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

Metro Delays This Morning — Updated at 9:25 a.m. — A disabled train outside of the Pentagon Metro station caused significant delays on the Blue and Yellow lines during part of this morning’s rush hour. Meanwhile, a signal problem outside of the Rosslyn station caused delays on the Orange and Silver lines at the tail end of the rush hour. [Washington Post, Twitter]]

Arlington Men Charged With Murder — Updated at 10:40 a.m. — Two young Arlington men have been arrested and charged with the fatal shooting of a Silver Spring man. Police say the Arlington men, ages 19 and 21, and a 19-year-old Maryland man went to the victim’s house to rob him of marijuana. [WTOP, Washington Post]

Crystal City Library to Remain Open For Another Year — The “popup” library in the Crystal City Shops will remain open through June 2018, Arlington County announced this morning. Newly-renamed landlord JBG Smith reached an agreement with the county to keep it open, according to a press release. [Arlington County]

ACPD Releases Video With Talking Dog — The first Arlington County Police Department video promoting an upcoming public safety block party has been released, and it’s “narrated” by one of ACPD’s K-9 units. A highly-anticipated video featuring ACPD officers doing synchronized swimming has yet to be released. [YouTube]

Volunteer Arlington Awards — Earlier this week, the group Volunteer Arlington handed out its 2017 Volunteer Arlington Awards, celebrating dedicated volunteers in categories like “lifetime of service award,” “distinguished corporate service award,” and “distinguished county service award.” [Volunteer Arlington]

Clever Signs at AWLA — A sign outside of the Animal Welfare League of Arlington in Shirlington is using pop culture references to help build demand for pet adoptions at the shelter. The latest: “They want to watch Game of Thrones too.” [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Letter to the Editor: APS Engineering and Tech Highlighted on Capitol Hill

By ARLnow.com

The following Letter to the Editor was written by Aaron Wajsgras, who serves on Arlington Public Schools’ Budget Advisory Council and its Career, Technical and Adult Education Citizens Advisory Committee.

It’s no secret that workforce needs are changing. From coding to manufacturing, industry is pining for a STEM workforce that can think critically and creatively. No longer are the times of the switch board operator or the repetitive assembly line worker.

So, exposing students to rigorous, hands-on learning where they can apply content knowledge to promote higher-order thinking skills is necessary for the future workforce. And, at the rate technology is changing, “the future” could be just a few years away.

According to the NOVA Workforce labor market dashboard, over 6,800 positions in management, science, technical consulting and computer systems design and related services were posted between April and June of this year. Additionally, across the country, skills gaps (what’s available versus what’s needed) exist in manufacturing, healthcare and other major industries to the tune of 5 million unfilled jobs by 2020, according to Georgetown University.

The skilled and creative future workforce has been a hot-topic for the last handful of years. Consequently, the Congressional STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Caucus and the CTE (Career and Technical Education) Caucus held a joint briefing to discuss opportunities to incorporate arts and design into in-demand CTE and STEM curriculum; and Arlington Public Schools represented half the panel last week.

In addition to perspectives from General Electric and the Rhode Island School of Design, Danielle Meyer, the technology and engineering teacher at Washington & Lee, along with Daniel Grumbles, a recent graduate of W&L and a student of Meyer’s, were invited to discuss W&L’s engineering and technology program.

Danielle teaches several courses focused on engineering and technological design (the “A” in STEAM) and shared testimony about the importance of the aesthetics in her field. “We talk about the design process with our projects. The students create sketches and drawings and then use software to add dimensions, and we redesign and test when necessary.”

“Creativity is difficult,” she exclaimed, and uses the question “Would you buy that?” to keep students focused on the importance of the “consumers” of the projects. Giving the student perspective, Daniel highlighted his gratefulness for the collaborative nature of Danielle’s courses, the improvement of his technological literacy, and expansion of his creativity that he “did not always get to use in his mainstream courses.” All necessary skill-building for Daniel’s future career.

Of note, Daniel discussed the generous resources that APS has provided towards engineering courses to purchase items like 3D printers. Hoping students in other schools across the country can get the opportunity that he had, he stated, “It was not simply to provide the technology, but to facilitate the integration of it into the classroom.”

The value of skills in STEM and CTE fields are currently, and will continue to be, critical for the future workforce. However, the importance of creativity and higher-order thinking combined with in-demand skills helps to create our leaders of tomorrow.

ARLnow.com occasionally publishes thoughtful letters to the editor about issues of local interest. To submit a letter to the editor for consideration, please email it to [email protected]. Letters may be edited for content and brevity.

Pictured: Danielle Meyer, Technology and Engineering Teacher, Washington-Lee High School; Daniel Grumbles, Class of 2017, Washington-Lee High School; Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), STEAM Caucus co-chair. Photo by Aaron Wajsgras.

How Arlington’s Public Schools Rank

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County is home to many of Virginia’s top public schools. According to the popular ranking website Niche, Arlington Public Schools is ranked as the No. 1 school system in the state, out of 132 different school districts.

Within APS there are nearly three dozen public K-12 schools. So how do they rank?

Ranking methodologies, it should be said, have their flaws and do not necessarily reflect the quality of instruction at any given school. They’re also relative — so even the last-ranked elementary school in Arlington, an excellent school system, received an overall “A” ranking from Niche.

But for those who want to see how Arlington public schools stack up, debatable methodologies and all, we’ve taken some of the most prominent school rankings and averaged them to get a better picture of which are at the top and which have room for improvement.

The following chart compares how three different school ranking websites, Great Schools, Niche and SchoolDigger, ranked APS elementary schools.

Discovery Elementary, which opened in 2015, is not included in the rankings.

Great Schools operates in a system similar to Yelp, where a school receives a certain amount of stars out of 10. For example, four schools were tied for having 10 stars, or a perfect and “highest” ranking score, three for nine stars, and so on which is why so many elementary schools have the same Great Schools ranking.

The next chart shows how APS middle schools compared to each other’s ratings on Niche, SchoolDigger and Great Schools.

The last chart details the rankings of APS high schools from four websites: Niche, SchoolDigger, Great Schools, U.S. News & World Report and the Washington Post. The H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program is excluded.

Article written by Katherine Berko and Kalina Newman

Crime Report: Man Grabs Kid’s Shirt After Asking for Directions

By ARLnow.com

An older male driver grabbed a boy by his shirt after becoming enraged that the boy declined to give him directions, according to this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.

The incident happened Tuesday morning in the Buckingham neighborhood.

Police say the kid escaped the man’s grasp, after which he parked and knocked on several doors before driving off.

More from the crime report:

SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES, 2017-07250086, 4400 block of 4th Street N. At approximately 7:49 a.m. on July 25, a juvenile male was walking in the area when an adult male subject in a red vehicle pulled alongside him. The subject asked for directions and when the juvenile declined, the subject became angry, punched the dashboard of his vehicle and grabbed the juvenile’s shirt. The juvenile pulled away from the subject and continued walking to the 4400 block of N. Henderson Road where he witnessed the subject park his vehicle and knock on several residential doors before leaving the area. The subject is described as a white male between 50-60 years old with white hair. He was described as wearing a red shirt, brown pants and brown shoes at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.

Also this week, a driver in his late 20s pulled alongside a woman in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, near Thomas Jefferson Middle School, and exposed himself.

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2017-07240103, 3500 block of 2nd Street S. At approximately 10:37 a.m. on July 24, police were dispatched to the report of an indecent exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined that an unknown male subject pulled his vehicle alongside of a female victim and exposed his genitals. The subject is described as a Hispanic male in his late 20’s, wearing a light colored t-shirt and a baseball hat. The subject fled the area in a gold sedan prior to police arrival.

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

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Morning Poll: Which New Bar/Restaurant Are You Most Looking Forward To?

By ARLnow.com

The pace of restaurant openings has noticeably slowed down in Arlington.

That doesn’t mean, however, there are no new restaurants to get excited about in Arlington. In fact there are a number of restaurants — bar-oriented restaurants, in particular — that are coming soon and have the potential to be new go-to spots.

Which of the following are you most looking forward to?

  • Brickhaus on Columbia Pike, which announced Monday via Facebook that it was just awaiting county inspections before opening: “One step closer to opening day (no, friends – there’s no firm date yet 😊).”
  • Dudley’s in Shirlington, which on June 1, after 15 months of back-and-forth with the county, finally received a building permit to start constructing a rooftop deck.
  • The G.O.A.T. Sports Bar in Clarendon, from the owners behind A-Town and Don Tito, which is currently expected to open later this summer.
  • Wilson Hardware, a new bar and lounge in Clarendon, which has announced a “late summer” opening.
  • Verre Wine Bar in Courthouse, which is now hiring and says it will “deliver a superior wine bar experience by offering the best value wine list in the DC area paired alongside classic, wholesome and heartwarming meals as well as a variety of shareable small plates.”

Some honorable mentions not included in our poll, as they seem to be more food-oriented, are Gyu-Kaku, a forthcoming Japanese BBQ restaurant in Clarendon that has not yet applied for construction permits; Bistro 1521, coming to the former Applebee’s space in Ballston; and Stageplate Bistro in Ballston, which is still not open despite being “close to opening” in May.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Equinox Gym Coming to Clarendon — “Clarendon is getting an Equinox health club — just the third standalone location of the gym in the D.C. area. The high-end fitness facility will be part of the Market Common development in the Arlington neighborhood, according to two real estate broker sources familiar with the deal.” [Washington Business Journal]

Local Seniors Have Millennial Transit Traits — “Arlington seniors are fairly tech savvy. They are generally comfortable with transportation tasks such as searching options online to using apps on their smartphones. They generally have a young frame of mind and are open to considering new ways of doing things (including trying various modes of transportation) and the latest technology.” [Mobility Lab]

History of Local Newspapers — Arlington, Alexandria and D.C. have a rich history of local newspapers, with one currently-published paper tracing its roots back to 1800. [Falls Church News-Press]

Governor: Trustify Planning to Add 184 Jobs in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

A Crystal City-based startup is planning to add 184 jobs here as part of an expansion, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday.

Trustify, which moved into new offices overlooking Long Bridge Park earlier this year, is planning to spend just over $1 million on building and equipment costs associated with the expansion. The 184 jobs are expected to be added over a period of three years, according to Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

A VEDP spokeswoman said Trustify will be eligible for nearly $120,000 in state reimbursement for job recruitment and training.

Trustify is a sort of “Uber-for-PIs,” using the internet to connect businesses and consumers with trained private investigators. It makes money by taking a cut of the hourly fee charged to customers.

In a press release, McAuliffe and other officials, including Arlington County Board Chair Jay Fisette and state Sen. Adam Ebbin, heaped praise on Trustify for its rapid expansion.

“Trustify’s impressive growth in a short amount of time is a strong example of what high-tech, entrepreneurial companies can accomplish in the Commonwealth,” said the governor. “Arlington County and the Northern Virginia region are home to a dynamic IT industry… We are proud to have this innovative business in the Commonwealth contributing to the new Virginia economy, and look forward to Trustify’s continued success.”

Trustify President Jennifer Mellon, in turn, lauded Arlington County as a place to do business.

“We decided on Arlington, Virginia for many reasons,” Mellon said. “The community here in Arlington is a fantastic place in which to work and commute. Arlington provides employers and employees many benefits and advantages that are not available in other areas and communities. We believe the DC Metro area, in general, is a beacon of inclusive innovation with some of the best percentages of women and diversity in tech compared to the rest of the country. We have transportation, office, and community options and benefits that made this area the clear choice for Trustify.”

Trustify says it raised $6.6 million in new funding this year, according to the Washington Business Journal. With that funding the company hopes to grow and capture more of the U.S. private investigations market. Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest that Trustify is after at least a $1.5 billion dollar market; there are some 28,500 private investigators nationwide making an average annual wage of around $53,500 a year, according to the BLS.

By the numbers, the company is one of the hottest tech startups in Arlington, but it is not without its critics. It has a very vocal, persistent critic in Glen Hellman, a local tech scene commentator and strategist who also goes by the nickname “Mr. Cranky.”

Hellman ripped what he characterized as an uncritical Washington Business Journal article on the governor’s Trustify announcement, despite being mentioned in that very article.

“It’s a good thing Washington Business Journal doesn’t have a sports page because they’d be writing headlines about every kid who ever received a participation trophy for being the bench warmer on the worst team in the lowest league of some minor 3rd grade soccer team,” Hellman said in an incendiary blog post this morning. “I believe the reason Trustify puts out these press releases is to counter any bad press they receive, to push down the SEO of negative stories and obfuscate… the truth in order to raise money from poor unsuspecting widows and orphans.”

The full press release from the governor’s office, after the jump.

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Police: Intruder Found in Attic After Resident Hears Footsteps

By ARLnow.com

A 60-year-old man was arrested after he was found in the attic of a home in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood near Pentagon City.

Police say the resident of a home heard footsteps coming from above early Friday morning and called police. A suspect was located and charged with unlawful entry.

More from an Arlington County Police crime report:

UNLAWFUL ENTRY, 2017-07210024, 800 block of 22nd Street S. At approximately 1:24 a.m. on July 21, police responded to the report of a possible unlawful entry. Upon arrival, it was determined that police were contacted after a tenant reported hearing footsteps in the attic. Police searched the residence and located the suspect. Anthony Jones, 60, of No Fixed Address was arrested and charged with Unlawful Entry. He was held without bail.

Photo via Google Maps

Nam-Viet Restaurant Closing for Renovations

By ARLnow.com
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Long-time Clarendon restaurant Nam-Viet will be closing for several weeks of renovations starting next week.

The restaurant announced the renovations this morning, saying that the time has come to “revitalize” the restaurant, the first such project since the eatery first opened its doors 34 years ago.

Nam-Viet is the only remaining Vietnamese restaurant in Clarendon from the time when the neighborhood was known as “Little Saigon,” home to bustling Vietnamese-owned businesses after thousands of refugees from the Vietnam War were settled here in the 1970s.

The renovation announcement comes a month after Nam-Viet closed its second location, in D.C.’s Cleveland Park neighborhood.

More from a letter to Nam-Viet customers, below.

Dear Nam-Viet Patrons,

This year marks our 34th year in business in Arlington, Virginia. We are humbled to be one of the longest standing restaurants in Arlington surrounded by a wonderful community of patrons that have traveled far and wide to support Nam-Viet.

2017 has been a big year for Nam-Viet; we bid farewell to Cleveland Park after 20 years, and we have regrouped in Arlington. Beginning July 31, 2017, we have decided to take on a big project that will revitalizes Nam-Viet for the first time since we opened our doors. We will be undergoing renovations during the month of August that we anticipate should be completed within a three week time frame. We invite you to come in this week for lunch or dinner before we undergo our renovations.

Please visit our website www.namviet1.com for more information on our updates and our reopening date. Thank you for your support over the years and we can’t wait to unveil to you our new renovations.

Regards,

Nam-Viet Restaurant

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Girls’ Firefighting Camp Featured on BBC — The annual girls’ firefighting camp held by Arlington County was the subject of a BBC News video segment, which was published online yesterday. [BBC]

Arlington Treated to ‘Massive’ Rainbow — After yesterday’s downpours, a bright rainbow was visible over Arlington, prompting a photo opportunity that many took advantage of. [Twitter]

Sunday’s Storm on Video — A Pentagon City resident captured one of Sunday’s storms on video, showing torrential rain, strong wind and a screen door that had blown off a building and got stuck in a tree. [YouTube]

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