For the second time in three days, a food delivery driver was robbed last week by a knife-wielding man in Westover. This time, however, an arrest was made.
The first incident, as previously reported, happened last Tuesday around noon, on the 5800 block of Washington Blvd in Westover.
“The victim was delivering food items to the suspect’s residence when the suspect opened the door and allegedly produced a knife and demanded that the victim leave the items,” an Arlington County Police Department crime report said. “The victim placed the items on the ground and left the scene before contacting dispatch. Warrants were obtained for the suspect. The investigation is ongoing.”
The second incident happened Thursday around dinner time, in much the same manner. From ACPD:
ROBBERY, 2021-12300151, 5800 block of Washington Boulevard. At approximately 6:40 p.m. on December 30, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined that the victim was delivering food items to the suspect’s residence when the suspect opened the door and allegedly produced a box cutter and demanded that the victim leave the items. The victim placed the items down, exited the building and contacted police. Officers obtained warrants for Robbery and Defrauding a Restaurant for [The suspect], 36, of Arlington, VA.
It was not until Sunday, however, that officers went to arrest the man. A barricade situation and attempt to flee from police ensued.
“When officers attempted to serve the warrants at the suspect’s residence on January 2, he barricaded himself inside the apartment before attempting to flee out of a second story window,” said the crime report. “He was taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.”
Ballston in the snow (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
More Snow Looks Likely This Week — “Believe it or not, we have a chance of more accumulating snow Thursday night. This is unlikely to rival today’s storm, but could produce a few inches in parts of the region depending on how it evolves.” [Capital Weather Gang]
Local Legislative Event Now Virtual — Today at 7 p.m., the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City will host a public forum for locals to speak with their representatives to the state Senate and the House of Delegates. The event has moved to Zoom due to rising Covid concerns. A Zoom link will be provided to those who register online. [Eventbrite]
Video: Motorcycle Ride in the Snow — “Last time I rode a scooter in the snow was in Seoul Korea. Wanted to see how it is in Northern Virginia. Took it from Clarendon to Courthouse for lunch. The snow is packed and icy, so not possible to drive fast except on the main roads in some parts. I had a couple close calls where the tire slipped sideways.” [YouTube]
Bill Would Nix Arlington SRO Decision — “The Arlington School Board would be required to reinstate school-resource officers at local schools under legislation to be considered in the upcoming General Assembly session. Among those putting in bills on the topic is Del.-elect Timothy Anderson (R-Virginia Beach), whose measure – HB37, filed Dec. 30 – would require every school system to sign agreements with law-enforcement agencies to provide at least one resource officer for every high school and middle school, and at least one officer for every five elementary schools.” [Sun Gazette]
Reminder: Bag Tax Now in Effect — “Arlington County will begin imposing a 5-cent plastic bag tax… Effective Jan. 1, 2022, [Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County] will tax plastic bags from grocery stores, convenience shops and drugstores.” [ARLnow]
It’s Tuesday — Today will be sunny, with a high near 37 and a low of 27. Sunrise at 7:27 a.m. and sunset at 4:59 p.m. Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 44, a low of 32 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph. [Weather.gov]
Looking down Lynn Street in Rosslyn toward Georgetown, in the snow (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 10 a.m.) A frigid night is on tap and the refreezing of melting snow could make roads and sidewalks extra slippery.
The National Weather Service on Monday issued a Special Weather Statement about the ice concerns overnight:
…Icy Patches Likely Overnight Into Tuesday Morning… Falling temperatures and water from melted snow will result in patchy ice on area roads overnight into early Tuesday. This will be especially problematic on untreated roadways. Motorists should exercise extra caution overnight into early Tuesday, and assume that any surfaces which look wet or slushy may in fact be icy.
Adding to the driving danger in Arlington: many neighborhood roads have yet to be touched by a snow plow. As of Monday night, the county remained in “Phase 2” of its snow removal plan, during which crews focus on primary and secondary roads only.
Arlington snow plow map as of 10:15 p.m. The roads in red have not yet been plowed. (via Arlington County)
Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services says that crews will “work throughout the night to clear roadways,” but the county said Monday night what some had suspected: that Covid has reduced snow plow staffing.
“The County’s snow removal is currently impacted by COVID-19 related staffing shortages,” the county said. “Roads are being cleared as quickly and safely as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Crews will work throughout the night to clear roadways but temperatures down to the teens won't help. Avoid travel well into the morning if possible. https://t.co/DuInmBchJWpic.twitter.com/KTJCVRSy7c
— Arlington Department of Environmental Services (@ArlingtonDES) January 4, 2022
Monday’s winter storm was one for the record books.
The 6.9 inches of accumulation recorded at Reagan National Airport is a new official D.C. record for Jan. 3 and the first major snowfall event in about three years. In Arlington, storm spotters reported between 6.5 and 9.2 inches of snow, with higher amounts generally to the south.
The storm’s impact will be felt Tuesday and perhaps beyond.
As previously reported, Arlington Public Schools will be closed while trash collection has been cancelled for both Monday and Tuesday. Additionally, Arlington County government offices, recreation centers, vaccination clinics, and — as of Tuesday morning — Covid testing booths will be closed on Tuesday.
Due to Monday's snow, and in an abundance of caution for the safety of staff and clients, the COVID-19 vaccination clinics at Walter Reed and Arlington Mill Community Centers are CLOSED on Tuesday, Jan. 4. Those with appointments have been notified.
⚠️ The County's @Curative COVID-19 testing kiosks will be closed today (Jan. 4) due to weather and COVID19-related staffing shortages. People with appointments will be notified. Find alternative testing sites: https://t.co/lfl14fLekJ
The federal government will be opening on a three hour delay on Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management said tonight.
1/4: Federal agencies in the DC area will OPEN with a 3-hour delay and have the option of allowing unscheduled leave/telework. Employees should plan to arrive for work no more than 3 hours later than they would be expected to arrive.
— U.S. Office of Personnel Management (@USOPM) January 4, 2022
While unnecessary travel is being discouraged, particularly overnight, limited bus service is now available.
After being suspended for most of the day, some Metrobus service started a gradual return as of 6 p.m. ART bus service in Arlington is currently expected to be restored at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
It’s going to be a cold night, meanwhile, for more than a thousand households around Arlington.
As of 10:30 p.m., 1,240 homes and businesses were without power in Arlington, according to Dominion. It could be days before the outages, scattered across the county, are fully resolved.
“Please prepare for the possibility of being without power for multiple days,” power company spokeswoman Peggy Fox said tonight. “This is a multi-day restoration effort.”
Dominion reported more than 90,000 customers without power across Northern Virginia — and even more statewide — Monday night.
Fire department rescue unit (file photo, courtesy Arlington County Fire Department)
A man is being brought to safety by fireboat after his car careened a couple of hundred feet off the GW Parkway in Arlington.
The crash happened just before 6 p.m., on the Parkway near Donaldson Run, amid treacherous driving conditions from today’s winter storm. The driver — the only occupant of the vehicle — was trapped inside the car and suspended upside down, with a broken arm and leg, according to initial reports.
First responders were able to reach the vehicle despite “complex access issues,” using ropes to lower themselves down the embankment while fire boats assisted near the shoreline.
After being extricated from the vehicle, the man is now being brought to a waiting ambulance at Columbia Island Marina via D.C. fire boat.
More via Twitter:
#Final – patient extricated and lowered down to an awaiting @dcfireems boat. That boat will bring the patient to an ambulance standing by at a nearby marina, where the ambulance will transport to an area hospital.
Update: Rescuers have reached the auto. Driver (only occupant?) is still conscious. This is a complicated rescue because the extrication tools are difficult to get to the site. DC fireboat is assisting. https://t.co/mjezg5ORwW
The final Virginia House of Delegates district map (via Virginia Redistricting)
The final state Senate district map for Arlington (via Virginia Redistricting)
The final Congressional district map for Arlington (via Virginia Redistricting)
Arlington officially has a new Virginia House of Delegates district that has local Democrats talking about who will run for the seat. One hat has already been tossed into the ring as of today.
The Supreme Court of Virginia last week unanimously accepted new district maps for Virginia’s House of Delegates, the state Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. For Arlington’s Richmond representation, the maps created an entirely new House District 2 encompassing Arlington’s Metro corridors, and redrew boundaries for the state Senate.
Last fall, a newly-created bipartisan group, the Virginia Redistricting Commission, began the decennial process of redrawing district maps. When the group couldn’t agree on new maps, the courts appointed two “special masters” to draw the final maps.
The maps take effect in the next general election to be held for each office, says the Virginia Public Access Project, which would be this year for U.S. Congress, 2023 for state Senate and this year or 2023 for the House of Delegates.
The new maps divide Arlington into House Districts 1, 2 and 3, which are mostly contained within county lines, save for part of District 3, which extends into part of the City of Alexandria.
House District 2 includes Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, Virginia Square, Ballston, Crystal City and parts of Pentagon City. Those neighborhoods currently are part of House District 49 (represented by Del. Alfonso Lopez), House District 48 (represented by Del. Rip Sullivan), or House District 47 (represented by Del. Patrick Hope).
Sullivan, a McLean resident, has been redrawn out of Arlington and into the new District 6, which encompasses McLean and Great Falls.
Hope and Lopez also reside outside House District 2, according to a VPAP analysis, and some local Democrats are already thinking about who will represent the district, located within a populous, heavily Democratic part of Arlington.
Former State Senate candidate Nicole Merlene officially threw her hat into the ring this morning (Monday).
“After decades of underrepresentation in the Virginia General Assembly, Arlington’s metro corridor now has the opportunity to have a voice,” Merlene, who also previously wrote an ARLnow opinion column, said in her campaign announcement.
If elected, she said she will “help expand middle class housing, require mental health parity in our healthcare system, expand childcare capacity and increase school funding, expand criminal justice reform to eradicate the disproportionate incarceration of Black people, and include environmental sustainability in all legislation.”
A former progressive Democrat candidate for the state house, Matt Rogers, told ARLnow he’s mulling a bid as well.
“Of course I’m considering it,” said Rogers, who was stopped short of running against Hope in last summer’s Democratic primary due to a paperwork snafu.
Chanda Choun, who lost his bid for a seat on the County Board during the June primary to County Board Member Takis Karantonis said he’s not considering this seat right now.
“My current plan is to go on active military duty this spring and deploy to the Middle East for an Army Reserve mission,” he said.
An oft-discussed potential pick for state legislature, County Board Vice-Chair Katie Cristol, was not available to comment. She is poised to become the next County Board Chair during the Board’s first meeting of 2022, rescheduled from today to tomorrow (Tuesday) due to snow.
With redistricting complete, the Arlington County Republican Committee says it intends to put forward qualified House candidates.
“We were delighted to see Republican candidates in each of Arlington’s House of Delegates districts in 2021, and we encourage former candidates and would-be candidates to get involved in their community and consider running for office,” said GOP Communications Director Matthew Hurtt.
(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) Students at Arlington public schools will have another snow day on Tuesday.
School was also cancelled today, which would have been the first day back from the winter break, due to the winter storm. Unlike students in Alexandria, Arlington students are so far not being required to attend virtual classes.
More from Arlington Public Schools:
All APS schools and offices will be closed Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. Both in-person and Virtual Learning Program classes are canceled. Unless otherwise directed by their supervisors, custodial and maintenance staff should report to work at their scheduled time, and all custodians should report to work at 6 a.m. Extracurricular activities, games, team practices, field trips, adult education classes, and programs in schools and on school grounds are canceled. For updates about Pool Operations, go to www.apsva.us/aquatics. For information about Arlington County programs and operations go to www.arlingtonva.us.
An expected refreeze overnight could make for hazardous driving conditions. Plow crews in Arlington continue to work to clear snow from local roads, focusing for now on primary and secondary roads while neighborhood streets remain snow-covered.
Power outages in Arlington just before 12:15 p.m., amid heavy snow (via Dominion)
(Updated at 2:45 p.m.) Roads around Arlington are impassible, schools and the federal government are closed, and to make matters worse thousands of homes and businesses are without power throughout Arlington.
Amid the heavy, wet snow — some 6+ inches have fallen so far, with a couple of hours of additional snowfall expected — there have been numerous reports of branches snapping, trees falling and power lines down around the county. In some areas, power lines are sparking or on fire, with snow-laden branches leaning against them.
Among other reports, first responders are on scene of a significant power line fire on Robert Walker Place, near Taylor Elementary, according to scanner traffic. They have asked Dominion crews to expedite their response to the scene.
The fire department has also been dispatched to a report of a tree that fell into a house. Most of the reports of tree damage are in North Arlington neighborhoods.
As of 2:45 p.m., Dominion reported 4,767 outages in Arlington — a number that has been steadily increasing. Of those, about 2,200 are part of a large outage centered around Marymount University’s main campus. Other small outages are spread across the county.
That’s still well below the more than 48,000 homes and businesses that are in the dark in neighboring Fairfax County as of 2:45 p.m., however. In all, Dominion is reporting more than 145,000 outages across Northern Virginia.
Some trees are also reported down across roads, including on N. Glebe Road near Chain Bridge and S. Arlington Ridge Road near Gunston Middle School. Additionally, the Bluemont Junction Trail is blocked by a fallen tree.
The County Board meeting scheduled for tonight is being delayed by one day.
The Board’s annual new year organizational meeting serves mostly as the appointment of a new chair and vice chair, and an opportunity for members to give speeches about their goals for the year ahead.
The meeting has been rescheduled “due to inclement weather.” It’s now set to be held Tuesday night, along with a scheduled meeting with the Arlington Civic Federation.
“The Organizational Meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 6:00pm, followed by the Meeting with the Arlington Civic Federation,” the county announced Monday morning.
Federal Offices Are Closed, Too — From the U.S. Office of Personnel Management: “Federal offices in the DC area are CLOSED. Emergency and telework-ready employees must follow their agency’s policies.” [Twitter]
Metro on ‘Severe Snow Service Plan’ — “Metrobus will operate on a severe snow service plan [on] Monday, January 3. Bus service will be limited to major roads only. Delays and increased wait times are likely, and travel is strongly discouraged unless absolutely necessary. Customers traveling when a severe snow service plan is in place should be aware that Metrobus may have to suspend all service if road and weather conditions worsen and travel becomes unsafe. Consider Metrorail as an alternative when possible. No weather-related impacts to Metrorail are anticipated at this time.” [WMATA]
ACFD Asks for Help With Hydrants — “Ahead of our first anticipated snowfall of 2022 (didn’t take long) we are asking for your help this season to keep fire hydrants clear. When seconds count, having a clear hydrant allows our firefighters to quickly get additional water to the scene.” [Twitter]
Big Response to NYE Chain Bridge Standoff — From Alan Henney, early Saturday morning: “Person threatening to jump from bridge being held by father. Lots of police, fire and EMS on scene, boats and Eagle helicopter. Negotiations in progress… update: The person threatening to jump is safely in custody. Bridge should be reopened to traffic.” [Twitter, Twitter]
Amazon Building New Tech Team at HQ2 — “Amazon.com Inc. is recruiting a new software and tech development team to its second headquarters to flesh out the technical backbone for its global delivery operations. The new team, dubbed Project Nazaré, will build systems to manage the financial processes for Amazon’s Global Engineering Service, which oversees its global network of fulfillment-related facilities, according to a job posting for the team’s senior product manager, set to be based in the company’s HQ2 campus in Arlington.” [Washington Business Journal]
Barcroft Apartment Purchase Complete — “Jair Lynch Real Estate Partners, a leading owner and developer of mixed-use properties and attainable housing in the DC metro area, today announced the acquisition of Barcroft Apartments, the 1,334-unit, garden style apartment complex located along Columbia Pike in Arlington, VA. Jair Lynch purchased the 60-acre site, including two commercial parcels with 34,000 square feet of retail from the DeLashmutt family who built the complex in 1939 and have owned it since.” [PRNewswire]
It’s 2022 — The first weekday of the new year will also be first snow day of the season. The storm, which started out as rain, will transition to snow, possibly mixed with sleet after 5 a.m. Low around 30. Any mixed precipitation should become all snow after 7 a.m. The snow could be heavy at times, before tapering off in the late morning to afternoon. High near 35, with a north wind 10 to 14 mph, and gusts as high as 28 mph. Snow and sleet accumulation of 3 to 7 inches is expected today. Sunrise at 7:27 a.m. and sunset at 4:58 p.m. Tomorrow it will be sunny, with a high near 37. [Weather.gov]
Covid cases in Arlington as of Dec. 30, 2021 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)
(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) A brief downturn in reported Covid cases in Arlington after Christmas was just that — brief.
With people returning from their holiday trips and testing locations back open, the Virginia Dept. of Health reported a new local record today for the seven-day moving average of daily cases.
There were 633 new cases reported in Arlington today, the second-highest single day total of the pandemic, after the 687 cases reported on Christmas Day. That brought the seven-day average to 424 daily cases, a new record.
About 1.25% of the Arlington population has tested positive for Covid over the past week, a number that does not include those who are sick but testing with at-home kits or skipping getting tested altogether amid huge lines and shortages.
Arlington Public Library ran out of its latest supply of 2,000 at-home test kits within 20 minutes of beginning distribution today, while the county is advising residents getting tested at county-sponsored testing booths that they must be in line at least an hour-and-a-half before closing time.
Update Dec. 30, 12:20 p.m. All Arlington Public Library locations are currently out of COVID-19 Test Kits. Please check back after Jan. 3 for updates on when more kits will be available. Additional opportunities for testing can be found at @VDHgovhttps://t.co/uEUAxheqc0pic.twitter.com/fp0fGVjRre
The good news is that reports of serious illness from the current Omicron variant wave remain low in highly-vaccinated Arlington County. The seven-day moving average of new Covid-related hospitalization ticked up slightly today to around 1.5 per day.
Hospitalizations in Arlington as of Dec. 30, 2021 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)
Five Covid deaths were reported on Tuesday, but the state health department said those were mostly attributable to backdated reports of Arlington residents who died from Covid while out of state. Excluding those, two Covid deaths have been reported over the past week.
The county’s test positivity rate, meanwhile, continues to climb, suggesting that the increase in cases is not just due to higher levels of testing. As of today the test positivity rate was up to 16.2%, after rising every day since hitting 3.3% on Dec. 3.
Test positivity rate in Arlington as of Dec. 30, 2021 (via Virginia Dept. of Health)
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said in a statement yesterday that the big rise in cases is “not a reason for panic.” He and other elected leaders continue to urge vaccination as a way to avoid the worst health impacts of a Covid infection.
Vaccines *drastically* reduce your chance of hospitalization or death if you get Covid. The third (booster) dose gives you even better protection, especially against Omicron.
The COVID case numbers are a reason for concern, but not a reason for panic. It’s important to understand why.
We have all studied the “number of cases” for many months now, but this data point means something different today, compared to this time last year.
One year ago, vaccines had just become available, so nearly no one had gotten a shot. Today, more than 14 million shots have been given in Virginia. Only nine states have given more shots, and those states are all larger than Virginia. That’s good news, and it’s thanks to a lot of hard work by Virginians.
Vaccinations are keeping people safe, even as the omicron variant spreads. Data from around the world show that if people have gotten vaccinated, and then get COVID, then symptoms are likely to be minor. That’s how the vaccines are designed to work, and it’s more good news.
As the virus becomes endemic, it’s now time to study not only the number of cases, but also the severity of symptoms and the number of people going to the hospital.
The data are clear: Nearly everyone going to the hospital with COVID is unvaccinated. This is entirely avoidable, if everyone gets their shots.
This is really important, because people working in hospitals are exhausted–nurses, doctors, and everyone. They have worked tirelessly for months to care for people who have gotten sick. Please go to the hospital only if you believe you really need to. It’s not fair to put even more pressure on hospital workers to care for people whose hospitalization is avoidable.
Arlington County says more test sites are coming soon, given high demand. The county is strongly encouraging residents to make appointments for testing.
Geese clean themselves in Boundary Channel (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Hotel Redevelopment Plan Paused — “The redevelopment of one of Arlington’s oldest hotels looks to be on hold indefinitely, as the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic disrupt the hospitality-focused project. Grant Investment Properties is asking county planners for more time to complete its overhaul of Rosslyn’s old Best Western Iwo Jima, now known as the Red Lion Hotel Rosslyn Iwo Jima, at 1501 Arlington Boulevard. A site plan for the project projected that it would be finished by March 2022, but the Chicago-based firm filed papers last week to ask for an extension through March 2025.” [Washington Business Journal]
Proposed APS Changes Questioned — “Based on feedback from the Arlington School Board, the Arlington Public Schools system is focusing on what they call more equitable grading practices. The preliminary proposal calls for: No late penalties for homework… No extra credit… Unlimited redoes and retakes on assignment… No grading for homework.” [WJLA, Washington Post]
Hit and Run Crash in Bluemont — From yesterday afternoon: “Several lanes of Wilson Blvd and N. George Mason Dr are closed after a reported hit-and-run crash in the intersection. Police and Fire Dept. on scene.” [Twitter]
Video: Crash on I-395 — From Dave Statter: “Watch: Another left turn in the middle of an interstate ends badly. 1p, I-395S at Rt 1. Third one recorded at this spot in the last month.” [Twitter]
Toby’s May Be Expanding to Vienna — “Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream, which saw a boost in sales over the summer thanks to the debut of its cicada sundaes, appears to be branching out. The Arlington-based shop, located along a Washington Boulevard in the Westover neighborhood, plans to open a new location at the Cedar Park Shopping Center in Vienna, according to Fairfax County permit data.” [Washington Business Journal]
Nearby: Fire and EMS Staffing Stretched — ” Fairfax County saw its largest-ever increase in coronavirus cases among fire and emergency medical responders this month, mirroring a surge in case rates compared to 2020. Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department data shows that there are 53 positive cases and 14 in quarantine, all staying at home to curb the spread of COVID-19.” [FFXnow, DCist, Twitter]
Crash and Arrest Block the Pike — Columbia Pike was blocked at S. Greenbrier Street yesterday evening after a crash in which one of the drivers reportedly refused police commands to exit the vehicle and was later tased. [Twitter]
It’s Thursday — There will be drizzle and possible fog before 2 p.m. on an otherwise cloudy day, with a high near 55. Sunrise at 7:26 a.m. and sunset at 4:54 p.m. Tomorrow, on New Year’s Eve, expect mild weather, with cloudy skies, a high near 60 and a low around 51. [Weather.gov]
