Arlington Housing Sale Prices Drop — Arlington showed a year-over-year decline in housing sale prices in March. The median price of $508,500 was a 6.2 percent drop from a year ago. However, real estate experts indicate that’s only because of changing inventory in Arlington — more condos and townhomes instead of detached houses — and it’s not a sign of an overall slump. [WTOP]
No Fire in Barricaded Person Situation — Police and firefighters responded to the 1500 block of Crystal Drive last night for a report of a barricaded person inside an apartment that may have been on fire. The smell of smoke had been reported coming from the apartment. Emergency responders tried to gain access to the apartment for a couple hours but cleared the scene when they determined there was no fire. [Fox 5]
Motorcyclist Dies Following Collision — A motorcyclist has died following a collision with an SUV in Chevy Chase. The 24-year-old man was an Arlington resident. [Bethesda Magazine]
Caps Fan Leaves Salty Message — Starting tomorrow, the Washington Capitals face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and one fan left a request for a different playoff outcome than in recent years. A photo shows a message written on the boards of the Caps’ practice rink at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston: “Y’all better make it past the 2nd round.” [USA Today Sports]
Update at 8:40 p.m. — Glebe Road remains closed in both directions. Multiple Dominion units continue to repair the downed wires. Police officers at the scene couldn’t say how much longer the road will be closed, but they guessed it could easily be another hour.
Earlier: Emergency crews have closed part of N. Glebe Road north of Marymount University due to a downed power wire.
Police and fire crews are on the scene and have shut down N. Glebe Road between Williamsburg Blvd and Dittmar Road.
Emergency crews are waiting for Dominion Virginia Power to repair the line.
A police spokesperson says responders are investigating a leaning tree at the scene. There’s no word yet on whether the tree may have caused the power lines to topple.
Police responded to an armed robbery at a Virginia Square store Saturday night.
Two masked men reportedly entered a store on the 3400 block of Washington Blvd a little after 9 p.m., showed a firearm and demanded money and other items. Police did not specify which store was robbed, but that block is home to a 7-Eleven.
The suspects fled on foot with their loot. Their descriptions are in the full report from ACPD below.
ARMED ROBBERY, 2017-04080244, 3400 block of Washington Boulevard. At approximately 9:07 p.m. on April 8, officers responded to the report of a robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined two masked male subjects, one brandishing a firearm, entered a store and demanded cash and items of value. The suspects fled the scene on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash and items of value. The first suspect is described as a light skinned black male, approximately 6’0″ tall. He was wearing a black jacket, gloves, and a black mask. The second suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’8″-5’9″ tall. He was wearing a black winter jacket, gloves, and a black mask. The investigation is ongoing.
(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) A group of people riding dirt bikes and ATVs drew resident and police attention two separate times this weekend.
This is the third consecutive year the riders have caused a stir. Pastincidents sometimes have included more than 100 riders.
The first incident took place around midnight on Saturday. A witness reported in a tweet that more than a dozen riders drove the wrong way on the Key Bridge on their way into Arlington, and police followed.
The 15-20 motorbike/ATV riders have gone wrong way across Key Bridge into Arlington County now. ACPD following them.
Arlington County police say they were notified of the approaching group by Metropolitan Police around midnight Saturday. The riders traveled through Rosslyn onto westbound Route 50, worked their way south to Army Navy Drive, then turned back north on I-395 and re-entered the District at 12:12 a.m., according to ACPD.
The second incident happened around 7 p.m. on Sunday when an Arlington police officer patrolling the 1200 block of N. Courthouse Road spotted a group of about 75 dirt bikes and ATVs driving on Arlington Blvd. They traveled to Route 1 and south into Alexandria.
Police say that during both occurrences they monitored the group of riders and maintained a rolling roadblock to keep pedestrians and motorists safe.
State law prohibits the operation of ATVs on public highways. An ACPD spokesperson says the drivers in question operate the vehicles without considering the care and safety of others; they have been seen locally traveling at high rates of speed, veering into oncoming traffic and driving on sidewalks. Police are investigating the incidents to identify those involved.
Several law enforcement authorities in the region report that they’re aggressively working together on a solution. Last April, they held a joint press conference regarding ATV operation on area roadways. Metropolitan Police offer a reward of $250 for information leading to the identification of suspects in these incidents.
Anyone who sees ATVs operating in Arlington County — or who knows the identity of someone riding the vehicles on county roads — is encouraged to call the police non-emergency number at 703-558-2222. Information can also be provided anonymously to Arlington County Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
Bloomberg BNA Expansion — Crystal City-based Bloomberg BNA will invest $5.5 million to expand in Arlington County and create up to 125 new jobs. Governor McAuliffe approved a $500,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist with the project. [Augusta Free Press]
Suspect Has Missing Ex-Wife — The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested a man in Arlington this weekend in connection with the 2009 disappearance of his girlfriend, who lived in D.C. Now Jose Rodriguez-Cruz also has been tied to the disappearance of his first wife, who was last seen in 1989. Arlington County police have opened an investigation into her disappearance. [WTOP] [NBC Washington]
Overnight I-66 Closures — VDOT will be closing part of eastbound I-66 for 20 minute intervals tonight for toll construction. Beginning at 9:30 p.m. and running until 5 a.m. on Wednesday, closures will occur on eastbound I-66 between I-495 north and Lee Highway.
Damaged trees along I-395 south near Army Navy Country Club
Storm damage to Macy’s in Pentagon City
Storm damage to Macy’s in Pentagon City (photo courtesy David L.)
Storm damage to Macy’s in Pentagon City and damage to car
Storm damage to Macy’s in Pentagon City and damage to car
Storm damage to Macy’s in Pentagon City
There’s been a lot of clean-up in Arlington following last Thursday’s strong storms that produced a weak tornado.
The National Weather Service says the tornado formed adjacent to the Army Navy Country Club and lasted for six minutes on its 4.5 mile journey through Pentagon City and into Washington, D.C. The F-0 tornado had peak winds of 60-70 miles per hour.
The Army Navy Country Club property experienced quite a bit of damage, and a spokesperson issued the following statement to ARLnow on Monday:
“The tornado did interrupt some of the Club’s golf operations, as we had to close 18 of the 27 holes of golf in the Club’s Arlington location. Due to the tornado, we lost dozens of trees, several water coolers, trash cans, and benches on the course. We are fortunate that the path of the tornado did not cause any injuries or damages to the buildings.”
The last time a tornado was recorded in Arlington was on September 24, 2001, when an F-1 that originated in Fairfax County traveled northeast for 15 miles through Alexandria and Arlington, then it crossed the 14th Street Bridge into the District. It caused extensive damage and injured two people in south Arlington.
The scene was different for Thursday’s tornado in Arlington and the two others confirmed in the region that day, said Chris Strong, a warning coordination meteorologist with NWS Baltimore/Washington. Not only were the tornadoes weaker, but they also formed in a different manner.
“These weaker ones last week were basically eddies along a gust front, rather than more classic supercell thunderstorm tornadoes,” Strong says. “Those eddies produced small whirls of wind that in narrow corridors snapped some trees and caused siding and roofing damages.”
Some of that damage occurred when a portion of the facade and roof of the Macy’s at the Pentagon City mall ripped off and fell onto a car, resulting in one minor injury.
Technological advances have prompted changes in how local emergency managers warn the public about tornadoes and other weather emergencies. Some parts of the country, especially those that are more prone to tornadoes, use sirens as a warning. But sirens aren’t necessarily as effective in Arlington and the District, partially because of the dense buildings and foliage.
“Tornado sirens are not used much in this region of the country,” Strong said. “One of the reasons they work better in tornado alley is the wide open spaces with lack of trees that allows the sound to travel well.”
Police picked up two teens accused of breaking into cars early Saturday morning.
Around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, police received a call from a citizen who reported seeing people tampering with vehicles along the 4100 block of S. Four Mile Run Drive. Officers responded to the area, established a perimeter and located the two suspects matching the descriptions the witness provided.
Investigators determined that eight vehicles had been broken into and rummaged through, and several had items of value stolen. Most of the vehicles had not been locked.
The 16- and 17-year-old suspects both face charges in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Police have not linked them to otherrecent car break-in cases throughout the county, but the investigation is ongoing.
House fire on N. Stuart Street on 4/8/17 (Photo via Arlington County Fire Department)
House fire on N. Stuart Street on 4/8/17 (Photo via Arlington County Fire Department)
House fire on N. Stuart Street on 4/8/17 (Photo via Arlington County Fire Department)
House fire on N. Stuart Street on 4/8/17 (Photo via Arlington County Fire Department)
Firefighters spent part of Saturday night extinguishing a house fire on the 1300 block of N. Stuart Street in Ballston.
Arlington County firefighters arrived around 8 p.m. to find flames that originated near the back porch and extended to part of the attic. Crews managed to put out the fire in about 20 minutes.
Emergency crews reported that none of the four to five people living in the home were injured, and neither was their dog.
An ACFD spokesperson says an improperly discarded cigarette sparked the fire. It reportedly was thrown into dry leaves and shrubbery, which then ignited the porch.
Washington Business Journal Downsizes HQ — The Washington Business Journal has moved out of its headquarters at 1555 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn, where it had been for 20 years. The publication moved just down the street to 1100 Wilson Blvd. The downsize puts WBJ in a location that is about 3,000 square feet smaller than its previous space. [WTOP]
Civic Leaders Honored — The Arlington County Civic Federation honored two residents for their years of community leadership and activism. The organization recognized Jim Pebley and Stefanie Pryor at its anniversary dinner on Friday. [InsideNova]
Northern Virginia Businessman Dies at 100 — Well-known sportsman and businessman Randolph “Randy” Rouse died on Friday. A long-time Arlington resident, Rouse is a Washington-Lee High School graduate and began his foray into real estate in 1947. He was said to entertain visitors at his 10-acre Arlington estate — the Febrey-Lothrop house on Wilson Blvd and N. McKinley Street — with tunes from his saxophone. Rouse was 100. [Fauquier Times]
Following Thursday’s strong storms — which spawned a rare Arlington tornado — and today’s chillier temperatures, the weekend should warm back up. That’s just in time for APS students’ first days of spring break.
Local small business news created quite a buzz this week, as long-time retailer Casual Adventure announced it will close and CarPool poured its final beers after months of surviving on borrowed time. Despite previous rumors of it “not doing well,” the owner of Clarendon restaurant Oz said that the Aussie-themed eatery has experienced a turnaround.
ARLnow readers also showed a lot of interest in residential news, with articles about recommendations to change residential parking near Metro stations and an affordable housing lottery drawing the most comments this week. An article about a local historic district nomination for the possible site of a new high school came in third.
Feel free to discuss those or any other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a great weekend!
Storm damage to Macy's in Pentagon City (photo courtesy David L.)
Update at 11:20 p.m. — The National Weather Service confirms that an EF-0 tornado tracked through Arlington and into the District on Thursday.
Earlier: The storms that whipped through Arlington and the D.C. region yesterday brought power outages and damage, and more trees toppled today, according to the Arlington County Fire Department.
Trees are still coming down today. Please be careful. Pic of tree into a house on N Yucatan. One patient being treated for minor injuries. pic.twitter.com/7r3JTREg1c
But now the Capital Weather Gang believes the storms caused something else: a rare tornado in Arlington.
As CWG reported, the National Weather Service officially confirmed tornadoes in Herndon and in Southeast D.C. on Thursday. But the CWG team lists several other areas where they believe small tornadoes may have touched down, including in South Arlington near the Pentagon.
Radar indicated rotation there around 1:40 p.m., as noted on Twitter by weather enthusiast Ian Livingston.
Photographic evidence of damage near the Army Navy Country Club is consistent with tornadic activity, according to CWG. That’s also close to where one person was hurt when part of the Macy’s facade and roof at the Pentagon City mall was damaged and fell onto a car yesterday.
The National Weather Service reportedly is assessing damage near the Tidal Basin to determine if a tornado occurred there and along the H Street Corridor; the same storm caused the Arlington circulation. The Capital Weather Gang indicates the possible Arlington tornado may have been a separate occurrence from the one at the Tidal Basin, or that one tornado may have passed over the entire area in question.
