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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

County Focused on Child Care — “Demand for child care in Arlington is high and the County is working with business owners and families to meet the increasing needs. Preliminary steps also are underway to map out a comprehensive Child Care Initiative that establishes an action plan to advance the availability, accessibility, and quality of childcare in Arlington.” [Arlington County]

GGW Urges Support for Accessory Apartments — The website Greater Greater Washington is urging its readers to write to the Arlington County Board in support of two proposals: lowering parking minimums for buildings near Metro stations, and “reforming overly burdensome regulations on accessory apartments.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Yankee Stadium Operator to Run Rosslyn Observation Deck — JBG Smith has hired New York City-based Legends to run the public observation deck at the top of its Central Place tower in Rosslyn. Legends also operates Yankee Stadium, Angel Stadium in Anaheim, AT&T Stadium in Dallas and the One World Observatory at One World Trade Center. The 12,000 square foot Central Place observation deck will feature “an outdoor cantilevered terrace and full food and beverage program,” plus panoramic views. [Washington Business Journal]

Ballston Building Sells for $72 Million — New York-based property investment group Westbrook Partners has acquired the Two Liberty Center office building, at 4075 Wilson Blvd in Ballston, for $72 million. [Commercial Property Executive]

Ballston BID CEO on Redevelopment — Ballston Business Improvement District CEO Tina Leone says changes along the Ballston corridor, including extensive renovations to the former Ballston Common Mall (now Ballston Quarter), are having a ripple effect. “This redevelopment has spurred on like 10 other projects here,” she said. “The face of Ballston is going to change again in the next three to five years, it’s going to look so different. I know it’s just going to be better.” [Washington Business Journal]

Reminder: No Parking Meter Enforcement Today — Parking meters in Arlington will not be enforced today, due to the Veterans Day observation, but meters will be enforced tomorrow. [ARLnow]

Mooning Cyclist Evades Police Search

By ARLnow.com

A cyclist was seen riding down the street in Courthouse yesterday, mooning every driver and pedestrian in his path.

Police were called around 3:45 p.m. for “a report of a male traveling by bicycle with his buttocks exposed in the area of N. Veitch Street at Wilson Boulevard,” according to Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

An ARLnow.com contractor witnessed the odd sight and said the man rode his bike into the nearby Key Elementary parking lot. Police, however, were unable to locate him.

“A lookout was broadcast and a search of the area by officers was negative,” Savage said.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

ACPD Urges Caution on Roads As Days Get Shorter — “The days are getting shorter and there’s increased pedestrian and bicyclist traffic after dark,” the Arlington County Police Department said in a public service tweet last night. “Slow down, remain alert and proceed with care and caution.” [Twitter, Twitter]

History: Fort Myer During World War I — A Library of Congress collection includes 100-year-old photographs showing what life was like on Fort Myer during World War I. The photos show a visit from President Woodrow Wilson and the famous “Three Sisters” radio towers. [Pentagram]

Redskins Visit Fort Myer, Play Video Games — Former Washington Redskins players Santana Moss and Fred Smoot visited Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall and engaged in a Madden 18 video game tournament with some of the men and women in uniform. [WUSA 9]

Notable Tree Nomination Deadline Approaching — November 15 is the application deadline for submitting a tree for consideration as a 2018 Arlington County “notable tree.” [Arlington County]

Starting Tomorrow: A Daily Roundup of D.C. News Links

By ARLnow.com

The closure of DCist and its sister sites in other cities last week was a big loss for local journalism.

For hundreds of thousands of monthly readers, DCist was a one-stop shop for news about the District. It also featured the work of talented local writers who covered arts and culture in the city.

While there are other outlets that cover news and happenings in the District, there is nothing that will fully replace DCist. However, we are going to try to fill at least some of the void left by its closure.

Starting tomorrow morning, former DCist editor-in-chief Rachel Sadon will be publishing a daily D.C. news link roundup here on ARLnow.

We’re calling it “Meanwhile in DC,” and it will feature links to just about everything you need to know about the day’s local news in the District. Plus, whenever possible, it will include links to the work of former DCist writers who are now covering their food, arts and culture beats elsewhere.

We think this will be a great resource for ARLnow and former DCist readers alike, and can give the DCist community a new place to congregate. However, for now it’s envisioned as a temporary resource — a sort of “popup” feature on the site, while the local news ecosystem adjusts to the big void left by DCist. There is no timeframe for how long it will run, but we hope you enjoy it.

Crews Working to Clean Up Spilled Cement Near Busy Glebe Road Intersection

By ARLnow.com
1/5

A cement spill closed a lane and might have damaged a car on S. Glebe Road this afternoon.

The spill happened in the northbound lanes of Glebe just prior to the busy intersection with Columbia Pike. Traffic cameras showed a road crew hastily cleaning up the spill with shovels around 2:45 p.m., blocking the righthand lane.

As seen on the cameras, a white Mercedes Benz was stopped near the spill. Its driver called police to report damage to the car caused by the spill, according to scanner traffic.

Crime Report: Fleeing to the Pentagon Is a Bad Idea for Robbery Suspect

By ARLnow.com

A robbery suspect took an ill-fated getaway route onto the grounds of the Pentagon last Thursday afternoon, according to this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.

The 26-year-old Maryland man had allegedly stolen items from a store in the Pentagon City mall and pushed away two security guards during his getaway. He then ran outside and tried to hail a taxicab but ended up continuing to flee on foot, according to the police report.

After jumping a fence into a Pentagon parking lot, he was taken into custody by Pentagon Force Protection Agency officers and handed over to ACPD. More from the crime report:

ROBBERY, 2017-11020174, 1000 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 2:57 p.m. on November 2, officers responded to the report of a larceny in progress. Upon arrival it was determined that a subject exited a business with merchandise concealed. A loss prevention officer attempted to stop the suspect, but was pushed away. The suspect dropped the bag of merchandise and fled, pushing away a second loss prevention officer attempting to stop him. While fleeing the mall, the suspect forced exit, causing damage to the door. The suspect unsuccessfully tried to flee in a stopped taxi and then headed on foot in the direction of the Pentagon. Officers canvased the area and were alerted by Officers with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency of a suspect, matching the description, who had jumped a fence into the parking lot. Trayvon Chappell, 26, of Suitland, MD, was arrested and charged with Robbery, Larceny with Intent to Sell, Possession of Burglarous Tools, and Destruction of Property.

Also in this week’s crime report was another incident in Pentagon City, which occurred last night (Tuesday) around 5:30 p.m. According to scanner traffic, a theft suspect near the Unleashed pet store on Pentagon Row became combative and tried to out-muscle a pair of officers. The officers struggled with the suspect before deploying a Taser to subdue him.

More from ACPD:

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2017-11070236, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 5:32 p.m. on November 7, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny that just occurred. The arriving officer met with security guards who identified the suspect in the area of S. Hayes Street. As the officer attempted to stop the suspect to conduct the investigation, the suspect became combative, pushed the officers and resisted arrest. When the suspect failed to comply with officer’s commands, a Taser was deployed and the suspect was taken into custody. Denarmbi Marshall, 32, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with petit larceny, obstruction of justice and assault on police (x2). 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.

(more…)

Arlington Pet of the Week: Rusty

By ARLnow.com
1/3

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Rusty, a retired racing greyhound.

Here is what his owner Deanna had to say:

Rusty is a retired racing greyhound who made his way around five different racing tracks and raced in about 80 races before he was adopted out through our local greyhound rescue group, Greyhound Welfare.

He actually won a few races, but we think he is best suited to being a pet. The rescue group described him as a lovebug who is free with his kisses, and they could not have been more accurate. He approaches strangers and friends with the same warm excitement and wants to say hi to everyone we pass on our walks.

He is an expert snuggler and loves nothing more than cuddling up on the couch with his human family and friends. Although greyhounds are notoriously lazy, he loves going on runs if it is not too hot out and will do absolutely anything for a snack.

We love Rusty very much and hope his story will help encourage others to consider adopting a retired racing greyhound! You can find out more about Greyhound Welfare at http://greyhoundwelfare.org/

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.

Woman Charged With Peeing on Cop’s Foot

By ARLnow.com

An Arlington woman is facing multiple charges after police say she spit and peed on officers while in the hospital.

The incident started around 3:15 p.m. Monday, when police were called to a business on the 3400 block of Washington Blvd in Virginia Square — the block includes a barbecue restaurant, a grocery store and a convenience store — for a “report of a person drunk in public.”

The woman, identified as 42-year-old Elena Bolonina, was so drunk that medics transported her to the hospital, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report. That is where the real trouble reportedly started.

“While at Virginia Hospital Center, the suspect allegedly became combative kicking and spitting on officers,” said the crime report. “The subject then urinated on an officer’s foot while being transported to booking.”

Bolonina was arrested and charged with “Assault and Battery on Law Enforcement, Identity Theft, Urinating in Public, Obstruction of Justice and Public Drunkenness.”

Large Power Outage Reported in Ballston Area

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) More than 2,000 Dominion customers are without power in the Ballston area this Election Day afternoon.

The outage was first reported just before 3:45 p.m. Some 2,063 Dominion customers in Ballston, Virginia Square and Ashton Heights are without electricity.

Police are also reporting traffic signals to be dark at the busy intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Quincy Street, causing some traffic tie-ups. In a tweet, the police department advised drivers to treat all non-operating traffic signals as a four-way stop.

No word yet on what caused the outage. Dominion is listing a preliminary restoration estimate of 8-11 p.m.

‘Elevated Noise Levels’ Expected at Arlington Nat’l Cemetery

By ARLnow.com

Arlington residents can expect “elevated noise levels” coming from Arlington National Cemetery on Thursday.

The Army’s Presidential Salute Battery will be firing a 19-gun volley of 105mm howitzer cannons from about 7-7:15 a.m. as part of a dress rehearsal for the National Veterans Day Observance on Saturday.

“Arlington County neighbors are advised to expect intermittent, elevated noise level during this time,” said a press release from Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

Arlington residents frequently report hearing cannon fire from the cemetery, usually in the morning. Depending on weather conditions, the noise can be heard in various parts of Arlington or even D.C.

The full press release about Thursday’s rehearsal, below.

The Presidential Salute Battery of the 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) will execute a 19-gun volley of its 105mm howitzer cannons beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, during a full force rehearsal. The rehearsal should last between 10 and 15 minutes. Arlington County neighbors are advised to expect intermittent, elevated noise level during this time.

The battery will be set up in Arlington National Cemetery for the rehearsal in preparation for the National Veterans Day Observance set for Saturday, Nov. 11.

The Presidential Salute Battery Guns Platoon fires its cannons at ceremonies in honor of the President of the United States, for visiting foreign dignitaries, during official government ceremonies, regional celebrations (such as the 4th of July program at the U.S. Capitol), and while rendering honors during the funeral services of our nation’s fallen service members and veterans.

The members of the regiment practice to maintain the highest level of ceremonial proficiency necessary and often practice in Arlington National Cemetery between 7 and 8 a.m. on Tuesday mornings.  Arlington County neighbors are advised that during the fall and winter months, without leaves on the trees to buffer the sound, the booms of the cannons may seem louder.

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