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

Vida Fitness Eyeing Second Arlington Gym — Vida Fitness has signed a letter of intent to open a gym and a “Sweatbox” boutique fitness studio in western Rosslyn, likely by the end of 2020. The company is expected to open its first Arlington location in Ballston in late 2019. [Washington Business Journal]

Beyer: If Impeachment Comes, It Must Be Bipartisan — “U.S. Rep. Don Beyer is no fan of Donald Trump. But he’s against moving forward with impeachment of the president unless it becomes a true bipartisan effort. ‘I don’t believe impeachment should ever be partisan – it should be done together,’ Beyer (D-8th) said at a campaign forum.” [InsideNova]

Warning About Swollen Streams — After an almost disastrous incident yesterday, the Arlington County Fire Department tweeted: “Remember, even a few inches of rushing water can be deceivingly powerful.” [Twitter]

Cemetery to Hold Expansion Dedication — “Arlington National Cemetery on Sept. 6 will formally dedicate a 27-acre expansion that will provide more than 27,000 additional burial spaces… The expansion will provide for 10,882 in-ground burial spaces and 16,400 above-ground niche spaces for cremated remains.” [InsideNova]

Mongolian School Fights Fee Increase Proposal — “The Arlington school system’s proposal to vastly increase rental fees charged to the non-profit Mongolian School of the National Capital Area has outraged supporters of the school and led to predictions it might have to close if the increase isn’t reduced or rescinded… The proposal to jump the facility-use charge to $28,000 a year would be ‘devastating to our children and hard-working families,’ said Jane Batsukh, president of the Mongolian School Parents Association.” [InsideNova]

New Metrorail Cars Coming — Metro has kicked off the procurement process for its next-generation 8000 series rail cars. The transit agency plans to purchase hundreds of such cars and to put them into service as soon as 2024. [WMATA]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Heat Advisory Issued for Arlington and Surrounding Area

By ARLnow.com

It’s the day after Labor Day, many local pools are now closed for the season, but Mother Nature hasn’t gotten the memo.

A Heat Advisory is going into effect at noon today, with heat index values expected to climb north of 100 degrees mid-afternoon.

“Take extra precautions if you work or spend outside,” the National Weather Service said in the advisory, below. “When possible, reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening.”

…HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 7 PM EDT THIS EVENING… * HEAT INDEX VALUES…AROUND 105 DUE TO TEMPERATURES IN THE MID 90S, AND DEW POINTS IN THE MID 70S. * IMPACTS…THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY MAY CAUSE HEAT STRESS DURING OUTDOOR EXERTION OR EXTENDED EXPOSURE. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HIGH TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS IF YOU WORK OR SPEND TIME OUTSIDE. WHEN POSSIBLE, RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHT WEIGHT AND LOOSE FITTING CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK, THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY – CALL 911. &&

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

HQ2 Odds Ever in Our Favor — Business Insider says it has “long seen the evidence pointing to the DC area” as the eventual destination for Amazon’s second headquarters. Online betting odds, meanwhile, favor Northern Virginia, and ARLnow.com hears that Crystal City is the far and away the most likely Northern Virginia locale for HQ2. [Business Insider]

High School Football Season Underway — “For the second straight season, but this year at a different venue, the Wakefield Warriors opened their high-school football campaign with a victory over the Washington-Lee Generals.” Yorktown, meanwhile, gave up a lead and lost to Wilson 37-29. [InsideNova]

McCain and Vietnam Vets Calls Nam Viet Home — A group of Vietnam War veterans, including the late Sen. John McCain, who was laid to rest over the weekend, regularly met up at Nam Viet restaurant in Clarendon. [Cronkite News]

First Day of School Reminder — Today is the first day of school for Arlington Public Schools and the school system is reminding residents that passing a school bus with its stop arm out is a traffic infraction punishable by a $250 fine. Police, meanwhile, are participating in a back-to-school safety campaign that includes extra enforcement of such traffic laws. [Twitter, Arlington County]

School Board: Don’t Go Over Building Budget — “Should Arlington Public Schools hold firm, no matter what, to budgets on upcoming construction projects? Or allow a little maneuvering room, if the opportunity arises, in an effort to get more bang for their buck? That question played out again Aug. 30, as School Board members split 3-2 in directing an advisory body to not even think about returning with a plan that exceeds the $37 million budget for turning the Arlington Education Center’s administrative offices into classroom space.” [InsideNova]

Police Prepare for Plane Pull — “The public is invited to cheer on the Arlington Police and Sheriff Team during the Plane Pull at Dulles Airport on Saturday, September 15, 2018.” [Arlington County]

New MU Prez Focuses on Real-World Experience — Irma Becerra, Marymount University’s new president and the first person of color in that role, plans “to further connect the Arlington university with its surrounding business community, making internships an equal pillar of her vision as enrollment, graduation and retention rates.” [Washington Business Journal]

Empanada Thief Caught on Camera — Arlington squirrels, apparently, are now blatantly stealing and eating empanadas in broad daylight. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

BREAKING: Rescue Underway After Vehicle Runs Down Four Mile Run Embankment

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Update at 3:10 p.m. — The victim has been successfully rescued from the vehicle. Tow crews will now start the process of removing the SUV from the embankment.

Earlier: Firefighters are currently working to rescue the driver of an SUV that ran down an embankment along Four Mile Run.

The incident happened just before 2 p.m. along 10th Street S., just south of Columbia Pike on the west bank of Four Mile Run. Initial reports suggest that one man is trapped in the vehicle but is in the process of being extricated by firefighters.

The victim’s injuries are said to be non-life-threatening.

The crash happened on a busy Sunday afternoon for the fire department. It is unrelated to the body recovery further down Four Mile Run.

Photos via Arlington County Fire Department and Google Maps

TRAFFIC ALERT: I-395 Ramp Blocked Due to Crash With Overturned Vehicle

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) The ramp from northbound I-395 to the northbound GW Parkway, just prior to the 14th Street Bridge, is blocked due to a crash.

Initial reports suggest the crash involves an overturned vehicle. Police and firefighters are on the scene.

No word yet on injuries.

Several lanes of northbound I-395 are also closed due to the emergency activity. Traffic on I-395 is heavy approaching the bridge and the crash.

BREAKING: Body Found in Four Mile Run

By ARLnow.com

A body has been found in rain-swollen Four Mile Run near where it runs into the Potomac River.

First responders from Arlington, Alexandria and D.C. all responded to a report of a person in the water along the 3600 block of Potomac Avenue. The incident is currently being described as a recovery operation and investigation.

“ACPD is responding to investigate,” Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.com early Sunday afternoon. “No details to report at this time.”

Photo courtesy Tatton Oliver

Podcast: Long-time Arlington Civic Leader Jim Pebley

By ARLnow.com

For more than two decades, Jim Pebley worked to make Arlington a better place.

Pebley, a retired U.S. Navy commander, last year moved to a more leisurely locale in North Carolina, but not before receiving plenty of plaudits for his civic involvement from across the political spectrum.

We decided to check in with Jim, see how he’s doing and get his take on the current state of the county. We covered a variety of local topics, including the safety of Reagan National Airport, the cost of school construction, the potential of Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington and why he decided to decamp for elsewhere.

Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or TuneIn.

Flash Flood Watch Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is currently under a Flash Flood Watch.

Though the sun is out now, forecasters warn that slow-moving thunderstorms will develop later today and could dump heavy rain on Arlington and other parts of the region.

More from the National Weather Service:

…FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MARYLAND AND NORTHERN VIRGINIA, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS, IN MARYLAND, ANNE ARUNDEL, CARROLL, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST HOWARD, CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTGOMERY, FREDERICK MD, NORTHERN BALTIMORE, NORTHWEST HARFORD, NORTHWEST HOWARD, NORTHWEST MONTGOMERY, PRINCE GEORGES, SOUTHEAST HARFORD, AND SOUTHERN BALTIMORE. IN VIRGINIA, ARLINGTON/FALLS CHURCH/ALEXANDRIA AND FAIRFAX. * THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. * SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. * HIGH RAINFALL RATES MAY LEAD TO RAPID RISES OF WATER IN LOW- LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS AS WELL AS SOME SMALL STREAMS. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED. &&

Beyer Rips Trump’s Federal Pay Freeze

By ARLnow.com

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is no fan of Trump administration, but the president’s decision today (Thursday) to stop pay raises for civilian federal employees is hitting a particular nerve for Arlington’s local congressman.

In a statement, below, Beyer called the move “dishonest” and “an attack on another class of people he does not like.”

Beyer’s office also noted that the congressman “represents the largest number of federal employees of any Member of the House of Representatives.”

President Trump’s decision to deny pay raises is a slap in the face to the hardworking civil servants who help keep us safe, care for our veterans, and faithfully serve the American people.

No one will believe his dishonest justification of a ‘national emergency or serious economic conditions,’ which is contradicted by Trump’s own commentary painting a rosy picture of the economy. This newfound concern for the fiscal prudence is impossible to credit, given Trump’s willingness to create massive deficits and determination to waste money on pet projects like his border wall. This is merely an attack on another class of people he does not like.

It is a harsh indictment of President Trump’s values that he is freezing workers’ pay to offset his multi-billion-dollar tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.

File photo

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

GMA Broadcasts Segment from Arlington — ABC’s Good Morning America broadcast a live segment from Arlington’s fire training academy near Shirlington yesterday. [Twitter]

Buyers’ Market in 2020? — “Home sellers likely will continue to hold more negotiating power than buyers for the next year and a half, according to the 2018 Q3 Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey. But it won’t last forever, experts say.” [InsideNova]

Local Leaders Decry Loss of Transportation Funding — “The leaders of Northern Virginia’s five most populous jurisdictions pledged Wednesday to push back on the General Assembly’s move this year to pull money from regional transportation projects to provide dedicated funding for the Metro system.” [WTOP]

Flickr pool photo by Brian Irwin

View More Stories