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.

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jul 6, 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.

📈 Top stories

The following are articles published earlier today — Jul 6, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Friday’s forecast

A slight chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 5pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 5pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. At night: Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 2am. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
– Booker T. Washington

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Crash with overturned vehicle closes portion of N. George Mason Drive

By ARLnow.com
1/6

(Updated at 3:35 p.m.) A portion of N. George Mason Drive was closed this afternoon in the Buckingham neighborhood, near Ballston, after a crash.

The crash left one car overturned and on its roof in the roadway. It was not immediately clear how the crash happened nor whether anyone was hurt. It appeared that at least one other car — pushed partially onto the sidewalk — was involved.

The northbound lanes of George Mason were blocked in the area of 4th Street N. while police talked to witnesses and crews worked to clear the wreck. As of 3:35 p.m., all lanes were back open.

Police and firefighters responded to scene while a crowd of onlookers gathered nearby, many with smartphones in hand.

Alleged drug dealer charged in man’s fentanyl overdose death in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Arlington police car (file photo)

A 30-year-old Lorton man is being charged with involuntary manslaughter after a fatal Arlington overdose.

A man died in a Penrose home last June after overdosing on drugs that contained fentanyl and mirtazapine, according to Arlington police.

An investigation led police to “the individual suspected of supplying the deceased with controlled substances.”

More, below, from a just-issued ACPD press release.

The Arlington County Police Department’s Organized Crime Section is announcing charges have been obtained following an investigation into a fentanyl overdose death. Armand Navarro, 30, of Lorton, VA is charged with Involuntary Manslaughter and Distribution of a Schedule I/II Controlled Substance (2nd Offense). He is being held on unrelated charges in the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.

At approximately 10:06 p.m. on June 29, 2022, police were dispatched to the 700 block of S. Courthouse Road for the report of a medical emergency. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male inside a residence suffering from an apparent fentanyl overdose. Despite lifesaving measures attempted by officers and the Arlington County Fire Department, he was pronounced deceased on scene. An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined cause of death to be acute fentanyl and mirtazapine intoxication.

Detectives assigned to the Organized Crime Section initiated a comprehensive investigation which included witness interviews and the review of evidence. As a result of the review, detectives identified the individual suspected of supplying the deceased with controlled substances and warrants were obtained for his arrest.

The Arlington County Police Department remains committed to thoroughly investigating narcotics incidents and holding accountable those who traffic dangerous and deadly narcotics into our community. This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s tip line at 703-228-4180 or [email protected] or anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, there are numerous resources available through the Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiative. For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

This year, Arlington County and Arlington Public Schools have been undertaking a number of measures to combat the opioid crisis after a spate of overdose deaths.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
As seen in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Doctor Pleads to Workplace Assault — From attorney and former Virginia lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax: “Today in #Arlington General District Court, [a local doctor who owns several local urgent care clinics] pled ‘No Contest’ regarding a terrifying at-work assault & battery.” [Twitter, Fox 5]

Historic Designation for Haunted House? — “A home that someday could become a local historic district comes with an added attraction – visitors from the spirit world. The property was the home for decades to a self-described clairvoyant who would host seances there. And even today, ghosts are reported to remain in residence.” [Gazette Leader]

Big Boost in July 4 Metro Ridership — “Metrorail celebrated the Independence Day holiday with preliminary ridership topping 410,000, a level not seen since 2015. With fare-free service after 5 p.m. and a boost in service to accommodate the influx of customers, rail ridership was up 61 percent over last year.” [WMATA]

APS, Planetarium Group Renew Agreement — “Arlington school leaders will ink an updated agreement with the ‘friends’ group supporting the David M. Brown Planetarium… Under the agreement, Friends of the Planetarium will continue to be able to use the facility one weekend per month and on specified evenings and times when schools are closed to provide programming to the public.” [Gazette Leader]

Biking Best Bet for Costco Trips? — From the Costco Connection magazine: “For Gillian Burgess, her cargo bike adds convenience to her shopping trips. ‘I live in Arlington, Virginia, and find that biking is the best way to get to the Pentagon City Costco,’ she says.” [Twitter]

Money Diary of Local Financial Analyst — “I leave my apartment at 7:25 to make it to my date on time. We’re meeting at a dive bar around the corner from me. I immediately know I’m not interested in him but I order a beer and chat with him for an hour.” [Refinery 29]

Nearby: Pickleball Proposal in Tysons — “Indoor pickleball courts could soon be coming to a Tysons industrial park off Leesburg Pike and the Dulles Toll Road. The Pickleball Club of Tysons has applied to Fairfax County for permits to build out space at 8520 A Tyco Road, about a half-mile from the Silver Line’s Spring Hill Metro station, for the new athletic facility.” [Washington Business Journal]

It’s Thursday — A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Otherwise mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Jul 5, 2023

By ARLnow.com

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

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — Jul 5, 2023.

  1. Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Arlington, D.C. area
  2. ACFD investigating ‘suspicious’ vehicle fire near Shirlington

📅 Upcoming events

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

  • No events today. Have one to promote? Submit it to the calendar.

⛈️ Thursday’s forecast

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 89. Light and variable wind becoming southeast 5 to 7 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southeast wind 3 to 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
– Vince Lombardi

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

JUST IN: Flash Flood Warning issued for Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Flash Flood Warning on 7/5/23

A slow-moving thunderstorm is hovering over northern and western portions of Arlington, prompting a Flash Flood Warning.

The storm is dropping copious amounts of rain, which could cause streams to overtop their banks and basements to flood. The warning is in effect until 6:30 p.m.

The Falls Church area is getting hit particularly hard by the downpour.

More from the National Weather Service:

The National Weather Service in Sterling Virginia has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for… Western Arlington County in northern Virginia… Central Fairfax County in northern Virginia… The Northwestern City of Alexandria in northern Virginia… The City of Fairfax in northern Virginia… The City of Falls Church in northern Virginia…

* Until 630 PM EDT.

* At 325 PM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 0.5 and 1.5 inches of rain have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.
HAZARD…Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.
SOURCE…Radar.
IMPACT…Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

ACFD responds to townhouse fire in East Falls Church, fireworks-sparked blaze at apartment building

By ARLnow.com
1/3

(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) A townhouse in the East Falls Church neighborhood was badly damaged by a fire last night.

The fire broke out in a middle-of-the-row townhouse on the 6500 block of Washington Blvd around 11:30 p.m. on July 4. A large fire department response to the blaze blocked traffic near the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Sycamore Street, one block from the Metro station.

Arriving firefighters reported encountering heavy fire coming from the home’s garage and extending up to the upper floors.

While the bulk of the flames were extinguished relatively quickly, firefighters were kept busy for more than an hour, searching for hotspots and ventilating the structure, according to scanner traffic. Additionally, several cats were rescued from inside the home.

This morning, fire investigators could be seen searching through the charred remains of the garage.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Arlington County Fire Department announced that while four animals were rescued and no humans were injured, one pet was found dead.

Early this morning, firefighters also responded to a fire at the Frederick at Courthouse apartment building, at 2230 Fairfax Drive, shortly after 1 a.m.

Initial reports suggest that fireworks disposed of in the trash chute caused a fire that filled a portion of the building with smoke and set off sprinklers, dousing the flames but also causing water damage in numerous apartments.

Photos: Fourth of July 2023 fireworks and fun

By ARLnow.com
1/30

Missed the fireworks on the National Mall last night? Or just want to relive the Fourth of July grandeur?

ARLnow staff photographer Jay Westcott brought his cameras to the Marine Corps War Memorial near Rosslyn to capture the show and some of those watching the show.

Unlike past years when weather resulted in extra haze that obscured the fireworks, the 2023 edition benefited from clear skies and relatively pleasant temperatures.

The fireworks viewing was not the only Independence Day celebration of note in Arlington. Neighborhood events were held throughout the county, including the annual parades and block parties in places like Barcroft and Douglas Park.

Have your own photos to share? Show them off in the comments.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
An airliner on approach to DCA over Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Local Pickleball Saga in NYT — “Arlington’s pickleball drama made the front page of the New York Times.” [Twitter, New York Times]

Arrest for Assaulting Police — “1200 block of S. Courthouse Road. At approximately 7:14 p.m. on June 30, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown. Upon arrival, the reporting party advised a possibly intoxicated individual was located in the stairway of a residential building. As the arriving officer was attempting to take the suspect into custody, he allegedly became combative, resisted arrest and struck the officer. With the assistance of additional police units, the suspect was taken into custody, during which he struck and headbutted a second officer.” [ACPD]

Fire in Crystal City — Construction debris reportedly caught fire on an upper floor of an under-construction building on the 1900 block of Crystal Drive over the weekend. [Twitter]

Crash on I-395 — From Dave Statter: “Vehicle stops on I-395S 8A ramp across from the Pentagon, backs up, crosses over to the Pentagon ramp, causes another driver to run off the road knocking down a sign, and then drives away. It was 7:10 pm. Hope someone got the tag.” [Twitter]

Local Bank to Close — “Alexandria’s Burke & Herbert Bank & Trust Co. is planning to close its full-service branch in Crystal City and is looking to replace it with a smaller location somewhere between Amazon.com Inc.’s second headquarters in Pentagon City and Virginia Tech’s forthcoming Innovation Campus at Potomac Yard. The $3.7 billion-asset bank recently put its 1,217-square-foot space at 500 23rd St.” [Washington Business Journal]

YHS Tennis Star Places in State Tourney — “Rayan Elkhalifi… moved to Arlington for the 2022-23 school year from Morocco, where he did not play high-school tennis as a freshman, sophomore or junior. For Yorktown, Elkhalifi won Liberty District and 6D North Region tournament singles championships, then finished second in the Virginia High School League’s Class 6 state tourney.” [Gazette Leader]

Pornhub Now Blocking Va. Users — “Pornhub is pulling out … of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The wildly popular smut purveyor shut down access to amorous Dominion state residents to protest a new law requiring age verification.” [New York Post, Virginia Mercury]

Code Orange Alert Today — “The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality Alert Wednesday for Northern Virginia. A Code Orange Air Quality Alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups.” [Weather.gov]

It’s Wednesday — A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Light and variable wind becoming north around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 72. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. [Weather.gov]

UPDATED: Two dead, one fighting for her life after early morning crash

By ARLnow.com
Intersection of S. Walter Reed Drive and S. Dinwiddie Street (via Google Maps)

(Updated at 6:15 p.m.) A vehicle with three people inside crashed into a tree along S. Walter Reed Drive early this morning, killing the 23-year-old driver and a 21-year-old passenger.

The July 4 crash happened around 2 a.m. at the intersection with S. Dinwiddie Street — a few blocks from Route 7 and from Wakefield High School. The force of the crash caused the vehicle to catch fire.

The circumstances leading to the crash are currently unclear. Arlington County police are asking anyone with information about it to contact investigators.

At last check, there was one surviving passenger with critical injuries, being treated at a local trauma center.

ACPD said Tuesday evening that a passenger, originally listed in critical condition, had died.

“The driver has been identified as 23-year-old Furkan Avkan of Alexandria, VA,” the police department said. “A passenger in the vehicle passed away at the hospital. She has been identified 21-year-old Habiba Harbaoui who was visiting the area from Tunisia.”

The initial ACPD press release is below.

The Arlington County Police Department is investigating a fatal single-vehicle crash that occurred in the early morning hours of July 4, 2023.

At approximately 2:06 a.m., police were dispatched to S. Walter Reed Drive at S. Dinwiddie Street for the report of a vehicle fire. The preliminary investigation indicates the occupants were traveling southbound on Walter Reed Drive when the vehicle left the roadway, entered the median, struck a tree and caught fire.

The adult male driver was located unresponsive inside the vehicle and pronounced deceased on scene. The two passengers, both adult females, were removed from the vehicle and transported to area hospitals in critical condition.

The identity of the driver is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Detective T. Parsons at [email protected] or 703-228-4172. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued for Arlington, D.C. area

By ARLnow.com
Storm clouds moving in over Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington and the D.C. area are under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch Monday afternoon and evening.

The watch is in effect until 10 p.m.

From the National Weather Service: “A Severe Thunderstorm Watch is in effect until 10pm. Scattered severe storms capable of producing damaging wind gusts and large hail are possible through this evening. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. There is also an isolated threat for flash flooding during this time.”

 

View More Stories