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.
She is a very outgoing and feisty bun. She loves to nap in a sunny spot in a loaf position and munch on greens. She is accepting of pets from people she trusts, but is not a big fan of being picked up.
Her special talents include building her dream home out of cardboard, keeping her space neat and tidy, and parkour-status zoomies!
Aliena would love a home that can offer her space to roam and explore to her heart’s content.
Is Aliena the white rabbit you’ve been searching for? Be sure to check out her entire profile to learn more!
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 gallery!
The Pentagon, Jefferson Memorial, and US Capitol viewed through hazy skies from the US Air Force Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Moran Switches Prosecutor Endorsement — “Former Congressman Jim Moran withdrew an earlier endorsement of [Josh] Katcher to back [incumbent Parisa] Dehghani-Tafti. ‘Originally, a friend was raising money for Katcher,’ he told the News-Press, ‘but when I told my wife, Deborah Warren,’ who is a deputy director of the county Human Services Department, ‘she told me Parisa is very competent and doing a good job. So I listened to Parisa speak and would [be] up [to] agreeing to switch my allegiance.'” [Falls Church News-Press]
NYC Bagel Maker Coming to N. Va. — “By the end of the year, DC locals will be able to decide for themselves: New York institution H&H Bagels plans to open 10 stores in the District and Virginia as part of a national expansion. The bagels will be kettle-boiled, parbaked, and flash frozen at a new facility in Queens before being shipped in frozen trucks to the franchises, where they’ll be finished in special ovens.” [Washingtonian]
Another Arrest in Arlington Teen’s Murder — “Yesterday, detectives charged Vladimir Garcia Montes, 18, of Falls Church with robbery resulting in death in Monday’s double homicide. Detectives continue to investigate and anticipate more updates to follow.” [Fairfax County Police Department]
Hurricane Season Preparation Tips — “Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1, 2023, and now is the best time to prepare for hurricanes, tropical storms, and flooding.” [Arlington County]
Outdoor Movie Series Starting — “Westpost in Pentagon City is hosting a series of free outdoor movies on Wednesdays in June, starting with ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ on Wednesday, June 7.” [Patch]
VRE Station to Get Toll Funding — “The final pieces of a complex funding plan supporting relocation of the Virginia Railway Express (VRE) station in Crystal City are falling into place. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission on June 1 approved a staff recommendation to use incoming tolling revenue from Interstates 95/395 to cover nearly $19 million of the VRE project’s cost in several rounds of funding.” [Gazette Leader]
Plan Calls for Maintaining Tree Canopy — “It appears Arlington leaders are not planning to swing for the fences when it comes to the community’s tree coverage. The county government’s draft Forestry and Natural Resources Plan, which currently is making its way through the review process, calls for maintaining tree-canopy levels at around 40 percent, as they currently are, without proposing actions to significantly boost the numbers, as tree activists seek.” [Gazette Leader]
Sonic Boom at Fighters Scramble — “Fighter jets from Joint Base Andrews were scrambled to intercept a private plane over Virginia on Sunday afternoon, causing a sonic boom that reverberated across the area, North American Aerospace Defense Command officials said. The jets were responding to a Cessna that crashed later in Southwest Virginia.” [Washington Post, Daily Mail]
It’s Monday — Mostly sunny, with a high near 79. North wind 6 to 9 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 59. West wind 5 to 7 mph. [Weather.gov]
Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
A man was shot early this morning in Clarendon and police are still looking for the suspect.
The shooting happened around 2 a.m. at a parking lot along N. Highland Street, about 1-2 blocks from the Clarendon Metro station entrance.
It started as a dispute between two people, then ended with at least one shot being fired and the victim suffering a non-life-threatening gunshot wound, according to police.
More from an Arlington County police press release:
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating a shooting that took place in the early morning hours of June 4, 2023.
At approximately 2:03 a.m., police were dispatched to the report of shots heard. Upon arrival, officers located the adult male victim in a parking lot in the 3000 block of Wilson Boulevard suffering from gunshot wounds and immediately began rendering aid. He was transported by medics to an area hospital for treatment of injuries considered non-life threatening.
The preliminary investigation indicates the victim and suspect were involved in a verbal dispute when the suspect followed the victim to the parking lot and discharged a firearm, striking the victim. The suspect is described as a Black male, approximately 5’5”-5’8” tall, 150-180 pounds and wearing a black leather jacket and black jeans. He fled the scene on a motorcycle following the shooting.
This remains an active criminal investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4180 or [email protected] or anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.
Scanner traffic suggests that the suspect’s motorcycle may have been spotted heading south on I-95 at a high rate of speed.
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. East wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. At night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 9pm, then a slight chance of showers between 9pm and 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 55. East wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“The best revenge is massive success.” – Frank Sinatra
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋
Creek rescue along Four Mile Run (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Creek rescue along Four Mile Run (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Behind the Virginia DMV along Four Mile Run (via Google Maps)
Creek rescue along Four Mile Run (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Creek rescue along Four Mile Run (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Creek rescue along Four Mile Run (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Creek rescue along Four Mile Run (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A water rescue operation is underway along Four Mile Run after reports of a drunk man falling down an embankment.
The incident happened shortly before 4 p.m. behind the Virginia DMV office at 4150 Four Mile Run Drive. Initial reports suggest that the man fell 20 feet onto rocks below, suffering possible broken bones in the process.
The man is said to conscious. Because he’s in a creek bed, the fire department is treating this as a water rescue and a large contingent of fire apparatus — including water rescue and technical rescue trucks and equipment — is responding to the scene.
Update at 4:55 p.m. — The man has been hoisted from the creekbed by firefighters, and is in the process of being loaded onto an ambulance and brought to a local hospital.
FINAL: Patient has been transported to an area hospital with non life threatening injuries. Crews are in the process of clearing the scene.
— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) June 2, 2023
Starting Sunday, Yellow Line trains will arrive every eight minutes all day, the transit agency says. That applies to a number of Arlington stations, including National Airport, Crystal City, Pentagon City, and the Pentagon.
More, below, from a Metro press release.
Metro ridership is growing, and service improvements are coming to make Metro an even more convenient option for getting around the region. Beginning Sunday, June 4, trains serving the Yellow Line will arrive every 8 minutes all day, open to close, an improvement on the current late-night and weekend frequency of 12 minutes.
With the service improvements beginning Sunday, Yellow Line customers will enjoy less crowded trains and shorter waits – an average of four minutes where Yellow and Green line trains serve the downtown core between L’Enfant Plaza and Mt. Vernon Sq.
Ridership has rebounded on the Yellow Line, up 20 percent following an 8-month closure for construction to rehabilitate the Yellow Line tunnel and bridge. Since reopening, customers have taken more than a million trips on the Yellow Line, which operates between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq. stations, and 600,000 trips have been taken over the Yellow Line bridge. Ridership is increasing every week, and ridership at the newly opened Potomac Yard station has been strong with more than 25,000 trips taken to or from the station since it opened May 19.
Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, over 50,000 trips were taken to and from National and Dulles airports as customers took advantage of Metro’s convenient and affordable connection to air travel.
The service improvements coupled with ridership gains are driving a major turnaround for Metro. Starting next week, we’ll have 70 percent more trains in service during peak periods compared to last year, and a 54 percent increase in train trips. More than 17.5 million trips were taken on Metrorail and Metrobus in May, including a 20 percent increase on bus and 43 percent increase on rail over May 2022.
Metro is making frequent service improvements as it works to return more 7000-series trains to the tracks and recovers from a pandemic-driven shortage of train operators. The Yellow Line service improvements come one month after Metro boosted service on the Red Line during peak periods on May 8. Since then, ridership has increased while Red Line customers are enjoying a more comfortable ride in trains that are about 20 percent less crowded.
Metro customers will see additional service improvements later this month on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.
Another Metro change is happening soon. Starting Monday, the north entrance to the Arlington Cemetery station is set to close for about three months due to canopy installation work.
In case you don’t get the reference, it also riffs on some of the controversy over the Walter Reed pickleball courts.
There has been little additional news about the repeat indecent exposure suspect since our last article, though a few days later we did pick up some scanner traffic suggesting that police were actively working the case and might have identified a perpetrator.
Address:620 N Tazewell Street Neighborhood: Townes of Ballston Type: 3 BR, 2 (+2 half) BA townhouse – 1,810 sq. ft. Listed: $1,050,000
Noteworthy: Steps away from Target and Good Company Doughnuts!
Rare opportunity for an updated townhome in the heart of Ballston.
Meticulously maintained and upgraded over the years, this quiet retreat offers 3 large bedrooms, including a top floor owner’s suite and custom walk-in closet with a large private deck overlooking the incredible courtyard entry. The other 2 bedrooms share a tub/shower combo with a private vanity and commode on each side. The home is primarily hardwoods with new fixtures, new appliances and much more.
Just outside the lower-level door is an attached garage with parking for two vehicles and bike storage conveys, plus zoned street parking and visitor passes. This home is steps away from the new Target, the famous Good Company Doughnuts & Café, and the new Ballston Quarter shops, restaurants, and work-out facilities. In a commuter’s dream location, you’ll find easy access to Route 50 and I-66 with the Ballston metro station being a mere 2 blocks away.
These true 3 bedroom units in the Townes of Ballston community don’t come up often and won’t last long.
The least expensive condo, single-family home or townhouse sale over the past seven days was $169,000 while the most expensive was $2,150,000.
Over the past month, meanwhile, a total of 136 condos were sold. Let’s take a look at some of the most and least expensive condos sold over the past month.
The westbound lanes of Columbia Pike are closed near Penrose Square due to a gas leak.
It appears that a construction crew working in the roadway struck a gas line. Police, firefighters and Washington Gas crews have responded to the scene.
As a result, westbound traffic is being diverted onto S. Barton Street, according to scanner traffic. One lane of eastbound traffic remains open.
It is not immediately clear how long the closure will last.
Arlington has seen a spate of gas line ruptures recently, mostly due to construction activity. S. Walter Reed Drive was completely blocked for a period of time on May 19 and two separate road closures for gas leaks, in Westover and Halls Hill, were reported on May 30.
Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny through mid morning, then becoming mostly cloudy, with a high near 84. Northeast wind around 7 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 60. East wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
