News

DEVELOPING: Child Found Dead in Back of Car in Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

ACFD Arlington County ambulance (file photo)Update at 6:05 p.m. — Charges have now been filed in the case.

Fairfax County Police are investigating the death of a two-year-old girl who was found in the back of a car in Pentagon City.

Medics were called to the front of the Pentagon City mall, on the 1100 block of S. Hayes Street, around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a child who was unresponsive in the back of a car and was being administered CPR. The girl was later pronounced dead.

An investigation determined that the girl had likely died in Annandale after being left in the back of the car all day by a caretaker.

From the Fairfax County Police Department:

Our initial investigation has determined that a male acquaintance of the child’s mother was supposed to drop three children off at two locations on the morning of April 20. It appears he dropped off two older children, ages 10 and 15, and then returned to the home in Fairfax County, not realizing that the two-year-old remained on the back seat of the car. Sometime later, the acquaintance got back in the car to pick up the children’s mother. When he arrived at her location in Arlington County, he looked in the back seat area of the car and saw the child. When he discovered that she was unresponsive, he immediately called 911.

So far, no charges have been filed in the case. The two older children are staying with a relative pending the results of the investigation.

“As detectives continue their investigation, they will consult with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County for a determination of criminal liability,” said police.

BREAKING: Shooting on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com
1/11

Update at 1:15 p.m. — Three suspects have been arrested in the case, including the man who was shot.

Arlington County Police are on scene of a shooting on Columbia Pike.

Numerous shots were fired near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Monroe Street. One man was shot in the leg and has been transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to Arlington County Police spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

A resident who lives across the street from the shooting said she hear about 10 gunshots and then came outside to see the victim on the ground in front of the Burger King, screaming.

Police were initially dispatched to the scene for a report of several men threatening the owner of an automotive business on S. Monroe Street, near the Burger King.

Three suspects fled the area in a gray Dodge Charger, according to scanner traffic. Police chased that car northbound on I-395, but the suspects were able to outrun officers, who lost sight of the car before entering the District.

Columbia Pike is closed between S. Glebe Road and S. Quincy Street while police investigate, document the scene and interview several witnesses.

Photo courtesy @_UrbunHippie

Military to Hold Public Meeting on Columbia Pike Realignment, Cemetery Expansion

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Arlington National Cemetery will brief Arlington residents next week on its plan to expand around the Air Force Memorial and realign the eastern end of Columbia Pike.

The “scoping meeting” is being held at the Sheraton hotel at 900 S. Orme Street from 5-9 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27.

The cemetery, which recently embarked on another expansion project, says it needs “additional space that is contiguous with the existing cemetery in order to maintain future operations beyond 2037.” It is planning a land swap with Arlington County and VDOT that will create burial space on either side of the Air Force Memorial, including on the former Navy Annex site.

“The cemetery has been working with the owners and operators of the adjacent road network, Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Transportation, to pursue a roadway realignment and land exchange agreement that will also support the short- and long-term multimodal transportation system for the Commonwealth of Virginia and Arlington County,” the cemetery said in a press release.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working on an environmental assessment ahead of the project.

“The Environmental Assessment will evaluate the proposal to increase the cemetery’s contiguous acreage, realign roadways, and maximize burial space by utilizing an area adjacent to the existing cemetery (formerly known as the Navy Annex site) located south of the existing cemetery,” said the press release.

The Corps of Engineers has set up a web page to provide information about the project. The event next week will allow residents “to learn more about and provide comments on the proposed project.”

A new 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center is also planned in conjunction with the project.

Crime Report: One Arrest Made After Two Creepy Incidents Near High Schools

By ARLnow.com

Arlington police carOne person was arrested and another is being sought by police as two disturbing incidents near Arlington high schools Tuesday evening.

The first occurred around 4:15 p.m., within a block of Wakefield High School. Police say a 28-year-old Arlington man was arrested after a 15-year-old girl witnessed him masturbating in his car.

From an Arlington County Police crime report:

INDECENT EXPOSURE, 160419045, 1900 block of S. George Mason Drive. At approximately 4:15 p.m. on April 19, while a female victim was walking she witnessed a male subject masturbating in his vehicle. Fredy Lisandro Guzman, 28, of Arlington VA, was arrested and charged with indecent exposure. He is being held on a secured bond.

A block away from Yorktown High School, around 7 p.m., police say a man in a pickup truck tried to lure some children into his vehicle.

At this time, police do not believe this incident is connected with a similar one that occurred earlier in the month in the Arlington Mill neighborhood.

ENTICEMENT, 160419051, 5200 block of 30th Street. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on April 19, an unknown male in a vehicle attempted to entice several children into his vehicle. The vehicle is described as an older model, navy blue pick-up truck with several dents and scratches. IT was reported that the truck had a ladder on top of it and numerous tools in the bed. The suspect is described as a Hispanic male in his 40-50’s. He was wearing a blue tattered tank top.

Update at 4:35 p.m. — ACPD issued the following press release about the incident Wednesday afternoon.

The Arlington County Police Department would like to make the public aware of an enticement incident of three children on April 19, 2016.

The Arlington County Police Department is currently investigating an attempted enticement of three children, ages 8-11, while they were outside playing hide and seek yesterday evening. The incident occurred in the 5200 block of N. 30th Street around 7:00 p.m., when a male suspect driving an older model navy blue pickup truck approached the children and attempted to lure them into his vehicle. The children were all able to run away and seek immediate assistance.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 40-50 years old, with medium length hair and was wearing a blue tattered tank top.

If anyone has information on the identity of the suspect, please contact the Arlington County Police Department at 703.558.2222 or Detective Saundra Lafley at 703.228.4052.Det. Lafley can also be reached by email at [email protected]. To report information anonymously, contact the Arlington County Crime Solvers at 866.411.TIPS (8477).

Later Tuesday night, along Columbia Pike, a woman was startled to find a man watching her in the bathroom stall next to hers.

PEEPING TOM, 160419021, 900 block of S. Highland Street. At approximately 11:38 p.m. on April 19, a female victim observed a male subject watching her in the restroom stall next to hers. The suspect fled the scene on foot. The suspect is described as a black male in his 30’s, approximately 5’10-6’0″ tall and weighed 170-200 lbs. He was wearing a white button up shirt, striped tie, tan pants, and dark shoes.

Tumble Out of Window Sends Worker to Hospital

By ARLnow.com

Scene of an industrial accident on 4/20/16 (photo via Google Maps)A man was seriously injured after falling out of a window in Lyon Park this morning.

The incident happened just before 11:30 a.m., in a low-slung commercial building on the 2700 block of Washington Blvd.

Police say a maintenance worker accidentally tumbled out of a second-floor window and landed on his head. He was transported to George Washington University Hospital with serious injuries.

Police and occupational safety authorities are investigating the accident.

Photo via Google Maps

Amid Bickering, Board Votes to Appoint ‘Blue Ribbon Panel’ to Mull County Priorities

By ARLnow.com

Jay Fisette at County Board budget work session (file photo)A unanimous vote belies some bickering over a planned “blue ribbon panel” that will help the County Board consider its priorities for Arlington County.

The Board voted Tuesday afternoon to create the six-member panel, with each Board member and the County Manager appointing one member apiece. The panel will mull “recommendations for how the Board should develop strategic priorities” to supplement the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

The panel was advanced by County Board Chair Libby Garvey, with the support of Board members John Vihstadt, Katie Cristol and Christian Dorsey. Jay Fisette, the longest-serving member of the Board, questioned the need for such a panel and the manner in which it was proposed.

“What is the problem we’re trying to solve?” Fisette asked, calling the proposal “a lot of foam and not a lot of beer.”

Fisette, the last of the former old guard Democratic establishment on the Board, worried that the panel could be used to reduce environmental or human services priorities in favor of “core services.”

Cristol and Dorsey, the newest Board members, disagreed with that assessment, with the latter saying he wouldn’t support the creation of the panel if he thought that was the goal.

Fisette also pointed out that while the idea of the panel had been discussed internally by the Board for several months, it had not been made public and was not part of the day’s County Board agenda online. That, he said, ran counter to the stated desire of other Board members that County Board agenda items be posted online at least 48 hours in advance.

“Nobody in the community has seen this quote blue ribbon panel charge to actually weigh in or give us feedback on whether this is a good idea,” he said.

Garvey said the panel would not be setting policy — it would be advising the Board. She also suggested that applying the “Arlington Way” to too many county functions may be a hinderance to good governance.

“This is not the traditional Arlington Way where we get input from as many people as possible and we have a huge process,” Garvey said. “This is really getting us a small group of smart, experienced people who are going to bring different things to the table that we value, and they will advise us. I’m looking for ways to be more adaptable and quick on our feet on things.”

Garvey said an overabundance of priorities in the Comprehensive Plan results in pressure to fund the many groups that come to the Board around budget time saying, in her words, “well this is a priority, you have to fund it.”

“They’re right, it is a priority, it’s one of many priorities,” she said. “I have been feeling for some time that we need to look through our priorities and set them in some sort of priority order.”

“Our own Facilities Study working group recommended that we do a better job of planning and setting priorities,” Garvey added.

Members of the panel will be announced “in the coming weeks,” according to a press release (below, after the jump).

(more…)

Arlington Population Grows, Jobs Shrink

By ARLnow.com

Aerial view of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor (photo courtesy James Mahony)Arlington’s population continues to grow as the number of jobs in the county shrinks, according to new data.

Arlington County just released its 2016 Profile, which includes vital statistics like population, employment and demographics.

According to the county, Arlington’s estimated population on Jan. 1, 2016 was 220,400, up from 216,700 on Jan. 1, 2015 and up 6.1 percent compared to 2010.

Arlington’s population is projected to reach 283,000 by 2040. That projection is unchanged from last year.

The number of jobs in Arlington County, meanwhile, declined over the past year.

There were 211,000 employees working in Arlington on Jan. 1, compared to 221,700 in 2015. Much of that can be attributed to a shrinking government workforce in Arlington — 23 percent of the jobs in Arlington were government employees on Jan. 1, compared to 24.2 percent of the labor force last year. That’s a loss of more than 5,100 government jobs.

Still, the projected number of jobs in Arlington in 2040 remains steady at just over 300,000. The profile presents a picture of a county that remains a major employment center and a sought-after place to live.

“Arlington has more private office space than the downtowns of Los Angeles, Dallas, Denver,
Seattle, or Atlanta,” it says. “Arlington continues to grow with the addition of new development. In 2015,
2,161 residential units were completed.”

Photo courtesy James Mahony

Board Approves Budget With Tax Rate Cut, Increase in Public Safety Spending

By ARLnow.com

2016 Arlington County BoardA slight tax rate cut and more money for schools and public safety were the three big items of note during last night’s county budget approval.

The Board largely took the recommendations of County Manager Mark Schwartz, who presented his proposed budget in February, and voted unanimously for the new, $1.2 billion FY 2017 budget.

Under the budget, the property tax rate will be reduced by half a cent, to $0.991 for every $100 in assessed value, while the overall property tax burden on the average homeowner will increase from $7,640 to $7,829. The increase is due to a 2.8 percent rise in residential property assessments.

The budget provides more money for Arlington Public Schools than APS asked for, in stark contrast to the budget battle in Fairfax County.

APS, which is continuing to grapple with a burgeoning student population, will get a $466.9 million budget transfer from the county, a 3.3 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. That includes “$1.1 million in one-time and ongoing funding above the School Board’s funding request.”

The budget includes the biggest boost to Arlington’s public safety funding in years, satisfying some long-sought requests.

The fire department will get eight additional firefighters to convert existing three-person fire units to the recommended safe staffing level of four per unit. ACFD will also get four additional firefighters to address persistent strains to medic unit staffing during peak times.

“A positive step forward for public safety,” the Arlington Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Association said via Twitter.

The police department will get six new officers to help the department “meet its core mission responsibilities.” The Sheriff’s Office, which is facing a lawsuit over the alleged mistreatment of a deaf jail inmate, is getting five new positions to “improve safety and security at the Courthouse and the Detention Center, bolster its administrative staff and add a uniformed American with Disabilities Act coordinator.”

Other notable budget items include:

  • An additional $1.5 million for Arlington Economic Development, “to focus on lowering the commercial vacancy rate.”
  • $13.6 million for the county’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund, which is $1.1 million more than proposed by the manager.
  • “Modest funding to continue the County’s open data efforts” and funding for livestreaming County Board work sessions and certain commission meetings.
  • Merit pay increases for county employees.
  • An increase in the living wage for county employees to $14.50 per hour, plus tuition reimbursement and continued funding for the Live Where You Work program.

“This is a good budget,” Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said in a statement. “Even as our population and school enrollment continue to grow, and our office vacancy rate remains high, the Board was able to put together a budget that preserves our community’s values, gives schools more funding than they requested, and adds funding for public safety, economic development and other key services – with a slight decrease in the tax rate.”

The budget is a complex document and the adopted budget is not yet online. Know of any other notable budget items not included here? Any quiet boosts or cuts in funding to a certain group or county department? Let us know in the comments.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Pedestrian bridge over Four Mile Run, near Shirlington (Flickr pool photo by TheBeltWalk)

Times Lauds Crystal City’s ‘Reboot’ — Arlington’s Crystal City community is “is quietly and persistently reinventing itself,” with tech startups and co-working spaces moving in and taking advantage of office space left vacant by departed federal and military tenants. Crystal City stakeholders are positioning it as a less expensive but still amenity-filled alternative to the District. “Think Brooklyn and Manhattan,” said Mitchell Schear, president of property owner Vornado/Charles E. Smith. [New York Times]

Ballston Named One of the Area’s ‘Hottest Neighborhoods’ — Ballston is among the top 5 “hottest neighborhoods in Washington,” according to Washingtonian. The magazine notes that Ballston’s median home price rose by nearby 10 percent last year, and that the forthcoming renovation of Ballston Common Mall will convert it into “an airy, downtown-like destination, akin to Fairfax’s Mosaic district.” The other four hot neighborhoods are Mount Pleasant, Trinidad, Shaw and Hyattsville. [Washingtonian]

Archaeological Dig Unearths History — An Arlington County-supervised archaeological dig at Dawson Terrace, near Rosslyn, has unearthed “243 ceramic objects, 1,603 glass objects, 74 metal objects and 13 others.” Most of the objects are believed to be from the 18th and 19th centuries. Dawson Terrace is Arlington’s oldest stone house, dating back to around the Revolutionary War. [Falls Church News-Press]

County Recognizes ‘Notable Trees’ — At yesterday’s Arlington County Board meeting, the county recognized this year’s batch of “notable trees.” Among the record 23 trees bestowed the honor for “their importance to our community, our environment and our sense of identity” was a Southern magnolia in Clarendon, planted in 1965 in honor of a fallen firefighter. [Arlington County, InsideNova]

Four Mile Run Initiative Advances — The County Board yesterday appointed a working group, charged with “providing advice, guidance and feedback to the Board and County staff on developing a comprehensive vision for Four Mile Run Valley.” The 95 acre area between Shirlington and Nauck, also known as Shirlington Crescent, is currently home to various light industrial businesses but may be ripe for redevelopment. [Arlington County]

Tickets Available to W-L Theater Production — Tickets to the Washington-Lee High School production of “Dark of the Moon” are available online. The show runs from April 28-30. [Tix.com]

Flickr pool photo by TheBeltWalk

Police Investigating Stabbing in Nauck

By ARLnow.com

Stabbing in Nauck 4/19/16 (photo courtesy @toddmpost)

Arlington County Police are on scene of a stabbing in the Nauck neighborhood.

The incident happened just before 2 p.m. on the 2200 block of 24th Street S. Initial reports suggest a man was stabbed and the suspect was then chased down the street by two men.

The victim, however, is being uncooperative and no suspects are in police custody, according to scanner traffic.

The victim’s injuries are said to be non-life-threatening. He is being transported via ambulance to the trauma center at George Washington University Hospital.

Photo courtesy @toddmpost

Armed Robber Chased Away By Bottle-Throwing Employee

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)A would-be robber armed with a gun fled a Lee Highway store empty-handed after an employee started throwing glass bottles at him.

The incident happened Saturday, at a market on the 5100 block of Lee Highway, around 10:15 p.m.

A clerk was clearing out the cash register around closing time when a masked man entered and brandished a gun. A second employee, in defense of her coworker, then started throwing bottles at the armed man, according to Arlington County Police.

The robber fled the store and the area empty-handed.

Police say the crime was not reported until Monday, which is hindering the investigation.

“We always encourage people to report crimes to the Arlington County Police Department as soon as possible,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “That always assists in the investigation.”

From an ACPD crime report:

LATE ATTEMPTED ARMED ROBBERY, 160418039, 5100 block of Lee Highway. At approximately 10:15 p.m. on April 16, an unknown male subject entered a store and brandished a firearm. A female employee was able to defend a male clerk by throwing glass bottles at the suspect. The suspect fled the scene on foot without any merchandise. The suspect is described as a male, approximately 5’9″ tall and weighed 150 lbs. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, mask, and black or dark green gloves.

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