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Morning Poll: Are You Planning on Watching Fireworks Tomorrow Night?

Published July 3, 2017 at 10:00AM

In 2013 we polled readers on your favorite fireworks-viewing spots.

The top 3, from first to third, excluding “other:” the Iwo Jima memorial, an apartment or house rooftop, and the Air Force Memorial.

This year we have another question: are you watching the fireworks? And if so, how do you plan on watching?

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 3, 2017 at 8:00AM

Superintendent Gets New Contract — Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Patrick Murphy has received a new four-year contract after a 3-2 vote by the Arlington School Board on Thursday. “We need stability and strength,” said School Board Chair Nancy Van Doren, who voted ‘yes’ with James Lander and Tannia Talento. “We have a lot of issues we have to deal with. Dr. Murphy has gotten the job done.” [InsideNova]

APS Medicaid Reimbursement — Arlington Public Schools received a much lower reimbursement from Medicaid for the 2015-2016 school year than neighboring jurisdictions like Alexandria and Fairfax County. [Arlington County Taxpayers Association]

Fisette: Schools Are Not the Only Priority — Last week, at his final State of the County address and during a work session, retiring Arlington County Board member addressed the capacity crunch facing Arlington Public Schools. Fisette suggested predictions of the student population reaching 40,000 are “not accurate,” said APS needs to find ways to trim per-student spending and said APS priorities must be weighed with the needs of other interest groups. [InsideNova]

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Published June 30, 2017 at 1:15PM

Looking for a home? There are plenty of houses and condos open for viewing this weekend.

Check out the Arlington Realty website for a full list of homes for sale and open houses in Arlington. Here are a few highlights:

1401 S. Barton Street #239
1 Bed/1 Bath Townhome
Agent: Andrew Biggers
Listed: $280,o00
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

2852-C S. Wakefield Street
2 Bed/1 Bath Townhome
Agent: Robyn Nobert
Listed: $305,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

4069 S. Four Mile Run Drive, #301
2 Bed/2 Bath Condo
Agent: Michele Moravitz
Listed: $404,000
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

2244 S. Randolph Street, #2
3 Bed/2.5 Bath Townhome
Agent: Mary Wilcox
Listed: $490,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

4141 N. Henderson Road, #911
2 Bed/2 Bath Condo
Agent: Pamela Hazen
Listed: $520,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

1205 N. Garfield Street, #405
2 Bed/2 Bath Condo
Agent: Shawn Battle
Listed: $644,900
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

4531 40th Street N.
4 Bed/2 Bath Single-Family Detached
Agent: Nestor Cortesi
Listed: $895,000
Open: Sunday 2-5 p.m.

#open house

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 30, 2017 at 8:00AM

Police to Hold Anti-DUI Event During Bar Crawl — The All American Bar Crawl will be taking place in Clarendon from 1-9 p.m. Saturday, and the Arlington County Police Department is planning some complementary programming. ACPD and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program are holding a “free interactive anti-drunk driving event” from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday on N. Highland Street, in the heart of Clarendon. [Arlington County]

Local ‘Big Brother’ Houseguest Getting Attention — Matthew Clines, a 33-year-old renovation consultant and fitness buff from Arlington, is being mentioned as a frontrunner on the new season of CBS’ Big Brother. “Many ladies swooned over” him, US Weekly writes. Clines has suggested he “would rather have America love him… than actually win the game and the $500,000.” [Us Weekly, Reality TV World]

Texas Jack’s Ranks High on BBQ List — Texas Jack’s in Lyon Park has ranked No. 2 on food critic Tim Carman’s list of the best barbecue joints in the D.C. area. [Washington Post]

Woman Wanted for Hit and Run Near Columbia Pike — Arlington County Police are looking for a woman who struck a pedestrian on the 3400 block of 7th Street S., in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, Wednesday night. The suspect, described as a “white female in her mid-twenties to early thirties, approximately 5’6″ tall… wearing a white sweater,” fled the scene after the collision, which sent the victim to a local trauma center with significant but non-life-threatening injuries. [Arlington County]

Photo courtesy Bradley Teague

Fmr. Blue Goose Building in Ballston Memorialized With New Sign

By ARLnow.com

Published June 29, 2017 at 10:05AM

There’s a recent addition to the site of Marymount University’s new mixed-use complex at the corner of N. Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive in Ballston.

In a public plaza, next to the buildings, is a sign that commemorates what stood there previously: the distinct but aesthetically controversial Blue Goose building, which was demolished in 2015.

The inscription on the sign, below, notes that there are four additional informational markers in the complex’s courtyard, made from salvaged blue panels from the former building.

Construction of the Marymount complex is expected to wrap up this summer. A Starbucks coffee shop is set to be its first retail tenant.

This site is where the distinctive “Blue Goose” building stood. While the origin of the moniker remains unknown. Arlingtonians recognized the building’s atypical form and striking use of polychromatic blue metal panels. Well-known local architect John M. Walton designed the building for M.T. Broyhill and Sons, which opened the office tower in 1963.

Marymount University welcomes you to walk through the courtyard to the right, which contains four two-sided informational markers. Visitors heading to the west will learn about the transportation history of this site including the streetcar line that followed Fairfax Drive. Visitors walking to the east will read about the history of the Blue Goose and its architect, developer, and tenants. These four markers were partially constructed with salvaged blue panels from the Blue Goose.

Photo courtesy Joel Kirzner

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 29, 2017 at 9:15AM | Updated June 29, 2017 at 10:01AM

Turn Lane Removed from Arlington Mill Drive — There is now only one left turn lane from S. Arlington Mill Drive to southbound S. Walter Reed Drive, after the roadway was reconfigured to remove a second turn lane. Sun Gazette editor Scott McCaffrey writes that the need for the change is unclear but the result has been traffic backing up during peak periods. “It does play into a recurrent theme in A-town: Drivers must suffer,” he writes. [InsideNova]

Water Main Break Near Shirlington — Water main repairs are underway along the 2600 block of S. Arlington Mill Drive, near Shirlington, after a water main break this morning. Some 20-50 customers are affected and repairs are expected to take until around 3 p.m. [Twitter]

North Rosslyn Profiled — The Washington Post has profiled the North Rosslyn neighborhood, finding that many of its residents are “empty nesters, couples with young children and working professionals,” who are attracted to the events, businesses and connectivity that Rosslyn has to offer. [Washington Post]

New Mobile Homepage — We’ve revamped our homepage experience for mobile and tablet users to be more like the desktop homepage experience, with full articles and photos. Do you like the new configuration or wish we could go back to the older, simpler setup? Let us know in the comments.

Podcast: Giovanni Quintana

By ARLnow.com

Published June 28, 2017 at 5:05PM

Giovanni Quintana was formerly the general manager of Mad Rose Tavern, but he’s now on a mission bigger than his work to turn around what was once a struggling Clarendon bar.

For the past couple of years years, Quintana and girlfriend Ivana Danschin have spent their spare time outside of work doing whatever they could to give their daughter Arianna the ability to hear.

Due to birth complications, Arianna — now two-and-a-half years old — was born deaf. But Quintana and Danschin successfully applied for her to be part of a clinical trial for an experimental Auditory Brainstem Implant, a technology that allows those like Arianna, who could not benefit from a cochlear implant, to hear.

Arianna was the fourth child in the United States to undergo this next-generation Auditory Brainstem Implant surgery, Quintana says.

While insurance is covering most of the cost, Quintana and Danschin have still encountered tens of thousands of dollars worth of expenses, prompting them to move out of Arlington and launch a GoFundMe page. And this coming Friday, two weeks before Arianna is set to undergo another surgery, they will be hosting a fundraiser at Bar Bao — the successor to Mad Rose — in Clarendon.

The fundraiser will run from 5 p.m. to close. On this week’s 26 Square Miles podcast, we asked Quintana about the fundraiser, about the first time he realized Arianna could hear after her initial surgery, and about why Arianna needs a second surgery.

Listen below or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or TuneIn.

Photo via YouTube

Crime Report: Indecent Exposure Arrest in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Published June 28, 2017 at 1:00PM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:57PM

A man has been arrested and accused of exposing himself to multiple people in the Ballston area.

A 40-year-old Arlington resident was arrested on indecent exposure charges Tuesday night. The arrest follows a number of such flashing incidents in Arlington over the past month, though it’s unclear if the past incidents are in any way connected with this latest one.

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

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 2017-06270262, 4700 block of Fairfax Drive. At approximately 10:00 p.m. on June 27, officers responded to the report of an exposure. Upon arrival, it was determined a male subject exposed himself to several victims. Officers located the subject in the area and took him into custody. Selemon Takele, 40, of Arlington VA, was arrested and charged with indecent exposure.

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

(more…)

Arlington Pet of the Week: Betty

Published June 28, 2017 at 12:00PM | Updated June 28, 2017 at 1:20PM

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Betty, a Lost Dog rescue pup that’s a mix of Corgi and Jack Russell.

Here is what her owner, Krista, had to say about her:

This sweet girl was adopted from Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation in November. Although Betty originally hails from St. Croix, this island girl is happy to now be an Arlington pup!

Betty’s favorite place is the Shirlington Dog Park. She loves making friends with dogs of all sizes, but always seems to seek out the biggest dog at the park to play with! Betty also loves playing fetch, especially with her squeaky raccoon toy.

Much to her human’s dismay, the squeaky raccoon also must accompany Betty to bed each night (aka the human’s bed). She also enjoys car rides, belly rubs, people-watching from the window, moving shoes to different locations all around her house and scrambled eggs.

This snuggle monster’s unique look always manages to bring a smile to the face of strangers she meets in her apartment building or on her walks. Betty would love if you said hi to her if you see her around town!

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.

#Pet of the Week

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 28, 2017 at 9:00AM | Updated June 28, 2017 at 9:17AM

APS Tells Staff to Stop Paying Sales Tax — As a public institution Arlington Public Schools is exempt from paying sales tax, but the school system’s internal auditor has found that some staff members have been placing orders for APS via Amazon without sales tax exempted. APS has since requested sales tax refunds for those orders. [InsideNova]

Arlington Resident Cited for Boating Incident — An Arlington man has been cited for operating a vessel while impaired after his 28-foot boat ran aground off the eastern shore of Maryland, south of Ocean City. [WMDT]

Notable Rivercrest Property Sold — A home and an adjacent vacant lot have been sold near the intersection of Military Road and N. Glebe Road in the Rivercrest neighborhood. The lot was the site of a “national debate over property rights and conformity,” when in 1969 an architect started to build a custom home on the lot but was ultimately stopped after a legal challenge by neighbors, who thought the home was ugly and would not “retain the very pleasant, beautiful nature of Rivercrest.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Flipper: Selling Home to the County Was a Pain — A real estate investor has penned a piece for the Post in which he recounts the sale of one of his properties to Arlington County. The sale, of a house near Fire Station 8, was “neither lucrative nor convenient” and was more trouble than it was worth, he writes. However, the owner of a run-down property next to his received a much better price by holding out, the piece suggests. [Washington Post]

Mouthwash on Clarendon Bus Stop — Updating the saga of the stick of deodorant atop a Clarendon bus stop, the deodorant has now been joined by an errant bottle of Listerine mouthwash. [ARLnow]

Fireworks Stands Now Open in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published June 27, 2017 at 3:35PM

For those who want to ring in Independence Day with some backyard pyrotechnics, at least two fireworks stands are now open in Arlington.

With the Fourth of July a week away, stands along Columbia Pike and Lee Highway are offering various types of sparklers, whirligigs and other fireworks that are legal in Virginia.

The first stand is located in a parking lot near the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road. The other is also in a parking lot, near the corner of Lee Highway and N. Harrison Street. Both have been offering fireworks at their respective locations, around the Fourth of July holiday, for years.

For those planning a year ahead, such fireworks stands will often offer deep discounts after the holiday.

Helpful reminder: fireworks will be on deep discount starting July 5. No need to buy right away.

— SRtwofourfour (@SRtwofourfour) June 26, 2017