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
Haze from wildfires in western Canada has made its way east, seen from The View of DC in Rosslyn (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Local Reps Blast Airport Proposal — “Members of Congress representing Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia today wrote to leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to express strong local opposition to ‘any changes to the current High Density (‘Slot’) and Perimeter rules at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (‘National’).'” [Press Release]

Fairfax Board Also Against DCA Bill — “The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously yesterday (Tuesday) to oppose the push to increase the number of flights that travel beyond 1,250 miles from the airport in Arlington. In a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation, the board argued that the effort would undermine Dulles International Airport (IAD), resulting in ‘detrimental’ impacts on the local economy.” [FFXnow]

Booster Group Releases DCA Poll — “The Capital Access Alliance (CAA), a coalition of transportation and business leaders from Virginia and around the country seeking to make air travel to and from Washington, D.C. more accessible and affordable, released new survey results today of more than 1,000 Virginia residents that found the majority of voters in the Commonwealth support modernizing the 1960s perimeter rule and adding more flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).” [Capital Access Alliance]

GOPers Rankled By Ranked Choice — “‘This seems insane,’ one voice from the back remarked as the county’s elections director, Gretchen Reinemeyer, outlined that new voting procedure at the party’s monthly meeting, held May 22. Another suggested that the new – and, to many, confusing – voting change may have been implemented for nefarious means. ‘Chaos eventually leads to tyranny,’ one GOP member opined during a question-and-answer session.” [Gazette Leader]

Minor Injuries After Cyclist Struck — “ACPD on scene of a cyclist struck at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Monroe Street in Virginia Square. Her injuries sound relatively minor.” [Twitter]

Police Seek Crystal City Groper — “1500 block of Crystal Drive. At approximately 5:22 p.m. on May 23, police were dispatched to the report of an assault just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was inside the business when an unknown male suspect grabbed her buttocks before fleeing the scene on foot.” [ACPD]

Nearby: Armed Man Arrested at Preschool — “A Florida man arrested in McLean yesterday (Tuesday) had guns in his car and was allegedly on his way to the CIA, Fairfax County police say. The man was reported for trespassing at the Immanuel Presbyterian Church (1125 Savile Lane) around 11:11 a.m. The church is also the site of Dolley Madison Preschool and the Speech and Language Center of Northern Virginia.” [FFXnow]

It’s Thursday — Cooler, with clouds clearing in the morning and a high near 71. North wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. [Weather.gov]

ARLnow Daily Debrief for May 24, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Wednesday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 8436 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — May 24, 2023.

  1. Arlington drops in ‘ParkScore’ rankings
  2. Morning Notes
  3. Rolling Thunder will rumble back into Arlington this weekend

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Thursday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☀️ Thursday’s forecast

Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 72. North wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. At night: Mostly clear, with a low around 51. Northeast wind 3 to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
– Socrates

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

Arlington resident to compete on Jeopardy! this week

By ARLnow.com
Host Mayim Bialik and Arlington resident Alice Ciciora on the set of Jeopardy! (courtesy Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

The long history of Arlingtonians competing on “America’s Favorite Quiz Show™” continues.

Alice Ciciora — a political scientist and researcher who lives in Arlington after moving here from Berkeley, California — is set as a contestant on Friday’s (May 26) episode, with host Mayim Bialik. She will compete against fellow challenger Diandra D’Alessio, a technical writer from Montreal, and the to-be-determined returning champion.

Jeopardy! is now in its 39th season and has featured a number of local residents over the years. The most recent was attorney Luigi de Guzman, who won the last episode of season 38 before losing in the first episode of season 39.

The quiz show airs locally at 7:30 p.m. on WJLA (ABC 7), after Wheel of Fortune.

Rolling Thunder will rumble back into Arlington this weekend

By ARLnow.com
Motorcycle riders during Rolling Thunder 2018 (Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman)

Cookouts, a dip in the pool and the sound of a thousand motorcycles cruising down the highway. Yes, Memorial Day weekend in Arlington is almost here.

If you’re not among the approximately 35% of locals traveling for the holiday — at least according to our recent poll — you can expect the return of motorcycle-riding military veterans on Friday.

The annual Rolling Thunder rallies officially ended in 2019 but were quickly succeeded by Rolling to Remember, a nearly identical annual event focused on POW/MIA advocacy and organized by the group AMVETS. At the same time, the Rolling Thunder branding has lived on in parallel, with that group organizing a Thunder Alley vendor area near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C.

Rolling to Remember, like Rolling Thunder before it, refers participants to a number of Arlington hotels, meaning that those in Crystal City and Pentagon City, as well as Rosslyn, can expect more rumbles of motorcycle engines throughout the weekend. The event has typically used the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City as its home base.

As in the past, bikers will rally in a Pentagon parking lot Sunday morning. The rally typically results in some rolling road closures in the area, as participants ride from the Pentagon, across Key Bridge and into D.C. around noon for a demonstration “to bring awareness and accountability for POWs and MIAs left behind.”

Arlington drops in ‘ParkScore’ rankings

By ARLnow.com
The new, public Metropolitan Park in the first phase of Amazon’s HQ2 in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

After reaching No. 3 among local park systems last year, Arlington County has fallen a couple of spaces in the national “ParkScore” rankings.

The county was ranked No. 3 in the U.S. on the Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore index in 2022, after several years of being stuck at No. 4. This year, the county is No. 5.

A PR rep for the Trust for Public Land said the change was less about Arlington and more about two other park systems.

“It’s mostly because Irvine and Minneapolis opened new parks that pushed them ahead — not because of problems in Arlington,” said Matthew Kagan.

D.C. repeated as No. 1 in the nation this year. St. Paul, Minnesota is No. 2.

Last year, after ranking in the top 3, the county touted that 99% of Arlington residents live within a 10-minute walk to the park.

“Our parks and recreation opportunities are a key contributor to quality of life in Arlington County,” Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol said in 2022. “From livability, bikeability, fitness, health and more, our community benefits from our parks.”

Arlington got lower marks, however, for overall and median park acreage.

2023 ParkScore rankings (courtesy Trust for Public Land)

The full press release about this year’s rankings is below.

(more…)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Softball at Washington-Liberty High School under hazy skies (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Driver Who Killed Arlington Residents Charged — “The woman accused of crashing into a sedan on Rock Creek Parkway — killing a Lyft driver and the two young men he was taking home — told investigators she had been drinking and smoking marijuana before the collision, and she had blood alcohol levels registering above the legal limit just afterward, police alleged in newly released court documents… Walker was arrested and charged Monday with second-degree murder in the March 15 incident.” [Washington Post]

Video: Crash on I-395 — From Dave Statter: “#caughtoncamera: The latest Exit 8C crash on I-395S. Today at 1:45 pm. So desperate to get to Crystal City they cut across 4 lanes.” [Twitter]

Arlington as Development Model — “The Washington, DC, region, led by Arlington, Virginia – just over the Potomac river – has shown a way to avoid the worst of the crisis. By concentrating apartments around transit, buying the most-affected locals in financially, and using the revenues to balance the budget, it has been able to permit more apartments than many of its peer regions over the past 50 years. This is a model other American cities could learn from.” [Works in Progress]

Two Arrested for Guns at DCA — “Two passengers in unrelated cases were stopped by federal officers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport from bringing loaded handguns onto their flights Sunday. Transportation Security Administration officers at Reagan National Airport prevented a Florida resident with his loaded .380 caliber handgun and an Arkansas woman with her .22 caliber gun that was loaded with five bullets, a TSA news release said.” [Patch]

Hot Summer May Be on Tap — “Enjoy our mild spring while it’s here; temperatures will dial up in the coming weeks… In the Washington region, there is a 40-50% chance of above-normal temperatures starting next month through August, per NOAA.” [Axios, Capital Weather Gang]

‘Nova’ Is Hottest Name in Virginia — “Nova is the baby name seeing the largest gain in popularity among Virginia parents, per an Axios analysis of the most popular baby names using Social Security records. Yes, Nova. A name with Latin roots that means ‘new,’ according to TheBump.com, or ‘chaser of butterflies’ to the Hopi Native American people.” [Axios]

Va. AG Sues Over Robocalls — “Attorney General Jason Miyares today sued Michael D. Lansky, LLC, which does business under the name Avid Telecom, its owner Michael Lansky, and its Vice President Stacey S. Reeves, for allegedly initiating and facilitating billions of illegal robocalls to millions of people and violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, the Telemarketing Sales Rule, and other federal and state telemarketing and consumer laws.” [Press Release]

It’s Wednesday — Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Northeast wind around 5 mph. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. [Weather.gov]

UPDATED: Police search for suspect who fled traffic stop in N. Arlington neighborhood

By ARLnow.com
Police vehicles seen on a traffic camera at N. Glebe Road and Williamsburg Blvd

(Updated at 2 p.m.) Arlington County police searched last night for a man who fled a traffic stop on foot.

The incident happened near the intersection of N. Glebe Road and Williamsburg Blvd, in the Old Glebe neighborhood.

Initial reports suggest that around 10 p.m., an officer tried to pull over a vehicle associated with someone who is wanted out of Maryland, but the vehicle was driven down the driveway of a home at the intersection and at least one person ran off.

Numerous ACPD units responded to the scene scene, helping to look for the suspect.

The search was ultimately called off and, as of Wednesday afternoon, the driver was still at large, with charges pending.

“At approximately 9:55 p.m. on May 23, police observed a vehicle whose registered owner was showing as wanted out of Maryland and attempted a traffic stop at N. Glebe Road and Williamsburg Boulevard,” ACPD spokeswoman Alli Shorb tells ARLnow. “The driver pulled into the yard of a residence in the 3600 block of N. Glebe Road, exited the vehicle and ran from the scene. Officers established a perimeter and searched the area for the driver yielding negative results.”

“Officers made contact with the four remaining vehicle occupants, three adults and one child, and, during the course of the investigation, determined two were wanted out of other jurisdictions,” said Shorb.

A 32-year-old female suspect from Culpeper, Virginia and a 38-year-old male suspect from Radiant, Virginia “were taken into custody and held on the outstanding warrants,” Shorb continued. “Charges are pending for the driver of the vehicle. The investigation is ongoing.”

ARLnow Daily Debrief for May 23, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Tuesday evening, Arlington. Today we published articles that were read a total of 14035 times… so far.

📈 Top stories

The following are the most-read articles for today — May 23, 2023.

  1. Police: Armed, drunk men arrested in Clarendon and Ballston over weekend
  2. NEW: Driver charged with DUI manslaughter after woman struck and killed
  3. Demolition comes for the Americana Hotel in Crystal City
  4. Redevelopment plans for Columbia Pike strip mall stall after grocery tenant pulls out

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Wednesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

☀️ Wednesday’s forecast

Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. North wind around 5 mph. At night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 54. South wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
– Confucius

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

NEW: Driver charged with DUI manslaughter after woman struck and killed

By ARLnow.com
Map showing the Arlington portions of King Street (via Google Maps)

A 38-year-old Maryland man is in jail after police say he struck and killed a woman with his car last night.

The crash happened around 10 p.m. on the 4800 block of King Street (Route 7), at the Arlington-Alexandria border. A crowd had gathered around the stricken pedestrian, a 71-year-old woman from California, as police arrived on scene, according to a police press release and scanner traffic.

The woman was taken to a local hospital and pronounced dead. Police say she was crossing the street when struck by the driver, who was arrested “on suspicion of driving impaired.”

More, below, from an Arlington County police press release.

The Arlington County Police Department is announcing an arrest in a fatal pedestrian crash that occurred on the evening of May 22, 2023. Alvaro Alejandro Pacheco Ramos, 38, of Columbia, MD has been charged with DUI/Involuntary Manslaughter. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.

At approximately 10:04 p.m., police were dispatched to the 4800 block of King Street for the report of a crash with injuries involving a pedestrian. The pedestrian was transported to an area hospital and pronounced deceased. She has been identified as Susan Hamlin, 71, of Aptos, CA.

The preliminary investigation indicates the driver of the striking vehicle was traveling eastbound on King Street when he struck the pedestrian as she was crossing the roadway. As a result of the on-scene investigation, the driver was taken into custody on suspicion of driving impaired.

This remains an active investigation and anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact Detective L. Bello at [email protected] or 703-228-4166. Information may also be reported anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.

Proposed residential development would bring changes to southern Crystal City

By ARLnow.com
1/12

(Updated at 7 p.m.) A new apartment building may be coming to a southern portion of Crystal City, and changing some infrastructure in the process.

Developer JBG Smith announced today a plan for a 370-unit apartment building on “Block W” in Crystal City. The site is bounded by Crystal Drive, a National Airport access road, and railroad tracks, and is currently home to a gravel parking lot, an off-ramp from the access road and a small, JBG-owned workout park.

The plans appear to replace to the park and the off-ramp, with a seven-story building fronting Crystal Drive, in line with the circa-2010 Crystal City Sector Plan. According to JBG, the development plan preserves 35,000 square feet of privately-owned open space, including the adjacent sand volleyball courts, and includes some street-level retail space.

Crystal City sand volleyball courts, next to proposed development site (via Google Maps)

“The Sector Plan envisions, as part of the development of Block W, the current airport access road off-ramp be removed to make way for the new developments,” notes JBG’s recent filing with the county. “Furthermore, the Sector Plan envisions Crystal Drive to be a retail-oriented mixed-use arterial street which includes a bike lane on Crystal Drive in Block W.”

The developer — the predominant property owner in the Crystal City and Pentagon City neighborhoods, also known collectively as National Landing — says the proposed development will transform an underutilized, vehicular-oriented area into new apartments and pedestrian-oriented ground floor retail… further connecting the neighborhood. ”

A press representative for the company confirmed the plans to keep the volleyball courts as one part of the 35,000 square feet of open space.

“JBG SMITH has sited the building to preserve the Crystal City Volleyball Courts and looks forward to engaging with the community on any improvements to this open space,” wrote the spokeswoman. She added that “eliminating the off-ramp will allow JBG SMITH to add over 400 feet of new sidewalk and streetscape, expanding the Crystal Drive pedestrian network to the south.”

JBG has several residential developments in the works in Crystal City.

This month, Arlington County is expected to advance a review of the company’s plans to add more apartment buildings to the River House site.

Plans to build two towers on the site of an 11-story office building and the former Jaleo restaurant, meanwhile, are still under review, according to Arlington County’s website. The Americana Hotel is currently being demolished to make way for one apartment tower while construction continues on two pairs of residential towers: one at 1900 Crystal Drive and another at 2001 and 2000 S. Bell Street, with construction expected to wrap up in 2024 and 2025, respectively. 

The press release about the new apartment redevelopment is below.

(more…)

Police: Armed, drunk men arrested in Clarendon and Ballston over weekend

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A pair of remarkably similar incidents has landed two Arlington men in jail.

The incidents occurred within an hour of one another early Sunday morning. In each, a drunk man allegedly got in a dispute, brandished or claimed to have a gun, and was subsequently arrested and found to be armed after police were called, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

Both happened in or in proximity to bars — one in Ballston, shortly after midnight, and another in Clarendon, around 1 a.m.

From ACPD:

RECKLESS HANDLING OF A FIREARM, 2023-05210005, 4100 block of Fairfax Drive. At approximately 12:12 a.m. on May 21, police were dispatched to the report of a person with a gun inside a business. Upon arrival, it was determined the suspect became engaged in a verbal dispute with the victims, during which he allegedly brandished a firearm. The suspect left the scene on foot, was located by responding officers and taken into custody without incident. A search of his person incident to arrest yielded a firearm. The victims did not remain on scene and no injuries were reported. [The suspect], 32, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Reckless Handling of a Firearm, Public Intoxication and Carrying a Concealed Weapon While Intoxicated.

RECKLESS HANDLING OF A FIREARM, 2023-05210013, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 1:00 a.m. on May 21, police were dispatched to the report of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect became involved in a verbal dispute with the victim, during which he allegedly knocked the suspect’s hat off of his head and implied he had a weapon. As responding officers attempted to detain the suspect, he ran from the area and discarded what appeared to be a firearm before being taken into custody. A search of the area yielded a loaded firearm. No injuries were reported. [The suspect], 21, of Arlington, Va. was arrested and charged with Reckless Handling of a Firearm, Assault and Battery, Drunk in Public and Obstruction of Justice.

Also in the crime report, three teens allegedly fired gel pellets at someone inside a business on the 2000 block of Wilson Blvd in Courthouse. That’s the same block as the new Taco Bell Cantina, though the identity business was not revealed by police.

From the crime report:

MISSILE INTO AN OCCUPIED DWELLING, 2023-05210169, 2000 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 4:13 p.m. on May 21, police were dispatched to the report of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, it was determined three unknown juvenile suspects discharged gel pellets inside a business, striking one victim. No injuries were reported. The suspects fled the scene on foot and responding officers canvassed the area for the suspects yielding negative results.

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