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Driver Seriously Injured After Car Slams into Wall at Air Force Memorial

Published December 7, 2015 at 5:00PM

A driver suffered critical injuries in a crash on Columbia Pike next to the Air Force Memorial Sunday night.

The single-vehicle crash happened just before 5:45 p.m. A driver apparently lost control and slammed into the corner of a large concrete wall next to the entrance to the memorial.

The driver was found unconscious and was initially reported to be pinned inside the car, but was freed by firefighters, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Lt. Shawn Pendo.

The victim was transported to George Washington University Hospital with life-threatening injuries, Pendo said. There was no update on his or her condition as of Monday afternoon.

Columbia Pike was closed in both directions Sunday evening while police investigated the crash.

New Glencarlyn Park Space Along W&OD Trail Now Open

By ARLnow.com

Published December 7, 2015 at 2:45PM

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for a new addition to Glencarlyn Park, along Columbia Pike and the W&OD Trail, over the weekend.

The new park space, near the Arlington Mill Community Center, includes a “learning loop” for beginning bicyclists, a bike repair station, a bike water bottle filler, a sand play area and a rain garden.

Construction of the park amenities was estimated at $400,000 when it was approved a year ago.

Worker Rescued After Falling Through Home’s Back Porch

By ARLnow.com

Published December 7, 2015 at 1:45PM

A construction worker had to be rescued by Arlington firefighters after falling through the back porch of a house in North Arlington.

The incident happened just before 1 p.m. on the 1300 block of N. Quintana Street, near Madison Manor Park and the Four Mile Run trail

A worker was reportedly jackhammering the porch when he fell through into some sort of concrete pit or recessed area. The man’s leg was pinned but the first arriving firefighters were able to extricate him before a technical rescue team arrived, according to ACFD spokesman Lt. Shawn Pendo.

The man suffered “minor injuries” — a broken leg, according to scanner traffic — and was transported to a local hospital, Pendo said.

Morning Poll: Changing Opinions About Arlington’s Streetcar Cancellation?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 7, 2015 at 11:15AM

Just over a year ago, the Arlington County Board voted to scuttle the county’s controversial streetcar project.

The next day we conducted a poll, asking whether the County Board made the right decision. About 62 percent of 3,280 respondents said yes, while 38 percent said no.

Over the weekend, the Washington Post published an article entitled “How D.C. spent $200 million over a decade on a streetcar you still can’t ride.” The article details a decade-plus-long string of delays, questionable decisions and cost overruns.

Also published over the weekend on YouTube: “The D.C. Streetcar Song,” a re-dubbed clip from the classic Simpsons monorail episode.

Meanwhile, Columbia Pike — for which the streetcar was to provide an enhanced transit experience — continues to be clogged by traffic and long lines of buses at rush hour. The Pike is continuing to develop, albeit slowly.

Given the continued bad news about the crash-prone and long-delayed D.C. streetcar — or a year of reflection on the current state of traffic and development on Columbia Pike — we’re wondering whether any Arlington residents have changed their minds.

A year later, do you agree with the decision to cancel Arlington’s streetcar project?

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 7, 2015 at 9:15AM | Updated December 7, 2015 at 12:46PM

Passenger Thrown from Minivan in Crash — Three people were hurt in an early morning crash on S. Arlington Ridge Road today. Police say a car traveling at 55 mph on the residential street slammed into the back of a minivan near 23rd Street S., causing one passenger in the van to be ejected from the vehicle. [WJLA, NBC Washington]

School Board Approves $100 Million H-B Design — The Arlington School Board has approved a concept design for the Wilson School in Rosslyn, future home of the H-B Woodlawn secondary program. With a 92-space parking garage factored in, the construction cost of the school may exceed $100 million. Also last week, the School Board confirmed that it will again ask the County Board for permission to build a new elementary school on the Thomas Jefferson Middle School campus. [InsideNova, InsideNova]

County Facebook Post Raises Eyebrows — Democratic political operative Ben Tribbett, among others, is calling an Arlington County Facebook post about a local Democratic resolution on the Redskins team name an “inappropriate use of a government Facebook account.” Tribbett was previously hired by the team to defend its name. [Facebook, Blue Virginia]

Nine Arlington Restaurants Make Top 50 List — Nine Arlington establishments have made Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top 50 Restaurants list. The highest on the list is new-this-year Kapnos Taverna in Ballston. [Patch]

Fisette on County’s Support for I-66 Plan — Arlington County Board member Jay Fisette says the county supports a plan for tolling I-66 because it is a regional compromise that’s cost effective, multimodal and not “the typical knee-jerk reaction [of] just widening roads.” Fisette notes that Arlington “was traumatized by the building of I-66 right through some of our neighborhoods” in the 1970s and 80s. [Washington Post]

Four Mile DMV Moving After Losing Lease — Dozens of angry Fairfax County residents came out to a meeting Thursday night to express opposition to a new DMV office in the Barcroft Plaza shopping center. The meeting also revealed more information on why the DMV is moving from its current location on S. Four Mile Run Drive. The DMV reportedly lost its lease due to a planned redevelopment, which has since fallen through. [Annandale VA]

More Info on Courthouse Redevelopment — We now know a bit more about the planned redevelopment of a low-rise office building in Courthouse. A 15-story, 91-unit condo building with 2,000 square feet of ground floor retail space is planned to replace the office building at 2000 Clarendon Blvd. [Washington Business Journal]

Flickr pool photo by Eric

Crime Report: Woman Assaulted With Mug, Butter Knife

By ARLnow.com

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

On Monday, a woman was allegedly assaulted with a mug and a butter knife in Rosslyn.

From this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 151130008, 1300 block of N. Lee Highway. At approximately 7:35 a.m. on November 30, a 51 year-old homeless male subject assaulted a homeless female victim with a mug and stabbed her several times with a butter knife. The victim was transported to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Gary Lynn Champagne, 51, of no fixed address, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding.

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

(more…)

ART Bus Service Replacing Metrobus 3A Route on Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

Published December 4, 2015 at 2:45PM

ART bus service is coming to Lee Highway.

A new ART route will be replacing part of the Metrobus 3A route, between the East Falls Church and Rosslyn Metro stations, starting next Sunday.

ART 55 will operate from the same bus stops as Metrobus 3A, at the same rush hour frequency and a higher midday and weekend frequency.

The county issued the following press release about the change today.

Starting Sunday, Dec. 13 a new Arlington Transit (ART) route, ART 55, will replace part of the Metrobus 3A route and connect two Metrorail hubs–East Falls Church and Rosslyn.

The new service will be more frequent midday and weekends, more reliable, and cost the County less to operate, because ART bus service is less expensive to operate than Metrobus.

“Replacing the 3A with lower-cost ART service allows us to reinvest the savings in expanded midday and weekend service along Lee Highway, which residents have been asking for,” said Director of Transportation Dennis Leach. “Converting the route to ART service also gives us the flexibility to adjust and improve service in the future to meet the needs of our community.”

ART 55 in Arlington will stop at all the same places as the 3A.. During weekday peak periods, ART 55 service will run every 12 minutes, the same level of service the 3A provides today. During middays and weekends, ART 55 will run more frequently than the 3A does now:

Every 15 minutes midday (compared to every 30 minutes for the 3A)

Every 20 minutes during the day on Saturday (compared to every 30 minutes for the 3A)

Every 30 minutes nights and Sundays (compared to every hour on Sunday for the 3A)

Weekday service will run until 1:44 a.m. (compared to 12:57 a.m. for the 3A), and the hours of service on weekends will be the same as the 3A.

ACPD Releases Statement on San Bernardino Shooting

By ARLnow.com

Published December 4, 2015 at 1:45PM

The Arlington County Police Department is well-prepared for active shooter and terrorism threats.

That’s the message from a statement issued by ACPD today, in response to the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California earlier this week.

The statement, below, also encourages residents to report suspicious activity via the county’s Homeland Security Tip Form or via smartphone app.

The Arlington County Police Department extends our sincere condolences to the San Bernardino, California community. We want to reassure the citizens of Arlington County that our officers remain vigilant in their patrols of our community. Officers receive extensive training in active shooter situations and have the tools necessary to respond should an incident occur. There are currently no active threats to the Washington, D.C. area and our Homeland Security Section continues to monitor these incidents with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners.

Citizens are encouraged to go about their normal business while paying particular attention to their surroundings. You are the first line of defense against terrorism and by providing information to law enforcement, you may help deter possible terrorist activity. Report suspicious activity in Arlington County using the Homeland Security Tip Form or to nationwide intelligence centers using the See Send smartphone application. Together, we can help keep Arlington County safe.

Christmas-Themed Bar Crawl Coming to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

Published December 4, 2015 at 10:45AM | Updated December 4, 2015 at 11:04AM

A new holiday-themed bar crawl will be spreading cheer and possibly vomit on the streets of Clarendon on the weekend before Christmas.

The Candy Cane Crawl is planned from 1-9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19.

“Thousands of participants will quench their thirst on exclusive drink deals as they explore Clarendon and celebrate the holiday season one bar at a time,” according to the event’s website.

Tickets are $20 online or $30 at the door. That gets revelers “a refillable signature Santa mug, access to some of Clarendon’s best bars, exclusive drinks & food specials and a raffle entry to win great prizes.”

Participating bars include Mad Rose Tavern, Clarendon Grill, Clarendon Ballroom, Whitlow’s, IOTA Club and Cafe, Mister Days, SoBe, American Tap Room, Spider Kelly’s, Hard Times Cafe and Hunan One.

2015 Arlington 40 Under 40 Class to Be Recognized

By ARLnow.com

Published December 4, 2015 at 10:00AM

This year’s Leadership Arlington 40 Under 40 honorees will be recognized at a luncheon today.

The event is intended to recognize “40 emerging leaders under the age of 40 who demonstrate impact personally and/or professionally through their exceptional leadership in the D.C. metropolitan region.”

Among the trailblazers on this year’s 40 Under 40 list are:

John Vihstadt campaign manager Eric Brescia
County Board member-elect Katie Cristol
House of Steep founder and Arlington Economic Development commissioner Lyndsey DePalma
Liberty Tavern, Lyon Hall and Northside Social co-owner Mark Fedorchak
Arlington Food Assistance Center operations director Koube Ngaaje
LiveSafe founder Shy Pahlevani
Land use attorney Evan Pritchard
Arlington Dept. of Parks and Recreation director Jane Rudolph
Shooshan Company leasing director Kevin Shooshan

The luncheon will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. today at Army Navy Country Club.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 4, 2015 at 8:30AM | Updated December 4, 2015 at 9:31AM

Dems Vote For Redskins Team Name Change — The Arlington County Democratic Committee voted Wednesday to officially call on Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder to change the team’s “offensive” name. Some Democrats opposed the vote, suggesting that “nobody would take the resolution particularly seriously.” [InsideNova]

New Trend: Karaoke Leagues — Team karaoke leagues and costumed karaoke competitions are all the rage in Arlington, D.C. and New York City, according to a Wall Street Journal trend piece. [Wall Street Journal]

Kudos for Local Chinese Restaurant — Peter Chang’s restaurant in the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center is “the best neighborhood Chinese restaurant in Washington,” according to food critic Tom Sietsema. [Washington Post]

Marymount Tree Lighting Ceremony — The public is invited to attend Marymount University’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony tonight. The ceremony will take place in front of Marymount’s Lodge building starting at 6 p.m. and will feature music from the Randolph Elementary School Choir.

Arlington Tech Co. Raises $4 Million — Rosslyn-based LiveSafe has raised $4 million in a new venture round. The company makes mobile campus safety software for universities, large companies and government agencies. [DC Inno, Washington Business Journal]

Winners of Startup Competition Announced — Arlington County has announced the winners of the U.S. round of the Dongsheng/AC Bridge Entrepreneur Competition. The global competition is a partnership between Arlington Economic Development and China-focused investment company Dao Ventures. [Arlington County]

New Patch for 74-Year-Old Marathon Runner — Retired Marine Al Richmond, who at the age of 74 recently completed his 40th Marine Corps Marathon, has been presented with a special patch at a ceremony at his Arlington home. Richmond said he plans to keep running and improve on this year’s performance. [CBS Local]

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf