Author: Ethan Rothstein

New Hourly Coworking Space Opening in Rosslyn This Month

By Ethan Rothstein
1/4

Cove, a pay-by-the-hour coworking space and “coffee shop alternative,” expects to open its first Arlington location in Rosslyn this month.

“We call ourselves a network of neighborhood productive spaces,” cove Brand Director Erin Gifford told ARLnow.com today. “It’s an alternative to working at home, a coffee shop or even your office.”

Cove already has six spaces in D.C. and one in Old Town Alexandria, and its eighth location will be on the first floor of 1735 Clarendon Blvd. Gifford said the space “fell into our lap,” and it should be open for users by the end of the month.

“We’ve been getting so many requests to come to Arlington. We wanted to get something as quickly as possible,” Gifford said. Cove is planning on opening more spaces in Arlington in the not-too-distant future, although she couldn’t say where or when. “We’re continuing our search.”

Cove charges for its space not by leasing it out on a monthly or longer basis, but by charging by the hour. Each user is given a personalized QR code and checks in when they enter, and out when they leave. Users pre-pay for the time they’ll spend in the space by the month.

Cove offers memberships starting at $32 for eight hours, and users can pay less by the hour the more time they plan to spend in the space. Additional time is billed at an hourly rate.

When Cove opens, it will have nine desks, a Keurig coffee maker with about six different types of coffee, soda and sparkling water. Gifford said Cove also has a partnership with nearby BeanGood Coffee Pub, allowing users to take refillable Cove coffee mugs and get 10 percent off their orders.

Cove also offers its users free WiFi, printing and scanning. Anyone who pays for a membership can spend time at any Cove location; there are two outposts in Dupont Circle and one in Georgetown, Columbia Heights, Capitol Hill, on 14th Street NW and an under-construction location on K Street NW.

UPDATED: Man Arrested After 7-Eleven Robbery, Carjacking Attempt

By Ethan Rothstein

Antonius Sallis (photo courtesy ACPD)(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) A convicted felon put a knife to the throat of a 7-Eleven clerk in Lyon Park early this morning, then tried to carjack a delivery truck at gunpoint before ditching the gun and running off into the neighborhood, according to police.

The incident happened around 2:15 a.m., in the midst of this morning’s snow storm, at the 7-Eleven store at 2704 Washington Blvd.

Police say Antonius Sallis, 33, held up the store, putting a knife to the throat of a clerk with one hand while holding a handgun in his other hand. Sallis demanded Newport cigarettes and cash, then slashed the clerk’s neck before leaving the store, Arlington County Police said in a press release.

A delivery truck driver witnessed the robbery, police said, then was robbed himself. The driver told investigators that Sallis demanded his wallet and tried to steal the truck.

Police say the getaway was foiled when Sallis could not disengage the truck’s airbrake, at which point he took off running into the neighborhood.

Officers tracked him down and after a brief foot chase, Sallis was arrested, ACPD spokesman Lt. Kip Malcolm said. He’s charged with two counts of armed robbery, malicious wounding, abduction, carjacking and being felon in possession of a firearm.

Police and canine units searched for hours after the robbery to find the gun. Just before 3:00 p.m., an officer found it, along with “some other evidence” in the backyard of a house on the 300 block of N. Fillmore Street, Malcolm said.

“Officers during their evening shift briefing were told the suspected path the suspect traveled,” Malcolm said. “About two blocks behind the 7-Eleven, an officer spotted it.”

Sallis, who police say is homeless, is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Center.

Earlier, police said Sallis — who has retained a lawyer — was being uncooperative as officers searched for the weapon.

“We did searches with canines, patrolled the area… We’ve looked everywhere we can, but we’re only 360 police officers and not all of us are in,” Malcolm told ARLnow.com earlier today. “We’re asking the community to be mindful and look for the firearm. It could be in the snow, in a trash can, in a storm sewer.

“We’re most concerned about kids finding the firearm,” Malcolm said. “We really need to find this.”

Police recovered the knife and other evidence when they apprehended Sallis, Malcolm noted.

Photo courtesy Arlington County Police Department

Dozens of Students Sent Home from Barcroft With Stomach Bug

By Ethan Rothstein

Barcroft Elementary School 2-19-14(Updated at 4:40 p.m.) Dozens of students at Barcroft Elementary School were sent home from school on Friday with stomach illnesses.

The contagion prompted school officials to cancel after-school activities on Friday, including a PTA-sponsored “Sweetheart Dance.” Students were sent home with a letter on Friday advising parents on how to prevent the spread of gastrointestinal illness.

“This communication is being sent to let you know that Public Health has been receiving an increase in reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness in members of the Barcroft school community,” the letter reads. “If your child develops vomiting or diarrhea, we recommend that you keep your child home for 24 hours after the symptoms stop before sending your child back to school.”

School will reopen and activities will resume as normal on Wendesday, weather permitting.

School Health Bureau Chief Marian Harmon told ARLnow.com in an email this afternoon that, between Feb. 11 and Feb. 13, 38 students at Barcroft were either sent home or stayed home with gastrointestinal issues.

“Kids were lying around the office waiting to be picked up” on Friday, an ARLnow.com tipster wrote in an email.

Because Arlington Public Schools offices were closed due to the snow today, officials could not confirm the number of cases reported at Barcroft. In the letter, APS said all shared surfaces in the school are disinfected “each day and after any illnesses at the school.”

After the jump, the letter APS sent home with Barcroft students. (more…)

Photos: Snow Brings Arlington to a Crawl

By Ethan Rothstein
1/19

Many of the roads around Arlington remain unplowed as of 10:00 a.m., despite the sunshine and the end of the 4-5 inches of snowfall.

The federal and county governments are closed, as are many private offices, which sought to avoid asking employees to trek through hazardous driving conditions this morning. Many retail businesses decided not to open due to the storm either.

Outside of Wilson and Clarendon Blvds, all of the roads in Clarendon were unplowed this morning, and the normally bustling rush hour around the Metro stop was quiet — the man handing out the Washington Post Express newspaper could be heard saying “Have a good day” to every passerby from a block away.

Jessica Chakrin, a Clarendon resident, ventured to a mostly empty Whole Foods this morning with her boyfriend, Steve Benkert, who lives in D.C. Neither works for the federal government, but both were enjoying a day off work and some spontaneous, child-like fun.

“We went to Whole Foods breakfast, had some [coffee] there, and I was about to shove her in the snow… that was about as far as the day was planned,” Benkert said. He noted that the Whole Foods was almost empty — a rare sight for most Clarendon regulars.

With Monday’s federal holiday, the snow meant most workers in the area got four straight days off work.

“Snow days are fun,” said Rusty Mathews, who lives near Clarendon on Fairfax Drive and works for a law firm. “They’re a nice change, but right after a holiday, it’s particularly nice. You get a long, long weekend.”

Late-Night Rumble Outside Whitlow’s Broken Up by Police

By Ethan Rothstein

Police car lights

A brawl involving more than a dozen people broke out in the street outside Whitlow’s on Wilson in Clarendon early this morning.

About a dozen squad cars arrived to the 2800 block of Wilson Blvd at about 1:15 a.m. today to more than a dozen people in the street fighting with each other, ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said.

Police tried to disperse the crowd and “urged everyone to get into cabs and leave,” Sternbeck said, but witnessed one person urinating in the bushes. Before police could apprehend him, he jumped in a cab where his friends were waiting, and the taxi drove off.

Police caught up with the taxi, Sternbeck said, when a female occupant got out and started cursing at officers. She was arrested and charged with drunk in public.

“We tried to send people on their way, but ultimately they got mouthy,” Sternbeck said. “We were trying to do the right thing.”

No injuries were reported from the brawl, and no other arrests were made, Sternbeck said.

Armed Robbers Strike Crystal City McDonald’s

By Ethan Rothstein
1/3

Two masked men held up the McDonald’s at 2620 Jefferson Davis Highway early this morning and stole cash.

The two men caught on surveillance cameras entered the fast-food joint about 4:40 a.m. and jumped over the front counter, police said. One man pointed a handgun at employees while the other man served as a lookout. The thieves stuffed cash into a backpack and drove off in a dark sedan. No injuries were reported.

Police described the first suspect as a black man in his 20s who stands about 5-foot-3, weighs 125 pounds and was last seen wearing ripped jeans and construction boots. The other man was described as black, about 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds. He was wearing dark jeans and a black North Face coat.

Anyone with information about the crime is encouraged to contact Det. Mulvaney of the ACPD’s robbery/homicide unit at 703-228-4239 or at [email protected], or submit a tip anonymously at 866-411-TIPS (8477).

County Offices, Schools Closed on Monday

By Ethan Rothstein

George WashingtonArlington County government operations will take the day off on Monday, Feb. 16 for George Washington Day.

The holiday, also known as Presidents Day and Washington’s Birthday, means there will be no parking enforcement in the county on Monday.

Arlington Public Schools will be closed, as will the county’s General District, Circuit and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Courts. Arlington’s libraries, DMV office, human services department and community centers will also not open their doors.

ART buses 41, 42, 51, 77 and 87 will run on Saturday schedules, while all other ART bus trips are cancelled. STAR transit will only run dialysis trips.

The only government function that will go on without a hitch on Monday is trash and recycling pickup. Those with Monday collection should leave their waste by the curb at the normal time.

Andrew Schneider to Run for County Board

By Ethan Rothstein

Andrew Schneider(Updated at 2:35 p.m.) Yorktown Civic Association President Andrew Schneider announced today (Friday) that he will be running for election to the Arlington County Board this year.

Schneider, 40, will vie for one of the two open seats on next year’s Board after members Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada retire. The Democrat will be on the ballot for the party’s primary on June 9.

“I’m excited to talk to Arlingtonians from all corners of the county to hear their ideas, frustrations and potential solutions. I believe in one Arlington, one community,” Schneider said in statement announcing his candidacy. “Our county is at its best when we’re having real dialogue with friends and neighbors about how to move our community forward together.”

This is not Schneider’s first foray into an Arlington election; last year, he came in third place in the Democratic primary in the special election to replace retiring Del. Bob Brink.

Schneider joins Columbia Pike resident Katie Cristol as the first two running for the open seat. Candidates are allowed to officially file to run for the primary on March 9.

Schneider has two children in Nottingham Elementary School and, if elected, would be the youngest member of the County Board. He’s a native Arlingtonian, a graduate of Yorktown High School and was named last year to Leadership Arlington’s 40 Under 40.

Schneider’s campaign announcement said his platform will be “managing the county’s financial situation with an understanding that we face a new fiscal reality, having honest conversations that include all Arlingtonians and treats our county as one community, and improving customer service for Arlington’s residents.”

Arlington Community Radio Station to Launch This Year

By Ethan Rothstein

Arlington Independent Media logo (image via Facebook)(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) By December, Arlington residents will be able to learn how to make radio, right in the neighborhood.

Arlington Independent Media‘s low-power FM station was approved by the Federal Communications Commission for 96.7 on the dial, with call letters WERA-LPFM. As part of their FCC approval, the radio station must be broadcast-ready by Dec. 9, according to AIM Executive Director Paul LeValley.

When the radio station does launch — and LeValley has no doubt they will be ready to air by the deadline — it will be a platform for anyone interested in broadcasting to get real, on-air experience.

“We’ll train [the community] on how to do it, how to produce a radio program, and they will produce the programming,” LeValley told ARLnow.com this morning. “There’s an interest group among just citizens, people who for years have been lobbying for low-power FM around the area and just in Arlington. The Arlington portion of that group is starting to coalesce, and they meet independent of my board, independent of my staff. And they’re saying ‘What kind of stuff do we want to do?'”

The FCC requires that any low-power FM station operate only for educational, noncommercial purposes.

LeValley said the low-power FM committee of the AIM Board of Directors is meeting to determine what kind of programming mix the station should have. When it’s live, the station will reach most of Arlington and stretch into parts of the District.

AIM received a construction permit to build a radio tower in June, but it’s still in the process of figuring out where the tower will be located. LeValley couldn’t disclose which sites he was looking at, only that it would be “somewhere toward the center of Arlington, on a multi-story building.”

AIM’s LPFM committee chair Andy Rosenberg has worked for years in public radio and has lived in Arlington for more than 40 years. He said he’s thrilled to see how the community gathers around its own radio station.

“There’s a bit of controversy about whether radio is a dead medium, but I think with these LPFM stations, there’s a chance to build community,” Rosenberg said. “Radio is immediate and flexible and there’s so much you can do with it to engage the community. That’s exciting to think about it.”

WERA-LPFM has the capability to broadcast 24 hours a day and the studio will be in AIM’s headquarters on N. Danville Street in Courthouse. Eventually, Rosenberg said, radio programs will be able to be recorded in satellite offices, sent to the station and transmitted through the tower.

Over the next few months, while the tower site is chosen and construction begins, AIM will hold community meetings to try to determine who and what the community wants to hear on the radio, Rosenberg said.

Photo via Facebook

Drafthouse Offering ‘Princess Bride,’ Wine Tasting for Valentine’s Day

By Ethan Rothstein

Arlington Drafthouse's Valentine's Day event fllyerIf going to see “50 Shades of Grey” seems like an inconceivable way to spend Valentine’s Day, the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse has a throwback movie alternative.

The theater, at 2903 Columbia Pike, is hosting three showings of the 1980s classic film, “The Princess Bride,” at 4:00, 7:00 and 10:00 p.m. Before the 7:00 p.m. show — currently listed as sold out on the Drafthouse’s website — there will be an optional wine tasting and standup comedy performance.

There will also be standup comedy performed before the final showing of the day, at 10:20 p.m.

Tickets for the two remaining shows are $10 each. Considering the 7:00 p.m. show sold out, you might have to fight to the pain to get tickets for the other two showings on Saturday.

Image via Arlington Drafthouse

Cherry Blow Dry Bar, Pure Barre Open in Clarendon

By Ethan Rothstein
1/4

Two new businesses in Clarendon have opened their doors, in the new retail space on the ground floor of 3001 Washington Blvd.

Cherry Blow Dry Bar, which offers blow outs and extensions for women’s hair, opened on Jan. 30 at 1041 N. Highland Street, next door to the even-more-recently opened Citizen Burger Bar. Salon owner Jennifer Weiss said last week they offered a $15 blow out special and were booked solid all week.

“We were totally sold out and overwhelmed,” she said at her new shop yesterday. “We’ve gotten great support from women in the community who felt that there was a need for our services.”

Pure Barre opened late last year, offering ballet-inspired workout classes and athletic apparel. They have specials for new clients — $100 for 30 days of unlimited classes — and offer six to nine classes a day, starting at 5:50 a.m.

Cherry Blow Dry Bar offers blow outs for $35 and extensions for $395. It is open from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Sundays. Weiss said she’s considering opening at 7:00 a.m. on weekdays because her customers want to get blow outs before work.

Single classes at Pure Barre are $25, while a 10-class pass is $210. A 12-month unlimited membership is $185 a month.

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