Author: Ethan Rothstein

Fairlington Farmers Market Opening April 19

By Ethan Rothstein

Tomatoes at the Clarendon farmers market by MichaelTRuhl(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) Arlington’s ninth and newest farmers market, at the Fairlington Community Center (3308 S. Stafford Street), will debut this month.

On Sunday, April 19, the Fairlington farmers market will debut at 9:00 a.m. and run until 1:00 p.m. returning every Sunday through November.

There are 11 confirmed venders, according to the Fairlington Citizens Association’s April newsletter, selling vegetables, fruit, eggs, meats, breads, flowers and coffee among others.

“This is Fairlington’s market,” FCA President Guy Land wrote in the newsletter. “It’s not intended to draw in customers from DC or the far suburbs of Northern Virginia. It was developed by Fairlington residents for Fairlington residents, and they will shepherd its operation.”

Every item sold will have been grown or made within 125 miles of Fairlington, the FCA wrote, and all of the vendors will be the producers themselves. Some of the vendors will accept SNAP benefits and senior checks. The market is still looking for volunteers from the community, and is hosting open houses at the community center on Tuesday, April 7 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 2, from 12:30 to 2:00 p.m.

Now that April is here, the other eight farmers markets are beginning to arise from their winter slumbers. The Columbia Pike Farmers Market is year-round on Sundays at the Pike and S. Walter Reed Drive and Wednesdays at Arlington Mill Community Center. Here are the other farmers markets in the county.

Morning Notes

By Ethan Rothstein

Central Place construction site

Public Defender Decries Pay Gap — Arlington’s deputy public defenders can make up to $33,000 less than their counterparts at the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. Chief Public Defender Matthew Foley said the gap creates an unfair balance, one that allows the deputy Commonwealth’s attorney to grow their salaries on the job and talented public defenders — whose wages are locked in — are leaving the office. He called it “an unfair game going on with people whose liberties are at stake” at the Arlington County Board’s budget public hearing. [Connection Newspapers]

Fairfax Car Chase Result of Arlington Warrants — Updated at 1:05 p.m. — A car chase that broke out at the same time as yesterday’s manhunt was also the end result of Arlington police work. Lakisha Tracy was apprehended in Fairfax County yesterday morning after leading police on a high-speed chase that ended on Fairfax County Parkway in Lorton. Tracy was arrested on outstanding warrants for credit card and identity theft in Arlington County. [Washington Post]

Behind Arlington’s Meals on Wheels Program — Our Man in Arlington columnist Charlie Clarks goes behind the volunteers and beneficiaries of the Meals on Wheels charity, which was started in the county 44 years ago. Those receiving the meals, which are prepared by inmates at the Arlington County Detention Center, can range from the poor to, as one volunteer put it, “one four-star general dressed in a tie.” [Falls Church News-Press]

AFAC Sets 100,000 Meal Goal in April — With continuing record demand, the Arlington Food Assistance Center is hoping to receive 100,000 donated meals this month to distribute to Arlington families in need. AFAC expects to exceed its food budget by $150,000 for the second straight year, and Executive Director Charles Meng has said the nonprofit serves 100 new families a month. [InsideNova]

New Sushi Restaurant Coming to Rosslyn?

By Ethan Rothstein

Rolls By U in the Colonial Village Shopping Center Rolls By U in the Colonial Village Shopping Center

A new sushi restaurant appears to be moving in to the Colonial Village Shopping Center, next to the IceBerry frozen yogurt shop, at 1713 Wilson Blvd.

Rolls By U has put construction paper in the windows and simple signs on the door, with the business’ name, plus “where u create,” typed out on its logo.

The restaurant’s Twitter account has tweeted just twice, but its bio says “coming to Arlington this spring” and its second tweet includes the hashtag “#createyourown,” implying a do-it-yourself sushi concept.

When Rolls By U, does open, it figures to have some competition, with Kona Grill and Sushi coming in across the street and Cafe Asia and Kanpai serving sushi just a few blocks down Wilson Blvd.

New Arlington TEDx Conference Looking for Speakers

By Ethan Rothstein

TEDx-Arlington-white-e1425054398860Another TEDx conference is coming to Arlington this year, with a theme of “Connectedness.”

TEDxArlington is planned for Oct. 3, organized by a of Arlington residents hoping to think about connectedness “in broad terms.” That could mean how people are connected to or by “technology, science, nature, art, music, athletics, vocation, passion” or with “our families, neighbors, schools, community, strangers, country, world,” event organizer Laura Novak said in an email.

“We are seeking unique stories, ideas and concepts with some connection to Arlington,” Novak said. “Speakers need not be recognized experts, but rather people who can inspire with their passion, their story and their ideas .. The goal is a unique group of people with a wide, thought-provoking set of ideas.”

Novak and co-organizer Joey Skoloda are accepting nominations for speakers until May 1. Nominees do not have to be polished public speakers, Novak said, just passionate about their topics. Coaches will be provided to help the chosen speakers refine their presentations.

There is not yet a location or time set for the event, although Novak said it could be at Rosslyn’s Spectrum Theatre. TEDx is an offshoot of the popular TEDtalks, which allows communities to organize their own events for sharing ideas about a central theme. TEDxArlington follows the 2013 TEDxRosslyn conference with the theme of “Imagining the Future.”

The theme of “Connectedness” is intended to bring people together to have an honest conversation about the community, Novak said.

“The reason for it is to promote a conversation that is unbiased, nonpolitical about not just the things that are happening in Arlington, but the things that can bring us together,” she said. “I wouldn’t say that we’re divided, but I think there’s a lot of conversation going on. TED and TEDx are just great forums and formats for beginning a conversation and doing it in such a way that’s open and honest.”

Arlington Resident Representing U.S. in Maccabi Games

By Ethan Rothstein

Ori HofferCherrydale resident Ori Hoffer will fulfill every athlete’s dream this winter: representing his country in international competition.

Unlike many of the athletes sports fans typically associate with the honor — in their 20s, playing in the Olympics, already recognized worldwide for their prowess — Hoffer had to wait decades longer to don the red, white and blue. Hoffer is 45 years old and will play soccer in his first international tournament, the Maccabi Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile.

Hoffer has played soccer since he was 3 years old, but didn’t even qualify for the varsity team at his high school in Michigan. At the time, he was 5-foot-7 and “120 pounds soaking wet.” But he continued to play, and “grew into [his] body.” As his peers gave up the sport, Hoffer only improved.

“My game is all about speed and endurance, but I’m generally faster than most, so wherever they need a burst of energy, I come in,” Hoffer told ARLnow.com. He sees himself as a slower, Jewish version of DeAndre Yedlin, the young speedster from the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Hoffer was named to the U.S. Maccabi Masters team, which is restricted to players 45 and over of Jewish heritage. Hoffer’s grandfather was a professional soccer player in Israel, and he’s keeping the sport in the family — he coaches his daughter’s second-grade team in the Arlington Soccer Association.

“For many Jews, we don’t have a lot of sports heroes to look up to,” Hoffer said. “Providing examples like this to be able to show my daughter and other kids in the community that you can be Jewish and an athlete and meet Jewish athletes from around the world is a pretty powerful thing to provide.”

The Maccabi Pan Am Games draw Jewish competitors from all over the Western Hemisphere, and the U.S. squad will have to compete against world soccer powers like Brazil and Argentina. But it is not the Olympics — athletes must help pay their own way. Hoffer and his teammates each have to raise $6,600 to be allowed to participate.

Hoffer has set up an online fundraising page, where he has raised $4,194 so far. If he raises the money, he’ll have a chance to compete with many of the players that led the 2013 U.S. Masters team to the bronze medal in the world wide Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Multiple Lockers Broken Into at Crystal City L.A. Fitness

By Ethan Rothstein

Police car lightsAt least four lockers were broken into on Saturday at the L.A. Fitness south of Crystal City (3550 S. Clark Street).

According to Arlington County Police Department spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, the lockers in the men’s locker room were all locked with digital locks, and it’s unclear how the suspect was able to open them.

“We’re not sure if the suspect watched people in the locker room put in their codes, or if there’s a way of getting around the digital locks,” Sternbeck said.

One of the larceny victims said the robbery happened over the course of just a few minutes.

“I was working out for about 15 minutes, went back to my locker to change into my swimsuit and it was gone,” Mark Slobodien told ARLnow.com this morning. His wallet, ID and some jewelry were also stolen. “It feels like [the gym] was responsible, at least partly. I was using their locks to secure my property.”

Sternbeck said the department doesn’t keep statistics for thefts from gym lockers — they’re usually reported as larcenies — so he couldn’t say how frequent locker room thefts are. He did say, however, that most of the thefts are from lockers that were not secured by a lock.

There is no suspect description. All of the items stolen, Sternbeck said, appeared to be wallets, cash and other valuables that can easily be concealed.

Slobodien said L.A. Fitness staff told him similar larcenies had happened “once or twice” in the last couple of years. L.A. Fitness management did not return a request for comment.

Curious Grape Closes, Italian Restaurant to Open Soon

By Ethan Rothstein
1/3

(Updated at 7:00 p.m.) The Curious Grape, the wine bar and shop in Shirlington, closed Saturday night, but a new restaurant will be taking its place shortly.

Coming in to the location on 2900 S. Quincy Street will be Osteria da Nino Cucina Italiana & Bar, an Italian restaurant that plans to start its soft opening on Thursday, its owners told ARLnow.com today.

The restaurant is being launched by a pair of couples and helmed by Italian chef Nino Pino, who has worked at a number of restaurants in Northern Virginia, including Palio Ristorante in Leesburg. Crews will be working around the clock until Thursday night, when Osteria da Nino hopes to get in a few practice runs before a planned Easter brunch on Sunday.

The turnaround might catch some by surprise — many restaurant openings take more than a year in Arlington. Even more so because The Curious Grape had been a Village at Shirlington staple for more than a decade.

“As most people know, running a restaurant is really a 24/7 commitment,” Curious Grape owner Suzanne McGrath said in an email. “Actively managing the restaurant has also diverted my efforts away from wine education, which is really my career focus. We have so appreciated all the support of our loyal customers and the wonderful people who enjoyed The Curious Grape.”

Osteria is looking for waitstaff, bussers and kitchen staff to join the team immediately, and is asking those interested to apply in person.

Taste of Arlington Returns May 17

By Ethan Rothstein

Taste of Arlington 2014 crowds(Updated at 6:20 p.m.) The annual Taste of Arlington food festival in Ballston will be back for 2015 on Sunday, May 17.

Last year, the festival drew a record 40,000 attendees, according to its organizer, the Ballston Business Improvement District. This year, the BID hopes to surpass that mark, with new restaurants Pizza Vinoteca and Kapnos Taverna joining Taste of Arlington regulars P.F. Chang’s, Pete’s Apizza and Fuego Cocina y Tequileria.

There will also once again be a beer garden with brews from 24 breweries, plus wine from Barefoot.

All food and drinks can be tasted with the purchase of a ticket booklet, which costs $30 until May 1, when the price goes up to $35. Each booklet contains 10 tickets. Tickets to the VIP Pavilion, which includes unlimited beer, wine, champagne and appetizers, cost $75, and go up to $100 on May 1.

With three stages, there will also be music pumping throughout, including from Arlington bar staples Jumpin’ Jupiter, White Ford Bronco and Burnt Sienna.

There will again be a KidZone and a Bark Park and World Pup Tournament, so families with pets and children can all have something to participate in. There will also be a Girls on the Run 5K race in the morning, before the main event, which runs from noon to 6:00 p.m.

The actual event is free for all to roam around Wilson Blvd and surrounding streets that will be closed to traffic for the afternoon.

File photo. Disclosure: Ballston BID is an ARLnow.com advertiser.

‘Disruptive’ Media Startup to Launch Next Month

Startup Monday header

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

Outl.it co-founder Lucien ZeiglerAs more and more news websites are embracing paywalls — restricting access to online content to those who pay a subscription fee — one Arlington startup is trying to break them down.

Lucien Zeigler and co-founders William Treadway and Christian Zeigler (Lucien’s brother) founded Outl!t for just that purpose. Zeigler works for the Saudi-U.S. Trade Group and compiled a daily newsletter on U.S.-Saudi business interests. His credit card bill showed he was spending more than $100 a month, simply for access to a variety of newspapers.

“Paywalls are becoming more and more common, and they’re essentially roadblocks for consumers,” Zeigler told ARLnow.com last week. “I thought, why can’t readers pay very small amounts of money, double or triple what advertising would pay, to get access to paywall content?”

Starting next month, readers can. Outl!t will be available to the public under the idea that readers can pay for what they read and nothing more. A user will launch an account with a set amount of money. Outl!t partners with news organizations to bring them content, and, if the content costs money to read, pennies will be deducted from the user’s account. Most stories will cost 1 to 5 cents, Zeigler said, unless they’re free or exceptionally long.

“We’re anti-subscription,” Zeigler said. “We feel those are really inefficient. You’re essentially paying for a lot of content you’re not really getting to see. You can see more if you don’t have to pay bulk subscription costs, you can just get things à la carte.”

The function of à la carte news reading is just one plank of the Outl!t platform. It will also allow independent writers to publish on their own, and allow readers to see their work for free, or for a fee. Zeigler said eventually he plans on launching original content, produced by Outl!t staffers, to add to the mix of voices users can find.

Zeigler said he’s loath to use the “disrupt” buzzword, but he thinks that’s exactly what Outl!t is capable of doing to the news industry.

An example of Out.lit's platform“We took a look at the media industry in general, used a lot of open data and what we saw was an industry that was spiraling downward pretty quickly,” he said. “We thought we needed not just a Band-Aid, but a totally disruptive type of solution, where we rebuild everything from the ground up.”

There will be no advertisements on the network, and each user can choose which news outlets stories will appear on their home page. After seeing the headline and first line of text or so, readers can decide whether they want to spend the money to read the full article.

Outl!t has received a seed investment for an undisclosed amount from an undisclosed investor, and has already lined up partnerships with 20 or so news organizations. For every purchase of a story, Outl!t and the news organizations divide the revenue.

Customers can join for free on Outl!t’s website now in anticipation of the company’s launch next month. Their initial deposit will be matched to encourage more use and demonstrate the product’s viability.

Although making money is the goal of any new business, Zeigler is a lover of news and passionate about the potential for Outl!t to reverse the downward trend of the industry. The company is based out of Zeigler’s Arlington home, but it will be looking for Arlington office space soon.

“Just like iTunes did with the music business, we aim to provide marketplace efficiency for providers of all sizes, from the largest newspapers to the blogger, writer, or journalist that has something of value to contribute to the world,” Zeigler said. “That’s our goal with Outl!t — to level the playing field in this business.”

New ‘Daily Show’ Host Performing at Drafthouse Next Week

By Ethan Rothstein

South African comedian Trevor Noah will succeed Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show, and next week he’s coming to Arlington.

Trevor NoahNoah, 31, is scheduled to perform seven shows at the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse starting Thursday, April 9. He’s set to perform two shows apiece on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and one show on Sunday, April 12. As of this morning, all of the shows are sold out, according to the Drafthouse’s website.

Noah has been a Daily Show correspondent for two months on the show, but according to his biography on the Drafthouse’s website, he’s performed sold out shows across the globe, discussing everything from his upbringing in South Africa during Apartheid to the American “sports industrial complex.” It was announced this morning that Noah has been tapped as the Daily Show’s new host.

Noah is currently wrapping up a tour of the Middle East. He performs in Oman — the country bordering Saudi Arabia and Yemen — tomorrow.

Arlington Agenda (March 30-April 5)

By Ethan Rothstein

Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.

Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

Tuesday

1600 Wilson Blvd, the location of Skyline WellnessSkyline Wellness Happy Hour*
Skyline Wellness Center (1600 Wilson Blvd, Suite 320)
Time: 5:00-7:00 p.m.

The acupuncture, chiropractic care and massage center hosts a happy hour, include a giveaway of a year of free massage. Cocktails and “yummy bites” are free.

Wednesday

mrkrabbAll-you-can-eat Crab Legs*
Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd)
Time: 5:00-9:00 p.m.

For $22, patrons can eat all the snow crab legs they want, plus enjoy happy hour specials on domestic bottles, Fireball, sangria, mojitos and margaritas. Reservations are recommended.

Thursday

Networking Seminar
Arlington Chamber of Commerce (2009 14th Street N., Suite 100)
Time: 4:00-5:00 p.m.

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce hosts a free network seminar, designed to help business owners meet and engage with new clients. Led by the chamber’s director of membership.

Friday

CherryBlossomsArt Exhibit Opening
Gallery Underground (2100 Crystal Drive)
Time: 5:00-8:00 p.m.

The opening of the “Spring Light” exhibit, which runs from March 30-April 25. The exhibit is a celebration of spring, and the light it brings to replace the cold dark of winter.

Saturday

20140419-East-Side-of-CabinBall-Sellers House Open House
Ball-Sellers House (5620 3rd Street S.)
Time: 1:00-4:00 p.m.

On the 40th anniversary of the Arlington Historical Society’s acquisition of Arlington’s oldest building for $1. Free tours will be given all afternoon, with colonial snacks and beverages.

DomLaNena_EventLive Music: Dom La Nena
Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 8:00-10:00 p.m.

Cellist and Vocalist Dom La Nena takes the Artisphere stage, bringing her blend of Brazilian, Argentine and French influences. Tickets are $12.

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event

View More Stories