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.

UPDATED: Body Found Along Potomac

By ARLnow.com

Update at 10:45 a.m. — The body of a deceased adult male was found in the Potomac River near Daingerfield Island just before 6.30 p.m. last night, according to D.C. police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

“MPD Harbor Patrol units were dispatched to the area of Daingerfield Island on the Potomac River to assist in the search for an alleged missing person,” Sternbeck said. “Upon arrival, we were notified that an Arlington County Fire [water rescue unit] located a deceased adult male in the water. The District’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner recovered the individual and is working to correctly identify the decedent.”

Sternbeck said he was unable to confirm whether the deceased individual is someone sought in a missing person case in Arlington until the body has been identified and next of kin notified.

Earlier: A search operation was underway Tuesday evening for a missing person along Four Mile Run.

An Arlington County Fire Department spokesman said that the department is assisting police in a search for a “possible missing person” and confirmed that water rescue equipment was used in the search.

According to scanner traffic, a police helicopter provided assistance from the air.

A tipster characterized the search as a “body recovery” along Four Mile Run near the intersection of S. Glebe Road and S. Arlington Ridge Road, but there is no official word yet about what, if anything, was found.

An Arlington police spokeswoman deferred to D.C. police for comment, saying that the Metropolitan Police Department was the primary law enforcement agency handling the search. ARLnow.com is waiting to hear back from an MPD spokesman.

Last night firefighters rescued a person stranded in high water along Four Mile Run near today’s search site.

Photo via Google Maps

Flash Flood Watch Issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Update at 5:55 p.m. — Arlington and much of the D.C. and Baltimore region is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.

Earlier: Arlington County and surrounding areas are currently under a Flash Flood Watch due to expected storms tonight.

Forecasters say heavy rain may lead to flash flooding, as it did last night along Four Mile Run.

More from the National Weather Service:

…FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT…

A FRONT WILL SAG ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. A COUPLE ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO ACCOMPANY THE FRONT AND SHOULD MOVE ACROSS THE MASON-DIXON REGION LATE AFTERNOON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD PUSH FARTHER SOUTH AND EAST INTO EASTERN WEST VIRGINIA, NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND PORTIONS OF NORTHERN MARYLAND DURING THE EVENING. HEAVY RAINFALL AND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN THREATS WITH THE POTENTIAL OF ENCOUNTERING DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL IN THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS. RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IN SLOW-MOVING THUNDERSTORMS.

FLASH FLOODING RISK IS FOR SMALL STREAMS PARTICULARLY IN URBAN AREAS LIKE BALTIMORE AND HAGERSTOWN. 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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Named Fittest ‘City’ in U.S. — “Arlington has been named the fittest city in America, according to the 2018 American Fitness Index ranking from the American College of Sports Medicine. The Northern Virginia jurisdiction eeked out a win over last year’s champ, Minneapolis, by just a half point, with an overall score of 77.7. Minneapolis came in second with a score of 77.2.” [Washingtonian, USA Today]

Person Rescued from High Water — Firefighters rescued someone trapped under a bridge by high water following last night’s storms. Around 9:30 p.m., firefighters responded to the 2800 block of S. Glebe Road for a possible water rescue along Four Mile Run. The victim was removed from the high water and evaluated by paramedics. [Twitter, Twitter]

Airport Noise Battle Rages On — “Residents in several Northwest Washington neighborhoods aren’t giving up their fight against airplane noise from flights at Reagan National Airport. They are asking for a rehearing of their case against the Federal Aviation Administration from a full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.” [Washington Post]

Courtesy photo

ACFD Battles Kitchen Fire Near Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Arlington County firefighters are on scene of a kitchen fire on a residential block near Ballston.

The fire was reported shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday on the 4800 block of Fairfax Drive, in Bluemont. The blaze has since been extinguished but firefighters are still checking for hotspots and working to ventilate the structure.

The home’s occupants were reportedly able to get out safely.

Photo via Google Maps

UPDATED: Severe Storms Bring Wind, Torrential Rain to Arlington.

By ARLnow.com

Update at 7:45 p.m. — There have been reports of downed trees, branches and power lines in Arlington, but no major power outages have been reported by Dominion. Flights are Reagan National Airport are resuming.

No major flooding issues have been reported, though ARLnow.com’s office sprung a leak during the storm.

Update at 7:01 p.m. — The Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been extended until 7:30 p.m.

Update at 6:58 p.m. — A Flash Flood Warning has also been issued for Arlington.

The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for…
The District of Columbia…
South central Montgomery County in central Maryland…
Arlington County in northern Virginia…
The City of Falls Church in northern Virginia…
Northeastern Fairfax County in northern Virginia…
The City of Alexandria in northern Virginia…

* Until 1000 PM EDT.

* At 654 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing
heavy rain across the area. Around an inch of rain has fallen, and
an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible over the next 1
to 2 hours leading to flash flooding in the metro area.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

(Updated at 6:55 p.m.) The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Arlington as a powerful line of storms rolls through the county.

More from the National Weather Service:

…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM EDT FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA…SOUTHERN MONTGOMERY…NORTHWESTERN PRINCE GEORGES…SOUTHEASTERN LOUDOUN…FAIRFAX…EAST CENTRAL FAUQUIER…PRINCE WILLIAM…AND ARLINGTON COUNTIES…THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH…THE CITY OF MANASSAS PARK…THE CITY OF MANASSAS…THE CITY OF FAIRFAX AND THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA…

At 646 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line extending from Bethesda to Newington to 11 miles east of Bealeton, moving southeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD…70 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE…Radar indicated.

IMPACT…Damaging winds will cause some trees and large branches to fall. This could injure those outdoors, as well as damage homes and vehicles. Roadways may become blocked by downed trees. Localized power outages are possible. Unsecured light objects may become projectiles.

Locations impacted include…
Arlington, Alexandria, Germantown, Centreville, Dale City, Rockville, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, Reston, Annandale, Springfield, College Park, South Riding, Fort Washington, Herndon, Greenbelt, Fairfax, Langley Park, Fort Hunt and Vienna.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Prepare immediately for large hail and damaging winds. People outside should move to a shelter, inside a strong building and away from windows.

Reagan National Airport, meanwhile, has imposed a ground stop on flights due to the severe weather.

Photo (top) courtesy Milan

UPDATE: Derecho Possible Tonight, Forecasters Say

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:25 p.m. — Forecasters warn that a derecho is possible tonight. The last such wind event to hit the region caused significant damage on June 29, 2012.

Earlier: Arlington County and much of the D.C. region is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch today.

The National Weather Service says severe storms are possible later today (Monday)

“Scattered severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts and large hail are possible this afternoon and evening,” NWS said in a Hazardous Weather Outlook statement.

Photo via @NWS_BaltWash

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

‘Indivisible Arlington’ Event Wracked By Division — “A town hall with local Virginia lawmakers dissolved into chaos Saturday and police were called after Latino activists confronted Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington) about his previous consulting work for a private company that operates detention facilities for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” [Washington Post, Twitter]

H-B Victorious at Ultimate Tourney — The H-B Woodlawn girls ultimate frisbee team won the prestigious Amherst Ultimate Invitational over the weekend. [Twitter, Greenfield Recorder]

No County Board Candidate for Arlington GOP — No one filed by the May 9 deadline to run as a Republican against incumbent County Board member John Vihstadt, the Arlington GOP announced over the weekend. Vihstadt, an independent, was endorsed by the local GOP when he first ran in 2014.

ACPD Sergeant Tapped as School Police Chief — Sean Bryson, a 20-year veteran of the Arlington County Police Department, has been named the chief of police for the Upper St. Clair School District, outside of Pittsburgh. It’s a homecoming for Bryson, who graduated from Upper St. Clair High School. In addition to his police work, Byson co-founded and has served as race director for the annual Arlington Police, Fire & Sheriff 9/11 Memorial 5K. [Trib Live]

JUST IN: Mall Without Power After Outage Hits Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Update at 4:20 p.m. — Power has been restored to the mall and most other places in Pentagon City.

Earlier: A large power outage has left much of Pentagon City in the dark this afternoon.

Large crowds are reported to be leaving the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City after the mall lost power. At least two people were reported to be stuck, and later freed by firefighters, on elevators overlooking the food court.

Traffic signals are dark along Army Navy Drive, including at the especially busy intersection of Army Navy Drive and S. Hayes Street, according to scanner traffic. Several Arlington County Police units are being dispatched to the area for traffic control.

Nearly 450 Dominion customers in the area are without power, according to the power company’s outage map. The cause of the outage is listed as “pending investigation,” though there was a report of a blown transformer in the area.

The estimated time of power restoration is listed as between 4-7 p.m.

More via social media:

https://twitter.com/DaCarter__/status/995003240088514567

APS: Stratford Program May Temporarily Move to Yorktown HS

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public Schools is shooting down rumors that the Stratford Program is going to be “dismantled” while also announcing that a new, temporary location is under consideration.

Stratford serves secondary-level special education students and is currently co-located with the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program on Vacation Lane. Both programs are set to move to a new facility in Rosslyn for the 2019-2020 school year, but Stratford will be moving to a temporary home during the next school year to facilitate the renovation of its current building into a neighborhood middle school.

In a letter to parents today, Stratford principal Karen Gerry said that APS is now reconsidering a plan to house Stratford in the Reed School building in Westover for a year. For various reasons, APS says Yorktown High School may be a better temporary location, and the school system is kicking off a hurried outreach effort with parents to discuss the new option.

Gerry, in her letter, also acknowledges a false rumor that had been spreading via email that APS was planning to eliminate the Stratford Program.

“It seems that Arlington County has made a decision to dismantle the Stratford Program and that we will not be joining HB Woodlawn at the new site in Rosslyn, as planned,” said the email, which was sent by a parent and later obtained by ARLnow.com. “Several Stratford parents are concerned that this decision has been made without consultation with the wider Stratford community.”

“Over the last few days, there have been many community conversations, emails and statements posted about our plans for next year, and unfortunately, much of it has included misleading or incorrect information,” Gerry wrote. “We want to reassure you that regardless of the one-year location for Stratford students in the 2018-19 school year, the Stratford Program is not being dismantled and our plan to move to the new building on Wilson in the fall of 2019 has not changed.”

The full letter from Gerry to Stratford parents is after the jump.

Photo via Google Maps

(more…)

Medical Emergency Leads to Disabled Silver Line Train at Clarendon Station

By ARLnow.com

Update at 6 p.m. — The disabled train has been cleared and medics have left the scene. Residual delays remain, according to Metro.

Earlier: A Silver Line train is disabled at the Clarendon Metro station at the height of the evening rush hour after a rider suffered a medical emergency.

Initial reports suggest that a passenger suffered a seizure on the train, leading another passenger to push an emergency stop switch. The passenger was taken off the train and is being tended to by medics, according to scanner traffic, but the train is now disabled.

Metro is warning about delays on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines as a result of the incident.

Towing Dispute Leads to Stabbing in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

One person was stabbed and other is in police custody after a towing dispute in Crystal City led to violence Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. at the Exxon station near the intersection of 23rd Street S. and Route 1.

“At approximately 1:29 p.m. police were dispatched to a dispute in progress in the 2300 block of Jefferson Davis Highway,” said Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Upon arrival, it was determined that a verbal dispute over towing escalated into physical violence, resulting in a victim suffering from a stab wound.”

“The victim has been transported to the hospital in serious condition,” Savage continued.” One suspect has been taken into custody. There are no outstanding suspects and no ongoing threat to the community. Police remain on scene investigating.”

Officers were initially dispatched to the scene for a report of a fight involving a man with a gun. The man was soon determined to be an armed law enforcement officer who in some way intervened, according to scanner traffic.

“A federal law enforcement officer witnessed the incident,” Savage said in response to an inquiry by ARLnow.com. “The details surrounding the incident remain under investigation.”

Update at 6:35 p.m. — WJLA is reporting that an Advanced Towing tow truck driver was arrested and is accused of stabbing the victim during a dispute over towing the victim’s car.

Photo via Google Maps

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