Tree down and brush fire along Four Mile Run Drive in 2017 (photo courtesy John Chandler)
Tree down and brush fire along Four Mile Run Drive in 2017 (photo courtesy Alex Chamandy)
Tree down and brush fire along Four Mile Run Drive (photo courtesy John Chandler)
Tree down and brush fire along Four Mile Run Drive in 2017 (photo courtesy John Chandler)
Tree down and brush fire along Four Mile Run Drive (photo courtesy John Chandler)
Update at 2:30 p.m. — The fire has been extinguished and Four Mile Run Drive is expected to reopen shortly. The access road is expected to remain closed until the fallen tree is removed.
Update at 2:15 p.m. — Electricity has been shut off to the fallen power lines and firefighters are now working to extinguish the brush fire.
Earlier: A tree has fallen on power lines and sparked a growing brush fire along Four Mile Run Drive.
The incident was first reported by a passerby just after 1 p.m.
Initial reports suggest a large tree fell across the Four Mile Run Drive access road, striking a power line. That sparked a brush fire in the dry grass below, which as of 1:20 p.m. continues to burn.
The fire department cannot extinguish the wildfire around the power line until Dominion Power crews arrive and shut off the power, according to scanner traffic. As of 1:40 p.m. the flames were nearing vehicles parked along the access road.
Residents should expect “a lot of smoke in the area,” according to a police officer on scene. Police have shut down traffic in both directions on the access road near S. Wakefield Street and are preparing to shut down the mainline Four Mile Run Drive.
Arlington County Police will again be stepping up enforcement of seat belt laws, starting next week.
ACPD’s enforcement campaign, part of the national Click It or Ticket program, will run through the Memorial Day holiday, from Monday, May 22 to Sunday, June 4.
More from a police press release:
The Arlington County Police Department is once again reminding motorists to Click It or Ticket. As part of the national seat belt enforcement campaign, law enforcement agencies around the country will be stepping up enforcement from May 22 to June 4, just ahead of one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.
Every day, unbuckled motorists are losing their lives in motor vehicle crashes. As we approach Memorial Day weekend and the summer vacation season, we want to make sure people are doing the one thing that can save them in a crash, buckling up.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly half of the 22,441 passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes in 2015 were unrestrained. At night from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., that number soared to 57 percent of those killed. That’s why one focus of the Click It or Ticket campaign is nighttime enforcement. Participating law enforcement agencies will be taking a no-excuses approach to seat belt law enforcement, writing citations day and night.
In 2015, the use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 13,941 lives of occupants ages 5 and older according to the NHTSA. That’s why motorists are encouraged to buckle up every time on every ride.
For more information on the Click It or Ticket mobilization, please visit www.nhtsa.gov/ciot.
World of Beer Gets Rebranded — The Ballston location of World of Beer is no longer part of the chain and has instead been rebranded as “Crafthouse.” The restaurant — along with former WoB locations in Fairfax and Reston — is now offering a full menu of American craft fare and a drink menu that includes local beers, bourbons, whiskey, wine and other spirits. [Reston Now]
County’s Stance on Rising Homeless Population — Via an Arlington County press release: “We believe that the increase in Arlington’s numbers this year do not reflect the long-term trend in our County,” said Arlington County Board Vice Chair Katie Cristol. “Since 2008, when we launched the 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, Arlington has cut its number of homeless persons by more than half. We’ve made great strides in housing veterans and chronically homeless individuals and families.” [Arlington County]
Metro Changes Next Month — Starting June 25, Metrorail’s operating hours are being shortened while rail and bus fares are increasing, rush hour rail frequency is decreasing and some bus routes are being discontinued. [WMATA]
Freddie’s Named Top Brunch Spot — Freddie’s Beach Bar and Restaurant, a gay bar in Crystal City that hosts a Broadway brunch on Saturdays and a Champagne brunch on Sundays, has been named one of the 100 best brunch spots in America by OpenTable. [OpenTable]
Democratic nominee Erik Gutshall and his campaign team in front of the caucus results
Arlington County Democratic Committee chair Kip Malinosky unveils the results
Voters wait in line to vote at Washington-Lee High School
Voters could pose with a photo frame after casting their ballots
After polls closed, it was a nervous wait for candidates and volunteers
(Updated 10:25 p.m.) Erik Gutshall and Monique O’Grady were victorious at the Arlington County Democratic Committee caucus, winning the County Board nominee and School Board endorsement, respectively.
The final turnout of 5,972 votes is a record for a Democratic caucus held in the county, beating the previous high of 4,951 in the 1993 caucus for County Board. Voters cast ballots across three days at Francis Scott Key Elementary School on Tuesday, Drew Model School on Thursday and Washington-Lee High School Saturday.
Gutshall earned 3,209 votes to finish ahead of Kim Klingler with 1,416, Vivek Patil with 1,189 and Peter Fallon with 945. O’Grady got 3,441 votes, ahead of seven-year incumbent School Board member James Lander’s 2,336 votes and Maura McMahon’s 965.
“I think Arlington is definitely ready to move forward and make sure that we’re focused on the future,” Gutshall said. “That’s what I ran on, and I look forward to fulfilling everything that we’ve talked about in this campaign.”
O’Grady said she wants to repay her supporters’ faith in the November general election and beyond, if she wins a seat on the School Board.
“I want them to know I’m going to work very hard to follow everything that I’ve laid out in this campaign,” she said. “I’ve heard them, I will continue to listen to them and will continue to work so hard for our students. I will listen to them, I will listen to our students, I will listen to our parents as we continue to try to figure out how to handle some of the issues we’re dealing with in Arlington.”
For Gutshall, who came into the three-day caucus with a slew of endorsements from current and former elected officials, it represents a redemption of sorts after he lost the 2016 primary to Libby Garvey.
Gutshall said despite the defeat, he was determined for his vision to be heard at the highest levels of county government.
“It’s knowing that the future of Arlington matters, and that we are this great progressive success story that I want to see continue,” he said. “I have roots here. I’ve got my business here, I’ve got my family here, this is where I’m meant to be and it’s a great place to be and a great community and I want to make sure we keep moving forward into the future.”
Defeated County Board candidates Klingler and Patil congratulated Gutshall on a positive campaign, and said they were positive about the county’s future direction.
“Hopefully some of my messaging and priorities resonated throughout the campaign, because that’s what’s important to me,” Klingler said. “I hope we will carry those messages forward.”
“What I’m really happy about is the amazing campaign we ran,” Patil said. “I’m very proud of the ideas we brought to the race, the stories we told. I’m going to do this. I said on my first day, if I’m going to lose, it doesn’t matter, because I have actually won a lot of faith and support in the community for our ideas and our vision.”
The high turnout, albeit lower than for primary elections in the past, gave Democratic leaders cause for optimism ahead of June’s primary elections and November’s votes for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and the House of Delegates.
“Turnout is high and people are excited, so it’s a win for the Democrats,” said School Board vice chair Barbara Kanninen.
The county’s ordinance on accessory dwelling units, also known as “granny flats” or “mother-in-law suites,” is set for some changes after staff and a citizen group put together some initial ideas.
Only 20 ADUs — defined as a second place to live on a property, with a kitchen, a bathroom and a separate entrance — have been approved in Arlington since the ordinance first came into effect in 2009.
In a bid to encourage more accessory dwellings, the county convened a working group, which has come up with several proposals, including:
ADUs would be allowed in townhomes. (Currently they are only allowed on the inside of a single-family home.)
ADUs would be allowed to exist as detached dwellings.
The maximum allowed size would be increased from 750 to 1,000 square feet
The maximum occupancy would be increased from two people to three to allow for couples with a child or similar circumstances.
The requirement that accessory dwellings can also only be added after a year of ownership would be removed, meaning home builders could begin to add them in new homes.
In March, local economist Eric Brescia, a member of the County Housing Commission and the Arlington County Republican Committee’s policy director, said there are too many “poison pills” preventing further approvals of accessory dwellings. He argued that relaxing regulations could help ease the county’s lack of affordable housing.
Staff will share these preliminary ideas and more at a community meeting Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon at Francis Scott Key Elementary School (2300 Key Blvd).
Rosslyn sexual assault suspect (photo courtesy ACPD)
(Updated at 12:30 p.m.) A new video released by the Arlington County Police Department shows the suspect in a violent sexual assault sneaking into another Rosslyn apartment building.
The video shows the man — described as a slim, 6-foot-tall black male in his early 20s — walking into the secured apartment building, on the 1900 block of Wilson Blvd, behind a resident who was walking her dog.
“The suspect is then stopped by the concierge who refused further access into the building,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “The suspect leaves the area on foot in the direction of the 1500 block of Key Boulevard,” where the May 7 attack took place shortly thereafter.
From a prior police press release:
If anyone has information on the identity of this individual or details surrounding this incident, please contact Detective P. Pena of the Arlington County Police Department’s Special Victim’s Unit at 703.228.4183 or at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).
Savage cautions residents of secured residential buildings against letting “common courtesy come before safety.”
“Don’t permit a stranger into a secure building or buzz them into a building,” she said. “Don’t hold a door open for someone who is not authorized to be in the building. Once you enter a secure building, ensure the door closes securely behind you. If you see suspicious behavior, report to police.”
Homeless Population on the Rise in Arlington — “Most jurisdictions saw declines in homelessness from 2016, though the population… increased by 33 percent in Arlington County. Kathleen Sibert, the president and chief executive of the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network, noted that because Arlington has a relatively small homeless population, modest fluctuations can create dramatic-looking percentage increases or decreases.” [Washington Post]
More on New Rosslyn McDonald’s — The new state-of-the-art McDonald’s in Rosslyn has some food offerings not available elsewhere in D.C. It has an in-house bakery that serves fresh pastries; the other closest McDonald’s with a bakery is in New York City. Also, the restaurant will soon offer two special ice cream sundaes: turtle brownie and strawberry shortcake. [Rosslyn BID]
County Seeks Volunteers for ‘BioBlitz’ — “Arlington County is seeking dedicated volunteers to support its May 20 ‘BioBlitz,’ a quick-but-intense wilderness exploration that will produce a catalog of our natural holdings spotted within a 24-hour window. Think of it as a snapshot of the common-to-rare wildlife that can be found hiding in plain sight within our borders.” [Arlington County]
Drafthouse Continues to Critique Kennedy Center — Arlington Cinema Drafthouse owner Greg Godbout has penned another letter to customers that makes the case for why the Kennedy Center is competing unfairly for comedy acts. The letter also accuses the center of “lying” and a “cover up” after Godbout went public with his initial criticism. [Drafthouse Comedy]
Update at 4:35 p.m. — The man has been found, according to scanner traffic.
Earlier: Arlington police are searching for a man who went missing from the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City earlier this afternoon.
Paul Lowe, 41, was last seen at the mall at around 2 p.m. According to police, he is described as a light skinned black male, approximately 6-foot-2 with a slim build, bald with a small goatee. He was last seen wearing a blue plaid shirt with blue jeans. Lowe is described as having the mental capacity of a 10-year-old.
According to scanner traffic, Lowe was ejected from the mall by security guards, but they did not realize he has mental health issues. A friend who was with him reportedly said that while he likely does not have the ability to navigate Metro by himself, he is capable of operating crosswalks.
Police are currently scouring the mall and the surrounding area, including the Pentagon City Metro station, Pentagon Centre and Pentagon Row. K-9 units are on scene to assist with the search.
Anyone with information on Lowe’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Arlington County Police Department immediately at 703-558-2222.
Burned door at Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses church
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses church
Police and fire at Kingdom Hall arson investigation
Police and fire at Kingdom Hall arson investigation
Fire Marshall’s Office vehicles at Kingdom Hall arson investigation
Someone tried to light a door on fire at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses church in the East Falls Church neighborhood of Arlington this morning.
The fire was set using a flammable substance just before 10 a.m., according to Arlington County Fire Department spokesman Lt. Jason Hart. The fire damaged the door — an entrance to the church sanctuary — and some surrounding bushes but did not spread beyond that.
Investigators from the Fire Marshal’s Office are still on scene this afternoon, gathering evidence.
This is the second such arson case currently being investigated in Northern Virginia, Hart said; a similar fire was recently set at a Jehovah’s Witnesses church in the Falls Church section of Fairfax County.
Arlington authorities are coordinating the investigation with their Fairfax County counterparts, according to Hart.
It’s an ongoing problem: thieves using “skimmer” devices to steal credit and debit card information from unsuspecting customers of local businesses.
Arlington’s Cherrydale neighborhood appears to be the latest target of the skimmer scammers.
Reports a resident:
Maywood listserv lighting up with reports of multiple people getting their credit cards skimmed recently. Most people point to common thread of Liberty Gas station on Lee Highway (and a few other likely places in the area) as common thread. But that is not 100% clear.
In most cases, someone buys gas here. Later someone tries to purchase gas in California. Per Cherrydale listserv earlier, it looks like Arlington Police already found a “skimmer” machine earlier at Exxon across the street, but these are new reports from another potential location.
Arlington County Police Department spokeswoman Ashley Savage confirmed at least a portion of the neighborhood scuttlebutt.
Here’s what she said via email to ARLnow.com:
Our Financial Crimes Unit received reports of possible credit card skimming at the Liberty Gas station. They responded to the area and during their investigation did not identify a point of compromise at this location. On March 9 at approximately 1:57 p.m., police responded to the Exxon gas station in the 4000 block of Old Dominion Drive for the report of a recovered credit card skimmer. That investigation is ongoing.
These type of cases are typically reported to police as credit card fraud and since we use credit cards for almost all purchases (online, in person, groceries, gas, etc.) the challenge is identifying the point of compromise. Turnaround time from point of compromise to first fraudulent use varies depending on how the suspects intend to use the stolen data. Police work closely with banking institutes who notify us when there is a trend with customers cards being compromised and they identify the location all the cards have in common.
There are some things citizens can do to protect themselves:
You will not know if a gas pump has a skimmers. In most cases, the skimmers are being placed inside the machine.
Pay inside at the gas station rather than at the pump.
Always pay using credit rather than debit – it’s easier to dispute the charges and isn’t linked directly to your bank account.
If you haven’t switched to a chip reader on your credit card, do so.
Regularly check your bank statements and if you notice fraudulent activity, notify the bank so they can begin an investigation.
If you find you were the victim of fraud, file a police report.
A 25-year-old Arlington man is facing charges after police say he injured another man while swinging a knife at some companions.
The incident happened around 1 a.m. Saturday on the 3800 block of Columbia Pike, just down the street from the Burger King.
More from this week’s Arlington County Police Department crime report:
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2017-05060025, 3800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 12:58 a.m. on May 6, officers responded to the report of an assault in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined that following a verbal argument between known individuals, a physical altercation ensued. During the altercation, the male suspect allegedly brandished a knife and began swinging it around at the victims. One male victim suffered non-life threatening injuries. Ismael Rodriguez Jr., 25, of Arlington VA, was arrested and charged with malicious wounding, and two counts of attempted malicious wounding. He is being held without bond.
The rest of the weekly crime report, including some that we’ve already covered, after the jump.
