NSF Starting Its Move to Alexandria — “Moving day for the first group of National Science Foundation workers relocating from the agency’s Ballston headquarters to Alexandria starts this weekend, more than four years — and more than a bit of controversy — after selecting the site for its new home.” [Washington Business Journal]
TSA Moving to Springfield — The headquarters of the Transportation Security Administration will be moving from Pentagon City to Springfield, after the GSA awarded a new 15-year, $316 million lease. The move is expected to take place in 2020. [Washington Business Journal]
Construction Activity at DCA — Construction is underway at Reagan National for the airport’s $1 billion expansion project. [NBC Washington]
‘Doc’ Muse Dies — “Leonard ‘Doc’ Muse, who for 65 years – from the era of Jim Crow to the election of an African-American president – watched over the Nauck community from his perch behind the counter of the Green Valley Pharmacy, died the weekend of Aug. 19-20. He was 94 years old.” [InsideNova]
A 22-year-old Falls Church man has been arrested and charged with assaulting two women along the Custis Trail.
Police say Marvin Velasquez touched a woman walking the trail inappropriately on Wednesday afternoon. He also grabbed a second woman and then exposed himself to her, according to a news release.
The incidents happened along the trail near where it crosses Spout Run Parkway. Police are now trying to figure out whether there may be additional victims.
More from an ACPD press release:
The Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victims Unit are seeking additional witnesses or victims related to the following matter. A suspect has been charged in an incident involving female victims in the area of the Custis Trail. Marvin Sosa Velasquez, 22, of Falls Church, VA was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and two counts of assault and battery. The suspect was held on no bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
At approximately 4:37 p.m. on August 23, police responded to the 1900 block of N. Calvert Street for the report of an assault and battery. Upon arrival, it was determined a female victim walking on the bike trail was touched inappropriately by a male suspect. While investigating the incident, officers located a second female victim who reported the same male suspect grabbed her around the waist. The female victim was able to free herself from the suspect. The suspect then pulled down his pants and exposed his genitals to the victim. Responding officers canvassed the area and located a suspect matching the victim’s descriptions in the 3300 block of Lee Highway.
Investigators believe there may be additional victims. Anyone who had previous contact with the suspect is asked to call Detective J. McGrath of the Special Victim’s Unit at 703-228-4244 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Power is out in parts of Seven Corners after a truck brought down power lines behind the Eden Center in Falls Church.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. in the rear of the shopping center. Two utility poles were snapped in half as a result of the collision.
At one point, nearly 2,500 Dominion customers were without power in the area, including in parts of Arlington County. As of 3:30 p.m. Dominion was no longer reporting any outages in Arlington.
The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the scene for sparking power lines and a spill of mineral oil from the transformers. ACFD has since turned over the scene to Dominion, which will be cleaning up the spill, according to scanner traffic.
Some traffic signals in Seven Corners may be affected by the outages, according to Fairfax County Police.
(Updated at 2:20 p.m.) Arlington County Police arrested a man last night in connection with a shooting that happened Wednesday morning and a brandishing incident Wednesday night.
The shooting happened on the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street, near Columbia Pike. The victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and the suspect fled the scene.
Last night, around 10:30 p.m., residents who live in the area of the Pike and S. Glebe Road reported a helicopter continuously circling the neighborhood.
On Thursday morning, police confirmed to ARLnow.com that the helicopter was in the air for reasons “related to the shooting.”
Update at 2:15 p.m. — A 24-year-old Arlington resident has been arrested and charged in the shooting, ACPD announced Thursday afternoon. The man was arrested near the Pentagon City Metro station after he brandished a gun at a woman on Columbia Pike last night, police say.
More from a police press release:
An Arlington man has been arrested and charged for his involvement in a shooting in the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street. Nicholas Nichols, 24, of Arlington, VA was arrested and charged with Aggravated Malicious Wounding, Possession of a Firearm in Commission of a Felony and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. He is being held in the Arlington County Detention Facility on no bond.
At approximately 7:04 a.m. on August 23, Arlington County Police officers were dispatched to the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street for the report of a shooting. Arriving officers located one male victim suffering from a gunshot wound. The 26-year-old victim was transported by Fairfax County Medics to George Washington University Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The investigation determined that the shooting occurred following an altercation between known acquaintances. The suspect fled the area prior to police arrival. A perimeter was established and a canvas of the area returned with negative results.
At approximately 9:37 p.m. on August 23, police were dispatched to the 3700 block of Columbia Pike for the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined a male suspect brandished a firearm during a dispute with a known female victim. The suspect fled the area on foot prior to police arrival. During the course of the investigation, it was determined that the suspect in the brandishing was the suspect in the earlier shooting in the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street.
A perimeter was established and the Fairfax County Police Helicopter Unit responded to aid in the search. Officers from the Arlington County Police TAC Unit located the suspect in the area of S. Hayes Street and 12th Street S. and took him into custody without incident as he attempted to board a bus.
The investigation into this incident is ongoing. Anyone with information about this investigation is asked to contact Detective J. Trainer of the Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit at 703-228-4185 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Crosswalks have been re-striped at various intersections
The project included adding more bollards
The changes come before a planned long-term study of Wilson Blvd
That study should begin next year if enough funding is available
Map showing block in which the two lane configuration was extended (via Google Maps)
Arlington County has completed a series of modifications to Wilson Blvd between N. Patrick Henry Drive and Glebe Road, with the goal of improving pedestrian safety along the corridor.
The changes over the past year include “re-striping, sign installation, concrete work for curb ramps, bollards installation… marking additional crosswalks with marked median/islands, and other short-term improvements.”
The changes, which are within the Bluemont, Boulevard Manor and Dominion Hills neighborhoods, follow a lane reduction that provoked criticism from some residents who said they made traffic congestion worse. Others, however, said the reduction from four lanes to two travel lanes and a turn lane improved safety without much of a traffic impact.
The recent changes included extending the two-lane configuration — which includes new bike lanes on either side of the road — one extra block, from N. Manchester Street to N. Larrimore Street.
Going forward, the plan is to hire a contractor to conduct a long-term transportation study of Wilson Blvd from N. Glebe Road to the county line, to “create a long-term vision for the physical configuration” of Wilson Blvd. Following the study, more extensive changes to the road configuration may be made, including making the recent improvements — described as a “pilot” program — permanent.
County staff said the study will look to collect data on usage on Wilson Blvd and adjacent streets, and seek residents’ input to identify changes to the road.
Improvements are complete on Wilson Blvd between N Glebe Rd & N Patrick Henry Dr, targeting safety & accessibility for all modes of travel. pic.twitter.com/iB2r0h3clt
— Arlington Department of Environmental Services (@ArlingtonDES) August 22, 2017
Local Senior Completes Alcatraz Swim — Arlington resident Mary Schade, 71, completed the 1.5-mile Alcatraz Escape from the Rock swim in San Francisco, placing first in her age group. She was the second-oldest swimmer in the race, which featured choppy, 59-degree water and a stiff wind. [InsideNova]
Arlington History Books — “Our Man in Arlington” Charlie Clark has found a number of “out-of-the-mainstream histories of our fair county,” including one book, first published in 1957, that “summarizes two centuries of legal boundary changes” involving Arlington County or its geographic predecessors. [Falls Church News-Press]
Shirlington Apartment Building Bought, Rebranded — Waterton, a real estate investment firm, has acquired the 404-unit Windsor at Shirlington Village apartment complex and rebranded it as “The Citizen at Shirlington Village.” The purchase price for the apartment building at 3000 S. Randolph Street was a reported $144 million. The new Chicago-based owners plan to upgrade the apartment units, outdoor spaces and the fitness center. [Washington Business Journal, BusinessWire]
Teachers Explore New Commuting Options — With the encouragement of Arlington Public Schools, some teachers are switching from a solo driving commute to carpooling or biking, as seen in a new video from Arlington County’s Mobility Lab. [YouTube, Mobility Lab]
The Arlington County Fire Department battled a house fire on S. Randolph Street earlier this afternoon (Wednesday).
Firefighters responded to the home on the 900 block of S. Randolph Street in Alcova Heights, just off Columbia Pike. According to scanner traffic, the fire was quickly put out just after 4:35 p.m., with all occupants evacuated safely.
No firefighters were injured.
Anyone near the scene can expect continuing traffic delays into evening rush hour.
A D.C. man has been arrested and charged with sexual battery after an incident at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall yesterday.
Just after noon police were called for a report of a man who had grabbed a teenage girl’s buttocks in the mall, according to scanner traffic.
Based on witness statements, police identified a suspect and took him into custody.
More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
SEXUAL BATTERY, 2017-08220140, 1100 block of S. Hayes Street. At approximately 12:18 p.m. on August 22, police were dispatched to the report of a possible assault. Upon arrival, it was determined that a male suspect allegedly touched a minor inappropriately while inside a store. During the course of the investigation, officers identified a possible suspect based on the description provided by witnesses. The suspect was located in the area and taken into custody without incident. Rivera Barmett, 26, of Washington D.C. was arrested and charged with sexual battery. He was held without bond.
The rest of this past week’s crime report highlights, including some that we’ve already reported, after the jump.
Democratic nominee Erik Gutshall and his campaign team in front of the caucus results
Independent County Board candidate Audrey Clement (2015 file photo)
Independent candidate Charles McCullough II
It may appear overshadowed by this year’s statewide races and political strife nationally, but the three Arlington County Board candidates are hard at work preparing for the fall campaign season.
Things get into high gear as the Arlington County Civic Federation hosts its first candidate forum, the traditional curtain-raiser on the final few months before Election Day. The forum will be held on Tuesday, September 5 in Virginia Hospital Center’s Hazel Auditorium (1701 N. George Mason Drive).
And the candidates — Democratic nominee Erik Gutshall, and independents Audrey Clement and Charles McCullough II — said they are looking forward to getting into the campaign’s final stages and winning over more voters in upcoming debates.
“It’s also education of people, because I think there can be misconceptions about what I stand for and where I come from and those that don’t know me real well… might believe things about me that are flatly untrue, demonstrably untrue,” Gutshall said. “People getting a chance to see who I really am and what I stand for, I think could happen from those forums to the extent I’m able to reach people who didn’t participate in the Democratic caucus process.”
First-time candidate McCullough said he welcomed the opportunity to keep putting his progressive message forward and introducing his policy ideas to more and more people.
“What’s nice about getting in front of folks, just like I’ve been doing this entire time, what’s good is to be able to present that inclusive vision of Arlington and what it means to have a putting people-first attitude of policymaking,” he said. “[When] I’m able to forward that vision, the momentum is going to grow.”
Clement, a perennial candidate, said she is hopeful of picking up more votes as the statewide races come into the spotlight more and more. In last year’s election against Libby Garvey and on the same ballot as the Presidential race, Clement received just over 27,000 votes, something she put down to the high-profile nature of that race.
She said after the violence in Charlottesville at a white supremacist rally, Virginia’s elections take on added significance and that could help her.
“Last year, even though basically Hillary Clinton overwhelmingly took the county, I got a very sizable number of votes because the turnout was so high,” Clement said. “That’s not going to happen this year, but the Charlottesville incident has probably increased interest in the Governor’s race and that should help me. Insurgents always benefit from increased turnout.”
School Board Approves House Purchase — Despite the objections of some nearby residents, the Arlington School Board last week approved the $525,000 purchase of a home next to Glebe Elementary to provide better emergency vehicle access. “This was not a cohesive, inclusive process – it was done while people were on vacation,” said the head of a local civic association. [InsideNova]
Bat Invades WJLA in Rosslyn — An errant bat caused a commotion at the WJLA (ABC 7) newsroom in Rosslyn Tuesday morning. Eventually the flying mammal was caught by an employee and released outside. [Patch]
Priest Reveals KKK Past — A priest in the Diocese of Arlington revealed in the Arlington Catholic Herald that he was a former KKK member who burned crosses and did other hateful acts, before having a change of heart. Fr. William Aitcheson said he felt compelled to write about his conversion following the events in Charlottesville. [Washington Post]
(Updated 9:15 a.m.) Arlington County Police are investigating a shooting that took place this morning close to Columbia Pike.
Police said around 8:30 a.m. that a man has been transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being shot on the 1000 block of S. Frederick Street. The area is close to the Carlyle House condo building, the Columbia Grove apartment building and Bailey’s Branch Park.
Officers remain on scene investigating. Police said it appears to be an isolated incident, with the suspected shooter described as a thin black male with dreadlocks wearing a gray hoodie.
After searching the area, police said they had not found the suspect, but that they believe there is no threat to the larger community.
Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 703-558-2222.
POLICE ACTIVITY: ACPD investigating shooting in 1000 block of S. Frederick St. Male victim transported to hospital w/ non-life threatening
