Author: Heather Mongilio

Pie Store Planned for N. Glebe Road

By Heather Mongilio
1/5

Construction has started for a new pie store planned near the intersection of N. Glebe Road and Lee Highway.

Owners Heather Sheire and Wendy MacCallum hope to open the new store by the end of the year, Sheire said. It will be located at 2166 N. Glebe Road.

Once the store is open, customers will be able to watch the pies being made while getting to enjoy a slice of their favorite pie with friends on a new outdoor patio. The store, while still in a design phase, is planned to be a place for people to relax with friends, Sheire and MacCallum said.

“The whole shop is just going to smell delicious because we’ll be baking there and serving there,” Sheire said. “We want it to be a comfortable place where people can hang out.”

The two also want the shop to be convenient for their customers and plan to provide parking, allowing people to be able to run in and grab a take out pie.

Sheire and MacCallum currently sell pies at the Clarendon and Westover farmer’s market, and customers can also order pies online. The two also have a partnership with House of Steep at 3800 Lee Highway, where customers can pick up pre-ordered pies from 2-7 p.m. on Fridays. On Saturday, the two will also be doing a pie and tea pairing at House of Steep. For $7, people will be able to get a couple pieces of pie with teas that pair well.

The two decided to open a store after the business expanded past their current business model of delivering and selling at farmer’s markets.

“So we were like, let’s do it,” Sheire said. “Let’s do a store.”

At the new store, Sheire and MacCallum will bake classic pie recipes, including customer favorites Apple Pie, Apple Caramel Crumb Pie, S’mores Pie and Boozy Pecan Pie. The two bakers will also be able to bake more savory, cold and cream pies.

“People will be able to come in for something for breakfast, for something for lunch and for something for dinner,” Sheire said.

For the savory pies, the pair plans to include their Mac and Cheese pie, their Tomato pie and their Thanksgiving pie. While popular, these pies are harder to bake for the current setup of delivery or a farmer’s market sale, Sheire said. But having a store means the bakers can make the pies and sell them in the same place, ensuring the pies maintain their quality.

Sheire and MacCallum say quality is a key ingredient; they only use fresh materials and plan to have their own small organic garden at the store.

A pie like theirs cannot be found in a supermarket, Sheire said. Good pie is meant to be fresh and only last a couple of days. That’s why there aren’t many good national pie companies, she said.

“Because pie something done by hand and on a small scale,” Sheire said. The bakers try to make everything themselves, including making their own marshmallow for the S’mores Pie.

Until the store opens, customers can continue to order pies online or stop by Livin’ the Pie Life at the Clarendon and Westover farmers market. The pair is not able to attend the markets every week, but customers can sign up for their mailing list or follow them on Facebook to find out when Sheire and MacCallum will be at the markets and what pies they will have.

“We are living the pie life,” Sheire said.

Arlington Man Seeks to Connect People With Epilepsy Through App

By Heather Mongilio

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, plus other local technology happenings. 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.

(Updated at 5:45 p.m.) When Pentagon City resident Phil Gattone was four years old, he had his first seizure.

Then another one and another until it resulted in thousands of seizures, two brain surgeries and a diagnosis: epilepsy.

“No one really understood what I was going through except my parents, friends and family,” Gattone said.

Phil-Gattone

Gattone said he was able to overcome epilepsy and live a normal life thanks to his support system, but for many with the disease, the lack of the support system can be damaging.

But Gattone may have a solution for those with epilepsy struggling without a support system. It’s an app called Neurish.

Gattone, the CEO and co-founder of Neurish, and his team are working to create an app that connects people with epilepsy with doctors but more importantly, to other people with epilepsy. The app is still in development, but Gattone said he hopes to have it out by the end of 2015.

“It’s a social network for people with epilespy,” Gattone said of the app. “We provide a map for all the epilepsy resources around you.”

Along with Gattone, the Neurish team includes lead designer Elisha Phoenix and three mobile developers: Nick Cowat, William Judd and Ross Chapman. The team met at a hackathon last April, where they were faced with the task of creating something to help people with epilepsy. After the hackathon, they took their idea to Neurolaunch, an accelerator program for startups dealing with neuroscience. The company has been on a fast track and has entered development, Gattone said.

One of the key features of the app is the mentorship program. People who are struggling to live a normal life with epilepsy will be connected with someone who is leading a normal life.

“By providing the mentorship program, we’re turning the mood [around epilepsy] from a negative one to a positive one,” Gattone said.

One of the biggest barriers to building a support system is that people with epilepsy often don’t want to talk about it.

“When you’re diagnosed with epilepsy, it’s hard to build a support system,” Gattone said. “One of the reason is there is still a lot of stigma with it.”

People don’t always know how to help when someone has a seizure, and talking about having the disease can lead to consequences, Gattone said. Some people won’t hire those with epilepsy and having a seizure can mean not being able to drive. In Virginia, residents with seizures have to show they have been seizure free for six months in order to have a license.

neurish logo

“There’s a lot of fear with talking about it,” Gattone said. “And if you don’t talk about it, it’s hard to build a support system.”

The app will also allow people to find nearby neurologists and epileptologists, neurologists that specialize in epilepsy, to help them find new doctors. The company is currently reaching out to doctors to ask them to publicize the app and to be featured on it.

Gattone and his team want to be able to provide a list or map of doctors, he said. However, with the app still in development, he is not sure the exact format.

The goal of the app is to connect people with the doctors and others with epilepsy so they can lead better lives, Gattone said. It’s unique because it addresses the social concerns of epilepsy instead of focusing only on the medical problems that come from the disorder.

“Our mission is just to improve the lives of people with epilepsy,” Gattone said.

Photo and logo courtesy of Phil Gattone

Columbia Pike Chipotle May Open in September

By Heather Mongilio
1/2

Columbia Pike’s first Chipotle Mexican Grill may open in September.

The Chipotle is planned to go into the new 3400 Pike apartment building, at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Glebe Road.

“Coming soon” signs are now up in the windows. While interior construction has not started, Chipotle’s contract for the space says it will open in September, said Brian Jeter, the marketing specialist at 3400 Pike.

“It’s pretty tentative right now, but from what we understand with the contract, it should be open in September,” he said.

The restaurant will be Chipotle’s sixth in Arlington, with existing locations in Rosslyn, Ballston, Crystal City, the Pentagon City mall and along Lee Highway.

More Democratic Delegates Needed, Say Candidates for Va. House

By Heather Mongilio

Del. Rip Sullivan

In order for Virginia to move forward on issues like medicaid expansion and climate change, more Democrats need to be elected to House of Delegates, said Democratic House of Delegates candidates Del. Patrick Hope, Del. Rip Sullivan and Mark Levine.

The candidates spoke to the Arlington County Democratic Committee last night to announce their candidacy and touch on why they need Democratic support in the upcoming November election.

While all candidates spoke briefly on ideas they felt need attention, such as Medicaid expansion or better mental health care, most of the speeches focused on how Republicans in the House of Delegates were blocking important laws or passing laws that the candidates said would be dangerous for Virginia.

“Let’s call it for what it is. Republicans are killing their constituents,” said Hope, who is running for the 47th District seat. “They are killing their constituents by not expanding healthcare insurance to them. We know that’s a fact that people die when they don’t have health insurance. They’re killing them by pushing coal.”

Hope will face Independent Green candidate Janet Murphy in the Nov. 3 general election.

Republicans have refused to allow any conversation about Medicaid expansion in the General Assembly, Sullivan said.

“They’re not going to start talking about it, as my friend Patrick Hope has said before, until they start losing elections over this issue,” he said. “And we need to have some of them lose elections over this medicaid issue.”

Sullivan, who is running unopposed for the 48th District seat, warned that Republicans were also very close to passing “dangerous” legislation last year. He cited a proposed bill that would legalize switchblades, ninja stars and spring-loaded weapons that he said “flew” through House committees. He said the bill would have passed the House of Delegates, but Republican majority reversed their opinions, a move he attributed to it being a reelection year.

In order to get more Democrats elected, the three candidates plan to talk to Virginia residents in areas that elect Republicans. Levine, who is thus far running unopposed for the 45th District, announced that he would be making a trip around Virginia to talk to residents and boost Democratic candidates.

“We’ve got to elect more Democrats, not just in Arlington, but in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he said.

Levine recently argued for more gun control at conservative conference in Denver, Colorado and said that he was able to convince some National Rifle Administration members to think about stricter gun regulations, such as better background checks. If elected, Levine said he also wants to start talking about mental health, education and jail time for drug users.

“We put too many people in jail. I don’t think non-violent drug users should go to jail,” he said.

New Buses, Enhanced ART Service Coming Next Week

By Heather Mongilio

new-art-bus

Arlington County has added eight new buses to its fleet in order to provide more frequent bus service along several routes.

Additional bus service will be added to the ART 41 (Columbia Pike, Ballston and Courthouse), 43 (Crystal City, Rosslyn and Courthouse) and 87 (Pentagon Metro, Army Navy Drive and Shirlington) routes starting Monday, July 6, according to press release.

The new bus service on Columbia Pike is just an initial step in improving transit on the Pike, said Eric Balliet, spokesman for the Arlington Dept. of Environmental Services.

“This is definitely one of the first steps we can take to show our commitment to the corridor and our commitment to transit,” he said.

The ART 41 route will have more frequent service with the bus coming every 15 minutes during the day and every 23 minutes during weekday and Saturday nights.

The enhanced service is one way Arlington is addressing the transit needs that remained after the streetcar program was cut, Balliet said.

The ART 43 route will have buses run about every 10 minutes with extended service until 10:35 a.m. during morning rush hour and 7:47 p.m. during the evening commute.

The ART 87 will be getting new Sunday service, which will run from 7:14 a.m. to 7:11 p.m. The route will also have extended service until 11:41 p.m. on weekdays and 11:53 p.m. on Saturdays. On the weekends, the service will run to the Pentagon City Metro Station instead of the Pentagon Metro Station.

The county is also adding a new ART 87P line, which will run between the Pentagon and S. Lang Street. During rush hour, service will alternate every 10 minutes between the full ART 87 line and the ART 87P line.

“Anything we can do to make [commuting] more convenient, we think customers will appreciate,” Balliet said.

In order to provide the advance service, the county added eight new 40-foot buses to the ART fleet. The new buses are 5 feet longer than the standard ART buses, which allow for more seats and more standing room, he said.

The new buses are being added to routes with high ridership.

“These bus service improvements are a first step in meeting the current transit needs for Columbia Pike and Crystal City-Pentagon City, as we work to create vibrant, sustainable neighborhoods along these corridors,” County Board Chair Mary Hynes said in a statement. “Every day ART helps thousands of Arlingtonians get to work, school and other activities, and the additional service will make ART an even more reliable transportation choice all week long.”

APS Adds Gender Identity to Nondiscrimination Policy

By Heather Mongilio

Emma Violand-Sanchez, School Board chairThe Arlington School Board voted unanimously this morning to include gender identity and expression to its nondiscrimination policies for hiring teachers and other employees.

The language is intended to prevent discrimination and harassment against transgender individuals.

The School Board also voted to ensure that all of its employment policies include protection against discrimination based on disabilities, marital status, sexual orientation, economic status and national origin.

“I’m very proud that we have these policies, and we are going to implement it,” said Emma Violand-Sánchez, who was elected as the School’s Board 2015-2016 chair during the meeting. “And that we are going to implement it with students, with the staff, within the hiring process, and I think we have to eliminate bullying, harassment and more than anything enhance the candidates in our school system for employment.”

Including gender identity and expression is in line with the Department of Education’s interpretation of Title IX, a law that requires schools to provide an equal opportunity learning environment for both genders. Title IX includes gender identity and expression, according to Ellen Kennedy, the director of Employee Relations at Arlington Public Schools.

Complying with the federal government was one reason the board members adopted the new changes. But members also said it was the right thing to do.

“We do not want to put our community, legally, down the road,” outgoing chair James Lander said. “And so, again, in alliance with our County Board colleagues, the state and the federal government, we again are showing progressive leadership.”

The School Board did receive emails about the changes, Lander said. However, many questioned the procedure and not the policy. Residents were worried that the board would make the decision behind closed doors.

There were no public speakers at the meeting, which was a surprise, member Abby Raphael said. However, throughout the process, there had been little dissent from the community or APS employees, Barbara Kanninen noted.

“It was very clear from the beginning we were going to do this,” she said. “I don’t think it was ever an issue of any disagreement in terms of wanting to do this.”

The School Board also updated its bullying and harassment policy today to include protections based on creed and age. The bullying policy, which had last been updated in 2008, already included protections based on gender identity or expression.

Update at 12:40 p.m. — Democratic County Board candidate Christian Dorsey has issued a statement commending the School Board’s action and calling on Arlington County to make similar policy changes. “I urge the County Board to pursue ways to update the County Code to ensure that people are not discriminated against in Arlington based on their gender identity,” he said.

New Sushi Restaurant Kona Grill Opens on Wilson Boulevard

By Heather Mongilio
1/8

The Kona Grill, a sushi restaurant that combines American and Hawaiian flavors, opened its doors in Rosslyn on Monday.

The new restaurant, located at 1776 Wilson Blvd, is one of the company’s more than 30 restaurants in 19 states. But the Arlington location gave Kona Grill the ideal demographics it was looking for, said Joesph Ortega, the general manager for the Arlington location.

“It’s a growing area, young and upcoming,” he said. “If you visit our restaurant, it’s a very hip or retro feeling.”

The restaurant has an inside and outside bar, a large dining room set to seat about 250 guests and a patio. It also offers two happy hours — one from 2-7 p.m. and a reverse happy hour during the last two hours of business, where food prices are reduced.

Although the restaurant opened its doors yesterday, Ortega said it had already attracted a crowd. As of 12:30 p.m. today, there were about 20 people eating lunch.

The restaurant brings a different style of dining to Arlington, he said. The restaurant is two in one, with a full lunch and dinner menu in addition to the sushi bar.

“A lot of the other restaurants [in Arlington] are just sushi bars or one type of sushi bar,” Ortega said.

Ortega’s favorites on the menu are the pork tenderloin, which is almond crusted and served with mashed potatoes, and the picasso roll, a spicy yellowtail with avocado, a jalapeño cilantro relish and sriracha. But he also recommends that people try a little bit of everything.

“I don’t think anyone’s seen or tasted what we offer,” he said.

The restaurant plans to get involved with the Arlington community by participating in local events.

“Our goal is to be everyone’s favorite place to eat and relax with friends,” Ortega said.

School Board Funds Teacher Training for iPad, Laptop Initiative

By Heather Mongilio

Arlington School BoardThe Arlington School Board voted this month to provide $640,000 to train teachers in student use of school-issued Apple iPads and Macbooks.

The funding was approved after an amendment to stop it failed one to four.

The professional development will help teachers be able to better incorporate digital tools, such as laptops or iPads, in lesson plans. It is part of the Arlington Public Schools’ digital learning initiative, which has the goal of equipping children in second to eighth grades with an iPad and high school students with Macbook Airs.

Vice Chair Emma Violand-Sánchez submitted the amendment to defund the professional development for digital learning. She argued that while technology is important there were other areas recommended by advisory committees that needed the money more, she said during the School Board meeting on June 16.

“We have forgotten the whole child,” she said. “We have forgotten any of the support systems or professional development we need for that. We have forgotten professional development that could be needed for English language learners. We have forgotten the needs for the middle schools and other areas I feel are needed.”

Emma Violand-Sanchez

But other board members said that the professional development was key to the success of the already-approved digital learning initiative.

“I fundamentally believe that technology is going to be a key component of any future change for our children, our ability to include all students in a general education setting and to provide the differentiating instruction,” member Nancy Van Doren said.

Van Doren agreed with Violand-Sánchez that professional development was needed in other areas but said it was not a question of one or the other. Instead, the School Board should look to providing the financial needs for multiple areas of professional development, she said.

The digital learning initiative also provides for the whole child, member Abby Raphael argued. In order for the digital learning to be successful, teachers need the training, she said.

“I think it is so meaningful. And it affects special education students, it affects [English language learners], it helps accelerate students, and it really, I think, does personalize learning and individualize learning,” Raphael said.

The digital learning also provides low-income children with the opportunity to interact with technology that they would not have otherwise, Chair James Lander said. Low income families often only buy what they need, and laptops and iPads do not always make the list, he said.

“I believe in technology, and I believe this is a way for a school that is majority minority to have an opportunity to get their hands on technology and start to close the digital divide,” he said.

But the program is not without its problems. Members brought up monetary concerns about the costs of the actual devices and the software that each would need as APS increases the number of devices it maintains from 5,000 to 25,000.

Barbara Kanninen also brought up concerns about the lack of planning involved in the rollout of the devices and questioned whether they actually helped to accelerate learning. She attempted to halt the program in the past until budget and educational concerns were addressed.

“I still feel, as I did then, that we need a full evaluation of this program,” she said. “So far we had a work session earlier this year, we’ve heard a lot of anecdotes about successes in our schools system, but we don’t have solid evidence that it’s truly achieving our goals.”

Despite that, Kanninen voted against Violand-Sánchez’s amendment, saying that the training is necessary.

Van Doren said there is also a need to look a security and privacy concerns brought up by parents.

“We must address the parent concerns related to security, privacy and the continuous feedback and improvement related to the devices,” she said. “That is tantamount in allowing parents to be partners in this process.”

Parents need to feel that their children are safe while using these devices, and they need to feel as if they are partners with the school system, she said.

Lander agreed that those areas are important and should be part of the next steps going forward. However, despite the budget, educational and concerns, utilizing technology in school is too important of a priority to stop, he said.

“We can’t hold back the tide of technology,” Lander said. “This is how we do business.”

Startup Monday: Website Helps Commuters Go Car Free

By Heather Mongilio

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, plus other local technology happenings. 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.

Arlington County might have a tech-driven answer for commuters looking to save money and help the environment.

Arlington County Commuter Services (ACCS) and D.C.-based tech firm Conveyal have developed CarFreeAtoZ, a new website that help commuters plan their trip to areas around Northern Virginia and the D.C. area by looking at the different transit options available including Metro, buses, driving, Capital Bikeshare and personal cycling.

CarFreeAtoZ screen shot“Arlington is really thought of as the leader in public transportation in the country,” said Paul Mackie, the communications director at Mobility Lab, the research arm of ACCS.

CarFreeAtoZ plans trips in a manner similar to Google Maps or Mapquest, but it combines different transit options, such as walking, using the Metro and biking. The website is mobile friendly, so users can pull it up on their phones while on the go.

“It’s got more modes than any brand of app,” Mackie said.

Users plug in their current location’s address, the address of where they want to go and the time they’re planning to leave, and then the website calculates the different travel methods. At the moment, the users need to have the exact address as the website cannot find places such as the U.S. Capitol or a specific Metro station.

Commuters can sort the different travel methods by total time, total cost, calories and walking distance. They can also see the cumulative estimated benefits of making the trip via a non-car method on a yearly basis.

For instance, CarFreeAtoZ recommends biking from Fairlington to Rosslyn, estimating that it would save $3,242 plus result in 21 lbs of potential weight loss and a gain of 138 hours of “productive time.” The bike trip takes 36 minutes during the morning rush hour, compared to 18 minutes via car or 43 minutes via transit.

“It actually ranks what would be best for you,” Mackie said.

(more…)

New Arlington Business Looks to Help Others Find a Job

By Heather Mongilio

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, plus other local technology happenings. 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.

Snagajob motto and new "snagger"Arlington residents looking for a new job need to look no further than down the street or at their phones.

Snagajob, a national business that helps connect hourly workers with employers, recently opened up an Arlington location at 1110 N. Glebe Road.

The company is all technology-based. Job seekers can go to snagajob.com or download the Snagajob app available on the Apple Store and on Android stores. From there job seekers, can browse jobs based on location, position, time commitment and more.

And while the Richmond-based, venture-funded company is all online, opening up a new Arlington location allowed to company to reach the workforce pool in the area as well as more employers, said Viyas Sundaram, the senior vice president of sales for the company.

“It really was a connector for us for a pool that expands from Leesburg, Richmond to Baltimore,” Sundaram said.

The company has been in Arlington since last August, he said, but is planning an official opening on July 22. At the opening, the company will be sharing stories of people who have found jobs through Snagajob and celebrating the employers that used Snagajob to post job listings.

Snagajob employeesWhile the company is reaching out to employers and job seekers across the country, Sundaram said Arlington residents are using the service. The biggest employers in Arlington posting openings are Macy’s, Chipotle, Jimmy Johns, Wendys and “any franchise you can imagine,” he said.

Snagajob is also looking for new “snaggers,” the term the company uses for its own employers. Interested candidates have to look no further than the Snagajob website for these openings.

“We are actively looking for good talent and happy to speak to anyone who’s interested,” Sundaram said.

While Snagajob came to Arlington for the location, its office model fits in with the new trend of coworking and work-life balance found in the county.

“We view ourselves as sort of the next generation of the corporate experience,” Sundaram said.

The Snagajob office is large with plenty of open space for employees to move around. Each chair has a bright orange Snagjob jersey on it. The kitchen area is part of the work space with a bar and in the middle of the room is a large flatscreen with a game console and bean bag chairs.

Snagajob kitchen and lounge area

The work-life balance is important to Snagajob, Sundaram said. The company is looking for “someone who’s interested in a fulfilling experience instead of an actual job,” he said.

Part of working for Snagajob is giving back to the community. The company encourages its employees to volunteer by offering paid time off in exchange for hours spent volunteering.

Wellness is also important to the company. Some employees work at standing desks and the company also promotes it through activities like massages.

“We’re very, very focused on that balance of working hard but also taking care of each other,” Sundaram said.

Snagajob standing desk and jerseys

The company strives on its teamwork and competition model, he said.

“The competition and teamwork combined with communication make our team more of a family than a workplace,” Sundaram said.

While the competition is part of the actual work of an employee, it is also heavily featured in team building activities.

Employees all participate in Office Olympics, which includes activities like chair dancing and chair soccer.

“It’s fun,” Sundaram said of working for Snagajob. “That’s probably the word that describes is best.”

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By Heather Mongilio

Columbia Pike Blues Festival 2014

It’s Friday, which means Father’s Day is two days away.

There are plenty of opportunities to celebrate dad in Arlington, with the Columbia Pikes Blues Festival on Saturday and the Zero Prostate Cancer run on Sunday.

There will be multiple road closures this weekend as a result of the two events.

On Saturday, the following roads will be closed from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.:

  • Walter Reed Drive from Columbia Pike to 9th Street S.
  • 9th Road S. from S. Garfield Street to Walter Reed Drive
  • 9th Street S. from S. Highland Street to Walter Reed Drive

On Sunday, S. Joyce Street, from 15th Street S. to Army Navy Drive, and Army Navy Drive, from S. Joyce Street to 25th Street S., will be closed from 7-11 a.m.

Shout out to dad or about any other local topic in the comments section.

View More Stories