Ethan Rothstein | ARLnow.com

UPDATED: Arlington Under Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Published September 12, 2013 at 4:20PM | Updated September 12, 2013 at 4:50PM

Arlington County is under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 10:00 p.m. tonight, according to the National Weather Service.

Forecasters say severe storms may form as a cold front approaches the area. From Arlington County:

The NWS has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the NCR, Northern Virginia, and Maryland, effective until 2200 tonight. A cold front will approach the area today and will produce numerous thunderstorms. A few of these storms will be capable of producing locally damaging wind gusts and large hail.

Update at 4:25 p.m. — The county is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR… THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA… SOUTHEASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN CENTRAL MARYLAND… CITY OF FAIRFAX IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… CITY OF FALLS CHURCH IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… ARLINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… CITY OF ALEXANDRIA IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… WESTERN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY IN CENTRAL MARYLAND… CENTRAL FAIRFAX COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA…

* UNTIL 500 PM EDT

* AT 416 PM EDT…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS DETECTED NEAR POTOMAC… AND ANOTHER OVER FAIRFAX CITY. THOSE STORMS ARE FORECAST TO COMBINE OVER THE DISTRICT AS THE MOVE EAST AT 10 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE… THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA… BETHESDA… AMERICAN UNIVERSITY… CHEVY CHASE… GEORGETOWN… TAKOMA PARK… LANGLEY PARK… WHITE OAK… HILLANDALE…

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH…MOVE INDOORS TO A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. WHEN IT IS SAFE TO DO SO…REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OR TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

THIS STORM IS PRODUCING FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER…YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.

Update at 4:35 p.m. — Reagan National Airport is currently under a ground stop due to storms.

Woman Leaves Library $700,000 In Her Will

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 12, 2013 at 3:30PM | Updated September 12, 2013 at 3:47PM

An Arlington resident who died in June gave what’s estimated to be more than $700,000 to the Arlington Public Library in her will.

Rosemarie Bowie lived most of her life in Arlington and was 76 when she died June 24. She left her home on the 700 block of N. Danville Street, and half of her residuary estate, to the Library. The property was assessed at $626,500 this year and the residuary estate is believed to be worth more than $100,000, according to Library spokesman Peter Golkin.

Bowie was “a quiet person, loved the Library, used it often and simply didn’t want to bother her family with her estate,” Golkin said.

“We’re blown away by her generosity,” Library Director Diane Kresh said. “It epitomizes how so many people in this community feel about the Library and that’s very humbling. I’m sorry I didn’t know her but she’s leaving a legacy that will touch generations to come.”

After Bowie retired from her career working in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and as an attorney, she volunteered provided legal services as a guardian to many elderly residents of Arlington.

The County Board will vote to approve the gift at its meeting Sept. 21. The money will be donated to the county in a Trust and Agency Account designated specifically for the library.

The Library will dedicate a plaque in Bowie’s memory at Central Library, Golkin said.

New Rosslyn Coffee Shop To Open Next Month

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 12, 2013 at 1:30PM

Adiam Berhane, left, at Caffe Aficionado in 2013 (staff photo)

Caffe Aficionado, at 1919 N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn, is making its final preparations to open “within a month,” says owner Adiam Berhane.

Caffe Aficionado will specialize in American gourmet coffee and tea with an Italian flair. Berhane, who spent part of her childhood in Italy, will be shipping in coffee from Handsome Coffee in Los Angeles, which she thinks is better than many of the coffee brands other specialty shops in the area offer.

Berhane will also offer frozen drinks and blended beverages, made with a “Stealth” blender that’s quieter than comparable blenders, allowing a more serene coffee shop experience.

“I used to like to collect purses and stuff,” she said. “Now that I own a coffee shop, I like to collect equipment.”

The final month of preparations will include finishing the interior and hiring and training a staff, Berhane said. The store has already received its occupancy permit.

Berhane says the cafe will be open from early morning until 4:00 p.m. on weekdays, and will be open on Saturdays as well. Caffe Aficionado will sell only drinks and pastries at first, but Berhane plans to add sandwiches to the menu shortly after opening.

Andy Warhol’s Silver Clouds Opens at Artisphere Tonight

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 12, 2013 at 10:45AM | Updated September 12, 2013 at 11:07AM

Andy Warhol’s famous Silver Clouds exhibit is open starting tonight at Artisphere.

The cultural center, at 1101 Wilson Blvd, will be hosting the exhibit’s 150 inflated silver balloons — on loan from the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh — until Sunday, Oct. 20, and it will host a kickoff party for the event tonight (Thursday) from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Silver Clouds will be presented free to the public in Artisphere’s Terrace Gallery. The clouds, which are filled with a delicate balance of air and helium, are free for visitors to walk among and touch.

The exhibition will be complemented by a series of public programs, including a commissioned dance performance and interactive workshop by Dance Exchange. Spanish new media artist Sergio Albiac will also be creating a commissioned generative portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama inspired by Andy Warhol’s signature portraiture.

Photo courtesy of Brandon Pass and Artisphere

Photos: Arlington’s 9/11 Anniversary Ceremony

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 11, 2013 at 1:00PM | Updated September 11, 2013 at 1:32PM

Arlington County held a brief ceremony at Courthouse Plaza Wednesday morning to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Dozens of police officers, sheriff’s deputies and civilian observers gathered to partake in a moment of silence at 9:37 a.m., the moment when, 12 years ago, a plane hit the Pentagon, killing 184 people inside.

Following the moment of silence, a member of the Arlington County Police Department honor guard performed “Taps” on the trumpet while officers lowered the American flag and the flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia to half-staff for the day.

Ben’s Chili Bowl ‘Testing the Waters’ in Rosslyn

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 11, 2013 at 9:45AM

Ben’s Chili Bowl is hoping to become part of the Arlington community when it comes to Rosslyn early next year, co-owner Nizam Ali said.

Occupying Ray’s Hell Burger’s old space at 1725 Wilson Blvd is a chance to replace a valued piece of the community, Ali told ARLnow.com.

“Ray’s was there, and everyone really valued Ray’s,” he said. “It was a great place, I’m sorry to see it go. It was an opening, and it left kind of a void that people flock to that was local and very special. It seemed like a special attempt to go there.”

The Ali family, which has owned Ben’s at it’s original U Street NW location in D.C. since it opened in 1958, have only begun expanding in the last few years, with new spots in Nationals Park, FedEx Field and the restaurant Ben’s Next Door. The Rosslyn restaurant will be its first “brick and mortar” expansion, Ali said.

“I think in our expansion, there’s so much love for the original Ben’s for many reasons, we hope that that love will continue as we expand,” Ali said. Ben’s is also working to open another spot on H Street NE, but no other concrete expansion plans are in the mix. “These stores are part of testing the waters a little bit.”

The space will be about 1,700 square feet, smaller than the original Ben’s, but Ali said he wants people to walk in and feel like they’re in the same place. However, Rosslyn Chili Bowl customers can hold one thing over the patrons of the original: they can pay with credit cards, Ali said.

Ben’s had previously looked into moving to Clarendon, hearing that it was an ideal spot for its late-night crowd, but couldn’t make a location work. Ben’s in Rosslyn will be open well into the night anyway, Ali said. The U Street store is open until 4:00 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and until 2:00 a.m. Monday-Thursday.

“Our goal is to be available for folks late at night as it’s needed,” he said. “I think it would be good to stay open late as long as we’re not bothering anybody… We’re a family that’s invested in communities, we want to have a community feel. We know we’re entering into a community already, we’re kind of the outsiders coming in, it’s about being respectful.”

The Ali family signed the lease in late August. Nizam Ali said he’d like to be able to open at the beginning of the new year, and hopes to partner with Arlington County to make that a reality. However, he said early 2014 is a safer prediction for when the restaurant will open.

Photo via Facebook

Taxi Drivers Protest Working Conditions in Arlington

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 10, 2013 at 4:05PM | Updated September 10, 2013 at 4:43PM

Dozens of taxi drivers converged on Clarendon this afternoon, deliberately disrupting traffic to protest what they claim are poor working conditions in Arlington.

The cab drivers drove slowly around the Clarendon Metro station in protest of their employers and Arlington County. Organized by the cab drivers union Arlington United Taxi Operators, they’re lobbying for a public hearing before the County Board.

The drivers and the union want to change the ordinance that regulates taxi operating permits, which the protesting drivers feel is written in the interest of the taxi companies’ owners, not the drivers.

“The companies basically treat us like slaves,” said Abdellah Ouazzani, a cab driver who declined to state which company he drives for out of fear of losing his job. “They abuse us and they can fire us any time they want.”

In recent years, Red Top Cab and Yellow Cab Company, owned by the same parent company, have raised the dues drivers pay from $145 to $175 to $205 a week, Red Top Cab Vice President Charlie King confirmed. The most recent increase, King said, was coupled with a reduction in credit card fees drivers pay when customers charge their rides, estimated at $30 a week.

Drivers say the steeper fees cut into the pay they end up taking home at the end of the week, leaving “poverty-level earnings,” but companies argue that it’s fair given that the fees often cover the cost of the cabs themselves and the dispatch services that connects drivers with customers.

“Yellow Cab was operating at a loss at $145 a week,” King said. As for the perceived unfair treatment of its drivers, King said, “that’s clearly not the case. We don’t have a record of needlessly terminating cab drivers. We have a great deal of respect for our drivers.”

The Arlington County Board reviews the taxicab ordinance every two years, and when the board took up the issue last year, the taxi union demonstrated many of the same concerns and accused the County Board of racism.

The union wants the county to distribute permits to individual drivers, while the code states the nearly 800 permits in circulation are to be allocated to companies. Red Top Cab and Yellow Cab Co. combine to hold 455 operating permits, King said. Blue Top Cab holds about 170.

The union, along with Tenants and Workers United and Virginia New Majority, a progressive advocacy group, are planning future “disruptions” in other parts of Arlington, including in Courthouse, Pentagon City and Shirlington.

“We want to disrupt other areas so they can be made aware,” said Deshundra Jefferson, spokeswoman for Virginia New Majority, said. “Taxicabs are like sweatshops on wheels, and people don’t even know that the drivers are relying on Medicaid and food stamps.”

Video courtesy Virginia New Majority

Rosslyn Metro Entrance To Open Oct. 6

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 10, 2013 at 1:30PM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 3:23PM

The Rosslyn Metro Station’s new entrance is expected to open to passengers on Sunday, Oct. 6.

The new $32.6 million facility, on the opposite side of N. Moore Street from the current entrance, will feature three high-speed, high-capacity elevators.

The entrance will be able to serve up to 2,000 riders per hour, according to Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services. Officials have said that they hope the entrance will help keep pace with the station’s soaring ridership, which has increased 23 percent in the past decade and is expected to increase even more with new office and residential development in the area.

Arlington County will be holding a grand opening ceremony for the new entrance — at 1811 N. Moore Street — on Monday, Oct. 7 at 9:30 a.m. The event will feature members of the County Board and will be open to the public.

In addition to the elevators, the station improvements include an emergency evacuation stairwell, a mezzanine passageway, a new station manager kiosk and new fare collection equipment. The Rosslyn Metrorail station is the busiest in Virginia, servicing more than 36,000 passengers per day, according to DES.

Pentagon City Mall Adds C. Wonder

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 6, 2013 at 4:30PM

Pentagon City Mall is adding a women’s lifestyle store to its offerings this October.

C. Wonder, which sells women’s clothing, jewelry, home décor and personal electronics, will be opening on the ground floor of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, occupying half of the space formerly occupied by Sephora.

The Pentagon City location is C. Wonder’s second in Virginia after its Tysons Corner location. The New York City-based brand launched in 2011.

C. Wonder’s store will be separated into what it calls “an emporium of themed rooms” — American Dream, Jewelry, English Garden and Contemporary Prep — and allows for mobile checkout throughout the store.

Mosque and Church to Co-Host Peace Service

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 6, 2013 at 3:30PM

Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ and the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center of Falls Church will co-host a “Day for World Peace” service this Sunday.

Hosted at the church (5010 N. Little Falls Road) and starting at 10:00 a.m. on Sept. 8, the service’s theme is “Two Faiths, One Creation.” It’s the third consecutive year the two congregations have organized the event, which was started on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The service will be followed by a social hour, after which many congregants will go to Washington, D.C., for the 9/11 Unity Walk, which starts at noon at Washington Hebrew Congregation (3935 Macomb Street NW) and travels down Massachusetts Avenue.

Below is the press release for the interfaith service:

A Day for World Peace will be observed on September 8 at an interfaith service involving two congregations — one Muslim, the other Christian. The service will take place at Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ in Arlington, which will be joined by the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center of Falls Church. The theme for the day will be “Two Faiths, One Creation.” It recognizes that all people, regardless of faith tradition, are citizens of a single planet.

This exciting occasion builds on the memorable interfaith service observed on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 in September, 2011 by the congregations of Dar Al-Hijrah and Rock Spring, followed by another in 2012. The service will involve elements from each faith, and after a social hour, many congregants will join the 9/11 Unity Walk in DC, which “seeks to create a world where we are united, rather than divided, by our many faiths”

All are invited to attend: Sunday, September 8, 2013, 10:00 a.m. Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, 5010 Little Falls Road, Arlington, VA 22207.

For information: 703 538 4886

#church

Open Houses in Arlington this Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 6, 2013 at 3:00PM

The first weekend of the fall means the weather will be just a little crisper. Enjoy it while visiting some of the open houses in your area.

See our real estate section for a full listing of open houses. Here are a few highlights:

2030 N. Woodrow Street
1 BD / 1 BA condominium
Anne Thai, Westgate Realty Group
Listed: $250,900
Open: Saturday, Sept. 7, noon to 3:00 p.m.

1021 N. Garfield Street
1 BD / 1 BA condominium
Kaylee Kim, Prosperity Realty
Listed: $449,900
Open: Sunday, Sept. 8, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

2905 18th Street S.
3 BD / 2 BA single family detached
Jack Work, Re/Max Preferred
Listed: $515,000
Open: Sunday, Sept. 8, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

1517 N. Kenilworth Street
3 BD / 1 & 2 half-BA single family detached
Carol Wilder, McEnearney Associates
Listed: $695,000
Open: Saturday, Sept. 7, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

1400 22nd Street S.
3 BD / 3 1/2 BA single family detached
Diane Schline, Century 21
Listed: $899,900
Open: Saturday, Sept. 7, noon to 2:00 p.m.

3132 8th Street N.
5 BD / 4 1/2 BA single family detached
Ronald Cathell, Keller Williams Realty
Listed: $1,399,900
Open: Sunday, Sept. 8, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

#open house