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.

Nighttime storm potential prompts Flood Watch

By ARLnow.com
Storms bring heavy rain, wind and flooding at night (file photo)

The possibility of a succession of storms tonight packing heavy rain has prompted a Flood Watch from the National Weather Service.

The watch is in effect until 4 a.m. for Arlington, the District and much of the Washington region. Forecasters say flash flooding may occur during prolonged downpours.

More from NWS:

…FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT SUNDAY…

* WHAT…Flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall is possible. […]

* WHEN…Until 4 AM EDT Sunday.

* IMPACTS…Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…
– A seasonably moist airmass with ample moisture content ahead of an approaching frontal boundary will result in numerous showers and thunderstorms. These showers and thunderstorms will be capable of producing heavy rainfall with totals on the order of 1 to 3 inches with locally higher amounts where thunderstorms may train. These totals may result in flash flooding, particularly in urban areas and those that have observed recent heavy rainfall.

Obituary: Janet Mary O’Neil (1937-2023)

By ARLnow.com

Janet Mary O’Neil (Age 86)

Janet Mary (Corcoran) O’Neil passed away peacefully at the age of 86 on Tuesday, the 27th of June in Richmond, Va. She lived most of her life in Arlington, Va., but hailed from Newton Lower Falls, Mass., as did her kith and kin. She was the daughter of Henry J. Corcoran and Mary Powers and had two brothers, Henry “Bud” Corcoran Jr., and Gerald Corcoran.

Born and raised on Moulton Street (“Corcoran Row”), she excelled in virtually every category. In athletics she was the only girl invited to pitch for the Newton Lower boy’s sandlot games and played tennis, basketball, and field hockey. She was a straight A student, winning a full scholarship to the Boston College School of Nursing. There, she served as president of the National Student Nursing Association and graduated magna cum laude.

In 1959, she married her high school sweetheart, Bill O’Neil, a Naval Aviator, before raising three children, all boys. She served as school nurse at Brussels American High School in Belgium, where her husband was deployed.

Following their divorce, she earned a master’s degree in social work from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She worked many years in inner city social work at City Lights before retiring in Arlington.

Janet was continually active in local politics, serving as an Arlington County Democratic Precinct Captain and other volunteer positions over the years. She was a choir member at Our Lady Queen of Peace church in Arlington and a founding member of its meditation group.

She is survived by her three sons, Mark (Alessandra), John (Ginger), and Matthew, and grandchildren Giacomo, Erin, Jacqueline, and Lauren. She will be intensely missed by them and many others as she made many lasting, loving friendships throughout her lifetime.

There will be a Memorial Service at Our Lady Queen of Peace, 2700 South 19th Street, Arlington, VA 22204 at 11 a.m. on August 17.

Submitted by Bliley’s Funeral Home

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jul 14, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Friday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Jul 14, 2023.

Since it’s Friday, we’ve also compiled a list of the most-read articles of the week, below.

  1. A lounging Lady Liberty to lie down in Arlington for the next year (56877 views)
  2. Owners of razed Broyhill estate seek new owner-developer for site, touting up to 36 Missing Middle units (25535 views)
  3. Arlington could buy a property within what was once a secluded Black settlement for 100 years (16712 views)
  4. Door knocking leads to fight in Crystal City apartment building (7649 views)
  5. Restaurant owner is ‘very frustrated’ with the process to transform historic Green Valley Pharmacy (6309 views)
  6. Drivers may be required to stop for longer while pedestrians cross the road (6256 views)
  7. It’s finally tee time for Columbia Pike’s Par Citi (6100 views)
  8. Live music venue The Filling Station opening soon next to Ballston’s El Rey (5511 views)
  9. A new Lebanese restaurant is coming to Clarendon (5337 views)
  10. Astro Beer Hall and its donut robot hoping to start serving next month in Shirlington (4723 views)
  11. Demolition of the RCA building in Rosslyn set to wrap up this month (4692 views)
  12. Ballston Holiday Inn redevelopment proposal reaches Arlington County Board (3931 views)
  13. NEW: Arlington police announce additional arrests in anti-fentanyl push (3809 views)

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Saturday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

Here are the events planned for Sunday:

⛈️ Saturday’s forecast

There is a likelihood of showers and thunderstorms setting in after 2pm, despite the weather being partly sunny with a high temperature near 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The calm winds are forecasted to transition into a moderate south wind, blowing at a speed of 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon, with a 40% chance of precipitation. The same weather pattern of intermittent showers and thunderstorms is expected to continue into Saturday night, accompanied by a predominantly cloudy sky. Temperatures will lower to around 76 degrees Fahrenheit, with the south winds maintaining at around 8mph. Chances for precipitation will slightly increase to 50%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
– Mark Twain

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋

JUST IN: Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued for portion of Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Updated at 6:35 p.m. — The Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been extended to southern portions of the county.

Earlier: A northern section of Arlington may get brushed by an intense thunderstorm.

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for part of Arlington as a storm approaches from the northwest.

More from the National Weather Service:

BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
538 PM EDT FRI JUL 14 2023

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING […]

* UNTIL 630 PM EDT.

* AT 538 PM EDT, A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER AMERICAN LEGION BRIDGE, MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

HAZARD…60 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, ROCKVILLE, BETHESDA, BOWIE, OLNEY, COLLEGE PARK, GREENBELT, LANGLEY PARK, BELTSVILLE, FORESTVILLE, FALLS CHURCH, LARGO, CORAL HILLS, BLADENSBURG, PIMMIT HILLS, MCLEAN, FEDEX FIELD, FORT TOTTEN, ROSSLYN AND UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A BUILDING.

LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS AND CONTINUOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY. LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURE’S LEADING KILLERS. REMEMBER, IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER, YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM, AND MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.

Pair of projects to improve pedestrian accessibility in parts of Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Portion of S. Irving Street set for sidewalk improvements (via Google Maps)

The pedestrian experience is set to improve in nearly a dozen spots across the county.

The Arlington County Board this weekend is expected to approve two projects for accessibility improvements, along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor and in three residential neighborhoods.

The Metro corridor contract, for up to nearly $1.4 million, is the second phase of an existing effort to bring the streetscape up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards. The planned improvements include “new sidewalks, curb and gutter, curb extensions, handicap accessible ramps, storm sewer pipes and inlets, paving, pavement markings and signage.”

From a county staff report:

The Rosslyn – Ballston Corridor ADA Improvements Project – Phase 2 sites are located along the Rosslyn – Ballston Corridor. This project reconstructs multiple intersections within the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor where existing sidewalks, curb ramps or street intersections do not comply with standards of the ADA.

The project undertakes redesign and construction in batches with the highest priority problem areas reconstructed to achieve ADA compliance. The project incorporates a “second set” of improvements previously designated under P14D. It spans multiple neighborhoods, including Buckingham, Ballston-Virginia Square, Clarendon, Courthouse, Rosslyn.

The other project is part of another ongoing effort, the county’s Neighborhood Complete Streets (NCS) program.

It would bring improvements to three residential neighborhoods, including curb extensions to resolve several blocks of sidewalk obstructed by decorative streetlights.

From a staff report, the project would:

Construct one block of missing sidewalk on 14th Street North from North McKinley Road to North Ohio Street, in the Highland Park Overlee Knolls neighborhood;

Construct two improved intersections, with updated curb ramps and reduction of pedestrian crossing distances, on 8th Road South in the Arlington Mill neighborhood;

Construct eight curb extensions to relocate existing Carlyle Streetlights currently obstructing the sidewalk and provide an accessible path along three blocks of existing sidewalk on South Irving Street, in the Arlington Heights neighborhood

“The Neighborhood Complete Streets program was approved by the Arlington County Board at its January 2016 meeting,” says the report. “The program was intended as a replacement to and evolution of the prior Neighborhood Traffic Calming (NTC) program, which built approximately 175 projects designed to slow vehicle speed. The NCS program was designed to holistically address inadequacies in the complete streets paradigm, outlined in the Master Transportation Plan.”

“A complete street is one that provides facilities for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and motorists to each move comfortably and safely through the community,” the report notes. “Project requests were to be solicited from community members, prioritized based on objective data, and selected with consultation and oversight from the [Neighborhood Complete Streets Commission], following a public engagement period.”

Photo via Google Maps

Climate protest draws group of elder demonstrators to Rosslyn bank

By ARLnow.com
1/5

A climate change protest temporarily shut down a Rosslyn bank this morning.

The relatively small demonstration drew a handful of older protests and a few of grad-school age to the Wells Fargo at 1500 Wilson Blvd.

The organizers, ThirdAct Virginia, touted it as a protest of elders demanding climate action alongside youth climate activists. It featured rocking chairs outside the bank and a sit-in inside. Just over a dozen people participated, most of them older.

The issue, according to organizers, is Wells Fargo’s role in the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a planned 300-mile natural gas pipeline which would run through parts of Virginia. Construction on the pipeline was again halted by a federal court this week, despite being fast-tracked by Congress in the recent debt limit deal.

More on the protest, below, from a ThirdAct Virginia press release.

Members of ThirdAct Virginia, elders demanding climate action, and youth climate activists shut down an Arlington branch of Wells Fargo, disrupting business by staging a sit-in inside and protesting outside.

The multi-generational group, some sitting in rocking chairs outside the bank, sang songs and chanted, and waved signs and banners, demanding that the bank stop funding new fossil fuel projects including the contested Mountain Valley Pipeline that cuts across the mountains of southern Appalachia in West Virginia and Virginia.

The Friday protest is part of a series of actions across the country against the big four dirty banks (Wells Fargo, Chase, Bank of America, and Citibank) that are the worst offenders, continuing to finance billions of dollars in new fossil fuel projects, despite surging climate disasters. A large public protest with art, music and dance is planned for later in the day outside Wells Fargo headquarters in San Francisco.

The July 14 protests are timed to coincide with the announcement Friday of the bank’s 2023 second quarter earnings results.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Sunset in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Missing Middle Lawsuit Trial Delayed — “Arlington Circuit Court’s schedule to hear arguments in the lawsuit by 10 Arlington homeowners challenging the residential rezoning that took effect July 1 was postponed, from a planned July 11 date to September 19. The reason? A delay by the Virginia Supreme Court in appointing a substitute judge after all four Arlington judges on May 25 asked to be disqualified because they are ‘situated’ in Arlington.” [Falls Church News-Press]

AWLA Kennels Are Full — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “Empty the Shelters starts at AWLA in one week BUT don’t forget – our dog kennels are full so we are honoring these adoption fees starting today! ” [Facebook]

Nearby: Liberty Barbecue Changing — “Liberty Barbecue will reopen its doors next month as The Falls with a refreshed menu, overseen by a new executive chef, and a fully renovated interior. Still located at 370 West Broad Street in Falls Church, the Liberty Restaurant Group’s newest concept will feature mid-Atlantic and Southern cuisine, with more diverse offerings than its predecessor had. Diners can look forward to more poultry, seafood and bar options, though some fan favorites will remain.” [Arlington Magazine]

It’s Friday — A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm later in afternoon and evening. Partly sunny and sultry, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. At night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jul 13, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Jul 13, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

⛈️ Friday’s forecast

A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm later in afternoon and evening. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. At night: Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.”
– Theodore Roosevelt

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Three injured, one seriously, in crash on N. Glebe Road hill

By ARLnow.com
1/2

A portion of N. Glebe Road was closed for more than an hour during the evening rush due to a serious crash.

The crash happened shortly after 5 p.m., on the steep hill between Military Road and Chain Bridge.

“At approximately 5:11 p.m., police were dispatched to the 4500 block of N. Glebe Road for the report of a two-vehicle crash with injuries,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Three patients, all adults, were transported to the hospital — 1 with serious injuries and 2 with non-life-threatening injuries.”

The roadway reopened around 6:30 p.m., after the crash was cleared and crews inspected potential damage to utility lines.

Most and least expensive homes sold in Arlington (June 2023)

By ARLnow.com

Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive single-family homes sold last month (June 2023).

Most expensive single-family homes sold

  1. 3632 36th Rd N — Rivercrest — $3,750,000 (6 beds | 9 baths | 8,825 sq. ft.)
  2. 650 N Jackson St — Ballston/Virginia Square — $2,986,950 (5 beds | 5.5 baths | 6,231 sq. ft.)
  3. 5622 33rd St N — Rock Spring — $2,650,000 (7 beds | 7.5 baths | 6,739 sq. ft.)
  4. 414 N Monroe St — Ashton Heights — $2,300,000 (5 beds | 5.5 baths | 5,370 sq. ft.)
  5. 1834 N Kirkwood Pl — Lyon Village — $2,250,000 (5 beds | 4.5 baths | 4,904 sq. ft.)

Least expensive single-family homes sold*

  1. 5041 25th St S — Claremont — $560,000 (4 beds | 1 baths | 1,276 sq. ft.)
  2. 2145 S Monroe St — Nauck — $582,000 (4 beds | 2 baths | 1,360 sq. ft.)
  3. 5126 11th Rd S — Columbia Forest — $619,000 (2 beds | 1 baths | 1,056 sq. ft.)

*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.

Adoptable Pet of the Week: Cheesecake

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Say hello to the wonderful Cheesecake, the newest Adoptable Pet of the Week!

This senior girl is currently in foster with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and is ready for her forever home.

This is what her foster has to say about her:

Cheesecake is a darling senior lady looking for a sunny space to enjoy her golden years.

Meek and mild, she spends most of her days soaking in the sun with an occasional visit for head rubs and loving pets. She has the cutest little trot when she walks around the house and will lead you to her food bowl when it’s time to eat because she knows it like clockwork. She will always take you up on a treat!

Her perfect day is lots of warm naps followed by regular check-ins for head scratches and back rubs. She’ll reward you with a squeaky meow and loving purr.

Important facts about Cheesecake: while she is a senior cat she regularly demonstrates an ability to run and jump to get into cat trees and bedding perches. Cheesecake doesn’t particularly care to be held, but will sit beside you and is an ever present roommate. She would love a home where she can spend her days relaxing while you read a good book or snuggle on the couch with her.

Is Cheesecake the companion you’ve been looking for? To learn more, read her entire profile and email [email protected] to set up a meet and greet!

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email [email protected] with 2-3 paragraphs about your pet and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos.

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