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.

UPDATED: Man Charged With Gun Brandishing in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Police car lights(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) A man has been charged with brandishing a gun during a road rage incident Wednesday afternoon in Clarendon.

The incident took place just after 4 p.m. at the intersection of N. Highland Street and Clarendon Blvd, near the Clarendon Metro station.

It all started when one driver reportedly cut off another. That led to a dispute in which one of the parties involved got out of his or her vehicle. It was at that point that a man in the other vehicle flashed a gun, Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage said Thursday.

The man drove off and no one was injured. A pedestrian was caught in the middle of the dispute and served as a witness for police, Savage said. There was also a cell phone video and surveillance video of the incident.

The suspect in the case later voluntarily came to the police station and was issued a court summons, Savage said. His court date is set for March 10.

UPDATED: Police Investigating Woman’s Death Near Virginia Hospital Center

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 5:10 p.m.) Arlington County Police and the county fire marshal are investigating the death of a woman in the High View Park neighborhood.

The 69-year-old woman’s son found her dead from in the kitchen of her home on 18th Street N., near Virginia Hospital Center, said Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage. Three people, including the woman and her son, live in the home, she said.

Authorities were initially investigating a report of an explosion in the kitchen, according to scanner traffic. An explosion has since been ruled out, Savage said, but there was some sort of a fire inside the home.

The stove burners were on when the woman was first found but police have not determined whether she died from an accident, from natural causes or otherwise, Savage said. At this time foul play is not suspected, she added, nor is there believed to be any sort of gas leak in the area.

“There’s no threat to the public,” said Savage, “but this is an active investigation.”

A fire truck was dispatched to the home to assist with ventilation, Savage confirmed. The street has been closed to traffic by police, though neighbors are being allowed to walk to their homes.

Property records show that the couple who owns the home has owned it for at least 23 years.

Canadian Embassy to Face Off Against FBI Hockey Team in Ballston

By ARLnow.com

Charity hockey game (Photo via @CanEmbUSA)The feds will face off against some local Canucks in a friendly international competition in Ballston this weekend.

The 12th annual charity hockey game between the FBI and the Embassy of Canada Hockey Team will take place on Saturday, from 7-9 p.m., at Kettler Capitals Iceplex (627 N. Glebe Road).

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $5 at the door and raffle tickets will also be sold at the game.

All proceeds will go to the Soldier On fund, which helps Canadian military members and veterans “overcome their physical or mental health illness or injury through physical activity and sport.”

Photo via @CanEmbUSA

Taste of Arlington 2016 to Feature 400-Foot “Street Pub”

By ARLnow.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wDm0VIPnTw

Taste of Arlington will feature a mammoth “street pub” this year.

The 400-foot long portable bar travels the country, offering draft beer from Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery at various large events. Proceeds from the beer sales will be donated to charity, said a rep for the Ballston BID, which organizes the annual event.

Taste of Arlington 2014 crowds“This partnership will not only take the beer garden to a whole new level, but will greatly increase Taste’s fundraising clout,” said Mollie Wagoner.” As a signature event of the Ballston BID’s new charitable arm, BallstonGives, they hope to outdo all past fundraising. The BID has already guaranteed a minimum $25,000 donation to Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) with a goal of raising much more.”

The event, held along Wilson Blvd in Ballston, features food from more than 50 restaurants and attracts some 40,000 people each year. The beer and wine sales area is consistently one of the most crowded sections of the festival.

This year’s Taste of Arlington is scheduled for May 15 from noon to 6 p.m.

Dates Set for Democratic School Board Caucus

By ARLnow.com

Voters line up at the Democratic caucus at Washington-Lee High School (Jan. 2012)

Arlington Democrats will have four School Board candidates to choose from at an endorsement caucus in May.

The “unassembled caucus” — also referred to as a “firehouse primary,” with an instant run-off voting process used to determine the winners — will be held over two days:

  • Thursday, May 19 from 7-9 p.m. at Drew Model School (3500 23rd Street S.)
  • Saturday, May 21 from 11 a.m.-7 p.m. at Washington-Lee High School (1301 N. Stafford Street)

There are two School Board seats in contention, one of which is up for grabs with the retirement of School Board member Emma Violand-Sanchez. The candidates vying for the Democratic endorsement are:

Prior to the caucus, a candidate debate will be held at the Arlington County Democratic Committee monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6 at the Fairlington Community Center (3308 S. Stafford Street).

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Construction in front of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall

County Board Work Sessions to Be Broadcast — Arlington TV, the county government’s cable channel, will begin broadcasting County Board work sessions on cable and online this month. First up: the riveting County Board work session on the FY 2017 budget, scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday. [Arlington County]

Meal Delivery Startup Now Serving Part of Arlington — Galley, a D.C.-based meal delivery startup, says it just expanded its delivery area to include Rosslyn, Courthouse and Clarendon.

ACPD Focusing on Heroin Use and Addiction — The Arlington County Police Department is joining other law enforcement agencies around the region in an initiative to try to curb the distribution, possession and use of heroin. For those battling addiction, there are a number of treatment options in Arlington. [Arlington County]

Schneider to Lead Thrive — Former Democratic County Board candidate Andrew Schneider has been named the new Executive Director of Arlington Thrive, effective today. Thrive is a nonprofit that provides same-day financial assistance to residents in crisis.

Board Thanks Legislators for Hotel Tax Bill — The Arlington County Board is offering its thanks to the state legislators who successfully shepherded Arlington’s hotel tax surcharge reauthorization through the Virginia General Assembly. [Arlington County]

Just Reduced Properties in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Just Reduced banner

Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by licensed broker Aaron Seekford of Arlington Realty, Inc. GET MORE out of your real estate investment with Aaron and his team by visiting www.MrArlington.com or calling 703-836-6116 today! 

We’ve put on the homebuyer hat quite a bit here.

Today, we’re putting on our home seller shoes and answering the one question that folks have when their home has been sitting on the market for a while: When is it time to reduce the price of my listing?

It boils down to four primary things:

  1. Lack of traffic.
  2. Lack of offers.
  3. Days on market.
  4. Your personal timeline to sell your property.

If you (or someone you know) are experiencing the perfect storm of these home-listing symptoms, then it’s time to consider a price reduction. Or, perhaps it’s time to GET MORE out of your real estate transaction with a new Realtor.

Now on to the good stuff for local buyers…

This week, as of February 28, there are 154 detached homes, 41 townhouses and 255 apartments for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 32 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week.

Here is this week’s selection of Just Reduced properties:

Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Aaron Seekford.

Arlington Votes for Clinton, Rubio in Banner Night for GOP Turnout

By ARLnow.com

Voting sign at Walter Reed Recreation CenterArlingtonians voted overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio in a primary election that saw Republican turnout more than double since 2008.

Overall turnout was up — 42 percent this year to 40 percent in 2008. Fifteen percent of registered Arlington voters cast a ballot in the GOP race, while 27 percent voted in the Democratic race. That compares to 7 percent GOP and 33 percent Democratic turnout in 2008.

Tonight’s unofficial Arlington results on the Democratic race were:

  • Hillary Clinton: 66.85% (25,561 votes)
  • Bernie Sanders: 32.80% (12,541 votes)
  • Martin O’Malley: 0.35% (134 votes)

The Republican results:

  • Marco Rubio: 49.67% (10,944 votes)
  • John Kasich: 22.56% (4,971 votes)
  • Donald Trump: 16.78% (3,698 votes)
  • Ted Cruz: 7.87% (1,734 votes)
  • Ben Carson: 1.73% (381 votes)

Statewide, Clinton carried the state 64.3 percent to 35.2 percent for Sanders. On the Republican side, Trump won in Virginia with 34.8 percent of the vote to 31.9 percent for Rubio and 16.9 percent for Cruz. Across all Super Tuesday states, Clinton and Trump claimed enough victories to retain their frontrunner status in the presidential race.

On a night when Arlington ran out of preprinted GOP ballots due to unexpectedly high Republican turnout, there was speculation that many Democrats crossed over — Virginia has an open primary — to vote for a “non-Trump” candidate.

https://twitter.com/OldCT/status/704850963484508160

Enthusiasm among local Republicans also appeared to have driven the high turnout.

After the jump, the Arlington County Democratic Committee statement, from party chair Kip Malinosky, on the primary result.
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Arlington County Runs Out of Preprinted GOP Ballots

By ARLnow.com

A woman walks out of the Walter Reed Recreation Center after voting (file photo)Arlington County has run out of preprinted, state-issued Republican presidential primary ballots due to much higher-than-expected GOP voter turnout.

County elections officials had to begin photocopying the ballots in order to keep up with voter demand, Arlington Registrar Linda Lindberg confirmed to ARLnow.com. Ballot photocopies are legal, carry the Arlington seal and are authorized by the election board, but cannot be machine scanned and must be counted by hand, Lindberg said.

“No precinct has been out of ballots at any point in time,” she noted, dispelling rumors to the contrary.

In the absence of paper ballots, Lindberg said polling places also have the option of allowing voters to use an electronic ballot marking device, intended for those with disabilities. Ballots cast with the device are machine scannable, but there’s only one device per polling place.

As of 6:30 p.m., elections officials reported that total turnout had reached 38 percent of registered voters, with 24 percent voting in the Democratic primary and 14 percent voting Republican. That’s double the final GOP turnout in Arlington in 2008.

Polls close in Virginia at 7 p.m., but major Metro delays on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines tonight may keep some late voters from casting ballots.

File photo

Architect Chosen for ‘Landmark’ Ballston Metro Bridge

By ARLnow.com
1/6

An architect has been chosen to design a new pedestrian bridge over Wilson Blvd in Ballston.

The existing bridge, which connects Ballston Common Mall with the Ballston Metro station, is set to be torn down as part of the redevelopment of the mall. Demolition work on the mall is expected to begin in June. The rebranded “Ballston Quarter” open-air shopping plaza and mall is slated to open in 2018.

Mall owner Forest City formally announced today that Cleveland-based studioTECHNE has been selected as the design architect of a new pedestrian bridge, which will replace the old one. The firm has recently completed two other pedestrian bridges, including one at Case Western Reserve University.

The bridge project is being paid for by Forest City, as part of a public-private partnership on the redevelopment project. In addition to the mall, Forest City is also building a new 22-story, 406-unit residential tower.

The bridge design process includes extensive public outreach as well as collaboration with Arlington County public art and urban design staff. A blog has been created to document the process.

“We are very excited to begin the conceptual design process with so much wonderful public input” said Marco Ciccarelli of studioTECHNE. “Our aim is to blend this input into creating a significant piece of functional public art which will perform for the Ballston community in a high profile manner for many years to come.”

“It is our hope and intention that this replacement pedestrian bridge project will be a civic landmark in the Ballston community,” said Kris Krider, planning supervisor for Urban Design & Research at Arlington’s Dept. of Community Planning, Housing and Development. “We feel we have the right mix of creative talent and demonstrated skill involved to act upon the community input and tight timeframe for this component of the redevelopment of Ballston Common.”

Angela Adams, Arlington’s public art administrator, also weighed in.

“We are confident that this civic design exercise will result in an iconic structure and welcome addition to Arlington’s growing inventory of thoughtfully designed infrastructure,” Adams said.

The proposed new bridge design is expected to be presented to Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz for approval in June.

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