ARLnow.com | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published May 26, 2016 at 9:00AM

Plane Makes Emergency Landing at DCA — An American Airlines flight taking off from Reagan National Airport had to turn around and make an emergency landing after a bird struck and disabled one of its engines. The incident happened around noon on Tuesday. No one was hurt. [NBC Washington]

That’s a Lot of Parking Tickets — Arlington County issued some 109,000 parking citations last year. The two most ticketed spots in the county: the county-owned surface parking lot in Courthouse and the county-owned parking strip next to Northside Social. [WJLA]

Vihstadt Pens Statement of Support for Garvey — County Board member John Vihstadt (I) writes of Board chair Libby Garvey, who’s facing a challenge in the Democratic primary: “While we don’t agree on everything, she continues to be my ally on key priorities like championing open, accessible and transparent County government, adequate schools funding, robust transit solutions on the Pike and elsewhere, and streamlining our business processes.” [Libby Garvey]

GGW Endorses Gutshall — Urbanist blog Greater Greater Washington has endorsed Erik Gutshall, who’s challenging County Board chair Libby Garvey in the June 14 Democratic primary. Writes GGW: “Overall, Gutshall has demonstrated a strong grasp of the challenges facing Arlington and an ability to work with others to find solutions. Libby Garvey, his opponent, has not demonstrated these qualities.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Paving on Columbia Pike — Crews are repaving the westbound lanes of Columbia Pike between S. Glebe Road and S. George Mason Drive, through Friday. [Twitter]

Raising Funds to Help Baby Hear — An Arlington resident has launched an online fundraiser to help pay for travel expenses and medical expenses associated with his baby daughter’s participation in a clinical trial that will help her hear via an auditory brainstem implant. [GoFundMe]

Chamber Honors 2016 ‘Best Business’ Award Winners

By ARLnow.com

Published May 25, 2016 at 3:45PM

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce has recognized seven local businesses for its 30th annual Arlington’s Best Business Awards.

The award ceremony was held Tuesday at the Sheraton hotel on Columbia Pike.

The seven business honorees were:

Strategic Consulting Partners – Home-Based Small Business of the Year 2016
Virginia Center for Orthodontics – 2016 Service Small Business of the Year
Joe’s Place Pizza and Pasta – 2016 Retail Small Business of the Year
Design TLC, LLC – 2016 Technology Small Business of the Year
Phoenix Bikes – 2016 Nonprofit Small Business of the Year
Crystal City Marriott – 2016 Business of the Year
Snagajob – 2016 Business of the Year

Three local business luminaries were also inducted into the Chamber’s Arlington Business Hall of Fame:

Emerson G. Reinsch (posthumously)
Bill Buck of Buck & Associates
John Shooshan of The Shooshan Company

Photo courtesy Arlington Chamber of Commerce

Arlington Pet of the Week: Bean

Published May 25, 2016 at 12:00PM

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Bean, at mutt who’s originally from Texas and may have a bit of Cattle Dog in her heritage.

Here’s what Bean’s dog mom, Cynthia, had to say about her.

After being found as a stray in Texas, Bean came to Northern Virginia in November 2015, when her new mom instantly fell in love and adopted her. Bean is believed to be an 11-month-old mutt (possibly a Cattle Dog mix). Bean is an avid ball fetcher, tug player, and squirrel chaser. She absolutely LOVES going to daycare at WOOFS! Dog Training Center everyday and can’t get enough playtime with all of her friends. However, at the park the only thing Bean cares about is chasing her ball.

While shy at times, Bean almost always has to say hello to anyone she meets- she is especially fond of children. Bean recently completed a Puppy Basic Obedience class at WOOFS! and is currently taking a Nosework class. Bean and her mother hope to try out Agility in the future as well, and they can’t wait to see what Bean thinks of swimming! Bean’s favorite treats are peanut butter and Vienna sausages. When she is not busy playing, Bean loves to snuggle and take naps. Bean and her mom like to take long walks around the Ballston neighborhood — if you see them, please say hi (if she doesn’t first!)

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 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 Poll: YIMBY or NIMBY?

By ARLnow.com

Published May 25, 2016 at 10:00AM

In some parts of the country, where rents and home prices have risen to stratospheric levels, there’s a curious new movement.

You’ve heard the term NIMBY — Not In My Backyard — used as a pejorative to describe those who oppose new development near them, even though they might not be opposed to the same project elsewhere. In San Francisco, Seattle, New York and elsewhere, however, YIMBYs are starting to organize.

The Yes In My Backyard movement supports efforts to build more housing, with the goal of building enough housing that supply and demand find an equilibrium and people stop getting priced out of the housing market.

YIMBYs reject typical NIMBY arguments — proposed buildings are too tall, would create too much traffic, would destroy the “character” of a neighborhood — as reactionary impediments to achieving better housing affordability. Instead of worrying about “greedy developers,” YIMBYs say “build, baby, build.”

One thing going for the NIMBYs, who can more charitably be called neighborhood preservationists, is that they are often well organized and mobilize like-minded residents to speak passionately at local government hearings on development. That is one reason why places like San Francisco have struggled to keep up with housing demand: developers face constant roadblocks from community groups who are effective at delaying projects or getting them blocked altogether at the local government level.

The price of housing in Arlington has been rising — not as dramatically as in San Francisco, mind you, but NIMBY vs. YIMBY fights have nonetheless occasionally played out locally.

As the county’s population continues to grow — it’s expected to reach 283,000 by 2040 — more housing will be necessary to keep up with demand. The Arlington community’s reaction to continued development will be a key factor that shapes local neighborhoods and affects local housing affordability.

Generally speaking, where do you stand on the YIMBY vs. Neighborhood Preservationist spectrum?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 25, 2016 at 9:00AM

Memorial Day Traffic to Peak Thursday — Heading out of town for Memorial Day? Try to avoid driving Thursday afternoon or evening, which is expected to have the worst traffic of the holiday period. A better time to leave is between 8 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday. [Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments]

Ideas for Making Arlington More Bike Friendly — Chris Slatt, chair of the Arlington Transportation Commission, has 10 “big ideas” for making Arlington even more bicycle friendly. [Greater Greater Washington]

Elaborate Model of Ballston Quarter — At the International Council of Shopping Centers’ convention in Las Vegas there is an elaborate model of the future, renovated Ballston Quarter mall. [Twitter]

French Program at Wakefield Honored — Wakefield High School’s French program is one of 10 such programs in the country this year to receive the Exemplary Program Honors award from the American Association of Teachers of French. Enrollment in Wakefield’s French program has reportedly doubled since 2011. [WJLA]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

ACPD Cracking Down on Fake IDs

By ARLnow.com

Published May 24, 2016 at 3:35PM

An influx of fake IDs from overseas has prompted a crackdown by the Arlington County Police Department.

ACPD says it recently started “a high-visibility underage drinking enforcement and education campaign designed to curb the use of fake IDs by underage individuals.” The campaign is targeting the busy Clarendon bar district on weekends.

“Over the last month or so, a number of fake IDs — originating from overseas online shops — have been turned into police by Clarendon businesses,” explained ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “This initiative was developed to address this issue.”

“This is a newer initiative but it’s been going on for about a month,” Savage continued. “We have a great working relationship with the business owners in Clarendon and this is just one more step we can take to continue to make Clarendon a safe area at night. The initiative will be going on this weekend… [and] will be part of the regular duties of the officers working our Clarendon detail on Friday and Saturday nights.”

Savage said the campaign includes enforcement, signboards placed around Clarendon and social media outreach. (The department will be live tweeting from Clarendon on Friday night.)

“We encourage people to enjoy the nightlife Arlington has to offer but do so responsibly – and that includes waiting until you reach the legal drinking age of 21,” said Savage.

The full press release issued by ACPD this afternoon is below.

The Arlington County Police Department will conduct a high-visibility underage drinking enforcement and education campaign designed to curb the use of fake IDs by underage individuals. These efforts aim to deter those underage individuals from abusing alcohol and driving while impaired.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, those under the legal drinking age are at a far greater risk of death in an alcohol-related crash than the overall population, despite the fact that they cannot legally purchase or publicly possess alcohol in any state. That’s why the Arlington County Police Department is reminding underage individuals to think before they drink; underage drinking comes with adult consequences.

Throughout the summer, officers will work with our Clarendon business partners to authenticate identification documents and identify fake IDs used by underage individuals to purchase alcohol and gain access to bars. Individuals using another person’s driver’s license, altering their own driver’s license or reproducing a fake ID may be charged with violation of Virginia Code §18.2-204.2 Possession of a false identification, a Class 2 Misdemeanor and punishable up to 6 months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine and/or Virginia Code §18.2-186.3 Identity Theft, a Class 1 Misdemeanor punishable up to 12 months in jail and up to a $2,550 fine.

File photo

New Courthouse Hardware Store Shooting for Late Summer Opening

By ARLnow.com

Published May 24, 2016 at 11:00AM

A new hardware store that’s coming to Courthouse is hoping to open its doors by the end of the summer.

Twins Ace Hardware will be located at the corner of Clarendon Blvd and N. Troy Street, on the ground floor of the 2001 Clarendon Blvd apartment building. At nearly 6,000 square feet, the store will carry “a wide variety of products” while offering “the same outstanding service you’ve enjoyed” at the company’s existing Fairfax store.

“We’re excited to be a part of the neighborhood,” co-owner Jeff Smith said. “[My twin brother] Craig and I have always loved Courthouse, but never found the right site for our store until now. [The building] has great amenities and convenient parking for our customers to load purchases large and small.”

“We’re working on construction and getting our permits and hope to open late summer this year,” Smith added, in response to an inquiry from ARLnow.com.

All 30,000 square feet of retail space in 2001 Clarendon Blvd is now leased, according to a press release. Another of the newer businesses to lease a space there, fitness studio Xtend Barre, has set a June 10 opening date.

Photos by Jackie Friedman

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 24, 2016 at 9:15AM

McAuliffe Under Investigation — Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) is being investigated by the FBI and the Justice Department for possible illegal campaign contributions. [CNN]

Board Accepting Feedback on Blue Ribbon Panel — The County Board’s so-called Blue Ribbon Panel was supposed to help the Board set county priorities without getting bogged down in bureaucracy and process. Instead, the panel’s implementation has been delayed and the county is now asking for public feedback on the panel and its charge. [Arlington County]

The Legacy of ACFD’s First Black Firefighters — The Halls Hill/High View Park community held an event this past weekend to honor the Arlington County Fire Department’s first black professional firefighters. Some members of the original group of 14 black firefighters to staff Arlington’s Fire Station No. 8 were on hand for the event. [InsideNova]

Don Rockwell Profiled — Don Rockwell, the mysterious proprietor of the influential Don Rockwell online restaurant forum, lives along Columbia Pike and dines out just about every day for lunch and dinner. At the end of the profile, Rockwell lists some of his favorite local restaurants and dishes. [Arlington Magazine]

Rosslyn Tops for Bike to Work Day — The Rosslyn Bike to Work Day pit stop was utilized by 972 cyclists this year, making it the busiest pit stop in the D.C. region. [Twitter]

Flickr pool photo by James L.

Arlington Agenda: May 23-29

By ARLnow.com

Published May 23, 2016 at 5:15PM

Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.

Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

Monday

Free Home Buyer Seminar*
Optime Realty (1600 Wilson Blvd, Ste. 101)
Time: 6-8 p.m.

Our team is hosting a Free Home Buyer Seminar. We will have specialists on hand (lenders, title specialists and buyer agents) to give you an overview of the buying process. All attendees will receive two valuable home buyer guarantees.

Tuesday

Bar Olympics Fundraiser for MS
Spider Kelly’s (3181 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 7-9 p.m.

Join us for a night of fun and fundraising while we raise money to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis! All money raised goes directly to the National MS Society. Cost: $20/team of 2 people or $10/person (we will pair you up).

Thursday

Arlington Public Schools Support Staff Recruitment Fair*
GMU Founders Hall (3351 Fairfax Drive)
Time: Noon-4 p.m.

Arlington Public Schools is hiring School Bus Drivers, Extended Day Team Members, Maintenance/Custodians and Food & Nutrition Services Team Members. Candidates are encouraged to submit an online application prior to the event.

Friday

Live Standup: David Alan Grier
Arlington Cinema Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike)
Time: 7:30 and 10 p.m.

Comic David Alan Grier will perform live standup at the Drafthouse on Friday and Saturday. Four performances are scheduled. Tickets are $25. Grier’s TV and movie credits include “In Living Color,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Jumanji.”

Saturday

Family Film: “The Princess and the Frog”
Shirlington Branch Library (4200 Campbell Ave)
Time: 3-4:30 p.m.

Join Arlington Public Library staff and neighbors at a Saturday film screening for children and their caregivers. Snacks will be provided. First-come, first-served until capacity is reached. The movie is rated G and runs 98 minutes.

Sunday

Yappy Sundays
Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd)
Time: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Shame on you working all week and leaving your best friend unattended! Kick that boyfriend or girlfriend to the curb, recover from your Friday and Saturday nights and spend Sunday with your best friend who loves you no matter what. “All you can eat brunch” for only $22 and champagne bottle specials.

#Arlington Agenda

Power Issues Reported After Storms Rumble Through

By ARLnow.com

Published May 23, 2016 at 4:15PM

A “power surge” was reported in the City of Falls Church and Arlington’s East Falls Church neighborhood, in the wake of a spring thunderstorm that rumbled through the area around 3:30 p.m.

The power problem caused the traffic signal at the busy intersection of Lee Highway and Washington Blvd to start flashing, snarling traffic, and was also said to be responsible for numerous activated burglar and fire alarm calls in the area.

As of 4 p.m., there were just shy of 600 Dominion customers reported to be without power in Northern Virginia, mostly in Fairfax County.

County Apologizes for Clarendon Dog Park Incident

By ARLnow.com

Published May 23, 2016 at 3:45PM

Doggone it, we messed up.

That’s what Arlington County is telling dogs and their owners who got stuck inside the James Hunter Community Canine Area (1299 N. Herndon Street) in Clarendon Friday evening.

A faulty latch is being blamed for the stuck gate that prevented dog park users from leaving. The fire department responded and removed the latch, allowing people and their pets to head home. A welder was scheduled to work on the gate today.

Arlington County issued a light-hearted press release about the incident today (see below), with the title, “Ruff Night Ends in Tails of Joy: We now know who let the dogs out.”

The Arlington County Fire Department came to the rescue of some two dozen pups plus their people last Friday after an inner gate froze closed around dinner time at Clarendon’s James Hunter Park’s dog park.

No one was howling to leave, but once firefighters removed the stubborn, industrial-grade latch, almost half the pooches and their biped pals hightailed it home, authorities reported.

“We want to apologize to the dogs and their owners,” said Jane Rudolph, director of the County Department of Parks and Recreation. “That gate had a date with the welder today.”

Park locks and latches are checked regularly and lubricated and adjusted as needed.

All eight of Arlington’s dog parks are open from sunrise until a half-hour after sunset unless otherwise designated.

The James Hunter dog park closes at 9 p.m.

File photo courtesy Arlington County