News

Missing Man Found Dead in Arlington Was a Career Center Employee

By ARLnow.com
File photo

(Updated at noon) A missing man found dead in Arlington was an Arlington Career Center employee, the school system says.

Haley Garcia, 28, was last seen Sunday in the Lincolnia area, Fairfax County Police said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon. He was considered an endangered missing adult “due to mental and/or physical issues.”

FCPD said Tuesday night that Garcia had been found dead in Arlington. No cause of death was given.

Garcia was a former student at and an employee of the Arlington Career Center. A Facebook profile said the Arlington native also worked as an auto technician at a local car dealership.

The following email was sent to Career Center staff last night.

Dear ACC Family,

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the death of a member of our Career Center family.

We received notice this evening, that our beloved Haley Garcia, one of our security resource assistants, passed away unexpectedly. He had been a member of the Career Center family since high school as an Auto Tech student and later as an assistant in the Auto Tech program for many years. He loved the Career Center with all his heart and considered it his second home. He took care of all of us and always thought first of how to encourage others.  He will be deeply missed.

We do not have any other details to share at this time, and our thoughts go out to his family and friends. We respect their wishes for privacy at this difficult time.

APS Employee Assistance Program staff and counselors will be onsite tomorrow morning at ACC from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm to provide support as we process this loss. We all should expect and try to understand that there will be a variety of emotions and responses to what has occurred, so the most important thing we can do is to support one another.

Funeral arrangements are not yet available and we will pass along more information when we have it. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need support.

Margaret Chung
Principal
Arlington Public Schools
Arlington Career Center

Arlington County Police say Garcia’s body was found during a search on the 2600 block of 9th Road S., between the Career Center and Columbia Pike. From ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage:

At approximately 4:26 p.m. on July 23, police responded to the 2600 block of 9th Road S. to assist Fairfax County Police with attempting to locate a missing and endangered adult. Upon arrival, the individual was located deceased. Based on the preliminary investigation, the death does not appear suspicious and there is no ongoing threat to the public related to this incident. The department is conducting a death investigation and cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

JUST IN: Gold’s Gym to Open New Location in Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com
1/2

A new 30,000 square foot Gold’s Gym is coming to Rosslyn next year.

The fitness chain announced this morning that it is planning to open in the redeveloped Rosslyn City Center, next to the Metro station, next fall.

The new gym will features boutique-style classes, group classes and 3D body scanning, plus “health spa-quality shower and towel amenities, healthy concessions and exclusive use of a 1,400 square-foot training terrace overlooking Central Place Plaza with expansive views of the Rosslyn skyline.”

Once it opens, the new Gold’s Gym will replace the existing subterranean Gold’s at 1830 N. Nash Street, which is located below an office complex that itself is slated to eventually be redeveloped.

More from a press release:

American Real Estate Partners (AREP), an institutional fund manager and operating partner focused on office and mixed-use repositioning and development, announced today Gold’s Gym, the world’s trusted fitness authority, will open a new location at AREP’s Rosslyn City Center.

Expected to open in third quarter of 2020, the new location will provide Rosslyn City Center tenants and the neighborhood’s growing resident and business community with access to the full Gold’s Gym fitness experience and programming. This includes a suite of boutique-style GOLD’SSTUDIO® classes – GOLD’SFIT®, GOLD’SBURN™ and GOLD’S CYCLE™ – along with a diverse schedule of group exercise classes, 3D body scanning, GOLD’SAMP™ digital personal training and an expert team of certified Gold’s Gym personal trainers. Additionally, Gold’s Gym will offer health spa-quality shower and towel amenities, healthy concessions and exclusive use of a 1,400 square-foot training terrace overlooking Central Place Plaza with expansive views of the Rosslyn skyline.

“The renovation of Rosslyn City Center is fully underway and will complete the core of Rosslyn’s renaissance, bringing the best restaurants and fitness amenities to serve all of the new residents and tenants relocating to Rosslyn,” said Doug Fleit, CEO of AREP.  “Rosslyn City Center is a destination that will continue to attract the best employee talent for offices around Metro.”

In June, AREP announced the $35 million renovation of Rosslyn City Center with state-of-the-art exterior, lobby and common spaces. Along with the addition of Gold’s Gym, the redevelopment also includes new retail destinations that will match Rosslyn’s transformation into a vibrant urban center, including a Chase bank and a 20,000 square foot food hall with 12 locally-curated food stalls and two lounges operated by Austin, Texas-based Oz Rey.

“Healthy, local food and a commitment to wellness are key priorities for today’s workforce, especially for the millennial population that makes up more than 40 percent of workers in Rosslyn today,” said Paul Schulman, Principal and Chief Operating Officer, AREP. “With millennials contributing to an estimated $4.2 trillion global wellness market, bringing in award-winning industry leaders like Gold’s Gym and Oz Rey food halls to manage world-class facilities with high foot traffic at Rosslyn City Center provides greater opportunities for our tenants, retailers and the community at large.”

Retail, along with hospitality amenities, are signature components of AREP’s placemaking strategy at Rosslyn City Center — and across its portfolio — to develop properties that leverage innovative design and elevated amenities to create destinations that have a sense of place and activate tenant and community engagement.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Developer May Build Second Metro Entrance — “A plan submitted by developer JBG Smith to Arlington County could see the company put in charge of building the second Crystal City Metro station entrance, a long-sought-after project that would increase access to the station. If approved, the new entrance would be built along Crystal Drive near 18th Street.” [Greater Greater Washington]

Glebe Road Crash Yesterday Morning — “Police say the crash was caused by a driver attempting to merge onto southbound Glebe from 16th Street S. striking another vehicle heading southbound. No significant injuries were reported.” [Twitter]

Company Opens New HQ in Ballston — “Armor Express, a leading manufacturer and distributor of high-performance protective solutions for the Domestic and Federal Law Enforcement markets, Department of Defense and First Responders, today announced the grand opening of its new corporate headquarters in Arlington, VA.” [Globe Newswire]

Video: Olli on Fort Myer — New videos show the Olli autonomous shuttle driving around Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall. [Twitter]

New Funding for 9/11 Victim Fund — “U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded the passage of a bill to continue providing financial support to those who suffered physical harm or families of those who were killed as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks or ensuing debris removal efforts.” [Press Release, NBC News]

Nearby: Boy Dies at McLean Construction Site — A boy died after a ditch collapsed at a large excavation site in McLean, near the Arlington border and Jamestown Elementary. The boy was reportedly working to build a sewage line at a new residential development. [Tysons Reporter, NBC 4]

Flickr pool photo by Tom Mockler

Presidential Candidates Arrive at DCA to Support Airline Catering Workers

By Airey
1/13

A rally for airline workers rights drew hundreds to Reagan National Airport, including a number of Democratic presidential hopefuls.

Labor union UNITE HERE helped organize the rally in support of airport catering workers, who are planning a large-scale strike if their demands for better wages and benefits are not met. Presidential candidates Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio were among those on hand to support the workers, along with other labor unions and local officials.

“No one should have to choose between healthcare and paying the rent,” Warren called out amid cheers.

The Massachusetts senator’s speech on Tuesday echoed her support for more corporate regulations.

“Giant corporations believe if they just push hard enough the unions will just go away,” she said. Since entering the race in February, Warren has since risen in recent polls to second among the crowded field.

Tuesday’s crowd was equally loud for two-time presidential candidate Sanders, who was ushered to the podium among chants of “We Love Bernie!”

“At a time when corporate profits are a record-breaking level, our demands are simple,” said the senator, who rose to popularity for his stance on economic inequality. “Pay your workers a living wage and provide… affordable healthcare for your workers,” Sanders said.

Sanders noted workers in the D.C. area “cannot live on $10 hour” wages due to the rising costs of living and housing.

Presidential hopeful Bill de Blasio also received a warm welcome and led the crowd in chanting of “working people first!”

“I hear they made $15 billion in profits last year,” de Blasio said of recent airline earning reports. “Are are they sharing that?”

De Blasio, who has generated little enthusiasm for his campaign so far, ended his speech by touting his new “Bill of Rights for Working People.”

The catering workforce authorized the strike earlier in June, but airline workers must gain approval from the federal National Mediation Board for large-scale strikes due to the potential impact on travelers. Workers are seeking to reach a new collective bargaining agreement with the private companies who contract them to assemble the food for airlines: LSG Sky Chefs and Gate Gourmet.

The companies have said they cannot meet the demands for increased wages and benefits, telling the Huffington Post that could “more than double” their costs.

About a thousand union members in red shirts with slogans like “One Job Should Be Enough” gathered in Terminal A to hear the speakers. But it’s not the first time DCA has seen labor unrest. In 2016, service workers nearly went on strike for a $15 minimum wage.

“We’re going to fight like hell,” UNITE HERE president D. Taylor told the cheering crowd Tuesday night. “We’re going to kick the hell out of American [Airlines].”

Workers at several other airports nationwide are also asking for permission to strike, according to a map shared by the union.

Catering employees Tenai Stover and Eric Brightley, who said they prepare the food and beverages served on DCA and Dulles flights as part of their work at LSG Sky Chefs, each described to ARLnow difficulty making ends meet given the meager pay.

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Officials Warn of Foodborne Illness Outbreak in Arlington and N. Va.

By Airey

Arlington and Northern Virginia are experiencing a possible outbreak of cases from a particular foodborne illness.

Dozens people in the region are suspected of having contracted a gastrointestinal illness called Cyclosporiasis, according to a spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Health. The outbreak involves “two large businesses” where more than 40 people were sickened, possibly with Cyclosporiasis, as well as 15 confirmed cases of the disease, officials say.

“A food or water source of this outbreak has not yet been identified, and the investigation is ongoing,” said the state health department.

“Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a microscopic parasite,” the department noted in a press release today (Tuesday.) “People can become infected by consuming food or water contaminated with feces or stool that contains the parasite.”

The 15 confirmed cases of people infected with Cyclospora since mid-June compares to eight cases in Northern Virginia by this time last year.

The affected area includes Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

“Arlington County has… experienced an increase in cases of illness due to Cyclospora,” confirmed epidemiologist Colleen Ryan Smith of Arlington’s Department of Human Services.

“The increase in Arlington… has contributed to the increase in cases noted for Northern Virginia,” added Smith, who said that “specific counts of cases by locality [are] not possible due to patient privacy and confidentiality considerations.”

Officials said they could also not identify the “two large businesses” where dozens were sickened.

Symptoms can begin one week after exposure to the parasite, and typically include explosive diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, aching muscles, and a low-grade fever. Symptoms can last days or a month for some, but others can be a carrier of the parasite and experience no symptoms.

Those afflicted can only be diagnosed by a lab test ordered by a doctor.

Health officials have also reported 90 cases of Cyclospora in New York City since January, and over 100 cases in Massachusetts since May. In both areas, the number of cases is approximately three times the normal number officials usually see in a year, and the cause is not yet known.

Officials in all three locales say they are still investigating the cause of the outbreak. Previous outbreaks were linked to contaminated produce.

The full press release is below, after the jump.

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Another Vehicle Break-in Spree Reported

By ARLnow.com

Yet another series of car break-ins has been reported in Arlington, this time in Lyon Village.

Police say about 10 unlocked vehicles were tampered with and “items of value” stolen. From Arlington County Police:

LARCENY FROM AUTO (series), 2019-07200087/07200104/07200106/07200138/07200156, 1500 block of N. Johnson Street/3100 block of Key Boulevard/3100 block of Key Boulevard/3100 block of 17th Street N./1400 block of N. Hancock Street. At approximately 6:18 a.m. on July 20, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny from auto. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 11:00 p.m. on July 19 and 5:30 a.m. on July 20, two unknown suspects gained entry to approximately ten unlocked vehicles, tampered with items and stole items of value. Suspect One is described as a female, approximately 5’2″-5’8″, with a slim build and long, dark hair. Suspect Two is described as being approximately 5’2″-5’8″. The investigation is ongoing.

ACPD is continuing to urge residents to lock their car and home doors to prevent crimes of opportunity.

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Labor Action Planned at DCA — Presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is among those expected to participate in a rally and picket at Reagan National Airport this evening, in support of airline catering workers who are seeking better wages and healthcare options. [Unite Here]

Restaurant Coming to Apartment Building — Update at 9:35 a.m. — Permit applications have been filed for a new restaurant that’s planned for the grounds of the recently-renovated Dominion Apartments at 333 S. Glebe Road. [Twitter]

Green Presidential Hopeful Visits Arlington — “The Arlington Greens recently welcomed one of their party’s presidential aspirants to the community. Dario Hunter, a member of the Youngstown (Ohio) School Board, participated in a roundtable discussion with Green Party members on July 16 at Central Library.” [InsideNova]

Author to Talk Hockey at Local Bookstore — “We’re bringing Sportsnet contributor and YouTube sensation Steve Dangle down to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, August 24, to sign copies of his hit book This Team is Ruining My Life (But I Love Them): How I Became a Professional Hockey Fan… One More Page Books, an independent bookstore in Arlington, Va. (which is run by Caps fans), will be hosting the signing from 2-4 p.m.” [Russian Machine Never Breaks]

Army Flying Secret Missions Over Region — “The Pentagon has revealed a few details about a secret Army mission that has Black Hawk helicopters flying missions over the Washington, D.C., area backed by active-duty and reserve soldiers. The mysterious classified operation was disclosed when the Army asked Congress for approval to shift funds to provide an extra $1.55 million for aircraft maintenance, air crews and travel in support of an ’emerging classified flight mission.'” [Bloomberg, PoPville]

Photo courtesy Clarendon Alliance/Instagram

Coffee Shop Kaldi’s Social House Coming to Clarendon

By Airey
1/2

Clarendon could be getting a new coffee shop by the end of the year.

A staff member at Kaldi’s Social Club told ARLnow in a social media message that the business is hoping to open an Arlington location by December.

Wrapping outside a ground floor retail space at Ten at Clarendon building at 3110 10th Street announces Kaldi’s is “coming this winter” and features an image of people sharing dishes with cups of coffee interspersed between the plates.

Kaldi’s flagship location in Silver Spring first opened in 2013.

In addition to coffee, the Maryland cafe offers American fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and serves cocktails and beer. Staff did not immediately respond when asked if the Clarendon menu will be the same.

“The name Kaldi comes from an Ethiopian legend about a goat herder named Kaldi who first discovered the power of the coffee bean,” owner Tsega Haile wrote on the business’s website, noting that the D.C. area is home to the largest group of Ethiopian people outside the continent of Africa.

A year after opening, the Silver Spring shop added a rooftop lounge. Since then, it’s upgraded furniture and recently bought the nearby Pacci’s Pizzeria.

The new cafe in Clarendon will have plenty of coffee competition, including Northside Social, Peet’s, Waterhouse Coffee, Heritage Brewing, Oby Lee, Detour Coffee, Bakeshop, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks and the future East West Cafe.

Image 1 via Facebook/Kaldi’s Social Club, Image 2 courtesy of Alex Koma.

JBG Smith Unveils New Expansion Plan for RiverHouse Property Near Amazon HQ2

By Airey
1/5

Developer JBG Smith says it has submitted new plans for a major redevelopment of its RiverHouse apartment property in Pentagon City, four blocks from Amazon’s new HQ2.

The developer announced today (Monday) that it submitted a site plan application to Arlington County to build about 1,000 new housing units along S. Joyce Street. The units will be in two, six-story apartment buildings, as well as traditional townhouses and maisonettes, per the press release, and about 260 of the units will be available for purchase.

The six-story buildings will have mix of units, including studios and three-bedroom units, for a combined total of 750 units. These two buildings will be constructed on the parkings lots in the northern end of the site and will feature central courtyards, and 30,000 square feet of “community-oriented street-level retail, including a potential daycare center and medical office, at the base of the two new buildings.”

The townhouses will be built on “underutilized” surface parking lots in the southern end of the site, facing the Aurora Highlands neighborhood and its single-family homes, JBG said

The extensive, 36-acre RiverHouse property is on a long lot bordered by Army Navy Drive, S. Joyce Street, 16th Street S., S. Arlington Ridge Road, and S. Lynn Street, at the edge of what’s being called “National Landing” — the recently-created term for the Pentagon City, Crystal City and Potomac Yard neighborhoods.

Currently, RiverHouse has three apartment towers built in the 1950s and 1960s, with a combined 1,670 apartment units. JBG Smith intends to keep the three towers, per the press release, and will instead construct the new buildings around the existing towers.

JBG Smith Executive Vice President Andy Van Horn said in a statement that the developer aimed to design a plan that “respects and complements the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhoods while creating a more cohesive sense of community.”

“We also focused on providing a wide range of rental and for-sale housing opportunities that meet the differing needs of Arlington’s diverse and growing residential population,” he said. “It is our goal to deliver additional housing units concurrent with Amazon’s occupancy of its new headquarters to help meet anticipated new housing demand and mitigate upward pressure on rents in National Landing.”

Vornado — which was later acquired by JBG Smith — had planned to redevelop RiverHouse with more than 1,000 rental apartments in three, mid-rise towers. The new submission, which JBG Smith says is “consistent with the Crystal City/Pentagon City Sector Plan which calls for 7,500 additional housing units by 2040,” supersedes the previous, pre-HQ2 plan.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

HQ2’s Towering Height — “Amazon.com Inc.’s planned pair of office towers at Metropolitan Park will have the same number of floors as the residential building next door. But the HQ2 buildings will lord over The Bartlett by nearly 60 feet. The 22-story HQ2 towers are expected to hit 322.5 feet at their highest point, according to plans submitted to Arlington County. JBG Smith Properties’ The Bartlett, with its Amazon-owned Whole Foods Market on the ground floor, is 22 stories but only 264-feet-tall.” [Washington Business Journal]

Retail Sales Up in Arlington — “Year-over-year retail sales in Arlington showed a boost in the first quarter of 2019, according to new data. Total retail sales of $767.2 million countywide were up 1.6 percent from $755.3 million during the first three months of 2018, according to figures from the Virginia Department of Taxation.” [InsideNova]

Univ. of Phoenix’s New Arlington Campus — The for-profit University of Phoenix this week will be celebrating the grand opening of its new Northern Virginia-D.C. Metro campus at 4401 Fairfax Drive in Ballston. [Eventbrite]

Heat Doesn’t Stop Youth Baseball Tourney — “Even as some events cancelled due to the extreme heat warning on Saturday, many people are still got outside. That included hundreds of young players from across the area who turned out for the Arlington Babe Ruth – Doc Bonaccorso Summer Classic Baseball Tournament in Arlington.” [WJLA]

Residents, Officials Ask for More Time to Review Mental Health Court Program

By Airey
1/4

Some officials and residents are asking for more time to review a jail diversion program for people with mental illnesses, saying the county developed it without enough public input.

About a hundred people gathered in the County Board’s meeting room Wednesday afternoon for a meeting called after activists requested a chance to weigh in on the new criminal justice program. Attendees expressed general support for the “Behavioral Health Docket” but worried about its requirement that participants plead guilty to participate, adding that the county needed to listen to more members of the public before finalizing the program.

“I think it’s important to keep in mind is that even if the application is a post-plea docket, which is what Judge [Fran] O’Brien would like to see happen, that there’s going to be evolution,” said Department of Human Services (DHS) Director Anita Friedman in an interview. “I think that even if we start post-plea we might add pre-plea later.”

“I think the important thing is not to let perfection be the enemy of good,” she said, noting that the county has revised its other diversion program, Drug Court, many times over the last few years.

The Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia must approve the county’s request to form the diversion program. DHS originally planned to apply for that approval last month before a group of activists and officials, including incoming prosecutor Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, said they hadn’t heard about it and had concerns.

After the meeting, officials did not confirm whether they would extend their plan to submit the application in September, or would schedule additional public meetings.

Chief Public Defender Brad Haywood was one of the officials who said he hadn’t heard about the application until very recently. On Wednesday, Haywood said he still supported for the docket but reiterated concerns about the post-plea condition.

“I really want to make sure that as many people as possible are getting into this program, and getting in as quickly as possible,” he said, adding that requiring pleas could “dramatically reduce” the number of participants and how fast they can join it.

The Behavioral Health Docket will accept participants who have pled guilty to a misdemeanor offense, or a felony reduced to a misdemeanor, and reside in Arlington, according to a program description obtained via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. People with a history of felony convictions, sexual offenses, or have active warrants out for their arrest in other jurisdictions cannot participate, per a copy of the application ARLnow obtained after filing a FOIA request.

Participants would have to meet weekly in court as well as their probation officer, mental health clinician, per the application. Participants will also have to pass drug and alcohol screenings, take any medications prescribed, participate in activities like volunteer work or employment, and stay clear of any new arrests. Over time, participants will meet less frequently as they work towards a “graduation” where they’ll be supervised for another 90 days.

“That’s why it’s called a therapeutic docket,” said Judge O’Brien. “It’s designed to help people with mental illness and designed to help keep them on a path that keeps them out of the criminal justice system.”

She told the audience that it was imperative to move quickly because of the sheer number of people affected. Earlier that day, she said five people on her docket were clients of the county’s behavioral health services and where “chronic violators” of their parole. Recently, she said one defendant disappeared after appearing to get better and family members were concerned he was off his medications.

“All I wanted to do is try to find him before he got too far gone,” said O’Brien. “Because I didn’t have that power because he wasn’t on my docket, so I had to issue a warrant for his arrest.”

(more…)

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