remember that’s not just scooters, it’s also bikes, e-bikes and e-skateboards) from certain sidewalks while defining no clear process for how such a determination would be made.

(more…)

Arlington Pet of the Week: Lilly

By ARLnow.com
1/4

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Lilly, a 5 year old English yellow lab who loves nothing more than boating on the Potomac.

Here is what her owner says that Lilly wants to tell us about life in Arlington:

My name is Lilly and I’m a five-year-old English yellow lab residing in Ballston with my Mommy and Daddy. I was born on a farm in southern Virginia, but after eight short weeks I moved to a wonderful dog-friendly place called Arlington and have been there ever since. When I’m not barking at people on the trail that walk by my house, I like to curl up on my parents lap since, after all, I am a lap dog. My Mommy is also expecting so I’ve assumed a very important role in the house as protector of the womb. I curl up next to Mom to make sure she and baby are safe, and give kisses every morning to her belly. I can’t wait to welcome this addition to our little wolf pack and even though my parents don’t think so, I’m fairly certain the baby will look just like me.

My Mommy and Daddy love to take me with them places, but the rule is I have to behave, which can be really hard for a rambunctious lab like myself. My favorite thing to do with them is go boating on the Potomac. I have my very own red life vest, though we all know I don’t need it since I’m a lab and all labs love water. The best part of boating is when we go fast on the water and my ears flop back, just take a look at the picture!

Lastly, let’s not forget the main focus of every day for me: food. The ultimate treat for me is a magical food called peanut butter. When my parents utter the words, or even bring out the jar, my eyes get big and I become extra obedient (thank you Woofs! for your training) just to get that spoonful of peanut butter! Since food is such a huge motivator, my parents love taking me around to all the new spots in Ballston that serve dog-friendly treats. It’s no surprise that my favorite treat is a South Block peanut butter puppy smoothie, though a lot of other great spots serve puppy treats, too. I love my neighborhood so much and can’t wait for more dog-friendly places to open in Ballston Quarter!

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!

Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care is the winner of eight consecutive Angie’s List Super Service Awards, the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year and a proud supporter of the Arlington County Pawsitively Prepared Campaign.

Becky’s Pet Care provides professional dog walking and pet sitting in Arlington and all of Northern Virginia, as well as PetPrep training courses for Pet Care, CPR and emergency preparedness.

Car Tampering Suspect Arrested After Foot Chase in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

A man suspected of tampering with and damaging eight cars was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Pentagon City.

Police were first called to a parking garage on the 600 block of 15th Street N., near the Costco, around 1:15 p.m. for a report of a series of vehicle break-ins. While investigating the break-ins, officers identified a suspect, who then allegedly tried to flee the scene.

“Following a foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody by responding officers,” said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “The suspect was transported to an area hospital for evaluation. The investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.”

The man was combative with arresting officers, according to scanner traffic and a tipster.

“It took at least 6 officers to subdue the man and strap him down to a gurney,” the tipster told ARLnow. “He yelling and fighting… Police did a great job and stayed very professional.”

More from an ACPD crime report:

GRAND LARCENY (Significant), 2019-10290147, 600 block of 15th Street S. At approximately 1:18 p.m. on October 29, police were dispatched to the report of a suspect tampering with vehicles. Upon arrival, it was determined that security guards contacted police after locating several vehicles with damaged windows inside a parking garage and observing the suspect flee the scene on foot. Responding officers located the suspect with assistance from the security guards and following a brief foot pursuit, the combative suspect was placed under arrest. A subsequent search of the area located eight vehicles with damaged windows and items of value stolen from two of the vehicles. Duane Woolfolk, 20, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with Grand Larceny, Petit Larceny, Possession of Burglarious Tools, Possession of a Schedule II Drug, Destruction of Property, Failure to ID and Obstruction of Justice. He was held without bond.

Map via Google Maps

SUV Crashes into 7-Eleven on Four Mile Run Drive

By ARLnow.com
1/4

The driver of an SUV rammed the front of a 7-Eleven store head-on this morning on Four Mile Run Drive.

The crash happened around 9:30 a.m. at 4154 Four Mile Run Drive, near the Dept. of Motor Vehicles office.

The driver of an Infiniti SUV drove straight into a bollard and a brick column at the front of the store, shattering a large window in the process. It’s unclear how exactly the crash happened, but there was no initial indication that it was intentional.

No injuries were reported. Police are on scene and a building inspector has been requested to check out the structure.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Man Accused Of Abusing Boy — “A teacher at Anne Beers Elementary School in Southeast Washington has been charged with sexually abusing an 11-year-old student between December 2016 and April 2017, according to police and documents filed in court. David Christopher Noble, 46, of Arlington, Va., was arrested Monday and charged in an indictment with several sex abuse counts and with threatening the boy and his family.” [Washington Post]

Big Raise for Arlington Startup — “Enterprise software company Stardog announced Tuesday morning that it had raised $9 million of a Series B round to expand its product offerings as well as its engineering, customer success, sales and marketing teams. The Arlington, Virginia-based maker of an enterprise data unification platform secured the funding in a round led by New York City-based venture capital firm Tenfore Holdings.” [Technically DC]

Scams Still Targeting Local Residents — “ACPD is warning the public about two telephone scams targeting area residents… learn about the outstanding warrant scam and a scam referencing Dominion Energy and ways to protect yourself.” [Twitter]

Generator Work in Courthouse This Weekend — “Generator replacement at Justice Center means no parking/sidewalk access on 14th Street between N Troy and N Courthouse Road. Expect early a.m. noise for crane set-up… This work was rescheduled from last weekend for this coming Saturday, Nov. 2.” [Twitter]

Wardian Wants to Go Full Gump Next Year — Newly-minted MCM50K champ Michael Wardian “has participated in more than 250 marathons and another 150 ultramarathons. His longest distance thus far is a 400K (nearly 250 miles) through the Gobi Desert that was self-navigated and took him four days… Next year, he hopes to run across the continental United States, but don’t compare him to Forrest Gump; he says he’s heard that one a few too many times.” [Arlington Magazine]

Four Percent of Nuptials in Va. Are Same-Sex — “Same-sex couples have made up one of every 26 marriages in Virginia since such unions were legalized in the commonwealth in 2014.” [InsideNova]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

JUST IN: Power Outage in Ballston, Bluemont

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:45 p.m. — The outage no longer appears on Dominion’s map.

Earlier: More than 1,000 Dominion Energy customers are without power in the Ballston and Bluemont neighborhoods due to emergency utility work.

As of 1:15 p.m. Dominion’s outage map reported 1,258 outages and an estimated restoration time of 4-7 p.m. Generators could be heard running in Ballston and power was flickering off and on — or out altogether — at local stores, restaurants and offices, including the headquarters of ARLnow.

A number of Dominion trucks could be seen parked at the corner of N. Stuart Street and 9th Street N., near the Ballston Metro station. Local offices have been told that crews are working on a transformer and more power interruptions are possible this afternoon.

Regional Governments Roll out Annual Street Safety Campaign, Warn of Rising Pedestrian Crashes

By ARLnow.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aslK1T6oDM

Local governments are rolling out their annual “Street Smart” campaign with a warning about a recent uptick in the number of people on foot killed by drivers.

This fall, the annual campaign by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) will highlight a 14% increase in the number of pedestrian fatalities between 2017 and 2018 regionwide, from 77 people killed in 2017 to 88 in 2018.

The regional government organization unveiled a wall featuring crash stories told by victims yesterday (Monday) at 12th Street and Florida Avenue NE in D.C. That’s where cyclist and safety activist Dave Salovesh was killed by a speeding driver earlier this year — spurring citywide protests and as well as calls for change in Arlington. The wall project is expected to tour Maryland and Virginia as well, per a MWCOG spokeswoman.

One of the victims featured in the awareness campaign is Ren Werbin (above), who was struck while crossing Wilson Blvd near the Ballston Quarter mall around 11 p.m. on February 1. The impact broke vertebrae in Werbin’s back and shattered her collar bone, shoulder, and leg.

“I went from having a neck brace, to having a full back brace, to having a full leg brace, and not being able to move my right arm,” said Werbin in an interview filmed for the project “My world completely changed.”

Werbin spent three months in the hospital recovering from her injuries. An Arlington County Police spokeswoman told ARLnow that an investigation found that the driver — described in an MWCOG press release as “a teen driver in a car full of friends” who “blasted through an intersection” — had a green light at the time and was not cited.

Another testimonial is from a Rosslyn resident who was struck in a crosswalk.

“It happened so fast,” she recounted. “I walked like a penguin for months. Finally, I walked like a normal person, but I was scared of the streets. The physical pain passes, but it was traumatic.”

The most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates while driving a car has become safer over the years, walking on roads has become more dangerous. And the majority of pedestrian who are killed are hit after dark — a concern that grows later in the year when the hours of daylight wanes in the fall.

Last November saw the highest number of pedestrians hit in the D.C. area (292) out of any other month, per data shared by MWCOG. In Arlington, the month with the highest number of pedestrian collisions (15) was October.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

23rd Street Restaurants Worry About Parking — “Owners and operators along Crystal City’s ‘restaurant row’ are demanding changes to Roseland Residential Trust’s proposed multimillion-dollar expansion of the Crystal House complex, saying the project may irreparably harm their businesses… At issue are 95 pay-to-park spaces in a lot at South Eads and 22nd Street South, around the corner from the restaurants on 23rd Street.” [Washington Business Journal]

Juvenile Detention Facility in Question — “The City of Alexandria, City of Falls Church, and Arlington County will host community meetings in November to obtain public input for a study examining the future of the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center (Center). The facility, located in Alexandria, is operated by the three jurisdictions through a regional Juvenile Detention Commission.” [Arlington County]

Wardian Was Also a Weekend Winner — “This was the first year of the MCM ultramarathon, a 50K, and MCM tweeted Sunday afternoon that Arlington marathoner and ultramarathoner Michael Wardian won that event. Earlier this year, Wardian ran the entire Capital Beltway. Wardian, whose first-ever marathon was the MCM win 1996, finished with a time of 3:11:52.” [WJLA]

Neighbors Negotiating With Amazon — “A group of neighborhood activists started discussing a unique joint effort, aiming to set a ‘livability agenda’ for the area and better bargain for the benefits they want to see… The partnership has helped community members take their needs directly to Amazon, and the company’s main developer and landlord in the area, JBG Smith.” [Washington Business Journal]

Crash at Shirlington Bus Depot — “Medics on scene of a crash between a van and a Metrobus in Shirlington. At least one minor injury reported. Not clear how the crash happened.” [Twitter]

Photo for Allison Bredbenner

Here’s What You Need to Know About Halloween 2019 in Arlington County

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 1:20 p.m.) Rain is in the forecast for Halloween, but Arlingtonians should nonetheless expect trick-or-treaters out on local roads and sidewalks Thursday evening.

There is no official trick-or-treating time in Arlington, as there is in some places, but typically the evening costume-wearing and candy-gathering starts around 6 p.m. on Halloween night (Oct. 31) and runs until 8-9 p.m.

As in years past, here are some trick-or-treating tips:

  • Children should be accompanied by an adult.
  • Choose a neighborhood or street you’re familiar with or is known for getting in the spirit.
  • Houses with the outside lights are the ones expecting and ready for trick-or-treaters.
  • Expect older, sometimes non-costumed crowds later in the evening.
  • If you’re passing out treats, turn the outside lights off when you run out.
  • If you’re planning on driving past 6 p.m. on Thursday, take things slow and stay alert.

Arlington County says the Columbia Pike corridor is the most active trick-or-treating area in the county, while Crystal City and Pentagon City is the least active.

The county as a whole has a lower proportion of households with children than other, similar communities, but there are still Halloween hot spots in single-family residential neighborhoods and some condo communities, like Fairlington — which also has its own Halloween parade on Oct. 31.

From Arlington County:

Ghosts and goblins, princesses and superheroes will be showing up at Arlington’s 28,500 single family homes, 11,200 townhouse style homes and 75,600 condos and apartments* on Oct. 31.

According to Arlington Public Schools enrollment figures, if you live along the Columbia Pike Corridor, you’ll probably see the most kids, while those along the Route 1 Corridor will likely see the fewest. Residents living in single family neighborhoods can expect a steady stream of knocks on the door throughout the evening.

Overall, though,  Arlingtonians don’t see a lot of trick-or-treaters, as only 22.3% of us live in households with children under 18 (22,849 households in 2017) while 79,461 of us (77.7% of the population) live in households without children.

An accurate census count is critical for Arlington and other communities across the country as the data is used to fund schools, roads, hospitals, fire departments, and other services. Whether it can also help you plan how much Halloween candy to buy remains to be seen, but we know this: no matter how many kids come to your door, they will be expecting a treat!

As for what to do with those leftover pumpkins? They can be dropped off for composting at Arlington’s Earth Products Yard in Shirlington (4300 29th Street S.) from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2.

More from the county:

Give your Jack-o’-lantern new life after Halloween by dropping it off for composting. The Arlington County Solid Waste Bureau will use the organic results in parks and other landscaping endeavors. The drop-off is part of the free monthly services – including free paper shredding – at the Earth Products Recycling Yard in Shirlington.

  • Remove decorations, candles, paint and other inorganic materials prior to drop-off.
  • Pumpkin composting drop-off is for Arlington residents only.
  • No commercial establishments.

*The Solid Waste Bureau will also accept pumpkins through food scraps drop-off during normal business hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Last year netted more than 7800 pounds of seasonal orange flesh.

File photo

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Silver Spring Man Wins Soggy MCM — “Jordan Tropf just wanted to see what he could do. Turns out, he could win the Marine Corps Marathon. Leading from the start, the 27-year-old Silver Spring resident built a lead of a 1:26 at the halfway point and went on to win by 70 seconds in 2:27:43, much of the second half coming in a driving rain.” [Run Washington, Washington Post, WTOP]

Arlington World Series Surprise on ‘Today’ — The Today Show aired a segment on the Nottingham Elementary School crossing guard who was surprised with World Series tickets from parents and students. [Twitter]

Shirlington Employment Center Moving — “The Shirlington Employment and Education Center (SEEC) is gearing up for a two-digit move – from 22206 to 22204. Facing the need to decamp from its office space (and facility for day laborers to congregate) in its namesake Shirlington, SEEC has worked with the Arlington County government to obtain space in Arlington Mill along the Columbia Pike corridor.” [InsideNova]

Dorsey Pushes for Clearer Metro Refund Policy — “When one Metro train crashed into another soon after a Nationals playoff game, Metro decided to cancel its ‘Rush Hour Promise’ refunds for the following afternoon’s commute… Arlington County Board Chair and Metro Board member Christian Dorsey hopes for more discussion about how explicit the terms should be, even if it is not reasonable to foresee every possible event.” [WTOP]

Nearby: New Bank Near Fairlington — “A new Bank of America location is coming to the Bradlee Shopping Center in Alexandria. The space at 3690G King Street was previously home to Queen Bee Designs.” [ALXnow]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

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