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

Rosslyn signs

Some Receiving Duplicate Tax Bills — A large number of Arlington homeowners have received duplicate tax bills from the county. “As you can imagine, we have heard from many concerned taxpayers today,” Treasurer Carla de la Pava told the Sun Gazette. [InsideNova]

Brutal Beating Still Unsolved — The 1965 beating of a 19-year-old woman in her Rosslyn area apartment is still an unsolved, open case. The woman, Brenda Sue Pennington, survived but never fully recovered, living in a nursing home and depending on Medicare until her death in 2007. [Falls Church News-Press]

Beyer Questions New Social Security Requirement — Those who want to access their Social Security information online now must have a text-enabled cell phone as part of a new security measure. That has led to protests from seniors who don’t own a cell phone — and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) agrees with them, saying they “deserve the convenience of checking their earnings and benefits online.” [Patch]

Medium Unsure If TV Series Will Live On — Monica Ten-Kate, the TV medium who communes with dead people and whose family lives in Fairlington, says in an interview that she’s not sure whether her cable TV reality series will be renewed for a third season. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Arlington Has One of the Country’s Lowest Bankruptcy Rates

By ARLnow.com

Bankruptcy filing rates (image via NerdWallet.com)Arlington County has the eleventh lowest personal bankruptcy rate among U.S. counties, according to newly-compiled statistics.

The website NerdWallet says that Arlington had only 72.67 personal bankruptcy filings for every 100,000 people between 2015 and 2016. That’s about 160 total bankruptcies in Arlington over a one year period.

Arlington’s rate compares to Ector County, Texas, which has the lowest rate in the country with 34.5 filings per 100,000 people, and Shelby County, Tennessee, which has the highest rate with 1,285.83 bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people. The median rate among the 587 counties that NerdWallet examined was 224 filings per 100,000 people.

“Even with bankruptcy filings declining across the nation, Americans living in some parts of the country have a much higher bankruptcy rate than in other places,” Nerdwallet wrote. The south and parts of the midwest, in particular, had the some of the highest rates of bankruptcy filings, while the northeast U.S. stood out as a region for having rates mostly below the median.

Crime Report: Cops Nab Would-Be Burglar

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)Thanks to an alert citizen and some quick action, Arlington County Police were able to apprehend a would-be burglar near Shirlington early Monday morning.

Police say a 20-year-old man was arrested after smashing a window at a store on the 4000 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive, then fleeing when a witness spotted him in the act.

From an ACPD crime report:

BREAKING & ENTERING, 160808005, 4000 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. At approximately 4:00 a.m. on August 8, officers were dispatched to the report of a suspicious person. A witness observed a suspect smash a window to a store and then flee when he saw the witness. Responding officers located and apprehended the suspect in the area. Duwan Marquise Terry, 20, of Arlington VA, was arrested and charged with breaking & entering and burglary. He is being held on no bond.

The crime report highlights from the past week, after the jump.

(more…)

SNL Legend Darrell Hammond to Perform in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Darrell Hammond (photo via Arlington Cinema Drafthouse)Saturday Night Live star Darrell Hammond will be performing live stand-up comedy in Arlington over Labor Day weekend.

Hammond, who had the longest tenure of any SNL cast member, was noted for his impressions of Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Sean Connery and, most recently, Donald Trump. Since 2014, he has been SNL’s announcer. Last year he played Colonel Sanders for a KFC ad campaign.

Hammond is performing at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike) on Friday, Sept. 2 and Saturday, Sept. 3. There are two show times per day: 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. Tickets are $32.

Morning Poll: Which New Restaurant Are You Most Excited About?

By ARLnow.com

Building Permits at Nando's Peri-Peri in BallstonAs we’ve been reporting, this has been an active summer for local restaurants.

A number of prominent Arlington eateries have closed or are closing, while some highly-anticipated restaurants are nearing an opening.

Here are some of the restaurants expected to open later this year:

Of those, which are you most looking forward to?

New Yorktown Field Vandalized

By ARLnow.com
1/4

A new county-owned synthetic turf field at Yorktown High School has been vandalized.

The $1.6 million turf replacement project just wrapped up last week. Over the weekend, a vandal or group of vandals spray-painted the field and the surrounding track and caused some other damage.

“At approximately 7:36 a.m. on August 7, police were dispatched to 2700 N. Greenbrier Street for the report of destruction and vandalism,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.com via email. “An unknown subject(s) spray painted derogatory terms on the field, knocked over several trash cans and a portable restroom. The investigation is ongoing.”

The photos above, taken Monday afternoon, show the cleanup still in progress. Note that photo #3 contains an image that some may find offensive or not safe for work (NSFW).

Photos (top) by Jackie Friedman

New Stores Coming to Pentagon Row

By ARLnow.com
1/2

A pair of stores are coming to a couple of once-vacant storefronts on Pentagon Row.

Express Jewelers is moving from the under-construction Ballston Common Mall to the former Pacers space at 1101 S. Joyce Street.

The store offers “fine jewelry, watches, jewelry repair, watch repair, battery and band replacement, custom-designed jewelry, restringing, appraisals and eyeglass frame repair.” It is “getting close” to opening, according to a Facebook post.

Next door, a menswear and tuxedo rental store is coming to the former Denim Bar space, according to a tipster who chatted up the owner over the weekend. That store may open as soon as mid-month, we’re told.

Skip the Steak, You May Be Able to Buy the Entire Restaurant

By ARLnow.com

Business offered for sale in ArlingtonIn April, we published a list of businesses offered for sale in Arlington.

Given the recent restaurant turnover in Clarendon, it seems like a good time to revisit those offerings, which come from the Arlington listings of a major business broker marketplace.

Here are some of the businesses that are currently listed on the site and have either been added or updated since our last check. We are only naming the business if a name or website is provided in the listing.

  1. “At Luna Grill and Diner, we take pride in our passion for fresh, delicious foods that warm the soul in our restaurant’s lively and intimate setting.” The Shirlington restaurant was established in 1996. Listed at $250,000.
  2. A “beautiful state of the art restaurant and bar in Arlington. No expense spared in customer area or commercial kitchen… 4,200 sq ft with additional outdoor seating… Car included with sale of business!” Listed for $300,000.
  3. “This prestigious nail salon is located in one of the busiest street in Clarendon. It has established clientele. Established for over ten years, it consistently grosses over $600K per year and very profitable and has a lot of potential to grow even more.” Listed for $297,000.
  4. “Little Caesars is the fastest growing and largest carry out pizza chain in the world with locations on five continents. Prior food experience is preferred, not essential. A net worth of $150k with minimum liquidity of $50k is required.” Listed for $160,000.
  5. A 1,000 square foot deli in Crystal City that “used to do more than $15K per week sale. But currently, they are doing little bit more than $7K per week.” Listed for $175,000.
  6. A franchise restaurant in the Pentagon City mall food court that opened in 2013. “Connection with Metro and recently renovated shopping mall bring in tons of customers in this food court. 750 SF with $16,500 per month rent (HOT SPOT) 6 years and 2 X 5 years option left.” Listed at $320,000.
  7. “This pizza restaurant is in the perfect area of Arlington. A lot of foot traffic with offices and residential in this location.” Restaurant seats 60 in 2,000 square foot space. Listed for $399,000.
  8. “Very well established and profitable 5 days Deli, Hot Bar and Salad Bar business need[s] new owner. Located very busy commercial area, 1 Floor of High Rise B/D. Currently, they are doing about $100K per month in Gross Sale, due to the nearby B/D are filling up.” Listed for $599,000.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Out for a walk on the W&OD Trail along Four Mile Run Drive (Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley)

More on Randolph Principal Controversy — Some Randolph Elementary parents are still upset that the school’s well-liked principal has been removed with little explanation and demoted to assistant principal at Abingdon Elementary. [Washington Post]

Aerial View of Arlington — Arlington County has created a video of aerial footage of Arlington, shot during a recent ride on the U.S. Park Police Eagle 1 helicopter. [Facebook]

‘Dog Days of Summer’ Donations — Rosslyn eatery Bistro 360 is donating 25 percent of sales from a special “Dog Days of Summer” menu to the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. [Facebook]

Late Civic Activist Celebrated — The Nauck community will hold a special celebration of the life of the late civic activist John Robinson this coming Saturday. Robinson, who died in 2010, fought against racism, against injustice and for education, and was the publisher of the Green Valley News for more than 40 years. [InsideNova]

Suspicious Package at Ballston Metro — Updated at 9:15 a.m. — Metro Transit Police investigated a suspicious package at an elevator entrance to the Ballston Metro station this morning. The entrance was blocked off with police tape for a period of time.

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Barbecue items from July's ARLBBQ food and beer event

A stormy Saturday will give way to a very nice couple of summer days starting on Sunday, according to this weekend’s weather forecast.

It’s been a stormy past month for restaurants and bars in Arlington, as long-time favorites close or prepare to close, and as newcomers get set to open.

Feel free to discuss the latest local business developments, or any other topic of local interest, in the comments.

Carpool Expected to Close Next Month

By ARLnow.com

Carpool (photo via Facebook)(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) Popular Ballston watering hole Carpool will close next month, according to an email reviewed by ARLnow.com.

The bar has been informing groups that it will be closing within the next few weeks. We’re told that it is likely to close in early-to-mid September.

Carpool’s owners are seeking a new location for the bar, but a final decision on that has not been made, we hear.

Developer Penzance is planning to build a 22-story apartment building on the Carpool site. That development was approved unanimously by the Arlington County Board in December.

So far, no demolition permit applications have been filed for the address (4000 Fairfax Drive). A Penzance representative said he did not have an update on a timeline for the development.

Carpool has a second location, in Herndon.

Update at 5:45 p.m. — A closing date for Carpool has not been set, says co-owner Mark Handwerger.

“The property has been under contract with Penzance for quite some time,” Handwerger said. “There is no definitive timeline for the sale of the property and subsequent closing of the business at this time. With the sales contract in place, however, we have indeed been looking around for an appropriate location nearby, but as of yet have been unable to identify one.”

Photo via Facebook

View More Stories