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.

WaPo Nixes Community Calendar, Animal Columns on Thursdays

By ARLnow.com

The Washington Post has cut the community calendar and animal columns from its Thursday Local Living section.

Based on digital replicas on the Washington Post website, yesterday’s paper appears to be the first to reflect the change. ARLnow.com learned about the change when a WaPo employee hit “reply all” to a press release emailed by the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra.

Here’s what the Washington Post email said:

As of 10/5, The Washington Post will no longer publish a community calendar or the animal columns in the weekly Local Living section. We will still include listings weekly in our Weekend section and quarterly in the Sunday Arts section (Enter event information at the web address events.washpost.com). We will also continue to cover local news in our Metro section [email address redacted].

The Weekend listings include events in the following categories: pop music, classical music, museums, theater, dance, comedy and film. We accept events in the District; Montgomery, Prince George’s, Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties in Maryland; and the area including Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties and the city of Alexandria in Virginia. We do not list tours, lectures, discussions, food events, classes or community festivals.

If your event falls into one of those categories now or in the future, please submit your event [here].

Thank you,

The Local Living department

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Delays on Blue, Orange Lines Due to Person Struck — A person was struck by a train at the L’Enfant Metro station around 9:30 this morning. The incident is causing delays on the Blue and Orange lines, as service has been suspended between L’Enfant and Federal Center. Silver Line trains are operating between Wiehle and Ballston. [Twitter, Twitter, Washington Post]

Reminder: E-CARE Event This Weekend — Arlington County is holding its biannual Environmental Collection and Recycling Event (E-CARE) on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This time around the venue has changed; the recycling and hazardous household materials collection event is now being held at Yorktown High School (5200 Yorktown Blvd). [Arlington County]

Scott Disick Comes to Arlington, Disses ARLnow — Updated at 12:10 p.m. — Reality TV personality Scott Disick lorded over the grand opening ceremony for Sugar Factory in Pentagon City last night. About 100 people, mostly young women, showed up for the event, according to an ARLnow employee on the scene. Disick did interviews with local news outlets, but PR reps cut off the interviews and ushered Disick away just as our employee was next in line. [Twitter, Facebook, Daily Mail]

Kirwan’s Opens to Big Crowds — Mark Kirwan, owner of Samuel Beckett’s in Shirlington, may have another hit on his hands. His new bar, Kirwan’s on the Wharf in Southwest D.C., was packed last night before the Foo Fighters concert at the Anthem. [Facebook]

Courthouse Plaza Parking Lot Closed Sunday — The county’s Courthouse Plaza parking lot will be closed most of the day Sunday for the 2017 Animal Welfare League of Arlington Pints 4 Paws event. [Arlington County]

Marymount Makes USNWR Top Tier — “Marymount University is once again in the top tier among Regional Universities in the South in several categories, ranking 52nd overall in the 2018 edition of ‘Best Colleges’ by U.S. News & World Report.” [Marymount University]

AIRE Wins Regional Award — The Arlington Initiative to Rethink Energy was among this year’s recipients of the Climate and Energy Leadership Awards from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. AIRE’s Energy Lending Library “makes it easy to check out a thermal camera, a box of 10 different LED bulbs, energy meter, and Do-It-Yourself energy retrofit books through the library system free of charge,” notes COG. [Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

Photos: ‘Gusher’ Water Main Break in Ballston

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 10:40 a.m.) A water main break in Ballston resulted in a geyser of water shooting up from N. Taylor Street.

The break happened shortly before 8 a.m. this morning, just north of Fairfax Drive near the Nature Conservancy building. The street was being milled as part of repaving work.

Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Kathryn O’Brien said the break is affection water service for about 500 customers.

“Crews are repairing the break and are expected to be completed by 5 p.m., barring any complications,” she said.

Update at 3:45 p.m. — Via O’Brien at DES: “The water main has been repaired and water service is being restored to impacted customers. Crews are expected to complete road repairs by 7 p.m. this evening, barring any complications.”

Video courtesy Ron B.

Arlington Resident Finds Raccoon in Bathtub

By ARLnow.com

Raccoons in Arlington have been known to catch rides on garbage trucks, get stuck in drains and terrorize Fairlington residents.

Now, a trash panda has gone where few have gone before: into someone’s bathtub.

A resident was surprised to find the frightened raccoon in her tub a few days ago. She called the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and an animal control officer was able to free the critter from the home.

More from an AWLA Facebook post, below.

This isn’t what most people expect to find in their bathtub in the morning! A few days ago, a local resident woke up and found this scared little guy in her tub (the home was undergoing attic repairs, so that’s likely how he got in). Luckily, she knew just what to do and called Animal Control, who safely removed the raccoon from the home and released him outside where he happily scampered off!

Photo via AWLA/Facebook

Report: Man Trapped in Starbucks Bathroom

By ARLnow.com

A Starbucks patron had a grande problem inside the coffee shop’s bathroom Wednesday evening.

Police were called to the Starbucks at 901 N. Stuart Street, in Ballston, around 5 p.m., for a report of a man who had somehow gotten himself locked inside the bathroom, unable to get out.

He called police who responded to help unlock and open the door.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arson Not Suspected in Ashton Heights Blaze — The house fire that critically injured an occupant of a house on N. Ivy Street in Ashton Heights “doesn’t appear to be malicious,” says the Arlington County Fire Department. The blaze caused about $300,000 in damage to the home. [Twitter]

Obama, Tillerson Join Army Navy Country Club — Former President Barack Obama and current Secretary of State Rex Tillerson both joined Army Navy Country Club earlier this year. [Washingtonian]

Homes in Arlington Get Pricier — “A total of 237 properties went to closing in September, up 8.7 percent from the 218 transactions a year before… With the increase in sales came a nearly identical hike in average sales price, which was up 8.8 percent to $640,441.” [InsideNova]

Police: Arlington Woman Left Stroller in Middle of Road — “A 19-year-old Arlington woman was arrested on Sunday after she allegedly left an infant in a stroller in the middle of the road in Woodbridge while she bit and assaulted an acquaintance during an argument.” [Prince William Times]

Lidl Struggling to Break Into U.S. Market — Lidl, the German grocery chain with its U.S. headquarters in Crystal City, is reportedly pulling out of a lease deal in Prince George’s County, Md. as it struggles to gain market share in the U.S. [Washington Business Journal]

Lost Dog Taking in Shelter Pets from Puerto Rico — The Arlington-based Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation is among the local organizations taking in shelter pets from hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico. [WJLA]

Grohl References ‘Mario’s Pizza’ at D.C. Show — Northern Virginia native Dave Grohl said “we’re all going to Mario’s Pizza” while wrapping up a Foo Fighters performance at The Anthem in D.C. last night. The band will headline the venue’s grand opening tonight. [Twitter]

ARLnow Adds Breaking News Alerts to Email Subscription

By ARLnow.com

ARLnow is rolling out breaking new alerts for our email subscribers.

In this era of social media noise, sometimes it’s hard for important local stories to break through right away. So we’re giving readers an option to make sure breaking stories land in their email inbox ASAP.

Starting tomorrow, ARLnow will be sending breaking news alerts via email when we publish a breaking story. Typically, there are only a few such articles each month.

If you’re an existing email subscriber, you’ll get the alerts automatically unless you opt out by updating your subscription preferences. If you’re one of our nearly 40,000 Twitter subscribers or 23,000 Facebook fans, consider subscribing (below) so you don’t miss a headline and don’t have to wait for the algorithm to catch up when big local news breaks.

Subscribe to our mailing list

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Crash on Northbound I-395 Blocking Lanes

By ARLnow.com
1/2

Expect a slow go in both directions on I-395 through Arlington during the early evening rush hour, following a crash in the northbound lanes.

Initial reports suggest that a car crashed into the left-hand jersey wall along NB I-395 near Washington Blvd. The driver is being evaluated for injuries, according to scanner traffic.

Two left-hand lanes are currently blocked by the emergency response.

Crime Report: Man Struck With Bottle on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

A knife-wielding man struck another man with a glass bottle, causing cuts serious enough to send him to the hospital, police say.

The incident happened early Saturday morning at a business near the intersection of Columbia Pike and Four Mile Run Drive.

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

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2017-10070034, 4800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 1:26 a.m. on October 7, police responded to the late report of a fight. Upon arrival it was determined that following an altercation inside a business, an unknown suspect approached a male victim with a knife and struck him with a glass bottle causing lacerations. The victim was transported to Virginia Hospital Center. Noe Guerrero Molina, 32, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with Malicious/Unlawful Wounding. 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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Arlington Pet of the Week: Bruce Wayne

By ARLnow.com
1/4

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Bruce Wayne, a former street cat.

Here is what his owner Maggie had to say:

Bruce Wayne was found on the streets of Arlington in October 2011, when he was about six months old. A kind stranger brought him to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington where he was adopted in almost no time at all.

Despite appearing innocent and quiet, Bruce would lead a mysterious life during the darkest hours of the night. As a kitten, I returned home to a disheveled bathroom including shredded paper and claw prints up the side of the tub. It was then he earned his name.

For six years, Bruce has entertained anyone he encounters. He oscillates between wanting love and wanting to play, with claws out! Very cuddly, he often gets compared to a dog. He’ll greet you at the door, follow you around and almost knows how to fetch. This is all very endearing, except when it’s the middle of the night.

Bruce’s hobbies include chasing his favorite sparkly toy, affectionately know as “Mr. Fish,” and running back and forth between windows to try to catch leaves through glass. A fruitless, but very entertaining, hobby.

He refuses treats but loves when fresh dry food is put out. He hates the vacuum but tolerates it because he loves a clean home. Bruce is currently an only child but wouldn’t mind having a little puppy around, if Dad would ever agree to it.

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.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Two Arrested After Fleeing from ACPD — Two men who fled from a traffic stop in Arlington were later arrested in Northwest D.C. Arlington police tried to stop the vehicle near Washington Blvd and N. Kirkwood Road, in the Virginia Square area, but the car took off and police did not pursue, per department rules. U.S. Park Police then tried to stop the men in D.C. and they fled again but were eventually taken into custody after crashing their car along Connecticut Avenue. [Fox 5]

WSJ Highlights W-L’s 178 Valedictorians — Washington-Lee High School in Arlington had 178 valedictorians this past school year. Having multiple valedictorians is a national trend among high schools. W-L considers any student with a 4.0 GPA or above to be a valedictorian. [Wall Street Journal, Falls Church News-Press]

Arts + Startups = Millennials? — “Arts groups should work to make common cause with high-tech firms and Millennials in an effort to bring benefits to all, one panelist said at an arts forum sponsored by Opera Nova and held Oct. 8 at Washington Golf & Country Club.” [InsideNova]

Distil Hires New CEO — Distil Networks, the cybersecurity firm with offices in Arlington and San Francisco, was just trying to hire a new Chief Operating Officer but ended up with a new CEO. Tiffany Olson Jones will lead the company, with $20 million in revenue and 65 percent annual revenue growth, from Arlington. [San Francisco Business Times]

HUNGRY Adds New Chefs — Rosslyn-based food delivery startup HUNGRY has added a number of notable chefs to its platform, including Bryan Voltaggio of VOLT and Lunchbox. [PRNewswire]

‘Speedy’ Tolliver Dies — “Roy ‘Speedy’ Tolliver, an Arlington-based bluegrass fiddler who performed at local folk festivals for 65 years and was an inaugural recipient of the Virginia Heritage Award in 2009, died Sept. 18 at an assisted living center in Arlington, Va. He was 99.” [Washington Post]

Photo courtesy Michael Thomas

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