ARLnow.com | ARLnow.com

Rethink Energy: Home Show & Garden Expo on April 14

Published April 7, 2018 at 12:00PM

This regularly-scheduled sponsored column is written by the Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy team (AIRE). This county program helps you make smart energy decisions that save you money and leaves a lighter footprint on the environment.

Home renovations are almost a rite of passage in Arlington. Well, there’s no better way to get started on your home project than visiting Arlington’s Home Show and Garden Expo.

Arlington’s largest Home Show & Garden Expo will return this month on April 14.

The Home Show will feature dozens of home builders, contractors, vendors, architects, inspectors, real estate agents, gardeners, lenders and nonprofits, as well as housing, zoning and inspection representatives from Arlington County.

Classes and seminars at the Home Show cover many topics including:

Green kitchen and bath remodeling
Move or remodel? Which is right for me?
How to choose and work with contractors
How to finance your remodeling project
Green remodeling, solar co-op, green home certification
Downsizing and aging in place
Edible landscaping and home gardening
Energy smart landscaping lighting solutions

Stop by and check it out. Arlington’s Rethink Energy team will be there all day. We’ll have info on LED lighting, home energy rebates, green home renovation or new construction, solar co-op and more.

Stop by with your energy questions. We’re here to help you save energy and money.

The Expo is being held from 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, at the Kenmore Middle School, 200 S. Carling Springs Road.

For more info, visit: http://arlingtonhomeshow.org/

#Rethink Energy

UPDATE: Westover Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested

By ARLnow.com

Published April 6, 2018 at 5:30PM | Updated April 8, 2018 at 2:49PM

Bank robbery suspect Christopher Lee Hicks (photo via ACPD)

Wells Fargo in Westover after robbery (photo courtesy Cliff DeGray)

Wells Fargo in Westover after robbery (photo courtesy William Kearney)

Update at 2:45 p.m. on 4/8/18 — Christopher Lee Hicks has been arrested thanks to a tip, police announced today.

Arlington County Police located the bank robbery suspect following a citizen tip to the Emergency Communication Center. Christopher Lee Hicks was taken into custody in the 500 block of W. Broad Street in the City of Falls Church with the assistance of the City of Falls Church Police Department. He is charged with one count of Robbery and is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on no bond.

Earlier: Arlington County Police have identified a suspect in the December robbery of a Wells Fargo bank in Westover.

Police are looking for Christopher Lee Hicks, who they say is the man seen in surveillance photos of the robbery.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 6, 2018 at 8:55AM

ACFD Battles Kitchen Fire — Arlington County firefighters last night extinguished a kitchen fire in an apartment building on the 1900 block of N. Calvert Street, just north of Lee Highway and east of Spout Run. No injuries were reported. [Twitter, Twitter]

Taylor P.E. Teacher Pleads to Drug Charge — A second former P.E. teacher at Taylor Elementary School has pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a drug bust in December. Michael Diaddigo, 28, will reportedly “serve 1 of a 12-months jail sentence if he follows probation, which includes a $500 fine and substance abuse treatment.” [Twitter]

Central Place Bus Tunnel Still Closed — “A bus tunnel in Rosslyn critical to many commuters — which Metro said more than a year ago would open in days — remains closed due to outstanding construction concerns, WTOP has learned.” [WTOP]

Lanes Closures in Crystal City Tonight — The lanes of certain roads around Crystal City will be closed for about two hours tonight to accommodate the first of the annual Crystal City 5K Friday races. [Arlington County]

Residential Parking Permit Applications — “It is now time to renew your Residential Permit Parking Program permits and passes for the new program fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018. Remember enforcement continues throughout the year, so new passes/permits must be displayed by July 1st, 2018.” [Arlington County]

Actor Says No to WJLA Interview — Amy Schumer has turned down an interview with Arlington-based TV station WJLA (ABC 7) because it is owned by Sinclair, the broadcast station owner under fire for making its anchors read a script denouncing “biased and false news” from other outlets. [Buzzfeed]

BREAKING: Firefighters Battling Trash Fire

By ARLnow.com

Published April 5, 2018 at 10:50AM | Updated April 5, 2018 at 11:29AM

A smoldering pile of trash is currently blocking 1st Road S., two blocks from Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

The trash fire was first reported around 10:30 a.m., at the intersection of 1st Road and S. Oakland Street, on the west side of S. Glebe Road. A private garbage collection crew reported that it had dumped its load of trash in the road after the trash caught on fire.

Firefighters are currently dousing the trash pile with water while using tools to move the pile around to find hot spots.

After the fire is completely extinguished, the trash collection company is then expected to start the cleanup process.

Map via Google Maps

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 5, 2018 at 8:45AM

More on Art Truck — Arlington’s new art truck will bring “hands-on experiences to schools and public events.” The art truck’s offerings are curated by Cynthia Connolly, who was involved in Arlington’s punk music scene in the 80s and 90s. There is no direct cost to county taxpayers, since the art truck is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts and other contributions. [WTOP, Twitter]

Pitch, Hit, Run Event in Arlington — Boys and girls ages 7-14 can participate in the Scotts MLB Pitch Hit & Run skills challenge at Barcroft Park Friday night. There is no registration fee and the first place overall champion in each age group will advance to the next round of competition. [Eventbrite]

Renovations at Culpepper Garden — A major renovation project will soon be getting underway at Culpepper Garden, a retirement home for low and very-low income seniors age 62 years and older. Built in the 70s, Culpepper Garden is undergoing renovations of its 204 original apartments and some of the building’s amenities. [Connection Newspapers]

Photo courtesy of our local tech guru, Alex Chamandy

Crime Report: Alleged Public Masturbator Returns to Scene of the Crime

By ARLnow.com

Published April 4, 2018 at 2:45PM | Updated February 28, 2020 at 10:36AM

A Woodbridge man has been arrested and charged with indecent exposure after police say he was seen masturbating in his car.

The man initially left the scene, on the 1800 block of N. Scott Street in the Rosslyn area, but came back after police asked him to. He was then arrested.

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

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2018-03300228, 1800 block of N. Scott Street. At approximately 6:41 p.m. on March 30, police were dispatched to the report of an indecent exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim witnessed the male suspect masturbating in his vehicle. Based upon the vehicle and suspect description provided by the victim, police were able to develop a possible suspect and requested he return to the scene. Desalegn Alemu, 34, of Woodbridge, VA, was arrested and charged with Indecent Exposure.

The rest of this past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, after the jump.

(more…)

Arlington Pet of the Week: Klaus

Published April 4, 2018 at 12:45PM | Updated July 18, 2019 at 11:42AM

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Klaus, a 3-year-old Maine Coon mix who enjoys jumping in the bathtub and receiving a nice grooming.

Here is what his owner, Sarah, had to say:

This is Klaus, a fluffy 3-year old Maine Coon mix adopted from Bourbon County Rescue in Germantown, MD. He is named in honor of his owner’s study-abroad host parents, Kitty and Klaus, and pricks up his ears whenever he hears German. Typical of Maine Coons, Klaus loves water, regularly jumping into the shower or batting his paws around in his water dish. Klaus enjoys a good snuggle, so if he discovers that a closed door is blocking him from his human, he will sing the song of his people until she open the door for him. In his copious amounts of free time, Klaus loves to chirp and yowl at birds and squirrels from his favorite perch on the windowsill.

A purrfect day for Klaus includes munching on lots of food and sunning himself outside on the balcony. He’s a bit of a cowardly lion, though… one flutter of the American flag and he will scamper all 18 lbs. of himself under the patio furniture faster than you can say ‘scared-y cat’. He’s easily coaxed from hiding, however, with one look at his brush and will lumber over to receive a nice grooming, during which he will flop over and purr loudly. After his version of a spa day is complete, he will find the nearest blanket, kneed it for five minutes, stretch out on top of it, and promptly fall asleep. Such is the life of Klaus!

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 April 4, 2018 at 8:45AM

Secret Service Vehicle Stolen in Arlington — A pair of thieves stole a vehicle belonging to the U.S. Secret Service from an Arlington service center yesterday afternoon. The vehicle did not have any equipment inside that “compromises the Secret Service mission,” the Secret Service told news organizations. It was reported stolen from the 900 block of N. Jackson Street, which corresponds with the location of Arlington Autocare near Clarendon. [WUSA 9, Washington Post]

Arlington and Alexandria Working Together on HQ2 — “The city of Alexandria and Arlington County are apparently working together in their efforts to land Amazon.com Inc.’s second headquarters… Arlington County’s Crystal City and the Alexandria portion of Potomac Yard south of Four Mile Run are believed to have been jointly offered up in response to Amazon’s September request for proposals.” [Washington Business Journal]

Monday Properties Expands Local Portfolio — Monday Properties, a major property owner in Rosslyn, has acquired a pair of office buildings in Alexandria and Herndon. The properties are both near potential D.C. area landing spots for Amazon’s HQ2. However, Monday’s Rosslyn portfolio itself is being seriously considered for the second headquarters by the Seattle-based online giant. [Washington Business Journal]

New Tenant for 1812 N. Moore Street — “Monday Properties has found a neighbor for Nestle USA in Rosslyn. International health IT juggernaut Cerner Corp. has signed on for 38,000 square feet at 1812 N. Moore, according to Bisnow.” [Bisnow, Washington Business Journal]

Snagajob Rebrands as ‘Snag’ — “Eighteen years in, Snagajob is rebranding. The Arlington, Va.-based company that provides a platform to find jobs is now called Snag, CEO Peter Harrison said on Tuesday. With the rebrand comes a new product. The company plans to expand a platform that can help connect to on-demand shifts.” [Technically DC, Washington Business Journal]

Bunny Needs Foster Home — A bunny dubbed Cherry Blossom is in need of a foster home. “Cherry Blossom was found outside, cold, skinny, and urine-scalded — now she needs a friend to help her gain her strength back,” said the Animal Welfare League of Arlington via social media. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Wind Advisory Issued for Arlington, Region

By ARLnow.com

Published April 3, 2018 at 9:45PM

Arlington and much of the D.C. region will be under a Wind Advisory starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Forecasters say that a line of showers and thunderstorms in the morning will give way to gusty winds through Wednesday evening. The wind gusts may damage trees and cause power outages.

L.A. Bar & Grill Temporarily Closed During License Renewal

By ARLnow.com

Published April 3, 2018 at 2:45PM

Columbia Pike’s L.A. Bar & Grill has temporarily closed due to a state licensing issue.

The bar submitted its Virginia ABC license renewal application in the beginning of March, and the previous alcoholic beverage license expired at the end of March.

“We should have applied earlier, [but] hindsight is 20/20,” said Stephen Hubbard, the bar’s general manager.

The process is ongoing, and Hubbard anticipates that it will take “at least a couple of weeks,” though he isn’t sure.

In the meantime, the bar is taking advantage of the license renewal period and “doing some facelifting” in the form of painting and other tidying up efforts.

Back in 2016, L.A. Bar & Grill, at 2530 Columbia Pike, was ranked among UpOut’s top ten “ridiculously cool” D.C.-area dive bars.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 3, 2018 at 8:40AM

Arlington Population Up in Latest Estimate — The new annual U.S. Census population estimates are out and Arlington County has added nearly 5,000 people. The estimate of Arlington’s population on July 1, 2017 is is 234,965, according to the Census Bureau website. That’s considerably higher than a recent UVA estimate. The previous Census Bureau estimate was 230,050 on July 1, 2016. [U.S. Census Bureau]

Festival of the Arts to Return — The annual Arlington Festival of the Arts is returning to Clarendon from April 21-22. The outdoor event features more than 100 artists showcasing — and selling — their work. [Facebook]

Standout Athletes of YHS — A recently-completed webpage highlights more than 50 years worth of standout athletes from Yorktown High School. [Yorktown Alums]

Photo courtesy of our local tech guru, Alex Chamandy