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Morning Notes

Published August 16, 2018 at 8:35AM | Updated August 16, 2018 at 9:24AM

Power Outage at National Airport — Reagan National Airport went dark for several hours last night after a rare power failure. Emergency generators did kick in but only powered a portion of the airport’s systems. [NBC Washington, WTOP, Twitter]

More About Rosslyn’s Pop-Up Retail — “The Alcove, a 5,000-square foot storefront in Rosslyn’s Central Place opened last Wednesday with an activity-packed bang: think kombucha tastings, fabric-stamping, decoupage-making, and more… The Alcove was born when developer JBG Smith offered up one of their properties to the [Rosslyn] BID for a two-month period.” [Washingtonian]

Free Pet Adoptions This Weekend — Adoption fees will be waived at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington on Saturday as part of the annual “Clear the Shelters” event. [DCist]

Recess Changes at APS — “Many APS schools already provide at least 30 minutes of recess, and the new guidelines will help ensure consistency in recess time across all APS elementary schools… Unstructured play and physical activity are an important part of student learning and well-being, and we are pleased to provide this opportunity for our students.” [Arlington Public Schools]

Rep. Beyer on CNN — Arlington’s local congressman, Rep. Don Beyer (D), was interviewed on CNN’s Situation Room last night on the topic of President Trump stripping former CIA Director John Brennan of his security clearance. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler

Arlington Pet of the Week: Bandit

Published August 15, 2018 at 12:45PM | Updated July 18, 2019 at 11:42AM

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Bandit, a social pup from South Carolina who celebrated his second birthday last month.

Here’s what Bandit’s owners, Melissa and Sam, had to say on his behalf:

Hi, my name is Bandit and I steal hearts! I’m an mutt from South Carolina who came to Virginia because I heard it’s for lovers. I love every person and dog I meet. I’m enthusiastic and wag my tail a lot. If you see me, I like to be pet, and everyone who pets me notices how remarkably soft my fur is. It is quite nice if I do say so myself!

On the weekend I like to go to local dog parks and on hikes. I hope to meet all of the puppers of Arlington one day. Perhaps I’ll see you and we can play. But, please don’t splash any water on me — I am decidedly not a water dog and think water dogs are crazy!

When I want something, I will sit quietly and look up at you making my signature I’m a good boy who needs a treat face. I am a rescue adopted from Operation Paws for Homes… This year I got an early birthday present — a sister from the same rescue organization, who is just as energetic and social as me. I’m living a great life and it’s great to have a friend always by my side.

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 six 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.

#Pet of the Week

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 14, 2018 at 8:45AM | Updated August 14, 2018 at 9:08AM

Family Surprised to Learn Pet Was a Snapping Turtle — “An Arlington family took in a box turtle to be the new family pet recently — only to find out that it was actually a snapping turtle. The Animal Welfare League of Arlington tweeted out a photo of the turtle, noting that their officers had seized the turtle from the unwitting family.” [Patch, Twitter]

APS Delays Release of Construction Cost Report — “Arlington residents will have to wait a little longer for an analysis of the reasons behind the high costs of school construction in the county. The audit committees of the County Board and School Board had been slated to meet Aug. 7 in a joint session to discuss a report by school-system auditor John Mickevice on school-construction costs. That meeting, however, was called off.” [InsideNova]

TSA Keeps Finding Guns in Carry-ons at DCA — Earlier this month, in two separate incidents, TSA agents at Reagan National Airport seized loaded handguns from two men trying to carry them onto planes. The guns were the seventh and eighth seized at the airport so far this year. The men are now facing weapons charges. [Patch]

Jail Holds Creative Writing Contest — A 26-year-old man who’s in jail on a heroin possession charge won the Arlington County lockup’s first-ever creative writing contest yesterday. His prize-winning poem, in part: “I dream about the future. I dream about the past. I dream about the mountains. I dream about the sea. I dream of all the places that I would rather be.” [NBC Washington]

InsideNova Not Available in Europe — More than 1,000 U.S. news websites are blocking users from Europe after the EU implemented strict new privacy regulations known as GDPR on May 25. Among the sites that are no longer accessible from Europe, as seen in this screen shot from last month: InsideNova, which publishes articles from the Arlington Sun Gazette newspaper. [Nieman Journalism Lab]

Police: ‘Serial Flasher’ Suspect Arrested

By ARLnow.com

Published August 13, 2018 at 10:45AM

Arlington County Police have arrested a man who they say is the serial flasher responsible for a series of incidents dating back to 2017.

Fairfax County resident Santiago Rodriquez Campos, 34, has been charged with indecent exposure and sexual battery in connection to a Aug. 29, 2017 incident in which, according to police, he exposed himself to a woman and then brushed up against her.

Charges are also pending for a series of indecent exposure incidents in the Rosslyn and the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights area, according to ACPD. Police say the arrest was made by a regional fugitive task force and is the result of an “intensive investigation.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 13, 2018 at 8:35AM

Top Chef Alum Opening Clarendon Restaurant — “Former ‘Top Chef’ contestant Katsuji Tanabe, best known for his kosher taco spot MexiKosher in New York, will open his first restaurant in the D.C. area in Clarendon in September. Le Kon, whose name comes from the Japanese word for corn, is taking over the space previously occupied by Park Lane Tavern at 3227 Washington Blvd.” [Washington Business Journal]

Progress on Child Care Initiative — “The county government’s child-care initiative has been under way for a little over a year, focusing in large part on the existing barriers to increasing the supply of day-care providers in the county. Hurdles run the gamut from zoning and parking issues to qualifications and pay of teachers and other staff… Using the most recent data available, county officials estimate there were about 13,500 children under age 5 in Arlington in 2015, but only about half that number of available slots in day care.” [InsideNova]

Flyover Planned Today — A flyover of Arlington National Cemetery is planned to take place at 9:15 a.m. today. [Twitter]

White Supremacist Train Runs Through Arlington — A small group of white supremacists rode Metro from the Vienna station, through Arlington, before arriving in D.C. for a rally. Police tried to keep the group separated from a much larger group of anti-hate protesters, prompting some complaints about the white supremacists having their own “private” Metrorail car, though a reporter was able to board their train car at Clarendon without issue. [Twitter, Twitter]

W&OD Railroad Stopped Running 50 Years Ago — The Washington & Old Dominion Railroad stopped running 50 years ago this month, after 130 years of service. The former rail line was later acquired by the regional park authority and converted into the current W&OD Trail, which runs from Arlington to rural Loudoun County. [InsideNova]

Reminder: Major Metro Work — “Starting Saturday (Aug. 11) and running through Aug. 26, Metro will shut down the Blue Line completely starting at the Arlington Cemetery station, and single-track between the McPherson Square and Smithsonian stations. Officials expect that will result in 20-minute headways on the Orange and Silver lines ‘at all times,’ and it’s urging riders to ‘only use Metrorail if you have no other option.'” [ARLnow, Twitter]

County Twitter Account Pokes Fun at Metro — Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services tweeted yesterday: “As a courtesy, the C&O Canal-Alexandria Canal system will be reopen to traffic. Note: two-mule minimum per team.” [Twitter]

Photo courtesy Jeremy Galliani

Arlington Pet of the Week: Lincoln

Published August 8, 2018 at 12:45PM | Updated July 18, 2019 at 11:42AM

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Lincoln, a Clarendon resident who is not a picky eater.

Here’s what Lincoln’s owner, Colleen, had to say about him.

Hi everyone! Meet Lincoln — he is a 10 lb shih tzu/bichon mix, and he’s almost two years old. He lives with his parents, Frank and Colleen, in Clarendon, VA. He is always smiling, and with his crooked teeth and underbite, he has everyone right where I want them… giving him all of the treats!

He likes to think of himself as a food connoisseur. He is obviously very focused on protein: shredded chicken, steak, hard boiled eggs, and cheese. He also enjoys watermelon, peanut butter, cucumber slices, and baby carrots. Although, if given the opportunity, he would definitely eat some tissues or pieces of mail, so I guess he’s not too picky.

His hobbies include eating, sleeping on his dad’s pillow, following his mom’s every move, visiting his friends at Orangetheory Fitness Clarendon, going for walks outside, and playing with all of his toys. In his spare time, he likes to go around his apartment and steal as many socks as he can. Clean or dirty, large or small, he loves them all! If you ever want to know how he’s feeling just look at his wagging tail — it’s his biggest tell — it’s almost always up high, and it wags faster as he gets excited. Attention is his favorite and he is a great cuddler. He also LOVES meeting new people, so come say hi if you see him walking around the neighborhood, or follow along with his daily adventures on Instagram @WhatsLincolnThinkin!

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 six 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.

#Pet of the Week

Morning Poll: Should Washington-Lee HS Be Renamed?

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2018 at 9:15AM

The Washington-Lee High School renaming process continues to move forward, despite a lawsuit and opposition from many students and alumni.

The School Board is hoping to have a new name ready for the school in time for the opening of the 2019-2020 school year next September, ARLnow has previously reported.

But it will be an uphill battle for school officials, judging by emails we continue to receive from upset alums and other anecdotal reports; Sun Gazette Editor Scott McCaffrey wrote today that he and other staffers at the paper frequently run into W-L alumni, all of whom thus far have expressed opposition to the change.

Last time we did a poll on the subject was five years ago this month, when a name change was still just an idea batted about by letter to the editor writers. At that time, 87.5 percent of respondents said they were against changing the name, agreeing that Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy are “part of our history and… not worth changing the name over.”

Since then, the emergence of an emboldened white nationalist movement and last summer’s deadly rally in Charlottesville have changed the conversation. But is it enough to change opinions on removing Lee’s name from W-L? Let’s find out.

Olympic Skier Gus Kenworthy Adopts Dog from Animal Welfare League of Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published August 3, 2018 at 2:55PM

U.S. Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy traveled to Arlington this past Sunday to adopt a puppy he first met during the Winter Games earlier this year.

The heartwarming moment at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington in Shirlington was captured on video by Humane Society International, which worked with Kenworthy to rescue the puppy — now named “Birdie” — and 90 other dogs from a dog meat farm in South Korea.

“At the time, the newborn Birdie was too young to travel with the other rescued dogs,” HSI said in a press release. “Once old enough, she and two of her siblings traveled to AWLA, one of HSI’s many shelter partners around the world, where Gus adopted her.”

“In March 2018, Gus adopted Beemo, who had been rescued from the same dog meat farm,” the press release also notes. “Sadly, Beemo died in May from a heart condition. Gus’s adoption of Birdie honors the memory of Beemo: she is named after one of Beemo’s favorite pastimes — bird-watching.”

Kenworthy and AWLA both recently wrote about the adoption on social media.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmAAcoXFxia/

https://www.facebook.com/132446568521/posts/10156665718563522/

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 3, 2018 at 9:00AM

Flash Flood Watch Today — Arlington and much of the region is again under a Flash Flood Watch today and through early Saturday. Heavy rains expected during the day and evening may cause flash flooding, forecasters say. [Twitter, Weather.gov]

Smoke the Dog Visits Nats Park — Smoke, the Arlington shelter dog with terminal cancer who’s become an internet star for his quest to check off his “bucket list,” had quite a Thursday. The hound got to visit home plate at Nationals Park yesterday, and also got to go home to a new adoptive dog mom. [WJLA]

Arlington Unemployment Rate Still Lowest in Va. — “Despite a second month in a row of upticks, Arlington’s unemployment rate in June remained the envy of Virginia’s 132 other cities and counties. With 150,837 county residents in the civilian workforce and 3,393 looking for jobs, Arlington’s non-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 2.2 percent in June was lowest in the commonwealth.” [InsideNova]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Flood Warning Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published August 2, 2018 at 2:50PM

Arlington County is now under a Flood Warning as heavy rain falls on already-saturated ground.

The warning is in effect until 7:45 p.m.

Crime Report: Peeper Peeps Through Cracked Door

By ARLnow.com

Published August 2, 2018 at 10:10AM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 1:57PM

Police were called to a residence near the Walter Reed Community Center last week for a report of a man peeping through an slightly ajar door.

Officers were dispatched shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Friday, July 25 for a report of a hoodie-wearing man staring in at the female resident. When she closed the door, he fled.

More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

PEEPING, 2018-07250019, 2900 block of 16th Road S. At approximately 1:23 a.m. on July 25, police were dispatched to the report of a peeping just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim awoke to an unknown male suspect looking into her residence through a slightly ajar door. When the victim noticed the suspect and shut the door fully, the suspect fled. The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 6’3″, with a slim build, with brown eyebrows, wearing dark framed glasses and a dark gray hoodie with the hood up. The investigation is ongoing.

More highlights from this week’s crime report, including some that we’ve already reported, are below.

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