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.

Arlington Public Schools Opening on Two Hour Delay

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Public School will open on a two hour delay today due to snow and slick roads.

A coating of snow fell overnight and much of it stuck to untreated roads. A number of accidents have been reported while some buses, like Metro’s 16G line, are driving modified routes.

“Essential personnel and food service workers should report to work at their scheduled time,” APS said in an email. “All other employees should report to work two hours past their usual start time.”

Arlington County offices will open at their usual time, the county said.

https://twitter.com/lkn6731/status/953598689750212608

Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Arlington, D.C.

By ARLnow.com

A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Arlington and much of the rest of the D.C. area.

Forecasters say 1-2 inches of snow is possible overnight tonight, potentially making for a challenging morning commute.

More from the National Weather Service:

… WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM EST WEDNESDAY… * WHAT… SNOW EXPECTED. PLAN ON SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS, INCLUDING DURING THE WEDNESDAY MORNING COMMUTE. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND AN INCH ARE EXPECTED. * WHERE… PORTIONS OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND, INCLUDING THE I-95 CORRIDOR AND BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON METRO AREAS. * WHEN… FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 9 AM EST WEDNESDAY. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS… BE PREPARED FOR REDUCED VISIBILITIES AT TIMES. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES, AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING. THE LATEST ROAD CONDITIONS FOR THE STATE YOU ARE CALLING FROM CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING 5 1 1.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

APS Named Best School System in Va. — Arlington Public Schools is the best public school system in Virginia, according to a new set of state-by-state rankings. APS received an A+ rating for academics, diversity and teachers, and an A rating for health and safety. [Business Insider]

DES Scrambles to Deal With Water Main Breaks — Staff from Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services had their hands full again over the holiday weekend, dealing with numerous water main breaks in various parts of the county. “A number of Arlington residents experienced low pressure/no water issues” as a result of the breaks, DES said. At least one significant break, along Wilson Blvd in the Bluemont neighborhood, is still being repaired as of Tuesday morning. [Facebook, Twitter]

Marymount Grad Helps Save Family — A Marymount University graduate, now a law enforcement officer in North Carolina, helped to rescue a family from a house fire last month. [The Pilot]

Bill Could Allow Instant Runoff Elections — A bill proposed by Del. Patrick Hope, currently under consideration in the Virginia General Assembly, would allow the Arlington County Board to mandate instant-runoff voting in local races. [InsideNova]

Nearby: Old Town Church Now a Basilica — “The Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship declared St. Mary Church in Alexandria a minor basilica, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge announced to parishioners during Mass [on] Jan. 14.” [Arlington Catholic Herald, Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Arlington Bank Robbery Suspect Arrested By Transit Police

By ARLnow.com

The man suspected of robbing the TD Bank in Clarendon last week is now in police custody.

Police say 33-year-old Jason Walker was arrested by Metro Transit Police at the Columbia Heights station in D.C. He’s accused of robbing the bank last Friday while unarmed and, reportedly, without implying that he was armed.

More from an Arlington County Police Department press release:

A bank robbery suspect wanted in Arlington County has been taken into custody by the Metro Transit Police Department. Jason Walker, 33, of no fixed address, was arrested during the evening of January 10, 2018, at the Columbia Heights Metro Station. Walker has been charged with strong-arm robbery of a business and is currently being held pending extradition to the Commonwealth.

On Friday, January 5, 2018, at approximately 10:55 a.m., a male suspect entered the TD Bank located at 3101 Wilson Boulevard in Arlington, Virginia and passed the teller a note, demanding money. After obtaining an undisclosed amount of money, the suspect exited the bank and fled the area on foot.

“Our detectives were able to identify this suspect in a timely manner as a direct result of our outstanding relationship and the ability to share resources with our partners at Metro Transit Police Department,” comments Daniel J. Murray, Deputy Chief of Criminal Investigations Division for Arlington County Police Department.

An Anniversary for Arlington’s Car-Free Diet

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Eight years ago this month, Arlington launched its search for two “car-free diet skeptics” to take the inaugural Car-Free Diet Challenge.

What resulted were two seasons of the challenge, featuring Car-Free Todd, Matt, Ross and Kyle; a blog; and a sketch-comedy show that appeared on YouTube and local cable TV. The goal: convince skeptical commuters of the virtues of biking, walking or taking the bus instead of driving.

The show might have been silly — and intentionally so — but it did have a certain je ne sais quoi. In all, the Car-Free Diet Challenge was creative and memorable enough to warrant a mention eight years later.

And it might have had some lasting impact. After all, last year’s Bike to Work Day in Arlington set a new registration record, with 2,900 people signed up.

So what are the Car-Free Diet Challenge contestants up to these days? We received updates on three of the four.

According to a county spokeswoman, Ross moved to Boston to attend graduate school and Todd moved to Reston. Matt, meanwhile, is “working for Tysons Partnership doing Transportation Demand Management… [helping] those in the Tysons area to be car-free or car-lite.”

There’s no word on whether any of the contestants remained car-free.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Ballston Quarter Part of ‘De-Malling’ — “At Ballston Quarter in Virginia, shoppers will soon be able to find everything from Adidas sneakers to zinc lozenges amid 360,000 square feet of retail space spread over three levels. One thing they won’t find is the word ‘mall.'” [Wall Street Journal]

Reminder: Vehicle Decal Voting End is Nigh — Voting for this year’s Arlington County vehicle decal design contest ends at midnight on Monday, Jan. 15. [Arlington County]

Flick pool photo by Drew H.

Linda’s Cafe Cooks Up Extra Spicy Twitter Account

By ARLnow.com

Linda’s Cafe is an unassuming, long-time diner at 5050 Lee Highway in Arlington, serving a clientele that includes families and senior citizens.

The restaurant is not active on Facebook and doesn’t have a website that we could find. On Yelp, diners are mostly satisfied with the service and the food — “the service is good and the staff is nice,” is a typical comment. A sign in the window touts “excellent burgers.”

But on Twitter — at least over the past year or so — Linda’s Cafe has a much different personality: quarrelling with customers, warning of speed traps along Lee Highway and saying “f*** the pilgrims” on Thanksgiving.

One long-time customer who contacted ARLnow said the Twitter account is not befitting the character of the restaurant nor the values of its customers.

“Their servers, chefs and other employees have been spouting profanities, talking about… controversial subjects on their restaurant’s official Twitter account,” said the customer, who did not want to be named.

Reached by phone, an assistant manager who said his name was Luciano seemed confused when asked about the Twitter account, saying he was aware of its existence but not the content. He declined further comment. The restaurant’s owner was traveling and not available for comment, we were told.

Photo and screen shots via Twitter

Dems Select Primary for County Board Race as Kanninen Announces Reelection Bid

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Shortly after electing Jill Caiazzo as its new chair, the Arlington County Democratic Committee selected a County Board primary for 2018.

Last year, the race to select a Democratic nominee to replace retiring County Board member Jay Fisette was determined by a caucus. In an op-ed last month, Caiazzo said she preferred a primary this year as it encourages more voter participation, while a caucus “is seen by many as rigged in favor of the Democratic establishment.”

Arlington Democrats “voted unanimously to choose this year’s County Board nominee via primary election rather than a caucus in order to achieve greater participation,” according to a press release.

The winner of this year’s Democratic primary is expected to face independent Board member John Vihstadt in the general election.

Also at last night’s ACDC meeting, School Board member Barbara Kanninen announced her reelection bid.

From a press release:

In her remarks, Kanninen pointed to a number of accomplishments during her tenure on the School Board over the past four years. “We’ve worked to support the whole child, to ensure that every child in our schools is healthy, safe, supported, challenged, and engaged,” she said. She highlighted increases in academic, social, and emotional assistance; supports for immigrant and LGBTQ students; expansion of STEM programs and career and technical education; and the launch of a strategic planning process to carry Arlington public schools into the 21st century.

“We’ve done so much together,” Kanninen said, “but there is still more to do. I’m running for re-election to continue building up the whole child, I’m running to support the voices of our teachers and staff, and I’m running to support our growth and build a stronger, more responsive school system.”

First elected to the School Board in 2014, Kanninen is an environmental economist, children’s book author, and community activist. In 2017, Washingtonian magazine named her one of the Most Powerful Women in Washington–the only elected official in Arlington and the only school board member in the DC metro area named to the magazine’s list. As a member of the school board, she was awarded the 2015 AGLA Equality Award and the Public Outreach and Engagement Award from the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association. Kanninen and her husband have lived in Arlington for 25 years and have two sons who were both K-12 Arlington Public Schools students.

In her speech to the assembled partisans, Caiazzo encouraged local Democrats to avoid complacency and continue fighting for progress.

“The Trump era represents a pivotal moment for the Democratic Party,” she said. “With progressive policies under attack daily, we have much to fight against — but we also must demonstrate that we have a positive, solutions-oriented vision that is worth fighting for. The dynamic and talented members of the Arlington Democrats are ready to meet this challenge.”

Photos by Kevin Wolf

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pentagon Looking into Helicopter Noise Reduction — After pressure from residents who live near the Pentagon, along with Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), “FOX 5 has learned the Department of Defense is researching ways to reduce helicopter noise and is ready to hear concerns from… neighboring residents.” [Fox 5]

Caiazzo is New ACDC Chair — The Arlington County Democratic Committee has elected Jill Caiazzo, a lawyer and policy advocate, as its new chair. She succeeds Kip Malinosky, who was lauded at last night’s ACDC meeting for his four years of service as chair. [Blue Virginia, Facebook]

Favola Pushes Highway Name Bill — In an effort to allow Arlington to change the name of its stretch of Jefferson Davis Highway, and perhaps even Lee Highway, state Sen. Barbara Favola “is patroning legislation that would allow any Virginia county, city or town to change the name of any highway in its environs, so long as the original name was put in place prior to 1965.” [InsideNova]

Homeless Shelter Busy During Cold Snap — Some 80 people a night were staying at Arlington’s homeless shelter in Courthouse during the recent extended blast of frigid temperatures. The shelter, which relocated to an office building next to Arlington police headquarters in 2015, can accommodate up to 90 people during sub-freezing weather. [Arlington Connection]

History of the Sun Gazette — In his latest column, “Our Man in Arlington” Charlie Clark recounts the history of Arlington’s Sun Gazette newspaper. [Falls Church News-Press]

Printing Business Offers Free Pizza — In a unique partnership, Ballston-area printing business ASAP Screen Printing is partnering with newly-renamed pizza restaurant Alto Fumo to offer customers who spend at least $100 a free pizza. [Press Release]

Flickr pool photo by Jim Harvard

A New Year Brings a New Media Kit for ARLnow Advertisers

By ARLnow.com

ARLnow advertisers help us keep the lights on, which we and our readers greatly appreciate.

But it’s a two-way street: our advertisers are able to get their brand and message out to hundreds of thousands of local residents via ARLnow. And as a bonus, readers are able to learn about great local businesses and nonprofits while checking out our local news reporting.

In 2018, we’re improving our offerings, with both time-tested and forward-thinking advertising options to fit any budget. From CPM-based display advertising to new Premium Brand Packages, we have a solution that will work for your company or organization.

For more information, or to check out the new 2018 ARLnow media kit, see our advertising info page.

Crime Report: Attempted Carjacking in Courthouse Area

By ARLnow.com

A Maryland man armed with a “piece of metal” allegedly threatened to steal a woman’s car in the Courthouse area last week.

The crime, described as an attempted carjacking, happened just after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday afternoon, according to police.

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

ATTEMPTED CARJACKING, 2018-01040128, 1400 block of N. Scott Street. At approximately 4:37 p.m. on January 4, police were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male suspect, holding a piece of metal, approached the female victim and allegedly told her he was going to take her vehicle. The victim was able to safely leave the location and contact police. Responding officers canvased the area and located a suspect matching the description provided by the victim. Jeffrey Johnson, 40, of Waldorf, MD was arrested and charged with attempted carjacking. He was held on no bond.

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

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