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Kevin Hart Ran Through Arlington This Morning

Published August 7, 2015 at 9:00AM

Comedian Kevin Hart ran an impromptu 5K through part of Arlington this morning.

The funnyman is in town as part of his “What Now” standup tour, which is at Verizon Center for a second performance tonight.

Hart organized the 5K with sponsor Nike and quickly gathered about 1,500 participants, who began running just past 7:30 a.m.

The route took runners from Georgetown, over the Key Bridge, through a small slice of Rosslyn, before getting on the Mt. Vernon Trail and taking the Roosevelt Bridge back to D.C.

Arlington County Police were reportedly only made aware of the 5K while it was going on.

Pushing you to better your best. Thanks for the words of #inspiration @KevinHart4real! #RunWithHart #NikeRunning pic.twitter.com/zA9NoEnnDR

— dcitty (@dcitty) August 7, 2015

Naked Man Arrested on S. Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2015 at 11:15AM

A man stripped down and was running naked down the middle of S. Glebe Road this morning before being taken into custody by Arlington County police.

The incident happened around 10:30 a.m., on Glebe near 20th Street S.

Police say they initially received several calls for a man in his 20s or early 30s jumping on the hoods of cars in the area. Then, they received the first report of a naked man in the middle of S. Glebe Road yelling at passing cars.

The man was taken into custody without incident after police arrived on scene. His clothes were found in the median, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The arrest was witnessed by numerous drivers. The man, reported to be a habitual PCP user, was transported to Virginia Hospital Center “for observation.”

Just saw #arlingtonvapd apprehend and cuff a naked man on south glebe road on the way home. Kinda crazy! @ARLnowDOTcom

— rrriot (@rrriot79) August 6, 2015

Man With Confederate Flag Spotted Marching Down Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2015 at 9:45AM

A man holding a Confederate flag was spotted marching down Lee Highway near East Falls Church this morning.

The above photo was taken near N. Sycamore Street around 8:00 a.m. A reader said the man was walking very deliberately down the street, with a Confederate flag that had the Gadsden flag’s “Don’t Tread On Me” snake in the middle.

“[He was] not yelling anything but [you] could tell he was walking with pride in his step,” said the reader.

At least one concerned resident called police to report the display, which is highly unusual for Arlington, but according to scanner traffic police determined that the man was exercising his First Amendment rights and not violating the law.

Photo courtesy @WanyeVVest

Poll: How Bad Was Your D.C. Commute This Morning?

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2015 at 8:30AM | Updated August 6, 2015 at 9:38AM

Update at 9:35 a.m. — ART buses are delayed too, Arlington County says, due to Metro-related traffic delays.

If you were commuting from Arlington to D.C. today, or vice versa, chances seem pretty good that your commute was awful.

Major delays were reported on Metro’s Orange, Blue and Silver lines, after service was suspended through much of downtown D.C. due to a derailed non-passenger train.

As if the Metro chaos wasn’t bad enough, a couple of crashes and perhaps an influx of would-be Metrorail riders has turned the length of I-395 into a virtual parking lot, with slow-moving traffic from the District to Springfield.

Also, Route 50 is reported to be backed up to Pershing Drive.

So, if you commute to or from D.C., just how bad was it this morning?

Smoking Tree Prompts Fire Department Spray Down

By ARLnow.com

Published August 5, 2015 at 4:50PM

A county water crew’s effort to smoke some bees out of a hollow tree ended with a fire department response earlier today.

The incident happened Wednesday morning near the intersection of 17th Street N. and N. Buchanan Street, in the Waycroft-Woodlawn neighborhood.

An Arlington Water, Sewer, Streets Bureau crew was trying to rid the tree of the bees, in order to replace a meter box below the tree, when something seemingly went wrong.

“Crews discovered a beehive in the hollow part of the tree and smoked it out so they could access the box,” said Meghan McMahon, a spokeswoman for Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services. “The tree began smoking badly, so crews called the fire department.”

“[Firefighters] sprayed the tree down as a precautionary measure… the tree did not catch fire,” McMahon noted. “Crews didn’t want to take any chances in today’s dry, hot weather.”

The tree is scheduled to be removed by the county parks department Thursday, at which time the water crew will try again to replace the meter box.

Arlington Fire Chief Appointed Deputy County Manager

By ARLnow.com

Published August 5, 2015 at 3:45PM

Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz will be joining county government as a Deputy County Manager next month.

Schwartz was appointed by another Schwartz — Acting County Manager Mark Schwartz. The appointment is effective Sept. 8.

As Deputy County Manager, Schwartz will oversee the county’s public safety and emergency management agencies. ACFD Assistant Chief Joseph Reshetar will take over as the department’s acting chief after Schwartz departs.

The full Arlington County press release, after the jump.

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Crash at Pershing Drive Closes SB Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Published August 5, 2015 at 1:30PM | Updated August 5, 2015 at 2:31PM

(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Southbound Glebe Road was temporarily closed at N. Pershing Drive, just south of Ballston, due to a crash this afternoon.

An SUV broadsided another SUV in the intersection just before 1:30 p.m.

One person in the SUV that was struck was reported injured in the crash and was transported to the hospital via ambulance. The injuries are not reported to be life-threatening.

Glebe Road has since reopened. Absorbent material can be seen in the middle of the intersection, placed there to sop up fluids that leaked as a result of the crash.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 5, 2015 at 9:00AM | Updated August 5, 2015 at 10:07AM

Deal With Hospital Expected — Arlington County is expected to hold a public meeting next month to discuss a land deal with Virginia Hospital Center. The county is reportedly ready to sign a memorandum of understanding with the hospital for a five-acre, county-owned parcel of land adjacent to it, which would then allow the hospital to expand. Details of the deal were not yet available. [Washington Business Journal]

County History Survey — To help county leaders understand which aspects of local history are especially important to residents, Arlington is conducting an online survey, asking for “ideas on collecting, preserving, sharing our history.” An Arlington Historical Task Force will take the survey into account when presenting recommendations for historic preservation priorities later this year. [Arlington County, Preservation Arlington]

When the KKK Marched Through Arlington — In 1922 about 400 members of the Ku Klux Klan, including some prominent local citizens, marched through Arlington neighborhoods like Clarendon, Ballston, Cherrydale and Rosslyn. At the time, the Klan was a powerful organization that claimed 60,000 members in Northern Virginia, sponsored youth baseball teams and owned a field for cross burnings on what is now Ballston Common Mall. The Klan’s message was that of racism and intolerance, but it also advocated for law and order and against corruption in government and vices like drinking. [Falls Church News-Press, Our Redneck Past]

Theodore Roosevelt Island Profiled — USA Today has published a profile of Theodore Roosevelt Island, near Rosslyn. Included in the profile are notable facts about the island, including the fact that what now appears to be a natural forest was “clear-cut, trampled and even bombed by 1931.” [USA Today]

Motorcyclist Suffers Severe Cut from Wine Bottle Tossed from Car

By ARLnow.com

Published August 4, 2015 at 1:30PM

A man riding a motorcycle suffered a serious cut on his arm after someone threw a bottle out of a car window on I-395 Saturday afternoon.

The motorcyclist was riding southbound on I-395 near the Pentagon when someone in front of him threw a wine bottle out of a Lincoln Town Car.

The bottle shattered on the pavement and a piece of shattered glass flew up and struck the motorcyclist’s left arm, slicing an artery, according to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

“It was bleeding profusely,” Sternbeck said of the freak injury.

The motorcyclist continued down I-395 until he spotted an Arlington police officer on a traffic stop. He stopped and the officer applied a tourniquet to control the bleeding.

The man, a 41-year-old Woodbridge resident, was rushed to Virginia Hospital Center, where he underwent emergency surgery. He is expected to be okay.

“He was happy to see police lights,” said Sternbeck.

So far, police, have not been able to track down the Town Car from which the bottle was thrown.

Columbia Pike Starbucks to Open Next Week

By ARLnow.com

Published August 4, 2015 at 10:00AM

The new Starbucks store on Columbia Pike will open next week, the company tells ARLnow.com.

The coffee shop plans to open its doors at 5:00 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 14. Located in the former Bar TNT and Society Fair space at Penrose Square, the store will be the first Starbucks along the Pike in Arlington.

In addition to the normal menu of coffee, espresso drinks, teas, pastries and sandwiches, the new Pike Starbucks will offer Starbucks Reserve, “a special collection of unique, small-lot coffees.”

“Customers will be able to order their Starbucks Reserve coffee brewed on The Clover Brewing System, which lets you discover new layers and dimensions within a coffee’s familiar aroma, flavor, body and acidity, brewed fresh by the cup,” said a spokeswoman.

Asked why the company chose to finally open a location on Columbia Pike, the spokeswoman said “Starbucks is always looking for great locations to better meet the needs of our customers.”

This isn’t the only Starbucks to open in Arlington this month. Yesterday a new Starbucks opened its doors at the Fort Myer Exchange on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 4, 2015 at 9:00AM | Updated August 4, 2015 at 9:41AM

Sweetgreen, Taylor Gourmet Coming to Crystal City — Venture capital-funded salad purveyor Sweetgreen plans to open a 1,700 square foot store in the former Corner Bakery space in Crystal City later this year. And that’s not the only trendy eatery coming to the neighborhood. Sandwich shop Taylor Gourmet is expected to open in a storefront next door. [Bisnow]

Sunglasses Store Closes on Pentagon Row — There’s still more than a month until Labor Day but sunglasses store Specs New York, which opened up three months ago on Pentagon Row, appears to be closing. [Twitter]

New Law Allows Cocktail Pitchers — A new Virginia law that took effect July 1 finally allows restaurants to serve pitchers of cocktails. Previously, it was against the law to serve any mixed drink other than sangria via pitcher. Pepita, which opened last week in Ballston, is taking advantage of the new law by selling margaritas in a skull-shaped pitcher for $40. [Washington Business Journal]

TV Station Profiles Arlington Fugitive — Rosslyn-based WJLA featured an Arlington fugitive as part of an “ABC 7 On Your Side” segment. Police say Jessie Kim, 25, assaulted the new owner of what had formerly been his family’s dry cleaning business. Kim is also accused of destroying the owner’s phone and other property before driving off in a silver BMW. [WJLA]

Bus Accident in Ballston — A minor collision between an ART bus and a Metrobus happened around 5:00 p.m. yesterday in front of the Ballston Metro station. No injuries were reported.

Flickr pool photo by David Giambarresi