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Morning Notes

Published December 22, 2015 at 9:35AM | Updated December 22, 2015 at 10:00AM

Arlington School Administrator Dies — Kathleen Meagher, the director of secondary education for Arlington Public Schools, has died at the age of 53 as a result of a scuba diving accident. Meagher, who joined APS in 2014 after serving as a school administrator in Palo Alto, Calif., was vacationing with her partner in St. Kitts and Nevis, in the Caribbean. [Washington Post, Daily Democrat]

TSA May Stay in Arlington After All — A judge’s ruling has opened up the door to the Transportation Security Administration potentially keeping its headquarters in Arlington. The TSA is currently headquartered in Pentagon City, and was set to move to Alexandria, but may now be able to consider the Stafford Place complex in Ballston, from which the National Science Foundation is moving in 2017. [Washington Business Journal]

Difficult Primary for Poll Workers — Arlington County elections officials are preparing for what might be a challenging primary. With intense interest in the presidential primary, turnout is expected to be heavy. There are 13 Republicans and three Democrats that have qualified for their respective primaries. And a loyalty pledge that’s being mandated by the Republican Party of Virginia may cause confusion and animosity at the polls. [InsideNova]

Va. DMV to Allow Smiling, Sort Of — The Virginia Dept. of Motor Vehicles is lifting its ban on smiling in driver’s license photos, kind of. New rules will allow smiling, but only without showing teeth. [WJLA]

A Streetcar Named Regret in Fairfax Co. — A Fairfax County official is still lamenting Arlington’s cancellation of the Columbia Pike streetcar project. Supervisor Penelope Gross said the streetcar “was going to be important to maintain the viability of Skyline.” The streetcar was to run through the Skyline section of Fairfax County, improving prospects for the vacant and partially-vacant office buildings there. Fairfax County is currently trying to figure out what to do about so much vacant office space. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

ARLnow to Host Panel Discussion on Arlington’s Restaurant Industry

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2015 at 3:50PM | Updated December 22, 2015 at 3:44PM

ARLnow.com often reports on the opening and closing of restaurants in Arlington. Such articles are among the most consistently well-read on the site, which can probably at least partially be attributed to the growth of foodie culture.

At a time when chefs are the new rock stars, what does it take to run a successful local restaurant? What makes one restaurant thrive while others down the block struggle? What is it like to run a restaurant in Arlington and how to local government policies help or hinder local establishments?

We will attempt to answer those and other questions you might have about the local restaurant industry at the first of a series of events ARLnow.com is holding in 2016.

The event is will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at A-Town Bar & Grill (4100 Fairfax Drive). It will be hosted by local media personality Sarah Fraser.

Panelists include some of the brightest stars of Arlington’s restaurant scene: Tim Ma of Water & Wall, Mark Fedorchak of Liberty Tavern, Scott Parker of A-Town Bar & Grill, Mikala Brennan of Hula Girl and Javier Candon of SER.

This event is FREE for all. You can see if your friends are going on Facebook. ~~A limited number of reserved seats are available for those who book through Eventbrite.~~ (Update on 12/22: The reserved seats are sold out.)

The program — a panel discussion discussion followed by an audience Q&A session — will start at 6:30 p.m.

Man Arrested for Doing Lines of Cocaine Off of Table at Clarendon Pizza Shop

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2015 at 12:45PM | Updated December 21, 2015 at 1:34PM

A man was arrested early Sunday morning after allegedly doing lines of cocaine off of a table at Goody’s restaurant in Clarendon.

The incident happened just before 3 a.m. Police say 26-year-old William Donovan of Vienna, Va. was sitting by himself at a table in the tiny pizzeria, snorting cocaine. A uniformed Arlington County police officer who was standing nearby witnessed the alleged drug use and went to arrest Donovan.

At that point Donovan, who police say was highly intoxicated, defiantly said something to the effect of “I’m going home tonight,” and took a “fighting stance,” according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Donovan began kicking and punching the officer, prompting a witness to jump in and help restrain him while additional officers sped to the scene, Sternbeck said.

Donovan was charged with possession of cocaine, two counts of assault on a police officer, resisting arrest and obstruction of justice, according to Sternbeck, and is being held without bond.

He “eventually apologized while being transported to jail,” Sternbeck noted.

New Group Home Open on Arlington Ridge Road in Time for the Holidays

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2015 at 11:45AM

Four Arlington residents with intellectual disabilities are back home in the county, thanks to a new group home just off Arlington Ridge Road.

The house is being operated by Good Neighbor Community Services, an organization that specializes in helping those with behavioral health issues and intellectual disabilities achieve “a life of opportunity, independence, and growth.”

From a county press release:

It will be a special Christmas for four Arlington residents who for years have missed celebrating at home in the County.

The four adults, all with intellectual disabilities, require constant care. Until this past fall, they were living outside Arlington in one of five large state institutions known as training centers.

This Christmas, they will celebrate with family and staff in their new group home, opened by the County last month off Arlington Ridge Road.

The County chose contractor Good Neighbor Homes to operate the house, which has a private bedroom for each resident.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring these residents back to Arlington, and to give them the care they need in homes in our neighborhoods,” said Anita Friedman, director of Human Services for the County. “We believe this solution is better for them, for their families and for our community.”

Long-time Arlington resident Nancy Tishman’s son David, 38, who is severely autistic, is one of the new residents of the Arlington group home. He lived with his family until a severe medical crisis sent him to the regional Northern Virginia Training Center in Fairfax, where he stayed for 10 years.

Tishman credits Arlington County “for bringing him back home. His brother and sister and his dad and I are so grateful and filled with joy.”

The long path to opening the group home began in 2012. That was when the Commonwealth reached an agreement with the U.S. Justice Department requiring Virginia to move people with disabilities out of the regional centers and back into their own communities.

The settlement provided Arlington with $1.5 million to ensure the transitions.

The Justice Department case was based on a 1999 U.S. Supreme Court decision that said “confinement in an institution severely diminishes the everyday life activities of individuals.”

A fifth and last member of the household near Arlington Ridge will move in next month. Another group residence for five, specifically built with funds from the settlement, will open in January near Clarendon.

The holiday homecoming is the “perfect” ending to a long process aimed at creating a familiar environment of care and dignity, marvels La Voyce Reid of the County’s Developmental Disability Services Bureau.

“This is the kind of true gift we hope for this time of year,” she said.

Photo via Arlington County. Video via Good Neighbor Community Services.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2015 at 10:20AM | Updated December 21, 2015 at 11:08PM

Shortest Day of the Year — Today is the shortest day of the year. The sun will be up just 9 hours and 26 minutes today, so enjoy the daylight while it lasts. Tonight is the winter solstice. [Capital Weather Gang]

Two Big Crystal City Projects on Hold — Two projects to replace aging office buildings in Crystal City are on hold due to high office vacancy in the region. Vornado was planning to replace 1851 S. Bell Street with what would have been the tallest building in Crystal City and the largest private office building in Arlington. The company was also planning to replace 223 23rd Street S. with an office and a residential tower. Those have both reportedly been shelved due to market conditions. [Washington Business Journal]

Police Play Cornhole With Bar Crawlers — Nearly 2,000 people flocked to Clarendon on Saturday for the inaugural Candy Cane Crawl, a holiday-themed bar crawl. Arlington County Police used the occasion to educate bar-goers about the dangers of drunk driving, by having people try to play cornhole while wearing “drunk goggles.” [WUSA 9]

Mary Slye Obituary — Mary Patricia Slye, who managed Robert Slye Electronics on Washington Blvd in Virginia Square, died last month of a heart attack at the age of 65. Slye was an Arlington resident and began working at the audio visual installation business in the mid-1980s. [Washington Post]

Vehicle Topples Light Pole on Washington Blvd — A vehicle struck a light pole near the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Pershing Drive on Saturday, sending it toppling across the street. Luckily, no one was hurt. Eastbound traffic on Washington Blvd was blocked for about 15 minutes. [Twitter]

GMU Grad Hopes to Run for Arlington School Board — A newly-minted George Mason University grad has a specific and somewhat uncommon career goal for someone her age: Marlayna Bush says she wants to run for the Arlington School Board in 2018. She just received her BA in conflict analysis and resolution. [George Mason University]

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published December 19, 2015 at 12:25PM

The weekend is here. And it’s freezing.

The good news, for those who don’t need the Hollywood vision of a white Christmas to make the holiday merry, is that warmth will be returning. Forecasters say a record high temperature of 72 degrees is possible on Christmas Eve.

So think warm thoughts this weekend while you’re wrapping up your holiday shopping, heading to see the new Star Wars movie or out getting an early start on your New Years exercise resolutions.

Also, while we’re at it, we wanted to wish a happy retirement to County Board members Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada. A goodbye party was held for Hynes and Tejada at The Salsa Room on Columbia Pike Thursday. A large crowd was on hand to honor their service to Arlington County.

Agree or disagree with their policies, those who serve on the County Board are dedicated public servants. Board members get paid a part-time salary for what it in actuality a full-time job. And they often have to endure blistering criticism and derision from those they’re trying to serve, all with a smiling face.

This isn’t to say Board members and their policies shouldn’t be immune to criticism from citizens — it’s the interplay between opposing viewpoints that helps make our democracy work. And as the online news outlet of record in Arlington, we do our best to bring the sunlight of public attention to local government actions.

But some seem to mistake policy disagreements with bad intentions, treating local elected officials as if they’re out to “get” them rather than seeing them simply as a fellow resident who’s doing what they think needs to be done to make our community better. Don’t be that guy. Disagree without assuming nefarious intentions.

Let’s face it, in Arlington our local elected officials are Boy Scouts compared to the pols elsewhere in our great country. If anything they may be too concerned with public opinion and the local squeaky wheels, even if the squeaky wheels don’t have the self-awareness to recognize it when they don’t get their exact way.

Feel free to discuss Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada’s record on the County Board, or any issues of local interest in the comments.

#weekend discussion

Two Arrested Following Shooting Near Pentagon City Mall and Police Chase

By ARLnow.com

Published December 18, 2015 at 5:15PM | Updated December 19, 2015 at 12:04AM

(Updated at 11:55 p.m.) Two suspects are in custody after leading Arlington County Police on a vehicle pursuit through the District of Columbia, following a shooting near the Pentagon City mall.

The alleged road rage incident happened around 3:10 p.m., at the 15th Street South exit of the mall’s parking lot. NBC 4 reported that a driver was having trouble using a credit card to exit from one of the gates. The driver was trying to get the car behind to let them reverse out, when someone in that car fired a gunshot in the air.

Witnesses called 911 and reported the shooting, describing the suspect vehicle as white in color with D.C. tags

A car matching the description given to police was spotted by an officer on I-395. That led to a pursuit across the 14th Street Bridge into D.C., near the National Mall, and back on I-395 before ending at 3rd and F Streets NW, near the Third Street Tunnel, where the suspects bailed out and took off running.

Arlington police, aided by D.C. police, were able to chase and apprehend both suspects, according to ACPD spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm.

Reginald Carroll, a 21-year-old D.C. resident, has been charged with willfully discharging a firearm in public and felony eluding. Calvin Pelzer, also 21 years old and from D.C., has been charged with discharging a firearm and obstruction of justice.

The suspects threw a gun out of the window during the vehicle pursuit, Malcolm said. It was recovered along I-395 near the GW Parkway.

Arlington County Police normally don’t engage in car chases, but department policy specifies that such pursuits are authorized for violent crimes involving firearms, “for the safety of the community,” according to Malcolm.

No one was reported injured in the shooting. As of early Friday evening, investigators were still looking for bullet casings and other evidence near the scene. They’re also trying to find other witnesses as well as the other driver involved, who fled after the shooting.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Malcolm said.

Local Lawmakers Laud Federal Spending Bill

By ARLnow.com

Published December 18, 2015 at 3:35PM

Arlington’s members of Congress are touting wins for federal workers, veterans, Metro and the Virginia economy in a new federal spending bill.

The bill, a rare bipartisan budget compromise, passed both houses of Congress this morning. It includes a raise for the federal workforce, $150 million for WMATA, $30 million for Arlington National Cemetery, and billions for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and various other military spending priorities.

The office of Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) described it as “good news for federal employees” in a press release.

There is finally some good news for federal employees in the omnibus spending bill passed by Congress this morning. The $1.1 trillion spending package included a pay raise for federal employees and service members, as well as significant additional funding for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), some of which is earmarked for cybersecurity.

“Federal employees suffered through enough with years of wage stagnation, furloughs and shutdowns, and, perhaps most egregiously, the theft of their personal information as a result of the OPM hacks,” said Rep. Beyer. “In addition to cybersecurity investments to prevent future breaches, this deal gives our federal workforce a modest 1.3 percent pay raise for the second year in a row.”

“These efforts will help improve the recruitment and retention of federal employees to help our government grow the new American economy,” Beyer added.

The agreement provides $272 million for OPM and the OPM Inspector General, a $132 million increase over the previous year. The legislation also provides $21 million for critical upgrades to OPM’s cybersecurity infrastructure and to ensure protections to prevent similar security breaches are installed. Individuals affected by the OPM data breaches will be provided with identity protection coverage for 10 years — much more than the previous commitment — and identity theft insurance in the amount of $5,000,000.

After the jump, a joint press release from Virginia Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, including details of specific spending and tax provisions of note for Virginia residents, businesses and federal workers.

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Morning Poll: Driving More Thanks to Lower Gas Prices?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 18, 2015 at 10:10AM

Gas prices around Arlington are dropping as the price of crude oil continues to fall.

The price of a gallon of regular gasoline at the BP station, pictured here, has dropped to $1.91 from $1.97 just last month.

It’s tied for second-lowest price in the county, according to GasBuddy.com, with only Arlington Auto Service on Columbia Pike cheaper, at $1.83 per gallon.

With gas prices continuing to drop to levels reminiscent of the 1990s and, more recently, depths of the recession, do you find yourself driving more?

Bicyclists Escort Motorcade of Former Navy SEAL to Arlington National Cemetery

By ARLnow.com

Published December 18, 2015 at 9:25AM | Updated December 19, 2015 at 11:55AM

This morning, dozens of bicyclists helped to escort the motorcade of a former Navy SEAL who was struck and killed by a car while riding his bike in Bethesda this summer.

Tim Holden was a Gulf War vet and retired from the Navy SEALs in 2001. He was killed on Aug. 28, as he was heading to visit his daughter in D.C., when a 22-year-old driver struck him from behind on a hilly stretch of Massachusetts Avenue.

Holden’s family invited fellow local cyclists to escort his motorcade from the Lincoln Memorial to Arlington National Cemetery, where he was buried this morning. Dozens showed up for the chilly ride around 7:30 this morning.

Holden was 64. He is survived by his wife and five daughters.

The 22-year-old Maryland man who struck him will not face criminal charges.

Crime Report: Armed Robbery at Crystal City 7-Eleven

By ARLnow.com

Published December 17, 2015 at 3:45PM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:16PM

File photo

The 7-Eleven store on 23rd Street in Crystal City was robbed by a knife-wielding man Sunday night, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

The suspect made off with cash after robbing an employee at knifepoint. From ACPD:

ARMED ROBBERY, 151214001, 400 block of S. 23rd Street. At approximately 10:44 pm on December 13, a 7-11 employee was robbed of cash at knifepoint by an unknown subject. The suspect fled on foot and is described as a Hispanic male between 6’0-3″ tall and 225 lbs. He was wearing a black jacket, dark colored jeans, black winter hat and tan boots at the time of the incident.

The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.

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