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.

Arlington Students Head Back to School

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 10:50 a.m.) With the notable exception of Barcroft Elementary, which opened on Aug. 1, today was the first day of school for Arlington Public Schools students.

Kids and parents flocked back to local elementary, middle and high schools this morning, as the APS bus fleet traversed local roads. There were no major hiccups reported, save perhaps a fire alarm that was set off in the teacher’s lounge of Taylor Elementary around 10 a.m. (No smoke or fire was found.)

This morning at Abingdon Elementary, which is being renovated and expanded, students were greeted by a number of newly-installed relocatable classroom trailers on the field next to the school. Several Arlington County police officers were stationed at the intersection of 29th Street S. and S. Abingdon Street, to help keep cars moving amid a new traffic pattern for dropping off students.

At Carlin Springs Elementary, meanwhile, administrators literally rolled out a red carpet for new and returning students. At the new Arlington Tech, the program’s first 40 students arrived and began classes. At the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program, upperclassmen formed tunnels for freshman students on their first day.

Arlington County Police and APS are urging drivers to be extra cautious on the roads as school gets back underway.

ACPD and APS officials, School Board members and school administrators were busy ringing in the first day of school on Twitter this morning. More back-to-school tweets, after the jump.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Rosie the Riveter event at the Netherlands Carillon (courtesy Valerie Crotty)

Hazmat Incident, Arrests on I-66 — Two people were arrested on drug charges Saturday after their SUV broke down on I-66 and police found a suspicious liquid in and a suspicious smell coming from the vehicle. Lanes of westbound I-66 were shut down while a hazmat team investigated the substance. [WUSA, NBC 4]

Man Arrested for Sexual Assault on Orange Line Train — A man allegedly exposed himself and then tried to force a woman to perform a sex act on an Orange Line train Monday afternoon. The incident happened as the train was approaching the Dunn Loring station, but the man was reportedly arrested in Arlington and held at the county jail. [WTOP]

APS Still Searching for More Space — Arlington Public Schools officials have been busy trying to add more high school seats as a student capacity crunch continues and is expected to get worse at the top grade levels. For now, APS appears to be focused on adding seats at existing high schools and adding additional capacity through new high school programs, like the just-launched Arlington Tech program, as opposed to opening a fourth comprehensive high school. [InsideNova]

Photo (above) of Rosie the Riveter event at the Netherlands Carillon courtesy Valerie Crotty

‘Terrible Traffic Tuesday’ is Pretty Bad, As Usual

By ARLnow.com

"Terrible traffic Tuesday" road conditions at 8:45 a.m. on 9/6/16

Unsurprisingly, traffic is pretty heavy for this morning’s rush hour.

In the D.C. area, the Tuesday after Labor Day is sometimes called “Terrible Traffic Tuesday.” That refers to the extra cars and buses on the road due to the first day of school and most people being back from their summer vacations.

In reality, the traffic is usually worse the following Wednesday, and even worse still the week after that.

As of 8:45 a.m., there were big delays on I-395 and the southbound GW Parkway in Arlington, as per usual. So far, no major traffic issues have been reported in Arlington.

Image via Google Maps

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Tornadoes are rare, but not impossible in Arlington (photo via Arlington OEM)

It was supposed to be a quiet end to a slow week today. Instead, the morning started with two breaking news stories and the day will end with an approaching tropical storm.

Even though Arlington is expected to be spared from most of Hermine’s rain and wind — “little to no impact is anticipated,” according to the National Weather Service — the storm is a good reminder of why you should be prepared for emergencies.

Feel free to discuss the weather, emergency preps or any other topic of local interest in the comments. Have a relaxing Labor Day weekend and we’ll see you back here on Tuesday for what’s looking like a busy week of news.

Five Candidates Certified for Virginia Presidential Ballot

By ARLnow.com

The Aurora Highlands polling station during a 2010 electionVirginia voters heading to the polls on Nov. 8 will have five presidential candidates to choose from.

The state certified five candidates for the general election and sent a notice to local election officials today.

The qualified candidates, in the order they will be listed on the ballot, are:

  • Hillary Clinton (Democrat)
  • Donald J. Trump (Republican)
  • Gary Johnson (Libertarian)
  • Jill Stein (Green Party)
  • Evan McMullin (Independent)

Another independent candidate, “Rocky” Roque De La Fuente, did not qualify for the ballot.

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

If you’re searching for a new place to call home, Arlington has plenty of showings you might want to check out this weekend.

Check out our recently-relaunched real estate section for a full listing of open houses this weekend. Here are a few highlights:

AR9748978 - Exterior (General)2927 B Woodstock Street
2 Bed/2 Bath Townhome
Agent: Benjamin Grouby
Listed: $365,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

AR9752809 - Living Room3024 Buchanan South
1 Bed/2 Bath Townhome
Agent: Bonnie Blaszczyk
Listed: $389,000
Open: Sunday 1-3 p.m.

 

AR9630487 - Exterior (Front)1001 Randolph Street
1 Bed/1 Bath Condo
Agent: Thomas Hennerty
Listed: $393,000
Open: Sunday 2-4 p.m.

 

AR9738112 - Exterior (Front)1515 Arlington Ridge Road
2 Bed/2 Bath Condo
Agent: Louis Andors
Listed: $474,900
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

AR9751563 - Exterior (General)3409 Wilson Boulevard
2 Bed/2 Bath Condo
Agent:Joseph Serafin
Listed: $679,900
Open: Saturday 1-3 p.m.

 

AR9747802 - Exterior (Front)708 N Greenbrier Street
3 Bed/2 Bath Single Family Detached
Agent: Tonya Nelson
Listed: $724,900
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

AR9742006 - Interior (General)1530 Key Boulevard
2 Bed/2.5 Bath Condo
Agent: Raymond Zakka
Listed: $777,000
Open: Sunday 1-4 p.m.

 

AR9734550 - Exterior (Front)6400 27th Street North
5 Bed/4.5 Bath Single Family Detached
Agent: Paramjit Sikand
Listed: $1,474,000
Open: Sunday 2:30-5 p.m.

 

Real estate agents, if you don’t see your listings in our real estate section shoot us an email and we’ll let you know what your office needs to do to get listed.

Rabid Raccoon Prompts Warning

By ARLnow.com

A raccoon in a backyard (photo by Bastique via Wikipedia)Arlington’s animal control agency is warning residents that a rabid raccoon was recently found in the Dominion Hills neighborhood.

An animal control officer found the raccoon, oddly, in a cardboard box with a water bowl.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington is asking those who may have had contact with the animal — or those whose pets may have had contact with it — to contact them.

From the AWLA:

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington seeks information about any people or pets who may have had physical exposure to a raccoon that has tested positive for rabies. An animal control officer found a sick raccoon in a cardboard box left on the street in the 1000 block of North Manchester Street on August 23, 2016. The box also contained a plastic bowl of water. The raccoon was brought to the animal shelter where it was humanely euthanized. When it was sent for testing, the raccoon was positive for rabies. We ask that anyone who may have had contact or whose pets may have had contact with any raccoon in that vicinity, please call the League at 703-931-9241.

BREAKING: Wild Motorcycle Chase Ends on Spout Run Parkway

By ARLnow.com
1/5

A wild police chase that started on I-66 has ended in Arlington.

Virginia State Police were chasing two motorcyclists who refused to stop after one was reportedly involved in a crash on the highway, according to scanner traffic.

The pursuit continued into Arlington and the motorcyclists took the Glebe Road exit into Ballston. With a Fairfax County Police helicopter overhead tracking their movement, the bikers briefly stopped in Ballston and then made their way north, past the area of Washington-Lee High School and onto Lee Highway, according to police radio traffic.

One of the suspects was reportedly taken into custody after he damaged his motorcycle and tried to flee on foot into the woods at the intersection of Spout Run Parkway and Lorcom Lane.

The other continued to flee down residential streets, allegedly driving onto front lawns and zooming past pedestrians. By apparent coincidence, the motorcyclist rode right by where the first suspect was arrested, and was himself then stopped and taken into custody on Spout Run Parkway

Police temporarily closed portions of the parkway to traffic during the incident.

Virginia State Police pursued the suspects through the county; per Arlington County Police policy against chasing suspects for minor crimes, ACPD units were instructed not to pursue.

Painter Seriously Hurt in Clarendon After Lift Tips Over

By ARLnow.com
1/4

A painter was seriously injured in a jobsite accident in Clarendon this morning.

The incident happened just after 9 a.m. near the entrance to the Market Common Clarendon parking lot, on the 2800 block of Clarendon Blvd.

“At approximately 9:14 a.m. police were dispatched to assist medic units with an industrial accident,” said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “Early investigation revealed a painter was on a lift which tipped over causing the painter to fall approximately 25-30 feet.”

The worker was transported to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital with what were initially believed to be critical injuries. However, the injuries are now reported to be non-life threatening.

Photos by Tim Regan

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Clouds and rays of sunlight above Claremont Immersion School (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

Rainy Weekend, Maybe — Hurricane Hermine, which is now a tropical storm after making landfall in Florida, is expected to make its way up the coast and bring rain to the Mid-Atlantic region Saturday and Sunday. The exact track of the storm is still in question, thus it’s unclear just how much rain the D.C. area will get. [Capital Weather Gang, Twitter]

Big Immigration Court Delays — A federal immigration court in Crystal City has such a heavy caseload that some hearings are scheduled all the way out to 2024. [Fox 5]

Arlington Native Serving on USS Arlington — Wakefield High School grad Joseph Reed is serving as a fire controlman aboard the USS Arlington, the U.S. Navy ship named after his hometown. [Navy Office of Community Outreach]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Michael’s Store to Open Tomorrow Near Fairlington

By ARLnow.com
1/3

A Michael’s craft store is set to open tomorrow (Sept. 2) near Arlington’s Fairlington neighborhood.

As of this afternoon, “opening” signs were posted on the window of the store and employees could be seen training inside.

The new Michael’s is located in the Bradlee Shopping Center at 3690 King Street in Alexandria.

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