Apartment fire in Penrose (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Apartment fire in Penrose (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
A dog died as a result of an apartment fire in Penrose (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
2000 block of 4th Street S. (via Google Maps)
Firefighters battled an apartment fire in the Penrose neighborhood Thursday morning.
The fire in a second floor unit of a three-story, garden-style apartment building on the 2000 block of 4th Street S. was first reported around 9:45 a.m. Firefighters from nearby Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall encountered heavy smoke upon arriving on scene, but were able to quickly extinguish the flames.
Residents in the apartment were able to get out as the fire spread and there were no injuries to the occupants or firefighters, we’re told.
A dog that was inside the apartment, however, was not able to get out. Firefighters attempted CPR after removing the dog from the apartment, but it succumbed to its injuries, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Capt. Justin Tirelli. The dog’s body was wrapped in a blanket by rescue personnel.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Correction on address 2000 blk of 4th st S
— Arlington Fire & EMS (@ArlingtonVaFD) April 2, 2020
Map via Google Maps. Staff photographer Jay Westcott contributed to this report.
The Freshman in Crystal City, prior to opening, in March 2020 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
The Freshman is coming to Crystal City (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Bowlero in Crystal City (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Crystal City Sports Pub is open for carry out (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Crystal City Sports Pub is open for carry out (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Crystal City Restaurant (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
(Updated at 10:20 a.m.) Signs are up for a pair of new businesses in Crystal City, even as the coronavirus outbreak has left others closed and fighting for survival.
Bowlero — a bowling alley, arcade and restaurant — was hoping to roll into an empty retail space at 320 23rd Street S. in June. It’s not clear whether the opening will be further delayed amid ongoing social distancing measures; Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s new stay-at-home order is tentatively set to expire on June 10.
Nonetheless, construction is continuing and within the past few days a bright blue “Bowlero” sign went up outside its future home.
When it opens, The Freshman plans to offer “high-quality coffee, teas, and craft cocktails,” in addition to “breakfast, lunch and dinner options made in-house with fresh local ingredients.”
Owner and local restaurant veteran Nick Freshman tells ARLnow that interior construction stopped as the signs went up and he has no idea when the restaurant will open.
“We’re just trying to lay low and allow this thing to pass, then be one of the first ones to open,” he said. “We’ll meet the community on the other side of this.”
Freshman said that delays that set back the planned Valentine’s Day opening of the restaurant by a few months may end up saving it.
“We’re very fortunate we’re not open,” he said. “The effects of this are going to be devastation. A lot of businesses that people know and love will not return. Businesses that make up the fabric of the community, that people rely on, will close.”
Freshman declined to say how many restaurants he thinks will close permanently, but said others in the industry he’s talked to are predicting anywhere from 10% to 75%.
“It’s real and painful,” he said. “It breaks my heart.”
On the plus side, at least two long-time Crystal City restaurants are planning to reopen when the time comes. Billy Bayne, co-owner of Crystal City Sports Pub and owner of the Crystal City Restaurant gentleman’s club, says both of the 23rd Street S. establishments will be back open.
The Sports Pub, like many local restaurants, has pivoted to offering curbside pickup and delivery, but ultimately it’s game day crowds sipping beers and munching on nachos that pays the bills.
“The restaurant business is a tough business to begin with — this will be devastating,” he said. “Ultimately, the strong will survive. The Sports Pub and Crystal City Restaurant will survive.”
Bayne predicts that 30-40% of all restaurants will close as a result of the coronavirus shutdown.
More Coronavirus-Related Dispatches — ARLnow is starting to hear the Arlington County Fire Department responding to more suspected COVID-19 cases. Medics were just dispatched to assist a 44-year-old woman with severe trouble breathing and other symptoms consistent with the disease.
May Could Be Worse Than April — “It could still be weeks before the worst of the coronavirus crisis hits Virginia. State officials are preparing for a surge in the number of people who test positive between late April and late May, Gov. Ralph Northam said Wednesday that analysis of the latest models shows. Northam told residents he was planning for the worst and hoping for the best.” [NBC 4]
Prosecutors Have Video Evidence in Store Shooting — “The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office showed the judge security video from the Shirlington Road business, which prosecutors said captures Abushariah shooting one of the burglars ‘point-blank in the back…’ The prosecutor called the case a ‘callous disregard for human life’ because Abushariah had other options, such as hiding in the backroom and calling the police. Or running to safety out the back door.” [WJLA]
Arlington Resident’s YOLO Money Diary — “We then took some mushrooms around 12 PM and went on a long, trippy, and fun-filled walk through Rosslyn. We stopped at Northside Social for some pastries and a Bitburger beer while on our walk–more illegal public drinking, but we kind of just don’t care anymore.” [Washingtonian]
Two Green Pig Employees Test Positive — “We regret to inform you that two of our employees have tested positive for COVID-19. Both… had been working with customers assisting with order-pickups. Neither were working in the kitchen or with food prep.” [Instagram]
Bakeshop Now Mailing Some Items — Bakeshop in Clarendon is now taking orders of cookies, cream pies, bars and bread slices online. Orders are shipped on Mondays to ensure freshness. [Bakeshop]
Marymount Prof is 3D Printing Face Shields — “Marymount University professor Dr. Eric Bubar is getting in on the action, with hopes of utilizing his unique skills to make a difference. A longtime provider of 3D printed upper-limb assistive devices, he is now shifting his focus to creating 3D printed, reusable face shields for use at hospitals in Washington, D.C., New York and beyond.” [Press Release]
APS to Distribute Week of Meals to Families in Need — “On Fri, April 3, APS will provide a week’s worth of meals to families who come to one of the five grab-and-go meal distribution sites to ensure students have food during spring break. There will be no APS meal service provided April 6-10… Meal services will resume on Mon, April 13, with an expanded list of sites to include Key and Hoffman-Boston elementary schools. Additionally, the USDA has provided a waiver to the rule that children must be present to receive meals.” [Arlington Public Schools]
The distribution of funds comes after the nonprofit refocused its Prompt Response Fund to support other local nonprofit organizations that can provide emergency food supplies to those in need, healthcare for the uninsured or underinsured, and support for hourly workers who have been laid off or furloughed.
The Arlington Community Foundation recently received a $1 million grant from Amazon, with $350,000 earmarked specifically for use in Arlington and the rest to be spent around the region in other community foundations. The Arlington-based Washington Forrest Foundation has contributed 25 percent of each grant awarded by the Arlington Community Foundation.
The largest amount, $25,000, went to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). AFAC has been on the frontlines of the pandemic, trying to get food and supplies to an increasing number of Arlingtonians without an income to pay for groceries.
“We heard loud and clear from our nonprofit partners that they needed to get funds into the hands of the helpers in our community quickly, as this is a time of exceptional need for our neighbors who are experiencing job loss and other crisis situations,” said Arlington Community Foundation CEO and President Jennifer Owens said in the press release. “Our network of nonprofit safety net providers has responded quickly, as have the many generous people in our community who have pitched in to help with contributions of time, talent, and treasure. We owed it to them to move swiftly to support their efforts.”
Owens said the Arlington Community Foundation is continuing to review requests daily and sending awards by direct deposit.
“As the community needs evolve, I’m confident our use of the funds will evolve to meet those needs,” Owens said. “We continue to receive worthy applications as fast as we can respond, and we hope that businesses and individuals will continue to view the Prompt Response Fund as a way to effectively support the nonprofits who are providing crucial support for Arlington’s most vulnerable residents.”
Donations can be made online to the Prompt Response Fund.
The full list of recipients is below, after the jump.
A crew works to repair a gas leak on Walter Reed Drive (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Walter Reed Drive is closed southbound near Columbia Pike for a gas leak (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)
Update on 4/2/20 — The repairs were completed and the roadway is back open.
Update at 4:50 p.m. — Walter Reed Drive is now closed in both directions while crews work to stop the leak and repair the line.
Earlier: The southbound lanes of Walter Reed Drive are blocked due to a significant outdoor gas leak south of Columbia Pike.
The leak was reported shortly before 2:30 p.m., near the intersection of Walter Reed and 11th Street S. Arlington police and firefighters are on the scene.
Initial reports suggest a gas line larger than 2 inches was struck by a construction crew, prompting the closure and extra precautions. First responders are now checking natural gas levels on the ground floor of the adjacent apartment building while awaiting the arrival of Washington Gas.
INCIDENT: BROKEN GAS LINE LOCATION: COLUMBIA PIKE AND WALTER REED IMPACT: SOUTHBOUND WALTER REED FROM COLUMBIA PIKE TO 11TH ST SOUTH IS CURRENTLY SHUT DOWN DUE TO A BROKEN GAS LINE, WASHINGTON GAS HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, UNK ETA FOR CLOSURE pic.twitter.com/WtWtRjv92r
It’s Census Day and Arlington County will be holding a Twitter town hall as it encourages all residents to get counted.
Top local officials have been pushing for more Census participation, to help Arlington achieve greater congressional representation and receive more federal aid.
“As mandated by the U.S. Constitution, America gets just one chance each decade to count its population,” the county noted. “The collected data help to determine things like the number of seats Virginia has in the House of Representatives, and how to distribute federal funds to local communities like ours.”
More on Census Day from a county press release:
April 1 is Census Day! It is vital for all Arlingtonians to respond to the 2020 Census as the data are used for planning and providing community services, including planning for emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Nearly half of Arlington’s residents have already been counted in the 2020 Census. We’re aiming for 100% and we need your help!
Join us for a Census 2020 Twitter Town Hall: #ArlingtonCounts: Take a Break, Take the Census
On April 1 from 12:30-1 p.m., join us on the @ArlingtonVA Twitter page and use the #ArlingtonCounts hashtag.
Interact with local leaders like County Manager Mark Schwartz and County Board Chair Libby Garvey as they take the census, nominate others to do so, and share information about why it’s important.
Share your own stories, pictures, or videos showing how you’ve been helping amplify the census and/or why it’s important to take the census. Then nominate three other Arlington Individuals, organizations or businesses to do the same.
Arlington, it seems, has not yet hit the point at which the curve starts flattening.
The latest numbers from the Virginia Dept. of Health show 119 cases in the county, up from 104 yesterday and 86 on Monday. Statewide, there are 1,484 known cases, 208 hospitalizations, 34 deaths, and 15,344 people tested.
There are questions about just how representative the numbers are of the reality of the ground. For one, emerging research suggests a substantial percentage of people with a coronavirus infection do not have noticeable symptoms, and thus are unlikely to be tested. For another, it’s taking a week or longer for many patients (and local health departments) to receive their test results. Also, some people with presumed cases may not bother getting tested.
In a joint statement yesterday, leaders from Arlington and around the D.C. region urged residents who don’t need to leave the house to stay in.
“As the chief elected officials of 21 local governments in the National Capital Region, we are joining in one voice to implore each of the more than five and a half million individuals in our region to stay home unless you are performing an essential activity as permitted by authorities,” the statement read. “This is the most important thing each of us can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 and reduce the threat to our most vulnerable neighbors, including older individuals and those with chronic health conditions.”
“The COVID-19 virus ignores jurisdictional boundaries, political viewpoints, and socioeconomic differences. We must be united as one region while we each do our part to protect ourselves and each other,” the statement concluded. “Staying home, practicing social distancing and avoiding gatherings, washing hands frequently, disinfecting surfaces regularly, and staying away from others when sick are simple but vitally important ways to keep each other safe. Please join us in this most critical fight.”
Jowan Zuber, owner of Arlington Smoke Shop in the Green Valley neighborhood, said 33-year-old Hamzeh Abushariah was sleeping in the store’s back office when he was awoken by loud noises. He encountered three masked suspects breaking in and fired three shots to scare them off, Zuber claimed.
One of the suspects, a boy under 18 years of age, was struck and suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
To Zuber’s surprise, police and the Commonwealth’s Attorney decided to level felony charges against Abushariah that could land him in prison for upwards of two decades, if convicted. Abushariah was denied bond, Zuber said, leading to concerns for his health while confined during the coronavirus epidemic.
“We thought we’re in the right. Three masked men at 4:30 on a Sunday morning,” Zuber told Carlson. “This is very sad for America today, as American citizens practicing the Second Amendment to protect the store and the lives.”
Zuber claimed that police asked Abushariah, “why didn’t you run out the back door?”
“This [tells] the criminals out there, hey we can rob stuff, kill people, hurt people, and guess what — people have to run out the back door,” Zuber said. “This is mind boggling.”
The Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, led by reform-minded prosecutor Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, defended the decision to charge Abushariah earlier this week.
“There’s evidence we are not at liberty to share that support the charges, the decision was not made lightly,” the office said on Twitter.
1/5 As part of our office commitment to public transparency, we’d like to offer a few comments regarding the incident and arrest described in the article below. cc @ARLnowDOTcomhttps://t.co/gj1lTSIpRo
— Arlington & Falls Church Virginia CA (@CA4Arlington) March 30, 2020
3/5 Second, public comments risk impeding the rights of the accused who, while accused, is entitled to the presumption of innocence. In other words, we don’t prematurely discuss the facts of a case because we are obligated to safeguard the accused’s due process rights.
— Arlington & Falls Church Virginia CA (@CA4Arlington) March 30, 2020
5/5 In short, we ask there not be a rush to judgment on what is very much on our part and on the part of the Police a live case.
— Arlington & Falls Church Virginia CA (@CA4Arlington) March 30, 2020
Update at noon — The Arlington County Republican Committee has weighed in on the controversy via Twitter, calling for charges against Abushariah to be dropped.
“The Commonwealth's Attorney should drop the charges against Mr. Abushariah immediately and go after the real perpetrators here." – Arlington GOP Chairman Andrew Loposser cc: @ARLnowDOTcom@VA_Gun_Rights@NRA@psullivan1
The ever-busy Trader Joe’s store in Clarendon was closed this morning, with a sign on the door saying an employee had tested positive for COVID-19.
The store is now closed for a thorough cleaning and restocking, according to the sign, after which it plans to reopen.
The sign says the employee was last in the store on Sunday. The full text is below.
TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR CLEANING
We would like to notify customers of this store that we are temporarily closing the store for precautionary cleaning and sanitization because a Crew Member has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). As soon as the store has been fully cleaned and restocked, we plan to reopen.
The Crew Member was last present in the store on March 29, 2020. We encourage customers who have health-related concerns to review CDC and local health department guidelines and to contact their healthcare providers with any questions. Our focus remains on doing whatever is necessary to safeguard the health of and safety of our Crew Members and customers and best support our communities.
Local Coronavirus Test Results Delayed — “When we talked to an Arlington man Tuesday, it was approaching 11 days since he’d been tested for COVID-19, and he still hadn’t received his results. ‘It’s just so frustrating,’ Daniel Miller told us via FaceTime. ‘I just want my results back. I want to be able to know what I have. I want to know if this is COVID or not.'” [WJLA]
APS to Rethink Budget Proposal — “Arlington School Board members have given Superintendent Cintia Johnson direction to start battening the hatches as the school system – like the county, state and nation – move into rough economic waters. ‘We’re going to have to look at potential tough budget times’ and ‘figure out a way to move forward,’ School Board Vice Chairman Monique O’Grady said.” [InsideNova]
Window Smashed at Rhodeside Grill — Someone smashed one of the large front windows at Rhodeside Grill in Rosslyn, which is currently shut down due to the coronavirus outbreak. [Twitter]
Local Restaurant Owner Still Optimistic — The outbreak has been devastating for the restaurant business, but some local owners are making the most of it. Amir Mostafavi, founder of the South Block juice chain, is giving away free fruit to kids in need during the crisis. “We’re going to come out of this as stronger people, as stronger businesses,” Mostafavi told NBC 4. [LinkedIn]
Bayou Bakery Closing Its Takeout Service — “Having persevered for three weeks through the limitations of the current public health situation, Arlington’s Bayou Bakery, Coffee Bar & Eatery is temporarily closing its doors to ‘Call-In, Carry Out’ service on April 1, 2020. Chef/owner David Guas will continue his mission to provide the community and underserved kids and families with free, grab-and-go meals.” [Press Release]
Shuttle Bus Company Helps Collect Food — “FLARE, an amenity electric shuttle service, along with the Aurora Highlands Civic Association, collected and delivered over 800 lbs. of food donations from the Crystal City area for the Arlington Food Assistance Center on Saturday, March 21, and announced that food collection efforts will continue in the Crystal City area starting today.” [Press Release]
Have some unopened boxes of surgical gowns or masks lying around? If so, Arlington is hoping you’ll donate them.
The county is setting up a one-day only drive-through donation drive this coming Friday. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Arlington Central Library parking lot along 10th Street near N. Quincy Street.
The county is seeking unused boxes of nitrile or vinyl examination gloves , N95 or KN95 masks , surgical masks, protective surgical gowns , homemade masks, cleaning products and supplies , and non-perishable food items.
Arlington County is seeking donations of unused, unopened containers of essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies, and certain food to assist essential employees, nonprofits and community organizations with coronavirus (COVID-19) response operations.
A drive-thru donation station will be available on Friday, April 3, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Central Library parking lot on 10th Street North. This activity conforms to the requirements of Governor Northam’s Stay-At-Home order, but if you are ill, please do not come or donate supplies.
Requested items include:
Nitrile or vinyl examination gloves
N95 or KN95 masks
Surgical masks
Protective surgical gowns
Homemade masks
Cleaning products and supplies
Non-perishable food items, especially heart-healthy items low in sodium or sugar
No other donations will be accepted at this event.
Upon arrival, donors must stay in their cars until they reach the unloading area. There, donors will place their donation onto a cart and return to their vehicles to ensure proper social distancing. A separate line will be available for donors who arrive on foot or by bike.
All donors are expected to observe the proper physical distance of six feet in accordance with Governor Northam’s Stay-At-Home Order.
If you are unable to drop off donations, many other essential requests from Arlington nonprofits are posted on the Volunteer Arlington webpage. Most nonprofits’ primary need is funding.
People who donate are helping ensure essential supplies get to Arlington health care workers, first responders, and County and community workers whose essential jobs put them at risk of coronavirus exposure. Together, we will protect the health and safety of all Arlingtonians.
