A man was stabbed multiple times and robbed of his wallet along Columbia Pike early Saturday morning.
The stabbing happened on the 2300 block of the Pike, the same block as Bob & Edith’s Diner, William Jeffrey’s Tavern and Xsport Fitness. Police say the man suffered serious injuries but is expected to be okay.
More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:
ROBBERY, 2021-08280042, 2300 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 2:47 a.m. on August 28, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown. Arriving officers located the victim with multiple stab wounds and began to render aid. The victim was transported by medics to an area hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries. The investigation determined that at approximately 2:30 a.m., the victim was walking to his vehicle when the suspect approached him from behind, began to assault him, produced a knife and stabbed him multiple times. The suspect then reached into the victim’s pocket and stole his wallet, containing credit cards and an undisclosed amount of cash, then fled on foot prior to police arrival. The suspect is described as a Black male, 20-30 years old, with a lean and muscular build, approximately 5’11”, with a short afro that had a red hue, wearing a blue shirt, and dark pants. The investigation is ongoing.
Local Real Estate Market Slowing — “When it comes to housing prices and sales, red-hot Arlington County cooled a bit last month compared to last summer — a modest slowdown that the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors says was typical throughout the region. NVAR reports the median price of a home that sold in Arlington County last month was 9% lower than a year ago, and the average number of days on the market, or how long it took to sell a home, was up 35% compared to last July.” [WTOP]
County Board Still Opposes Gondola — “This week, all five members of the Arlington County Board confirmed to the Washington Business Journal their position hasn’t changed. Even the two new Democrats to join the board since it penned that 2017 letter — current Chair Matt de Ferranti and Takis Karantonis — said in interviews that they remain unconvinced, despite the proponents’ recent success in pushing the District to budget $10 million toward the purchase of a potential D.C. landing site near the Key Bridge.” [Washington Business Journal]
Review of Pentagon City Irish Eatery — “Armstrong’s talented hand again showed itself when I sank my teeth into the corned beef. The chef says that each brisket takes three weeks of preparation before it’s ready for diners. He adds that corned beef is more of an Irish-American food than an Irish one, owing to a fusion of influences that met in New York or Boston. His version certainly owes a debt to Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
Arlies Voting: Urgent Care Clinic — Voting on the latest Arlies category ends Tuesday afternoon. Let us know about your favorite local urgent care clinic. [ARLnow]
Breakthrough Covid Cases Underreported? — “Virginia’s breakthrough case numbers are likely an undercount. Issues with data reporting made it difficult to report and verify cases among vaccinated people.” [Virginia Mercury]
Nearby: Car Swept Away in Flood Waters — “Here’s what can happen when a huge amount of rain causes flash flooding. A reader sent this photo of a car in the Upper Long Branch Stream between the cul-de-sacs at 6th Street and Glen Forest Drive in Bailey’s Crossroads.” Arlington County firefighters responded as mutual aid on this water rescue call, per scanner traffic last week. [Annandale Blog]
Update at 4:20 p.m. — A Flood Warning has now been issued for part of Arlington.
BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
411 PM EDT FRI AUG 27 2021
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A
* FLOOD WARNING FOR URBAN AREA AND SMALL STREAM IN… NORTHWESTERN DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA… SOUTHEASTERN MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN CENTRAL MARYLAND… NORTHWESTERN PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY IN CENTRAL MARYLAND… NORTHWESTERN ARLINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… NORTHEASTERN FAIRFAX COUNTY IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… THE NORTHEASTERN CITY OF FAIRFAX IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA… THE CITY OF FALLS CHURCH IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA…
* UNTIL 715 PM EDT.
* AT 411 PM EDT, DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED HEAVY RAIN DUE TO THUNDERSTORMS. FLOODING IS ONGOING OR EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY IN THE WARNED AREA. BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN.
* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE… ARLINGTON… BETHESDA… ANNANDALE… COLLEGE PARK… FAIRFAX… LANGLEY PARK… VIENNA… FALLS CHURCH… MANTUA… PIMMIT HILLS… MCLEAN… FORT TOTTEN… POTOMAC… OAKTON… TYSONS CORNER… HYATTSVILLE… TAKOMA PARK… MERRIFIELD… ADELPHI… LAKE BARCROFT…
THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING FLOOD PRONE ROADS:
MILITARY ROAD AT 36TH ROAD AT GULF BRANCH…
18TH STREET AT UPTON STREET…
17TH STREET NORTH AT NORTH BUCHANAN ST…
BEACH DR FROM BROAD BRANCH RD TO PINEY BRANCH PKWY…
PICKETT RD AT ACCOTINK CREEK NEAR OLD PICKETT RD…
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
TURN AROUND, DON’T DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.
LWX issues Flood Warning for District of Columbia [DC] and Montgomery, Prince Georges [MD] and Arlington, City of Fairfax, City of Falls Church, Fairfax [VA] till Aug 27, 7:15 PM EDT https://t.co/6lbPIsR3LCpic.twitter.com/eABa3IadHm
Earlier: Northern portions of Arlington County are under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning.
A strong storm that’s currently over Reston and parts of Montgomery County is moving east and may affect parts of Arlington. The strong is packing damaging winds up to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
More from NWS:
BULLETIN – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON DC
305 PM EDT FRI AUG 27 2021
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN STERLING VIRGINIA HAS ISSUED A
* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING…
* UNTIL 345 PM EDT.
* AT 304 PM EDT, SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM MONTGOMERY VILLAGE TO NEAR POTOMAC TO RESTON, MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.
HAZARD…60 MPH WIND GUSTS.
SOURCE…RADAR INDICATED.
IMPACT…DAMAGING WINDS WILL CAUSE SOME TREES AND LARGE BRANCHES TO FALL. THIS COULD INJURE THOSE OUTDOORS, AS WELL AS DAMAGE HOMES AND VEHICLES. ROADWAYS MAY BECOME BLOCKED BY DOWNED TREES. LOCALIZED POWER OUTAGES ARE POSSIBLE. UNSECURED LIGHT OBJECTS MAY BECOME PROJECTILES.
* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE… ARLINGTON, ROCKVILLE, BETHESDA, GAITHERSBURG, RESTON, OLNEY, HERNDON, LANGLEY PARK, VIENNA, FALLS CHURCH, PIMMIT HILLS, MCLEAN, AMERICAN LEGION BRIDGE, ASPEN HILL, POTOMAC, NORTH BETHESDA, OAKTON, MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, NORTH POTOMAC AND FAIRLAND.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A BUILDING.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Silver Spring MD, Rockville MD, Bethesda MD until 3:45 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/JyHEZbEKYS
That’s because after holding the event at the Thomas Jefferson Community Center and grounds at 3501 2nd Street S. for 45 years, the fair’s leaders are pondering a change of scenery.
The Arlington County Fair Board, an independent non-profit which manages the fair, has informed the county that it would like to move the fair to Long Bridge Park (475 Long Bridge Drive), Becky Schmitt, the acting deputy director of the Department of Parks and Recreation, tells ARLnow.
“As such an iconic event, a Site Review Committee comprised of subject matter experts from the Special Events Committee reviewed eight possible sites for the County Fair, including the fair’s current location and Long Bridge,” she said. “The most feasible options based on 21 event needs, such as location size, parking, and community impact, were to either remain at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Park or move to Long Bridge Park (not inside the aquatics facility).”
The long-time location at the community center gives the fair a large grassy area next to an indoor community center space that’s used for exhibitions. This year, the grounds became muddy and rutted due to persistent rain.
Fixing damage to the field after the fair has been a frequent problem for the county, we’re told. The field is also used by nearby Alice West Fleet Elementary School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School.
The community center’s suburban location, meanwhile, is fairly central — near the middle of the county — but lacks Metro accessibility and has limited parking.
Long Bridge Park is not as centrally-located, but would offer more transit options, ample parking nearby, and sweeping views of D.C., the river and the airport — particularly from the ferris wheel, assuming it would be allowed within the DCA flightpath. The location might also draw more visitors from outside of Arlington, helping to bolster the fair’s finances.
Long Bridge Park (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
The fair’s board and the Special Events Committee are soliciting community feedback, Schmitt said. Representatives from the fair could not be reached for comment.
At the fair, people were able to submit their feedback on a slip of paper in a dropbox. Post-fair, people can fill out an online survey asking whether and why they would prefer the fair to remain at Thomas Jefferson Community Center and Park or move to Long Bridge Park, or to another alternative location.
The survey also asks participants to check their top three considerations for choosing a site: such as adequate space, access to public transportation, location, impact on the neighborhood, parking availability, room to grow and access to indoor options.
So far, Schmitt said feedback has not yet been reviewed, but that it will figure into the final decision.
“Community feedback will help inform where the County Fair is held; however, the final decision will also consider the needs of the Arlington County Fair Board, public safety and the Fair’s impact to the community at large,” she said.
Smoke rising above Crystal City from The Buchanan apartment fire (photo courtesy Will Wiard)
(Updated at 10:35 p.m.) A “large amount” of residents have been displaced after a fire at The Buchanan apartment building in Crystal City.
The fire on the 300 block of 23rd Street S. was reported around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The Arlington County Fire Department said crews “found a fire in a 3rd floor apartment with significant smoke conditions.”
Smoke from the blaze could be seen from a distance, rising above Crystal City. Police closed 23rd Street for more than two hours while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames and remove smoke from the building.
One person was injured and taken to the hospital but is expected to be okay, according to ACFD. No firefighters were hurt. There’s no word yet on how the fire started nor for how long residents of the building may be displaced.
More via social media:
#Update – Crews arrived on location and found a fire in a 3rd floor apartment with significant smoke conditions. Majority of the fire is extinguished, crews are working on salvage and overhaul operations. pic.twitter.com/bJOVsls0F7
#Final – Property management is coordinating with the fire prevention office to determine which units can be occupied. 1 civilian was transported from the scene with NLT injuries. 0 firefighters injured.We thank the residents for their patience during this prolonged incident.
Five people were arrested after an armed robbery outside the Harris Teeter store in Pentagon City.
The robbery happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday, in a parking lot near the grocery store. Five people, including at least one who was armed with a handgun, assaulted and stole cash from victims with whom they had arranged a sale of sneakers, according to police.
“At approximately 4:11 p.m., police were dispatched to the 900 block of Army Navy Drive for the report of an armed robbery,” Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage tells ARLnow. “Upon arrival, it was determined that the suspects and victims met at this location for the pre-arranged sale of sneakers. During the encounter, the suspects brandished a firearm, assaulted the victims, stole an undisclosed amount of cash and fled the scene in a vehicle prior to the arrival of officers.”
The vehicle, a dark-colored Jeep, was soon located by police heading into D.C. on I-395. It was followed by officers until U.S. Park Police stopped the vehicle at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 9th Street NW in the District.
Five people, all ages 19 and 20, were taken into custody and charged with robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, Savage said. They’re currently being held in D.C.
One of the victims suffered a reported head wound during the robbery and was treated by medics on the scene.
Politico was founded in 2007 in Rosslyn, in the same office tower at 1000 Wilson Blvd as its former sister outlet, local ABC station WJLA. The station was sold in 2013.
Axel Springer says the addition of Politico to its U.S. digital media holdings, including Insider (formerly Business Insider) and Morning Brew, will add to its growing reach.
Politico started out as primarily a Capitol Hill newspaper, competing with the likes of The Hill (which also recently sold) and Roll Call — complete with newspaper boxes offering free copies around Arlington and D.C. Metro stations — but has since grown a large, mainstream audience for its online political coverage. It also generates substantial revenue from a high-end subscription service called Politico Pro.
Arlington is home to a number of other media companies, including Washington Business Journal, Graham Holdings, Salem Radio Network, Washington Free Beacon and Townhall Media, all in Rosslyn.
Politico co-founder Jim VandeHei, along with colleagues Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz, broke with owner Robert Allbritton in 2016 and founded a competing publication, Axios, which is based in Clarendon. PBS has its headquarters in Crystal City, while local public broadcasting station WETA, along with the PBS Newshour, which it produces, are based in Shirlington. ARLnow and its sister sites ALXnow, Tysons Reporter and Reston Now are based in Ballston.
Axios, meanwhile, has previously been discussed as a possible acquisition target for Axel Springer.
Lebanese Taverna Helping to Feed Refugees — From World Central Kitchen: “Today’s scene at Dulles Airport outside DC To support families landing from Afghanistan, the WCK team is here to provide fresh, hot meals upon arrival. People have not eaten in hours — or days — by the time they land. Today’s plates came from @lebanesetaverna.” [Twitter]
Air Quality Alert Today — “The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments… has issued a Code ORANGE Air Quality Alert Thursday for the DC metro area. A Code Orange Air Quality Alert means that air pollution concentrations within the region may become unhealthy for sensitive groups. Sensitive groups include children, people suffering from asthma, heart disease or other lung diseases and the elderly.” [National Weather Service]
Missing Senior Found — From Virginia State Police: “Virginia Senior Alert CANCELLED: Per @ArlingtonVaPD, Mr. Charilaos Dimopoulos, 92, has been SAFELY LOCATED.” [Twitter]
Committee of 100 Stays Remote — “It will be the start of 2022 at the earliest before the Arlington Committee of 100 returns to in-person meetings. ‘Our board has decided to continue providing our programs ‘virtually’ through December,’ the organization said in a recent e-mail to participants. ‘Our hope is eventually to provide hybrid programs, where you can connect with fellow members in person or watch them from the comfort of your home.'” [Sun Gazette]
Girls Flag Football Coach Profiled — “Rivera remains here in Arlington, coaching… year-round in both flag and girls’ basketball under the banner of the Hurricanes organization, which he founded… Rivera has taken Virginia Hurricanes select flag teams to the NFL nationals — the championships for the official NFL flag football league — seven times. They’ve won the national championship three times–twice for the 14-and-under (14U) age group, and once for the 12U age group. The 10U and 12U teams qualified for the upcoming nationals in Nevada in January 2022, and the 14U team will compete to qualify in November.” [Arlington Magazine]
Reminder on a Hot Day — From AAA Mid-Atlantic: “We’re looking at another hot and humid day in VA, it’s time to focus on protecting children & pets from the heat: Never leave them in a vehicle unattended. Always look in the back seat every time you exit. Always lock the car and put keys out of reach.” [Twitter]
A man was tased outside police headquarters in Courthouse (staff photo)
A man was tased outside police headquarters in Courthouse (staff photo)
A man was tased outside police headquarters in Courthouse (staff photo)
Police activity outside of the Arlington County courthouse and police headquarters in Courthouse (file photo)
A man armed with a pair of knives threatened officers outside Arlington police headquarters Wednesday evening, police said.
The incident happened just before 5 p.m., outside the entrance to the police department on 14th Street N. in Courthouse.
“The suspect approached officers outside the police department, brandished two knives, pointed them towards the officers in a threatening manner, advanced towards them and made a statement about the officers killing him,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage, who noted that the information is preliminary.
“An officer deployed a Taser which did not incapacitate the suspect. The suspect did not comply with the officer’s commands and continued to brandish the knives in a threatening manner,” Savage continued. “The officers created distance and deployed a second Taser which incapacitated the suspect and he was taken into custody. He was treated on scene by medics and charges are pending.”
Police vehicles could be seen speeding towards the scene as the incident unfolded. Police and sheriff’s deputies blocked 14th Street N. to traffic while the suspect was treated and detectives documented the scene.
Savage said officers demonstrated restraint in using non-lethal force while facing down a potentially deadly threat.
“Based on the information we have at this time, our officers showed great restraint in safely resolving a dangerous encounter with an armed suspect to protect the safety of the community, officers and the involved individual,” she told ARLnow.
Parking along N. Ivy Street near Clarendon (courtesy of Abigail Brooks)
Abigail Brooks and her husband moved into their new home on N. Ivy Street, which was built in 2020, in April of this year.
Since then, she says they’ve been stuck in a Residential Permit Parking program quagmire. While they live on a street that is in an RPP zone, they have not been able to get their address approved for a permits, meaning the couple could get ticketed for parking on their own street.
“Our house was built along with two others and it is only ours that is not showing correctly for parking,” she said. “I have tried different forms, emails, calling, etc. and still cannot get this resolved.”
Brooks said she has also found some people with the same issues through the gym to which she and her husband belong.
“A couple of us did new construction at the same time so we’ve shared lessons learned, timelines, etc.,” she said.
In a months-long email back-and-forth with the parking team, provided to ARLnow, county staff repeatedly said the Brooks’ address is not eligible for the program. Even an attempt to get a county real estate appraiser to confirm her home’s assessment information and thus parking permit eligibility was unsuccessful.
But Department of Environmental Services spokesman Eric Balliet found that Brooks is correct: her home should be eligible.
“The resident is likely facing this issue because of a technical problem we’re experiencing that is preventing us from adding newly created addresses to our database,” he said. “This problem only affects newly created addresses… not existing addresses.”
The problem — affecting four households that the county knows of — was first identified in June 2021, but staff had a workaround in the database. That workaround stopped functioning in mid-July, Balliet said.
“We anticipate having the problem fixed by next week,” he said.
Until this issue is resolved, Balliet said residents can fill out a paper permit application and pay the permit fees in-person at county government headquarters. Staff will manually add the resident’s parking permit order to the system.
Brooks said it is unfortunate that she couldn’t get the same answer from the county.
“If they had responded and explained the issue, I would have understood and stopped bothering them for it to be fixed,” she said.
She praised other county functions for finding ways around the issue.
“Utilities, trash, recycling, etc. found workarounds for the issue we had with our address and personally ensured we got what we needed,” she said. “The real estate assessment team also were trying to be so helpful during the parking situation and we really appreciated how much they followed up with us to see if there is anything they could do to help resolve.”
Earlier this year, the county approved a number of changes to the Residential Permit Parking program. After considering paid, two-hour parking in RPP zones, the idea — which elicited public outcry — was nixed, but the program was expanded to make some multi-family properties, like apartment buildings, eligible.
Although the changes are in place, county staffers are still focused on renewing resident and landlord permits and passes for the 2021-2022 program year. They are still not processing petitions to establish new permit parking zones; the creation of new RPP zones has been frozen since the summer of 2017.
“We are finalizing updated petition procedures that incorporate changes the County Board adopted in February,” Balliet said. “We look forward to releasing those to the public in the coming weeks.”
(Updated at 11:55 a.m.) Arlington Transit buses will return to full service after Labor Day weekend, the county-run transit agency says.
Rush-hour-only ART buses 53, 61, 62 and 74 will run again starting Tuesday, Sept. 7, after being out of service since March 2020 due to the pandemic. Once these buses resume operation, Arlington Transit will largely be back at full service. ART 72 will continue on a modified weekday schedule, however.
With construction ongoing around the Ballston Metro station, ART 53 and 62 bus stops will be relocated near the Metro elevator on Fairfax Drive.
While seating restrictions were lifted on Aug. 1, riders will still be required to wear masks as per a federal mask mandate for passengers on planes, trains and buses from the Transportation Security Administration, effective until January 2022.
Meanwhile, Metrobus is set to implement some changes after Sunday, Sept. 5, adding more buses and trains and extending Metrorail’s weekend hours.
Notably, bus 16Y from Columbia Pike to Farragut Square will resume operation, going both directions during weekday rush hours. The limited-stop service route, which once connected Columbia Pike stops to McPherson Square in D.C., was halted during the pandemic and was absent from when a number of routes were restored earlier this summer.
Buses 16A, 16C and 16E in Columbia Pike and 16G and 16H between Columbia Pike and Pentagon City will get service upgrades as well.
“Service will operate every 12 minutes or better from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily between Columbia Pike & South Joyce Street and Columbia Pike & South Dinwiddie Street at stops served by all routes,” WMATA said.
Bus 25B from the old Landmark Mall in Alexandria to Ballston will see some changes, with Alexandria working to overhaul its own DASH bus network. 25B will travel between Ballston, Southern Towers and Mark Center every day except Sunday, and between Ballston and Southern Towers on Sundays.
Metrorail trains will be available until 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, an hour later than was previously offered. Trains will also start running earlier on Sundays, with riders able to board at 7 a.m. rather than 8 a.m.
More on the planned Metro changes from a press release, below.
