Author: Ethan Rothstein

Pho Restaurant to Take Over Toscana Grill

By Ethan Rothstein

Toscana Grill(Updated Feb. 23 at 9:45 a.m.) A new Vietnamese restaurant plans to take over the space currently occupied by Toscana Grill in Courthouse.

The owners of Pho Deluxe, which has locations in Fairfax and Tysons Corner, told ARLnow.com that Toscana Grill is closing April 1, after which they will move in.

They hope to be open a month afterward at 2300 Clarendon Blvd, facing Courthouse Plaza.

Owners Hue and Dan Nguyen said the restaurant will specialize in the beef noodle soup, as well as rice dishes and noodle dishes. It will also have a full bar.

Toscana Grill had briefly closed in fall 2013, but reopened under new management.

Next door, meanwhile, Velocity Five’s conversion to Courthaus Social is about to get started. Co-owner Fito Garcia said this morning that the sports bar will be closing “in the coming week” to begin its remodeling to an “American beer garden.” Garcia said he expects the remodeling and staff training to be complete in time to open in April.

A previous version of this story stated Toscana Grill would close March 1. That has been corrected.

Car Crashes Into Tree on George Mason Drive

By Ethan Rothstein
1/6

A driver suffering from an apparent medical emergency drove his car off the road and into a tree this afternoon in Douglas Park.

The driver was attended to by medical personnel and ultimately taken to the hospital. According to police sources, the driver lost control of his car driving northbound on S. George Mason Drive, mere feet from the intersection with Four Mile Run Drive, just before 3:00 p.m.

The road was closed briefly as fire and police personnel responded to the crash, but it has since reopened.

Airbags deployed and the windshield shattered. The car, a Dodge Avenger, is likely totaled, suffering severe front end damage. There’s no word on the severity of the driver’s injuries.

County Board Could Approve Pedestrian, Park Upgrades

By Ethan Rothstein

Oak Grove Park (photo via Arlington County)As part of the next installment of Neighborhood Conservation projects, five neighborhoods, including three along I-66, could be a getting a combined $2.6 million in infrastructure improvements.

The Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee and county staff has recommended the five projects, and the Arlington County Board is scheduled to vote on whether to allocate money from the $12 million Neighborhood Conservation bond the voters approved last year.

Cherrydale’s Oak Grove Park, along N. Quincy Street, has been recommended for $795,000 worth of improvements, including a redone “tot lot,” construction of a playground for 5-12 year olds and replacing the existing gazebo with a larger picnic shelter.

Waycroft-Woodlawn is in line for $790,000 in pedestrian upgrades. The neighborhood has requested the money to fund curb ramp improvements for accessibility curb extensions at four intersections:

  • N. Evergreen Street and Washington Blvd
  • N. George Mason Drive and 11th Street N.
  • N. Evergreen Street and 11th Street N.
  • N. Buchanan St and 11th Street N.

The other projects would each receive less than $500,000 in funding:

  • $471,731 in pedestrian improvements along S. Courthouse Road from Columbia Pike to 12th Street S. in Columbia Heights
  • $348,987 for street lights in Madison Manor, along 12th Street N. from 11th Road to N. Roosevelt Street
  • $198,033 for street lights in Douglas Park, along 12th Street S. from S. Monroe Street to Quincy Street

Five of the projects approved by the County Board in February are in the middle of their design phase and are on track for construction next year:

  • Street improvements to the 5700 block of 2nd Street S. and the 100 block of S. Kensington Street in Glencarlyn.
  • A trail connector from the 4800 block of 7th Street S. to the W&OD trail in Barcroft. 
  • Pedestrian safety improvements to 19th Road N. between Woodstock Street and Upton Street in Waverly Hills
  • Street improvements to S. Lang Street between Arlington Ridge Road and 28th Street in Arlington Ridge
  • Streetlights and trail improvements on N. Ohio Street between 22nd Street and Washington Blvd in Highland Park Overlee Knolls.

The sixth project approved in February, improvements to Woodstock Park in Waycroft-Woodlawn, still does not have a scheduled completion date.

Photo via Arlington County

Hunan Number One Closed for Remodeling

By Ethan Rothstein

Hunan One temporarily closed in Clarendon Hunan One temporarily closed in Clarendon

The Chinese restaurant that has become known around Clarendon for serving giant mugs of beer for cheap is closed for now.

Hunan Number One (3003 Wilson Blvd) has a sign on the door that says it will reopen on Friday, Feb. 20. The business has been closed since last week, it appears.

An employee who answered the phone Wednesday morning said the restaurant was closed “for a bit of remodeling” and confirmed that it’s expected to reopen Friday. When ARLnow.com stopped by this morning, workers were inside getting the business ready for the reopening.

The closure comes at an inconvenient time for those who might have wanted to toast the Chinese New Year, which is Thursday.

It’s unclear at this point what changes are being made to the interior.

Update at 12:05 p.m. — An earlier version of this story reported that Hunan One’s website automatically redirects to an online store that sells only Air Jordan sneakers. It appears that the problem has been fixed and the restaurant’s website is working properly again. Some users, however, may still be experiencing the redirection under certain circumstances due to browser caching.

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…)

Arlington Agenda (Feb. 17-22)

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.

Wednesday

Logo-step2Millennial Women and the GOP Happy Hour*
Ri Ra Irish Pub (2915 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) leads a trio of speakers discussing “important women’s issues and ways to empower women in the workplace and politics.” Event is free but RSVP is recommended.

Thursday

When Arlington’s Schools Weere Segregated
Arlington Central Library (1015 N. Quincy Street)
Time: 1:30-3:30 p.m.

The debut screening of a video oral history with George M. Richardson, the last principal of Arlington’s “colored-only” Hoffman-Boston Junior and Senior High School. Discussion to follow with the filmmakers.

Love146Silent Auction to battle sex trafficking*
Ireland’s Four Courts (2051 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Free appetizers and a cash bar will be available to attendees of Love146‘s silent auction to raise money to help victims of sex trafficking. Admission is $10.

Saturday

PROMO_PHOTO_CLive Music: C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band
Artisphere (1101 Wilson Blvd)
Time: 8:30-10:30 p.m.

C.J. Chenier, the son of Clifton Chenier, the “King of Zydeco,” performs with the band his father founded. Zydeco dance lessons start at 7:30. Tickets are $20.

Sunday

22Free Chamber Music Concert*
Clarendon United Methodist Church (606 N. Ivy Street)
Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m.

IBIS Chamber Music presents “A Quartet for the End of Time,” written in a World War II prison camp. The group will also perform a piece from the opera “Gimpel the Fool.”

oscarsparty-2015-300Oscars Watch Party
Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike)
Time: 7:00 p.m.

Watch the 87th annual Academy Awards on the big screen with the D.C. Film Society, with a night including prediction contests, a silent auction and trivia contests. Tickets are $20 at the door.

*Denotes featured (sponsored) event

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).

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