Del. Patrick Hope (D) proposed a bill in the Virginia House of Delegates to raise the minimum value of stolen money or goods that constitute a “grand larceny.”
Hope, who represents Arlington in the House of Delegates, filed HB 17 to raise the threshold from its current minimum of $200 to $500. Under current law, stealing goods or money worth less than $200 is a petit larceny.
Grand larceny, a felony, typically carries a sentence of at least a year in prison, while petit larceny is a misdemeanor so generally results in probation, fines or lesser prison sentences.
State Sen. David Suetterlein (R-Salem) has filed identical legislation — SB 105 — in the Virginia State Senate.
Earlier this year, research by the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts found that raising the threshold does not impact overall property crime or larceny rates, and that states that increased their thresholds reported “roughly” the same average decrease in crime as 20 states that did not.
Park’s upper area, where rope course will go (via NOVA Parks presentation)
Park’s lower area, set for renovations (via NOVA Parks presentation)
Upton Hill Regional Park aerial view (via NOVA Parks presentation)
Photo via Facebook
Photo via Facebook
Photo via Facebook
A “high adventure” ropes course that allows users to swing at the same level as treetops is one of several improvements set for Upton Hill Regional Park.
The park (6060 Wilson Blvd) in Seven Corners, will add a ropes course near its pool. The courses typically have sections constructed in trees or made of utility poles, and are designed to be a challenging activity. The park already has batting cages, mini golf, pools and trails.
In a presentation to the Arlington County Board last month, executive director Paul Gilbert of the Northern Virginia Regional Parks Authority, which manages Upton Hill, said the “high adventure course” has been a priority of people surveyed in the park for two years.
“You’ll be able to go all the way up, essentially, to the tree line and get a stunning view out over Arlington from there,” he told the Board. “We’re really excited. We think this will be a signature feature, something that in Visit Arlington promotions, you’ll probably have pictures of people up there and the wonderful views.”
In addition, that area of the park near the existing swimming pool is set for a new building to handle ticket sales for the course and the batting cages, with a section of that new structure available to rent for private events. The area would also get new outdoor seating and 91 new parking spaces.
Meanwhile, the area of the park near its entrance from Wilson Blvd is also set for a revamp. Gilbert said NOVA Parks will add a “high-end” playground, renovate the bathroom building and add new trails, seating areas and game tables.
Gilbert added that the authority is looking to add more lighting, and build a new entrance off Wilson Blvd with a small parking lot at its base, with the current driveway changed for trail use.
“It will be a very dynamic, interesting area,” Gilbert said, noting the authority’s desire to make that part of the park “sort of more of an urban place to hang out.”
But the $3 million plan has already come in for criticism from some quarters. Local activist Suzanne Smith Sundberg said not enough has been done to assess the impact on the park’s trees, planning for transportation needs has been inadequate, and there is a lack of transparency in the way NOVA Parks collected its survey data.
“By adding a new driveway, with an additional curb cut on Wilson Blvd, plus nearly an acre of paved parking, NVRPA will degrade one of the few remaining natural areas in Arlington County,” she wrote.
She added that more should have been done to engage with those who live in the nearby buildings like the Patrick Henry Apartments and the Seven Corners Apartments, among others.
“Whereas I sympathize with NVRPA’s need to generate more revenue, monetizing scarce natural land by converting it into developed land (particularly in an area that is already heavily developed) seems like a very high price to pay for a questionable gain,” Sundberg wrote in a lengthy email provided to ARLnow.com. “Without more precise information, it is difficult to see how this project makes sense from an environmental or economic standpoint as currently envisioned.”
For his part, Gilbert said the project will not interrupt natural resources already in the park. The plan still needs approval from the Virginia Department of Transportation — which controls Wilson Blvd near the park — as well as site plan approval from the county.
The owners of the IOTA Club and Cafe in Clarendon announced in September that the live music venue would shutter at the end of the month, after more than 23 years in business. Despite a campaign to “Save IOTA” earlier this year, Market Common Clarendon owner Regency Centers’ plan to revamp the retail and office development caused uncertainty about its future. In a press release, IOTA owners Jane Negrey Inge and Stephen V. Negrey said they chose to close the club rather than temporarily relocate during renovations and pay higher rents upon moving back.
Brewpub Sehkraft Brewing closed its doors in early January after about a year in business in Clarendon. Its opening had been stymied by months of delays and what its owner described as regulatory wrangling with the county’s permitting office. It brewed its own beer and had wine on tap, as well as three separate food menus for lunch, dinner and the bar. The space at 925 N. Garfield Street was vacant for much of the year, before The Board Room opened in late November.
Politico reporter Helena B. Evich first spotted an adventurous animal hitching a ride on the back of an American Disposal Services trash truck in Rosslyn a little after 11 a.m. one February morning. By the time the driver pulled over, the truck had traveled all the way from Rosslyn to Falls Church, when the Falls Church Police Department’s animal control team safely rescued the raccoon without harm.
Police shot a man dead on the Glebe Road exit of I-395 in May after he pinned an officer against another vehicle with his black pick-up truck. Police had attempted a traffic stop after a “hit”from a police license plate reader. Officers on the scene attempted life-saving measures on the suspect, 28-year-old Daniel George Boak of Centreville, but he later died in the hospital. In September, Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos found in a report on the incident that officers were justified in shooting Boak as they were in “imminent danger of serious injury or death.”
Autria Godfrey a morning news anchor on WJLA (ABC 7), was charged with trespassing and being drunk in public in late February in Clarendon. The incident happened early Saturday morning, on February 18, at Clarendon Grill. Godfrey was suspended and taken off the air by station owner Sinclair, but returned to the airwaves the following week.
Which story was our most-read this year? Find out in the final part of our countdown tomorrow.
A fishing store is now open in a Cherrydale strip mall that had been planning to host a gun store.
District Angling opened on December 22 at 2105 N. Pollard Street, the former location of fitness business Curves. It sells fishing rods and other equipment, tackle and flies, clothing and other accessories. It also offers courses on fly tying and fly casting, and will host other events for fishing enthusiasts.
The storefront was once set to become the Arlington County home for Nova Firearms, but the landlord pulled the plug on the lease in 2015 after plans to open the gun store prompted heated protests from local residents.
The storefront has sat vacant for the past few years, except for a period as a pop-up holiday gift shop, but it is now home to the fishing store.
The Washington Business Journal reported earlier this year that founder Richard Farino had been looking to open a new store in the region after his Urban Angler store closed last year in Old Town Alexandria. Urban Angler had begun in Arlington in 2008, before relocating south in 2011.
We’re very excited to announce that the buildout of our shop is complete! We are open for business just in time for your last minute holiday shopping, and you once again have a place to find your favorite brands, demo new rods, get information about some amazing fishing destinations locally and abroad, and learn new techniques and tricks to help your fly tying mastery. Now that winter has arrived, we’ll make sure to have coffee.
We’re adding to our inventory and product continues to arrive daily. We’re increasing our fly tying selection, brought on a few new fly fishing brands, and we have some great new District Angling logo gear for you to show off the place you tell stories about the one that got away. We’ve added women’s waders, boots, and clothing, and we have gift cards in case you don’t know what to get your favorite angler this holiday season.
The store will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
A longtime pizza restaurant in Clarendon is soon to shutter and reopen under new management.
Signs posted on the doors of Faccia Luna at 2909 Wilson Blvd show it will soon become Alto Fumo, another Italian restaurant. Faccia Luna first opened in Clarendon in 1992.
Permit applications filed with Arlington County indicate that the restaurant is under new management, but for now little is expected to change other than the name.
“Alto Fumo means ‘high-rising smoke’ in Italian, like smoke rising from a pizza oven,” the sign reads. “You will enjoy the highest quality customer service and foods and also enjoy our new additions.”
Faccia Luna also has locations in Old Town Alexandria and State College, Pennsylvania. A sign on the door at the Alexandria location thanked customers “for all the support.”
In 2015, co-owner Joe Corey said Faccia Luna has been a spot for successful first dates, with hundreds of couples ending up married after eating together at the Clarendon pizza joint.
A teaser clip from the second season of Bravo reality series Real Housewives of Potomac showed Michael and Ashley Darby, co-owners of Clarendon restaurant Oz, discussing whether their venture would survive. But contrary to its portrayal in the show, Michael Darby said in an interview with ARLnow that the restaurant is doing just fine after some “significant” changes.
On a Thursday evening in early August, a car that appeared to be self-driving was spotted cruising around Clarendon and Courthouse. It drove cautiously but kept up with traffic, and had a light bar that blinked when it stopped at a red light. After further investigation by NBC 4’s Adam Tuss (which gave rise to the catchphrase “I’m with the news, dude!“), it was revealed that a driver was in the car disguised as a car seat. The following month, Ford said it was behind the tests in conjunction with Virginia Tech to test how driverless cars interact with other road users and the reactions of those nearby.
An apparent housewarming party in February turned deadly after a 23-year-old man, Michael Gray of Manassas, was shot by 37-year-old D.C. resident Jason Allen Johnson. After a long search, Johnson was arrested in October for shoplifting in New York City and extradited to Virginia.
Police arrested a man who walked naked down Columbia Pike in late July. Officer said the man might have been suffering from mental health issues, and was arrested “without incident” before being transported to Virginia Hospital Center.
Arlington County’s chronic homeless rate has dropped 64 percent since 2013, thanks to what officials describe as a “housing first” model. Despite a jump to 232 homeless people in 2017 from 174 in 2016, county staff and nonprofits said they look to move people into housing and then help them stabilize their lives with a job and help with challenges like substance abuse or mental illness.
A shared-use path is now open on eastbound Washington Blvd near the Pentagon, part of a bridge rehabilitation project in Arlington County.
The Virginia Department of Transportation said a 14-foot wide path for bicycles and pedestrians along eastbound Washington Blvd (Route 27) over Route 110 opened yesterday (Tuesday).
The path is now 14 feet wide on the bridge and replaces a narrow concrete sidewalk that pedestrians and cyclists used to use. It is 10 feet wide on the approaches to the bridge.
Drivers in the area can expect some delays starting tonight (Wednesday), as eastbound traffic on Washington Blvd will shift onto the newly-constructed portion of the bridge. The traffic shift allows construction crews to demolish the middle portion of the bridge and rebuild it.
Work is expected to last from 10 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday). Drivers are advised to seek alternate routes.
VDOT said it still believes the $31.5 million project is on track to wrap up next year. It will replace the existing bridge, built in 1941, with one that is wider, longer and taller.
Police charged Heber Amaya-Gallo, 28, with murder after a death investigation in late January on 7th Road S. in the Arlington Mill neighborhood. It was Arlington’s first reported homicide of 2017. Police said Amaya-Gallo killed 55-year-old Michael Wiggins after a “verbal altercation between roommates became physical” in an apartment.
A Rosslyn resident called police in early August to report that someone broke into their apartment and cleaned it. The resident had been on a trip when the alleged break-in occurred. There was nothing reported missing from the apartment.
A Falls Church couple searched frantically for their missing dog, Sookie, which went missing in Waycroft-Woodlawn after they left her with a dog-sitter. Someone allegedly put the dog into his car and drove away, and owners Solange and Craig Bone put up fliers to try and find Sookie. Days later, Sookie was reported as returned.
Police investigated a double stabbing in Courthouse in mid-August that left both victims in a critical but stable condition. The suspect was later identified as 37-year-old Sharon E. Uwandu of no fixed address, who was charged with two counts of Aggravated Malicious Wounding and was held in the Arlington County jail without bond.
After his whereabouts became a source of gossip among parents, Arlington Public Schools announced in early March that Gordon Laurie, principal of Williamsburg Middle School, has resigned. Tipsters reported that Laurie had not been seen in school since February 24, and rumors were swirling about the reason for his departure. Superintendent Patrick Murphy said Laurie has resigned for personal reasons after 15 years with APS. Bryan Boykin succeeded Laurie in July.
Christmas and the New Year are right around the corner, and Arlington County government will take some time off to observe the holidays.
Government offices, courts and libraries will be closed on Monday, December 25 and Tuesday, December 26 for Christmas and on Monday, January 1, 2018 for New Year’s Day.
Courts closed today (Friday) at noon, and will also be closed on Tuesday, January 2. Libraries will be closed December 24-26 and on December 31 and January 1.
Community centers will be closed on December 25, 31 and January 1. The following community centers are open on December 26:
Langston-Brown: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Madison: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Carver: 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson: 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Arlington Mill: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Metered parking will not be enforced on December 25, 26 or January 1, and there will be no trash and recycling services on December 25 or January 1. Weekly services shift to the next day of the week, Tuesday through Saturday.
And for those riding Metrorail, most lines will run on a regular weekend schedule, except the Red Line, where Metro’s leak-mitigation project continues.
On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the Metrorail system will open at 8 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. Trains will operate on a Sunday schedule both days. There is no scheduled track work.
For those already looking forward to the end of the holidays, Arlington County’s Christmas tree collection program begins in early January.
The program goes through the first two weeks in January, from January 2-12.
“Residents are reminded to place the tree on the curb no later than 6 a.m. on your regular trash collection day and to remove all decorations, nails, stands and plastic bags,” a blurb on the program reads. “The trees are later ground into wood mulch for garden use.”
Anyone who does not have a curbside recycling service can bring their Christmas trees to the Solid Waste Bureau during the collection season.
After 20 years on the Arlington County Board, chair Jay Fisette is retiring, to be succeeded by fellow Democrat Erik Gutshall.
And having presided over his last meeting earlier this week (Tuesday, December 19), Fisette was in a reflective mood as he looked back at his tenure, but said he is excited for the future of the county.
Fisette won re-election four times after first winning a seat on the Board in 1997, and rotated in as chair in 2001, 2005, 2010, 2014 and this year. He also briefly flirted with a run for Congress in 2003.
On this week’s 26 Square Miles podcast, we talked with Fisette about his memories of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon, Base Realignment and Closure, Metro, development and the nixed Columbia Pike streetcar, among other subjects. He also had some advice for his colleagues remaining on the County Board.
