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

Water Main Break Near Courthouse — Updated at 8:10 a.m. — “Emergency Water Main Repairs: Crews working on a 3-inch main at 2000 N. Adams St. The area includes high-rise buildings and some 100 customers could be affected. Traffic is detoured around the work site.” [Twitter]

Gun, Drug Arrest at Pentagon City Metro — A man is facing a litany of gun and drug-related charges after being arrested by Metro Transit Police officers for alleged fare evasion at the Pentagon City station this past Thursday. [Twitter]

APS Hits Full Bus Driver Staffing — “The school year began with full staffing of drivers and bus attendants, who serve 18,000 eligible students over 154 routes, using 200 buses.” [InsideNova]

DCA Starbucks Closing Permanently — “Beginning on or about Monday, September 9, Starbucks on the Ticketing level of Terminal B/C will close to make way for construction of a steel-framed glass divider.” [Reagan National Airport]

New Permitting System Launches Today — “Arlington County is launching the first phase of Permit Arlington, a new online permitting system, on Sept. 9, 2019.” [Arlington County]

Nearby: Alexandria Metro Stations Reopening — “Alexandria Metrorail stations will reopen at 5 a.m. on September 9, with full service following Metro’s summer Platform Improvement Project. Metro closed all four Metrorail stations in Alexandria (as well as two in Fairfax County) for safety repairs on May 25.” [City of Alexandria]

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Hurricane Dorian is making its way out to sea and a pleasant weekend awaits here in Arlington.

It will be a weekend of some major events in Arlington, including the annual Arlington Police, Fire & Sheriff Memorial 9/11 5K and the Rosslyn Jazz Festival.

Here are the most-read articles of the past week:

  1. New Reality TV Show Films Scene at Lyon Park’s Texas Jack’s BBQ
  2. Woman Critically Hurt After Being Struck by Driver in N. Arlington
  3. Man With Weapon Causes Scare Yorktown HS
  4. Morning Notes (Sept. 4)
  5. New Flight Logs, Photos Show Former Local Congressional Candidate with Epstein and Prince Andrew
  6. New Irish Pub Plans to Replace Fiona’s in Crystal City
  7. Police: Irate Man Punches Man Filming Him With Phone
  8. First ‘Richmond Highway’ Signs Now Up Along Route 1 in Crystal City
  9. MONA Launches Monthly Family Social At Ballston Quarter

Feel free to discuss these stories or any other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a nice weekend!

Holy Coincidence, Batman! There’s a Wayne Manor in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Don’t tell the Caped Crusader, but someone swiped the name of his family’s estate for use as the name of a small garden apartment building in Arlington.

“Wayne Manor” may conjure up images of Batman, but it’s also the name of the apartments at 500 S. Wayne Street in Penrose, according to county property records.

The apartment building was built in 1963, 24 years after the Dark Knight first appeared in comic books. The “Wayne Manor” name doesn’t seem to appear on apartment rental websites, but it was prominently featured on a commercial property sale listing from 2011.

Wayne Manor Apartments is a four-story, 15-unit, walk-up apartment building situated in the Penrose neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia. Built in 1963 and continually renovated over the years, the subject property has a history of consistently high occupancy levels with rental rates that have seen substantial growth over the last few years. Situated on a 19,250-square foot parcel of land, Wayne Manor Apartments totals 11,925 square feet of net living area… A majority of units have been updated with new kitchens including microwave ovens, bathrooms, and flooring, providing tenants with a modern living space. Due to the property’ s superior unit conditions, ample on-site parking, and the neighborhood’s recent growth and new development, top rents for one and two-bedroom units have immediate potential for growth.

Located in the Penrose neighborhood of Arlington, Virginia, the DC MSA’ s most desirable sub-market, Wayne Manor Apartments is in close proximity to public transportation, areas for recreation, new development, educational facilities, dining, entertainment, and employment hubs.

Unfortunately for Bruce Wayne wannabes with similarly deep pockets, the apartment building is no longer listed for sale.

Photo via Google Maps

I-395 Lane Closures to Continue This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Drivers should expect delays on I-395 this weekend as a series of weekend lane and HOV closures continue.

The closures are the result of bridge work associated with the 395 Express Lanes project. Crews have also been at work building sound walls along much of the highway in Arlington.

More on the closures and the bridge work, from VDOT:

Motorists are advised that lane closures will continue on the general purpose lanes along north- and southbound I-395 this weekend, Sept. 6-8, from King Street (Exit 5) to S. Washington Boulevard (Exit 8A) for bridge rehabilitation work. The HOV lanes will also close to accommodate this bridge work starting Friday night and through the weekend. All lanes will reopen, including the HOV lanes in the northbound direction, in time for Monday morning’s commute.

Drivers traveling to D.C. this weekend are urged to use alternative routes or plan extra travel time. Local traffic may still use the general purpose lanes, but should expect closures.

What Drivers Should Expect:

  • A single general purpose lane on I-395 North will close from 7 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday. Double lane closures will occur during nighttime hours Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
  • One HOV lane will close beginning at 9 p.m. on Friday, followed by the closure of both HOV lanes at 11 p.m. All lanes will reopen in the northbound direction on Monday at 4:30 a.m.
  • Ramp from northbound Glebe Road to I-395 South will close from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Sunday. Motorists should follow detour signs to I-395 South.
  • Single and double lane closures will occur along I-395 South during nighttime hours.
    Weekly updates with specific closure information will be available at: ExpressLanes.com and VDOT’s 395 Express Lanes Web Page.
  • The reversible 95 Express Lanes, from near Edsall Road to past Garrisonville Road in Stafford, will operate according to their normal schedule.

The 395 Express Lanes, an eight-mile extension of the 95 Express Lanes to the Washington D.C. line, are scheduled to open this fall. Learn how Express Lanes work and how to get an E-ZPass at www.ExpressLanes.com.

Cyclist Struck Near Pentagon City Costco

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 2 p.m.) Police and firefighters are on scene of a cyclist struck by a driver in the Pentagon City area.

The incident happened around 1 p.m. at the intersection of 15th Street S. and S. Fern Street, across from the Costco parking lot.

The cyclist could be seen lying on the sidewalk next to the bike, while a passerby stood nearby and called for help. A Jeep could also be seen nearby, but it is unclear if that was the striking vehicle.

Initial reports suggest that the victim’s injuries are non-life threatening. Fern Street and a lane of 15th Street were temporarily closed at the scene.

A local bicycling advocacy group has called for a protected bike lane along 15th Street S.

ACFD Assisting with Hurricane Response in Virginia Beach

By ARLnow.com

Ten members of the Arlington County Fire Department are in the Virginia Beach area today to assist with the response to Hurricane Dorian.

The firefighters and equipment — including ACFD’s water rescue unit — departed for Portsmouth, Va. Thursday afternoon. They are being joined by rescuers from Alexandria and the City of Fairfax as part of a 26-person hurricane relief team, organized by the Virginia Dept. of Emergency Management, according to ACFD spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Marchegiani.

The team expects to stay in the area for at least three days.

Dorian is currently battering the Outer Banks of North Carolina as it slowly makes its way northeast. Besides clouds and some wind today, the D.C. area is not expected to feel the effects of the storm.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Road Closures for 9/11 5K — “The 18th annual Arlington Police, Fire & Sheriff Memorial 9/11 5K race will take place on the evening of Saturday, September 7, 2019. The Arlington County Police Department will close several roadways around the Pentagon and in Crystal City to accommodate the event.” [Arlington County]

Pentagon, Rosslyn Rank Among Busiest Stations — “In Virginia, the Pentagon [Metro] station averages around 14,000 entries and exits each weekday, ranking it and Rosslyn ahead of Pentagon City, Crystal City, Ballston, Vienna and Wiehle-Reston East.” [WTOP]

Hotel Occupancy Rate Going Down — “Arlington’s year-over-year hotel-occupancy rate is down from 2017 for the first seven months of the year, but the average room rate is higher, according to new data.” [InsideNova]

Even Shirlington Feeling Amazon Glow — “It might be a bit of a stretch to call it proximate to the e-commerce and cloud computing company’s second home in Arlington County, but a Shirlington office building with future ‘Amazon HQ2 upside’ is being offered for sale.” [Washington Business Journal]

Startup Moving After Big Funding Round — After raising a new $51 million funding round, Arlington-based Federated Wireless is moving its 80-person team to a new 20,000+ square foot space at 4075 Wilson Blvd in Ballston. [Washington Business Journal]

Arlington Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing Falls Church Pawn Shops

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington man previously convicted of a pair of bank robberies in Alexandria is facing more jail time.

Budder Khan, now 29, pleaded guilty today to robbing two pawn shops in Falls Church, federal prosecutors announced. Khan could face decades in prison for the pawn shop robberies, which took place in 2014 and 2015.

Khan was dubbed the “Ball Cap Bandit” due to the hats he wore during a series of local bank robberies in 2016.

More from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia:

An Arlington man pleaded guilty today to robbing two Falls Church pawn shops of nearly $800,000 in jewelry and watches.

According to court documents, in July 2014, Budder Khan, 29, entered Route 50 Gold and Jewelry Exchange, forced the store’s employees to the ground using what appeared to be a real firearm, smashed the business’s glass display cases and took jewelry and watches worth over $650,000. Later, in April 2015, Khan entered Top Pawn, again used what appeared to be a real firearm to frighten the store’s employees, smashed the business’s glass display cases and stole jewelry and watches worth over $143,000.

Khan pleaded guilty to two counts of interference with commerce by robbery and faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison when sentenced on December 6. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI WFO’s Violent Crime Safe Streets Task Force which is composed of Special Agents of the FBI, along with Detectives from the Fairfax County Police, the Prince William County Police, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Office, the Arlington County Police, the Alexandria City Police, the Leesburg Police, Vienna Police Department, Herndon Police Department, Fairfax City Police, Falls Church Police Department, the Washington Metropolitan Police Department and in partnership with the ATF, USMS, HSI, and other federal agencies. This task force focuses on investigating the most egregious and violent criminal enterprises and actors operating in the Capital Region.

G. Zachary Terwilliger, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Timothy M. Dunham, Special Agent in Charge, Criminal Division, FBI Washington Field Office, and Colonel Edwin C. Roessler Jr., Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III accepted the plea. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Blanchard is prosecuting the case.

Flickr photo by Joe Gratz

UPDATED: Woman Critically Hurt After Being Struck by Driver in N. Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Update on 9/11/19 — The victim has succumbed to her injuries, police say.

Earlier: A woman suffered critical injuries after being struck by a vehicle in Arlington’s Williamsburg neighborhood last night, police say.

The pedestrian crash happened around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Little Falls Road and N. Ohio Street, near Nottingham Elementary School.

“Police were dispatched to the report of a pedestrian-involved crash,” said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Kirby Clark. “The pedestrian, an adult female, was transported to an area hospital with critical injuries.”

Clark said the driver of the striking vehicle remained on scene. ACPD’s Critical Accident Team is investigating the crash.

The victim, whose name and age were not released, remains in critical condition in a local hospital as of noon Thursday, according to Clark. The woman was walking three dogs at the time of the crash, one of which died at a local animal hospital and another of which was injured, she said.

On a neighborhood listserv, a local resident noted that the scene was just steps from where a local mother was struck and killed by a passing truck in 2014.

“It’s been ANOTHER accident waiting to happen!” the resident wrote of the intersection, which is only a 2-way stop . “The children on my block, including my own, saw this poor woman bleeding in the road. I don’t want them or any of us to have to see this again.”

Map via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Spotted: Leading Edge of Dorian — The “exhaust” of Hurricane Dorian could be seen over the D.C. area yesterday afternoon, in the form of a large sheet of cloud. [Twitter]

Arlington Name Centennial Approaching — “Arlington government officials currently are in the brainstorming phase on plans to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Arlington becoming ‘Arlington.’ It was on March 17, 1920, that Gov. Westmoreland Davis signed legislation formally changing the county’s name from Alexandria County to Arlington County.” [InsideNova]

Bloomberg BNA Changes Name — Crystal City-based news organization Bloomberg BNA has changed its name to Bloomberg Industry Group. [Twitter]

Video: APS Staff Gets School Year Started — Arlington Public Schools staff starred in a music video to the tune of the Black Eyed Peas Hit “Let’s Get It Started,” created for start of the new school year. The video also features now-former superintendent Patrick Murphy dancing while getting off a school bus at the end. [YouTube]

Local Startup Raises $51 Million — Arlington-based telecom startup Federated Wireless has raised $51 million in Series C funding, the company announced yesterday. [Federated Wireless]

What Long-Time Residents Like About Arlington — “Judy and Raoul Wientzen have owned their home in North Arlington since 1984. Judy told us what they love about their home.” [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Eric

Man With Weapon Causes Scare Yorktown HS

By ARLnow.com

Yorktown High School was placed in “secure the building” mode this morning after someone reported a man with a weapon near the school.

A community member called authorities around 10 a.m. to report suspicious activity near the Yorktown campus, according to an Arlington Public Schools spokeswoman. ARLnow hears that it was a man walking with a dog while wearing a holstered gun.

Police investigated and the security precautions inside the school were subsequently lifted, according to a message sent to parents, below.

Today at approximately 10 AM Yorktown’s front office staff received a report from a community member who indicated that he had seen someone with a weapon in the vicinity of Yorktown. As a precaution, Yorktown staff implemented our plan to secure the school while the Arlington Police Department investigated the situation. “Secure the school” means that all exterior doors were locked, entry/exit was stopped and students were not allowed outdoors for PE. Instruction continued without interruption. After approximately 10 minutes, the police department advised us to return to a regular school day.

Our first priority is our students’ safety, and at no time was there a danger within Yorktown. We applaud our students and staff for their responsiveness.

File photo

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