News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Colorful paint on the neighborhood side of an I-66 barrier wall in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Free Pantry Being Removed — “After more than three years, a food pantry in Arlington County is closing and food-insecure families who take advantage of it say they only received a three-day notice. Now, volunteers are hoping to save the community resource… The food pantry is located outside the Arlington Central Library in Ballston and was started by the Eagle Scouts during the pandemic.” [WJLA]

Ovechkin-Owned Home for Rent — “Alex Ovechkin’s relatively modest Arlington home — at least compared to the mansion he lives in now — is back on the market for lease. The five-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath home at 4906 16th St. N served as Ovechkin’s abode during his first years with the Washington Capitals. It is listed for rent by Ali Nasir of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty for $9,000 a month. The 5,000-square-foot residence, which sits on a half-acre lot, was last rented to Erik Gustafson, who played for the Caps during the ’22-’23 season.” [Washington Business Journal]

Pickleball Fight Continues — “If Arlington County Board members thought their two-month summer break would bring a respite from battles over pickleball courts, they were quickly disabused of the notion. A representative of the Columbia Heights Civic Association on Sept. 23 rapped efforts by the Department of Parks and Recreation at Walter Reed Community Center, saying the number of planned courts must come down and noise-mitigation efforts must improve.” [Gazette Leader]

Shots Fired Near the Serrano Apts — “5500 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 6:47 p.m. on September 27, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard. Responding officers recovered evidence confirming shots had been fired in the area. No injuries or property damage were reported. There are no suspect(s) descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.” [ACPD]

County Joins Insulin Suit — “Members of the Arlington County Board on Sept. 26 authorized the hiring of outside legal counsel to join lawsuits by local and state governments nationally against alleged price-fixing by insulin suppliers.” [Gazette Leader]

Motorcade This Morning — Updated at 10 a.m. — The president and vice president will be coming to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this morning to attend a farewell tribute ceremony for Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Rabies Exposure in F.C. — “On Saturday, September 23, 2023, an injured raccoon was euthanized by the City of Falls Church Police after being struck by two vehicles near the 500 block of S. Washington St. A witness stated that prior to officers arriving, both he and an unidentified driver came in direct contact with the injured raccoon while removing it from the roadway. On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, the Fairfax County Health Department reported that the raccoon had tested clinically positive for rabies.” [City of Falls Church]

It’s Friday — Patchy drizzle and a 30% chance of showers until 2pm, with mostly cloudy skies and a high of 69°F accompanied by a north wind at 9 mph. For Friday night, expect mostly cloudy conditions with a low of 60°F and an 8 mph north wind. [Weather.gov]

UPDATED: Large police response at Yorktown HS after threatening phone call

By ARLnow.com
1/5

(Updated at 12:55 p.m.) It’s likely a hoax but a threatening phone call prompted another large police response at Yorktown High School today.

Someone called 911 shortly before noon, claiming to be in a bathroom at the school and planning a shooting, according to a police dispatch. The call taker could then hear gunshots and screaming in the background, possibly from a recording.

Officers arriving on scene reported no suspicious activity outside nor inside the school, which was quickly placed on “secure the school” mode as a precaution, per scanner traffic.

A large police presence remained on scene investigating.

In an email to school staff just after noon, Yorktown Principal Dr. Kevin Clark said that the call was not placed inside the school and that normal activities could resume inside the school.

In February 2022, an anonymous threat that turned out to be a hoax prompted a lockdown and evacuation of Yorktown. An Arlington man, meanwhile, was arrested last night after allegedly threatening a shooting outside of Washington-Liberty High School during a band practice.

UPDATED: Large power outage after reported substation fire

By ARLnow.com
Large power outage in Pentagon City and Crystal City on Sept. 28, 2023 (via Dominion)

(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) More than 5,000 Dominion customers were in the dark this morning due to a large power outage.

Around 10:45 a.m. firefighters were dispatched to the power substation at the intersection of S. Fern Street and 18th Street S. for a report of a transformer explosion and fire.

Shortly before 11 a.m. firefighters on scene reported that they had put a small fire out and were awaiting the arrival of Dominion representatives.

The incident knocked out power to much of the Pentagon City and Crystal City area, prompting numerous calls for stuck elevators and tripped alarms.

As of publication the Dominion website was reporting 5,146 customers without power in Arlington. The power was fully restored, according to Dominion, by 12:30 p.m.

This is the second month in a row for a large power outage in this area. An underground cable failure along 15th Street S.  knocked out power to more than 10,000 Dominion customers on Aug. 22.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Construction continues in front of the US Air Force Memorial (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Crime Up Last Month — “Arlington County police handled 1,450 criminal incidents in August, according to new figures, up from 1,392 a year ago and from 1,196 in 2021.” [Gazette Leader]

Group Home Ribbon Cutting — “Arlington County’s Department of Human Services invites members of the media to a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the South Irving Street Group Home, a new home for people with developmental disabilities. This new home was designed and is constructed to provide permanent residence for up to six individuals with developmental and physical disabilities across their lifespans.” [Arlington County]

Health Dept. Addresses Board — “While two of the five top county officials (County Board member Libby Garvey and County Manager Mark Schwartz) were masked up, and while board members continue to maintain some distance from each other on the board dais, the tone of the discussion on Sept. 23 seemed to represent an acceptance that it’s time to live with respiratory diseases that tend to peak when weather gets colder.” [Gazette Leader]

Local Woman Carjacked in D.C. — From Alan Henney: “Here’s an update on the poor woman from Arlington who was carjacked in BROAD DAYLIGHT of her Rav-4 and robbed of her iPhone at gunpoint yesterday at 14th St and Swann St NW DC. Her Rav-4 was found abandoned and crashed hours later.” [Twitter]

It’s Thursday — A chance of showers later in the day, primarily after 2 pm, with mostly cloudy skies and temperatures reaching a high of around 68°F. There is a 30% chance of precipitation, accompanied by a northeast wind of approximately 10 mph. On Thursday night, the chance of showers increases to 50%, with a low temperature of around 60°F and an east wind circulating at about 9 mph. [Weather.gov]

UPDATED: Shooting threat outside Washington-Liberty HS leads to arrest

By ARLnow.com
Response to incident at Washington-Liberty High School in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 11 a.m.) An alleged shooting threat briefly sent students practicing on a school field indoors tonight.

The incident happened around 7 p.m. outside of Washington-Liberty High School. A police dispatch said the man was “yelling that there was going to be a shooting at the stadium.” He was being held down by several people until officers arrived, the dispatch said.

Numerous students were on the field at the time and were reportedly rushed inside the building.

“An individual threatened the field hockey players at a practice during a marching band rehearsal,” a tipster said. “I am a W-L student and I can confirm that the students were quickly brought in.”

An email sent to band families around 7:30 p.m., shared with ARLnow, said the man was arrested.

Good evening,

This evening there was an incident at the stadium entrance with a individual claiming to have a weapon. The police were called and the students were immediately sent inside. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody, and we have resumed rehearsal at this point now that the all clear from APD has been given. We will end at 9:00 as scheduled.

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

Thanks,
Dr. Sedatole

Arlington County police said in a subsequent crime report on Thursday that they arrested a 35-year-old Arlington resident. He is currently being held in jail on several threat-related charges.

“The adult male suspect entered the stadium and allegedly made threats of harm to other individuals.,” the crime report said. “The male suspect was detained by bystanders and taken into custody by responding officers. No weapon was seen or located.”

The suspect “was arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct and Threats on School Grounds (x2).,” the crime report continues. “He was held on no bond.”

New study sees surge of people living alone in Arlington

By ARLnow.com
The forthcoming apartments dubbed “The Commodore” in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington has seen the greatest growth in people living alone of 342 U.S. cities.

That’s according to a new study by the website SmartAsset, which examined census data between 2016 and 2021.

Arlington is No. 1 on the list and neighboring Alexandria is No. 2, at a 3.54x and 2.98x increase of people living alone, respectively. In Arlington, about 42% of households only had one resident as of 2021.

“The rate of single people who live alone is rising dramatically in some U.S. cities,” a SmartAsset spokesman wrote. “Our findings show Arlington and Alexandria ranked among the top five cities where households changed the most.”

More from SmartAsset’s findings:

On average, the rate of single people living alone jumped to 28%. Five years prior, that figure was 24%. In Arlington, VA, which had the most drastic increase, the proportion of people living alone jumped from 11% to 41%.

Single people make up nearly half of households in these cities. The largest single populations across men and women are Washington, D.C. (48.23%); St. Louis, MO (47.49%); Alexandria, VA (46.52%); Richmond, VA (46.23%); Cincinnati, OH (46.20%); and Cleveland, OH (46.20%).

In the D.C. area, more than 25% of households are single women. Single-woman households are most prominent in Richmond, VA (28.00%); Washington, D.C. (26.74%); and Alexandria, VA (26.23%). These areas also saw the largest increases in the proportion of single women living alone over five years, with greater than 15% of households added to this cohort. Other areas with large bachelorette populations include St. Louis, MO (25.70%); New Orleans, LA (25.70%) and Cincinnati, OH (24.63%).

It’s perhaps worth pointing out that the end year of the study period, 2021, was in the midst of the pandemic — which might have prompted some to exit roommate situations.

2023 rankings for “Increase in People Living Alone in U.S. Cities” (via SmartAsset)

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Water drops on a hedge along N. Longfellow Street in Westover (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Route 50 Trail Funding Sought — “County Board members on Sept. 23 included a request for up to $4 million to build the trail, which would run on the south side of Arlington Boulevard from South George Mason Drive (at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center) east to South Glebe Road (where the local Goodwill store is located).” [Gazette Leader]

Arlington Makes Fall Travel List — “Explore the awe-inspiring show put on by Mother Nature every fall in Arlington. The county is chock full of fantastic places to see the changing colors, including the walking trails at the Long Branch Nature Center, Mount Vernon Trail, and at the Potomac Overlook Regional Park.” [Travel + Leisure]

County Seeks Firehouse Memorabilia — “The Arlington County government is on the hunt for memorabilia and artifacts to be put on display once the new Fire Station #8 opens… ‘We would love to display your photographs, awards, artifacts, mementos and more,’ noted the Fire Station #8 History and Legacy Committee, which is working with the county library system’s Center for Local History on the effort.” [Gazette Leader]

Expungement Clinic This Weekend — “The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church and the Clerk of the Circuit Court are hosting their second annual Expungement Clinic on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The expungement clinic will provide everything attendees need to request arrests that did not result in convictions be removed, or expunged, from their record.” [Patch]

Amazon Facing Antitrust Suit — “The Federal Trade Commission and 17 state attorneys general filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Amazon Tuesday seeking to bar the company from allegedly abusing its powers to raise prices for shoppers and levy high fees against businesses that sell on its platform.” [Washington Post]

It’s Wednesday — A partly sunny fall day with a high temperature near 65 degrees and a gentle northeast wind at approximately 8 mph. As night falls on Wednesday, expect mostly cloudy skies with the temperature dropping to around 54 degrees. [Weather.gov]

Wakefield High School sees second student death this year

By Jo DeVoe
Friends and family gather at a memorial for Jorge Rodríguez (courtesy Janeth Valenzuela)

A Wakefield High School freshman named Jorge Chavarria Rodíguez died Thursday evening, according to several sources.

The 16-year-old attended Barcroft Elementary School and Kenmore Middle School and had just started his 9th-grade year at Wakefield, per an email from Wakefield Principal Peter Balas to the school community.

“Jorge was a beloved member of the Wakefield, Kenmore, and Barcroft families, and impacted the lives of many of our students and staff members,” Balas said in the email, which Arlington Public Schools provided to ARLnow. “He was excited and happy to join the Wakefield family, with staff recalling his genuine smile.”

This marks the second death of a Wakefield student this calendar year. APS confirmed on Monday, a school holiday, that Jorge was not on school grounds at the time of his passing.

Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage said police found a deceased teen last Thursday at an apartment building in the 5100 block of Columbia Pike. Officers were dispatched just before 8:30 p.m. on Thursday for the report of an unresponsive person on the ground.

First responders reported that the person was dead upon their arrival on scene, according to scanner traffic.

Now, ACPD is conducting a death investigation and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine cause and manner of death. She noted a preliminary investigation “has not revealed an ongoing threat to the community related to this incident.”

In a GoFundMe page created by Jorge’s mother, Luz, she writes in Spanish that she is living through the worst pain a mother can experience. She says her biggest wish is to give him the final goodbye he deserves as a beloved son.

An English-language description below describes Jorge as “a happy and playful child, a good student and an excellent son.”

“My heart is broken knowing that his dreams will not come true and that his life was short,” she says. “I thank you in advance for your expressions of affection and collaboration. I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone. May my little Jorge rest in peace.”

Over the weekend, a tribute to her son, made of flowers and saint candles, started growing around a tree across the street from the Columbia Pike Plaza shopping center. The GoFundMe, meanwhile, has circulated on social media and received some 265 donations, totaling more than $13,000 of the $25,000 goal, as of publication.

https://twitter.com/pondfamily/status/1705932502341177431?s=46&t=PyhgdUMYHjgfAse98_Ue_A

The Arlington County Board briefly discussed the 16-year-old’s passing on Saturday.

Reading from texts he received, Board member Takis Karantonis said it was possibly an overdose, amid attempts by Chair Christian Dorsey to interject.

“Whatever the circumstances, it’s a tragic thing, and I’m really devastated and heartbroken about this,” Karantonis said.

Dorsey cut the the discussion short, saying that “resources are going to be made available to the students next week [and] details are not known at this time.”

In a statement, community activist Janeth Valenzuela said adults and responsible citizens need to act quickly or risk losing more children to death and addictions.

“We want to make changes, now,” she said. “Not tomorrow, today. Let us not allow this death to be one more of others, let us use this pain that burns our soul to gain momentum and defend our children and the children of our community with our claws.”

(more…)

Arlington to chip in $70k for more study of bus rapid transit on Route 7

By Jo DeVoe
A rendering of a bus rapid transit station pulled from a similar project in Seattle (via Northern Virginia Transportation Commission)

One day, a new bus rapid transit line could connect East Falls Church to Alexandria and Tysons Corner.

But the planning effort for the bus line, Envision Route 7, needs more studies and outreach, according to Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, or NVTC, which is leading the planning effort.

Although it received federal and state funding, NVTC appealed to the jurisdictions served by the bus line — including Arlington — for additional local funding to advance that work. This weekend, the Arlington County Board approved chipping in $70,000 over two years.

The bus rapid transit line would run between the Mark Center in Alexandria and the Spring Hill Metro station in Tysons, mostly making stops along Leesburg Pike in Bailey’s Crossroads and the City of Falls Church. Along the way, it will briefly pass through Arlington via the East Falls Church Metro station.

Envision Route 7 route (via NVTC)

Envision Route 7 is now in its 10th year of planning and its fourth planning phase.

During this phase, NVTC will study traffic and environmental impacts and conduct extensive public outreach.

To do that work, it received $2 million in federal funds, requiring $500,000 in non-federal match. It then received $500,000 this fiscal year from the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation, requiring local match of $500,000.

Arlington previously contributed into earlier planning stages, which helped to decide on using bus rapid transit along the corridor.

UPDATED: Arrest made after shooting on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
File photo

(Updated at 1 p.m.) Police responded Monday afternoon to a reported shooting on Columbia Pike.

The incident happened shortly before 4 p.m. on the 1800 block of the Pike, at The Wellington apartment complex. Initial details were murky, but a man suffered what was described as a wound to the upper leg.

A female suspect was detained and a weapon found.

On Tuesday, Arlington County police confirmed that the man was shot and that the incident was “domestic in nature.”

More, below, from an ACPD crime report.

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2023-09250189, 1800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 3:53 p.m. on September 25, police were dispatched to the report of an assault with a weapon. Upon arrival, it was determined that following a verbal dispute and physical altercation inside a residence, the female subject discharged a firearm, striking the male subject. The male subject was transported to an area hospital with injuries considered non-life threatening. The female subject ran from the scene and was located by responding officers in the 1200 block of S. Ross Street and subsequently charged with Malicious Wounding. A firearm was recovered. The incident was determined to be domestic in nature and additional information is restricted from release in accordance with Virginia Code § 19.2-11.2. The investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Stacks of chairs at the ready in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Collart Funeral and Procession — “This morning our community gathered to honor fallen Marine Corporal Spencer Collart, a 2020 Washington-Liberty graduate.” [Twitter, WJLA]

Fairlington Zoning Fix Floated — “Residents of Fairlington who have found themselves making interior renovations to condominiums recently, in some cases, have been forced to go before the Board of Zoning Appeals for adjudication… And it’s all due to a quirk in the county’s zoning ordinance. That ordinance requires special county-government approval of things like kitchen upgrades and attic buildouts when the property does not meet setback requirements in the zoning code.” [Gazette Leader]

Truck Rams Pike Business — “2600 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 3:35 a.m. on September 24, police were dispatched to the report of a possible burglary just occurred. Upon arrival, officers located property damage to the business and the investigation determined the two unknown suspects struck the exterior of the business with a truck before fleeing the scene on foot. Entry was not made inside the business and no items were reported stolen.” [ACPD]

GOP Seeks More Candidates — “Having gone 3-for-15 in candidate recruitment for 2023, the Arlington County Republican Committee is hoping for a better ratio in 2024. ‘If you’re frustrated about not having Republican candidates to support in every contest on this ballot, I encourage you to consider running for office in a future election,’ Arlington County Republican Committee chair Matthew Hurtt said in a recent e-mail to the party faithful.” [Gazette Leader]

Celebration for New Ikea Location — “IKEA is hosting a housewarming party at its new ‘plan and order point’ store in Pentagon City in Arlington on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The new IKEA store is the first of its kind in the Washington, D.C., area. The event will kick off with remarks from Raquel Ely, IKEA U.S. Market Manager, followed by Christian Dorsey, Arlington County Board chair, presenting IKEA with a Key to the County.” [Patch]

Funding to Combat Hunger — “The Arlington County Department of Human Services (DHS) on Monday, Sep. 25, 2023, launched a $150,000 grant funding program to support local organizations’ efforts to address food insecurity in the community.” [Arlington County]

Ribbon Cutting for Private School — “After spending the past two years searching for a larger space, The Sycamore School held a ribbon-cutting for its new location in an office building in Rosslyn. The six-year-old school moved from Arlington’s Ballston neighborhood to its new space on the third floor of 1550 Wilson Boulevard, just a block east of Arlington Public Schools’ H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program.” [Patch]

Another Loss for Yorktown — “Turnovers were costly for the Yorktown Patriots in their 14-7 non-district home loss to the West Springfield Spartans the night of Sept. 22 in Arlington in football action. The loss was the second straight for Yorktown (3-2).” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Tuesday — Cloudy skies and possible showers, with temperatures reaching a high of 62°F and a northeast wind of 8-10 mph throughout the day. For Tuesday night, expect a slight chance of showers before 2am and mostly cloudy conditions with a low of 55°F. [Weather.gov]

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