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.
A driver involved in a fender bender is now facing charges of reckless driving, unlawful wounding and hit and run.
The crash happened on the 2400 block of S. Kenmore Street, in the Nauck neighborhood. Police say Maryland resident Brunilda Lopez struck the other driver involved with her car and then drove off.
From an Arlington County Police crime report:
UNLAWFUL WOUNDING, 160630029, 2400 block of S. Kenmore Street. At approximately 12:00 p.m. on June 30, two vehicles were involved in a minor accident. As the drivers were exchanging information the suspect returned to her vehicle. The victim attempted to prevent the suspect from leaving by standing in front of her vehicle and was struck. Medics arrived on scene and the victim refused transport to the hospital. Warrants have been issued for reckless driving, unlawful wounding, and hit and run for Brunilda Lopez, 50, of Montgomery MD.
Barcroft Fourth of July Parade — The annual Barcroft neighborhood Fourth of July parade will take place Monday at 10 a.m. “Decorate your bikes and wagons, put on a costume or build a float and come march from the Community House to Barcroft Elementary,” organizers wrote. “Stay for a potluck picnic and performance by the Banjo Man.” [Arlington Events]
Real Estate Section Returns — After a six month absence, ARLnow has relaunched our Arlington-specific real estate section. Browse local homes for sale, rentals and open houses (there aren’t many this weekend). We’re still working out some bugs, so let us know if you find any. Real estate agents, if your listings aren’t there shoot us an email and we’ll let you know what your office needs to do to get listed. [Arlington Real Estate]
Summer of Savings — Want to get 25 percent off at a local 4.5 star Yelp-reviewed restaurant? Want other exclusive local discounts and offers? If so, be sure to subscribe to our daily Afternoon Update emails today. Starting this weekend, email subscribers will be receiving some great, curated deals from local businesses. [Email Subscription]
Arlington Considering WWI Commemoration — Arlington County officials are considering options for an official, local World War I commemoration. Such a commemoration would mark the 100th anniversary of the conflict, which ended in 1918. [InsideNova]
4325 11th Street N. Neighborhood: Ballston Listed: $1,245,000 Open: July 3, 1-4 p.m.
There’s no other home in Arlington like this one. It’s a rare offering at Ballston Metro epicenter: a 4 level all-brick federal style residence.
Orange Line Metro entry 250 yards. Steps to the Ballston hot spots. A peaceful tree-lined street. Best value and excitement for the size, space, location and more.
Enjoy this 6 bedroom, 4 full baths, 2 half baths home without searching for parking, as 6 designated parking spaces that convey. The home boasts 3,600 finished square feet with 2 full kitchens and 2 sets of washer/dryer units.
The home is set up perfectly so that the street level can be privately divided from the upper levels of the home. Work at home from your street level office with private entry or make it a 2 Bedroom in-law suite or au-pair apartment complete with separate kitchen, washer/dryer and 1.5 baths.
For more space, there are fixed stairs to the floored attic. Currently used for storage, but with it’s big windows and open space, it could easily be converted to another bedroom, office or artists studio, and it is pre-plumbed for an additional bathroom!
No HOA or Condo Dues. Low Maintenance Exterior, High Walkscore, Metrorail and bus, shopping, dining steps away.
While perfect for a primary home owner, it is a no-brainer as an investment property as well. Endless possibilities. Ballston is growing and expanding… don’t be left behind! This home is so versatile it needs to be seen to fully appreciate!
Call Brock Realty 703-538-6030 to set up a viewing.
Future Roosters Men’s Grooming Center in Pentagon City
Photo via Roosters Men’s Grooming Center
Future Roosters Men’s Grooming Center in Pentagon City
A new barbershop called Roosters is coming to Pentagon City.
The shop will be opening on the ground floor of The Acadia at Metropolitan Park apartment building, near the corner of 12th Street S. and S. Fern Street, according to “coming soon” signs in the window.
“Roosters Men’s Grooming Center provides an authentic barbershop experience in a modern, upscale, and unpretentious environment,” says the company’s website. “Our focus is on delivering consistent, exceptional service, and providing men an escape from their busy lives.”
Services offered include hair cuts, shaves, beard trims, facials and hair coloring. Discounts are offered for active duty military, police, fire and EMS personnel.
“We believe you deserve to have a space of your own, so sit back and enjoy the charm and comforts of an old school barbershop updated for the modern man,” the website said.
No date was given for the expected opening. Roosters has existing locations in 21 states, including locations in Ashburn, Herndon, Leesburg, Reston, Vienna and Bethesda.
Other ground floor businesses in the Acadia building, both opened and planned, include Sweetgreen, Orangetheory Fitness, Corepower Yoga and European Wax Center.
2900 Columbia Pike, future home to the BrickHaus beer garden
2900 Columbia Pike, future home to the BrickHaus beer garden
2900 Columbia Pike, future home to the BrickHaus beer garden
It’s being billed as Columbia Pike’s first beer garden.
BrickHaus, a new beer-centric watering hole and restaurant, is coming to the former Blanca’s Restaurant space at 2900 Columbia Pike, at the corner of S. Walter Reed Drive.
News of the opening comes a year after ARLnow first reported that the long-vacant Spanish Revival-style building was perhaps getting a renovation to accommodate a restaurant with a rooftop seating area. A look inside the window reveals that some work has been performed, but there’s a long way to go before it will look anything like a beer garden.
The building was once briefly considered for a “southside” version of the popular Clarendon cafe Northside Social. But prospective tenants worried about the poor condition of the interior and other challenges, not the least of which is the age and relatively small size of the building and the challenge of setting up any substantial level of outdoor seating on the small adjacent lot or roof.
The potential downsides were not enough to deter Tony Wagner, the owner of BrickHaus, who’s also the owner of Twisted Vines Bottleshop and Bistro, which is located across the street at 2803 Columbia Pike.
“Columbia Pike is such a thriving and growing community, we want to make sure there are great [dining and drink] options out there,” he said. “We’re going to make BrickHaus a great gathering spot for the community… It’s very exciting, this is going to be a fun one.”
Wagner said BrickHaus will be a beer garden on the first floor, with some 20 beers on tap and an approximately 30-seat outdoor patio. The second floor — the mezzanine — will be a sit-down steakhouse.
Wagner said extensive renovations will be getting underway on the “beautiful, historic property,” which was once a bank before becoming a restaurant and then, most recently, serving as the construction office for the next-door Halstead apartment building. The interior will be pretty much all new and the exterior will be rehabilitated. Plans for rooftop seating fell through after it failed to receive Arlington County’s approval, he said.
Beer-wise, BrickHaus will offer almost all regional brews from Virginia, D.C. and Maryland, in addition to perhaps a couple of German beers, Wagner said. Just as Twisted Vines offers wine for sale and a special wine club, BrickHaus plans to offer beer for retail sale and, eventually, a beer club. BrickHaus’ ABC permit application would also allow the business to sell kegs of beer.
Wagner said he got the idea for BrickHaus after listening to feedback from customers at Twisted Vines, who said they wanted an outdoor option on the Pike and were also looking for better beer options. Staring out the front window at the vacant building on the other side of the intersection also sparked his interest.
It’s because of the success of Twisted Vines that Wagner is looking to expand on the Pike. Since taking over ownership last summer, Wagner says Twisted Vines has “had a really fantastic year.” An anniversary celebration is being planned for Aug. 10.
Whereas Twisted Vines has “one of the best wine-by-the-glass and whiskey selections” in Arlington, in Wagner’s estimation, he’s hoping BrickHaus can be its beer counterpart, filling a void in the community.
“We wanted to keep it local,” he said. “We said, let’s give Columbia Pike another great option with great beer.”
BrickHaus is hoping to open by late summer, in time for Oktoberfest.
Editor’s Note: Healthy Paws is a column sponsored and written by the owners of Clarendon Animal Care, a full-service, general practice veterinary clinic. The clinic is located 3000 10th Street N., Suite B. and can be reached at 703-997-9776.
As we head into the D.C. area’s hot and humid summer we often start to diagnose ear infections more frequently. To understand a little bit about these, looking at the anatomy of the ear of the dog and cat can be very helpful:
We break the ear down to three basic regions:
External ear (horizontal/vertical ear canals)
Middle ear (within the tympanic bulla)
Inner ear (where the hearing organs are located)
Ear infections can thus be broken down into external ear, middle ear (more like what a human gets when they get an ear infection), and rarely inner ear infections. The incriminating bugs for these infections can range from yeast, bacteria or mites… and they are all treated differently. This is why your veterinarian will typically take a swab from the ear and examine it under the microscope — they are trying to identify what organism(s) and in what numbers are present. In some cases of bacterial otitis, a culture and sensitivity is needed to find out what specific type of bacteria is present and to help guide antibiotic selection.
The real kicker with ear infections is that there is almost always an underlying cause — meaning the organisms we find in those ears are rarely the primary problem (the exception would be mites). To keep the infections from coming back and to facilitate clearing of the infection, the underlying problem should be looked for and addressed (or at least a management strategy put in place).
Predisposing factors for ear infections include:
Allergies (environmental, fleas or food)
Anatomy (certain breeds have anatomical characteristics that cause complete occlusion of the canal when even mild inflammation is present)
High humidity/heat, swimming, retained water in the ear canal
Trauma to the ear canal (e.g.: overly aggressive cleaning or inappropriate hair plucking)
Polyps
Tumors
Foreign objects
Medical conditions (diseases that compromise or alter immune-system function)
Otits Externa (inflammation/infection of the external ear canal) is the most common presentation of an ear infection in both dogs and cats. These can crop up as a new (acute) infection, a recurrent infection or a chronic (never fully cleared) infection.
Management of Otits Externa involves treating the infectious component as well as addressing the underlying factors as well. Ear cleaning is often a mainstay of managing both the infectious component as well as helping managing some underlying factors (such as allergies and anatomical predispositions or to dry the canal following a swim). Because we find that a lot of folks were never taught how to correctly clean their pet’s ears – we’ve put together a video!
When ear infections are appropriately identified and addressed, we can often prevent or minimize recurrences – though for some pets this means a chronic/maintenance strategy is put in place. In cases where an pet has had severe chronic inflammation & infection of the external ear canal, scarring/fibrosis and mineralization of the ear canal may occur – making medical management far more difficult (and sometimes impossible). In many of these cases surgical removal of the external ear canal is indicated to provide lasting relief to the patient – this is called a total ear canal ablation or TECA.
Otits Media (inflammation/infection of the middle ear) often goes hand in hand with chronic bacterial Otitis Externa and the ear drum in these cases if often ruptured or severely thickened/abnormal. In some cases, we need to manage pain/infection/inflammation before we can even see the eardrum – and in these cases follow up/rechecks are very important so that we can really evaluate what is going on down in that canal.
In addition to causing recurrent symptoms of the external ear canal, these middle ear infections can actually cause neurologic symptoms (generally problems with balance), or pain opening the mouth. Otitis media often requires systemic medications, but in many cases anesthetic procedures to thoroughly evaluate, obtain biopsies and/or cultures and clean out the middle ear may be needed to get them to clear and heal. In some cases, aggressive surgical procedures to open the tympanic bulla (bulla osteotomy +/- TECA) may be indicated.
So what are the takeaways from this?
It’s important to determine if your pet’s ear infection is caused by yeast, bacteria or mites so that component can be treated correctly.
It’s really important to identify predisposing or underlying factors so that they can be addressed or chronically managed.
It’s important to look at your pet’s ear drum to assess its health. If the middle ear gets involved topical medications alone rarely work (and sometimes we need to initiate treatment to even get a look at that ear drum).
Work with your veterinarian to come up with a chronic management plan to help prevent/reduce recurrences, and if you have any questions about the plan — ask your veterinarian!
Arlington County Police surrounded a home, shut down streets, called in a negotiator and had a brief standoff with a man in the Nauck neighborhood this morning.
The incident happened around 10 a.m., when police received a report of a man who threatened a family member with a gun, at a home near the intersection of S. Kenmore Street and 22nd Street, according to ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. The man was said to be holed up in the home’s basement with gun and a machete.
The incident ended as quickly as it began, when the man came out of the home and was placed in handcuffs.
“He has been taken into custody without incident,” Savage said. “This is an active investigation and police remain in the area.”
This past weekend a woman and her dog were just minding their own business, sitting on the patio of their Fairlington home, when a raccoon and its two babies climbed over the patio fence.
The dog, naturally, went after the critters. The raccoon mom fought back. The woman tried to intervene to protect her dog. Her screams alerted neighbors, who found her bloodied with big gashes on her arm. Medics, police and animal control were called, and the woman was taken to the hospital for treatment and rabies shots.
“Our Animal Control officers were called about this situation, and responded to the location with the Police Department,” confirmed Animal Welfare League of Arlington spokeswoman Chelsea Lindsey. “They searched but could not find the raccoon. We think the raccoon may have had babies with her, and become protective when she was confronted by the dog and then the dog’s owner.”
The incident has some Fairlington residents on edge, wondering if such an attack could happen to them or their pets. The raccoon, after all, is still on the loose.
On Tuesday, July 5, at 7 p.m. AWLA will be holding a community meeting “to discuss and advise residents on interaction and conflicts with wildlife.” The meeting is being held at the Fairlington Villages Community Center (3005 S. Abingdon Street).
“This meeting is being held in light of the injury recently suffered by a resident resulting from an encounter with a raccoon,” says the event’s Facebook page.
Lindsey said that it’s somewhat rare for raccoons to attack dogs or humans, but it does happen.
In September 2013, ARLnow.com reported on a pregnant woman who was repeatedly bitten by an aggressive raccoon in her East Falls Church backyard, as her daughter watched in horror.
“We get reports of raccoons in altercations with dogs somewhat regularly, but contact with people is rare,” she said. “In the last 12 months we have had one other report of a raccoon bite to a person in Fairlington, and it was in August 2015.”
“Healthy raccoons are unlikely to pick a fight with a dog, but dogs sometimes chase them, and sick/injured raccoons and mothers protecting their young may fight back to defend itself,” Lindsey said. “AWLA highly recommends making sure to feed your dog inside (as food left outdoors can attract raccoons) and not to allow your dog in your yard or outdoors without immediate supervision. We also recommend that all dogs (and cats) have an up-to-date rabies vaccine, as is required by state law.”
“While raccoons are primarily nocturnal and residents won’t typically see them during the day, it is not that unusual for them to roam outside during the day looking for food or sunning themselves,” Lindsey added. “It is best to simply leave raccoons alone if you see them outside. However, if one appears to be sick (staggering, walking in circles, falling, biting itself, salivating heavily), injured or if you find a deceased raccoon on your property, we recommend calling Animal Control immediately so they can investigate.”
Police Conduct Pedestrian Safety Detail — Arlington County Police conducted a pedestrian safety detail at the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Utah Street, in Ballston, where a teen was struck by a car and seriously injured in April. In a tweet, a driver is shown receiving a ticket for failure to yield to a pedestrian. [Twitter]
Pure Barre Coming to Pentagon City? — Exercise studio Pure Barre is finalizing a lease on the ground floor of the new Bartlett apartment building in Pentagon City. That was revealed during an opening party for the Bartlett on the building’s rooftop (see photo, above) Wednesday night.
Photo Shows Big Changes in Pentagon City — As seen in an old black-and-white photo, 56 years ago Pentagon City was mostly empty fields on the outskirts of Crystal City and the Aurora Highlands neighborhood. Development has transformed it into a Metro-accessible hub for shopping, apartment living and offices. [Twitter]
Arlington Mom Gives Birth Live on Facebook — An Arlington mother gave birth to her son live via Facebook Live for the TLC show “A Baby Story Live.” [Patch]
Light Pole Snaps During Storm — Earlier this week, a light pole in the park along Lubber Run snapped during a storm. [Twitter]
A 20-year-old man is facing numerous charges after police say he knocked out a homeowner who threatened to call 911 because the man was assaulting a woman in front of his house.
The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. Monday night, in the Arlington Forest neighborhood near the entrance to the Lubber Run Amphitheater.
From an Arlington County Police crime report:
BURGLARY W/ INTENT TO COMMIT ASSAULT, 160627052, 200 block of N. Columbus Street. At approximately 10:35 p.m. on June 27, a male homeowner witnessed a male subject assaulting a female victim in the street. The homeowner announces that he is going to call police, at which point the male subject forces entry into the home. Once inside the home, the male subject assaults the homeowner causing him to lose consciousness. Another resident of the home witnesses the assault, yells for him to leave, and the male subject threatens her and attempts to steal items before being led away by the initial female victim.
During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect was involved with additional incidents. At approximately 10:25 p.m. on June 27, the same suspect attempted to gain entry into a residence in the 100 block of N. Columbus Street, through the back door and the garage. Both attempts were unsuccessful. A witness reported then seeing the suspect proceed to a neighbor’s yard in the 100 block of N. Columbus Street and attempt to open a vehicle door, but was unsuccessful.
Victor Omar Suarez, 20, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with burglary with intent to commit assault, malicious wounding, attempted grand larceny, and possession of marijuana. He is being held without bond.
Crash involving Paisano’s Pizza delivery driver (photo by Jackie Friedman)
Crash involving Paisano’s Pizza delivery driver (photo by Jackie Friedman)
Crash involving Paisano’s Pizza delivery driver (photo by Jackie Friedman)
Crash involving Paisano’s Pizza delivery driver (photo by Jackie Friedman)
A pizza delivery driver was T-boned in a crash near Clarendon this afternoon.
The crash occurred shortly after noon at the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Kirkwood Road.
A pickup truck slammed into the passenger side of the Paisano’s Pizza delivery car at the intersection. The circumstances leading to the crash are unclear at this point.
According to scanner traffic, one person was bleeding from the head and required medical attention following the wreck.
A driver involved in a fender bender is now facing charges of reckless driving, unlawful wounding and hit and run.
