State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D) has again proposed a bill to decriminalize marijuana for personal use in Virginia.
Ebbin, who has won the endorsement of the pro-pot group NORML, proposed a similar bill last year, but it failed in the conservative Virginia General Assembly.
The bill, SB 104, would reduce marijuana possession to a civil offense punishable only by fines, like a traffic ticket, rather than jail time. It would also reduce the criminal penalties for marijuana distribution and possession with the intent to distribute.
Would you like to see marijuana decriminalized in Virginia?
Another Roll-Over Crash on I-66 — Last night, around 3 a.m., an SUV that was being chased by police overturned after exiting I-66 at East Falls Church. At the same time, another roll-over crash happened on the Fairfax Drive ramp to westbound I-66. A vehicle flipped over as a result of a crash involving it and another vehicle. [WTOP]
Planned Power Outage at Courthouse Plaza — Businesses and elevators at the Courthouse Plaza shopping center will be without power from 3 a.m. to noon Saturday as part of scheduled electrical work. Among the businesses affected will be the AMC movie theater and the Starbucks. [Twitter, Twitter]
Retired Arlington Marine Dies at 103 — A retired Marine who lost his arm in a shipboard explosion in 1937 has died at the age of 103. Pvt. Clyde Byrd died at Virginia Hospital Center following a heart attack. A police and motorcycle club-escorted funeral procession brought Byrd to his final resting place at Quantico National Cemetery in Triangle, Va. [InsideNova]
Last Weekend for Synetic Show — This weekend is your last chance to see a reimagined version of Shakespeare’s As You Like It performed at Synetic Theatre in Crystal City. [Washingtonian, Synetic Theatre]
The vehicle pursuit began around 2:45 a.m., when a Virginia State Police trooper pulled over a Nissan Xterra that was heading east on I-66 at a high rate of speed.
“During the course of the traffic stop, the Nissan fled from the trooper and headed east on I-66. The suspect vehicle took Exit 68 and the trooper lost sight of it,” according to a VSP press release. “As the Nissan came through the exit ramp, it ran off the road, went through a fence, struck a tree and then an unoccupied vehicle in a parking lot. The driver then fled the scene on foot.”
Arlington County and Fairfax County police helped to search for the driver, who was apprehended just before 4 a.m. after being found “behind a trash can” at the East Falls Church Metro station.
The man, 21-year-old Artis Thomas, Jr. of Washington, D.C., was taken into custody “without further incident” and locked up in the Arlington County Detention Center. He was charged with ” DUID (Driving Under the Influence of Drugs), felony eluding law enforcement, possession of a concealed weapon, hit-and-run, and possession of marijuana,” according to VSP.
Police say they recovered a handgun from Thomas’ vehicle.
Arlington Police are searching for additional victims of two men who were arrested earlier this week and charged with sexual assault.
Plain clothes officers arrested Alexandria residents Jose Euseibo Guevara-Rodriquez, 39, and Elmer Umberto Lopez-Velasquez, 38, on Tuesday.
According to police, the men sexually assaulted a woman who was involved in “escort-related activity” at a motel in south Arlington, threatening her with a weapon and stealing her iPad before leaving the room.
Investigators believe the suspects could have other victims — specifically, sex workers who do not speak English and who are therefore less likely to report a crime to police.
The department’s Homicide Robbery Unit is investigating the incident. They’re asking victims who may have had an encounter with these suspects to call Det. Greg Seibert at 703-228-4199.
From the ACPD press release:
The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide Robbery Unit is investigating two suspects involved in a sexual assault and are seeking additional victims. On January 12, 2016, the female victim was involved in escort-related activity at a motel in S. Arlington when two suspects unknown to the victim knocked on the door. Upon entering the motel room, the suspects sexually assaulted the victim while using the threat of a weapon to hold her against her will. The suspects fled the room with the victim’s iPad. The suspects were apprehended by police working a plain clothes detail in the area.
Jose Euseibo Guevara-Rodriquez, 39, of Alexandria, Virginia was charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, rape, abduction with intent to defile and resisting arrest. Elmer Umberto Lopez-Velasquez, 38, of Alexandria, Virginia was charged with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted rape and abduction with intent to defile and resisting arrest. Both suspects were arrested and held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
Investigators believe the suspects are targeting non-English speaking victims in hopes that they will not report crimes to police. Anyone who had past inappropriate encounters with the suspects is asked to call Detective Greg Seibert at 703-228-4199 or email [email protected].
The pace of road paving in Arlington has more than tripled in the past five years, according to newly-released stats.
A new county-produced video (above) states that Arlington paved 91 lane miles of roadway in 2015. That’s up from 25 lane miles paved in 2009 and 30 lane miles paved in 2010.
Arlington County made “significant investments in road paving in 2015,” the video says, calling it “a banner year for roadwork.” The total cost of the paving program last year: $13 million.
The previously lethargic pace of road paving, combined with a number of unusually harsh winters, led to complaints from residents that Arlington’s roads were in poor shape, especially for a county that prides itself on providing a high level of government services.
In 2012, Arlington’s average Pavement Condition Index grade — a measure of road quality from a scale of 1 to 100 — was only 68.9.
The tide started to turn with the adoption of the FY 2013-2022 Capital Improvement Plan, which called for paving at least 72 lane miles per year to put the county back on an engineer-recommended 15 year paving cycle. Arlington has a total of 974 lane miles of county-maintained roadway.
In 2015, Arlington County paved portions of a number of major local roads, including Crystal Drive, Columbia Pike, Washington Blvd near Lee Hwy, and Army Navy Drive. The county was also especially proactive about filling potholes last year, filling 12,100 compared to the previous five-year average of 6,600 per year.
Mike Moon, Deputy Director of Operations for Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services, touted the county’s paving progress.
“The 91 lane miles we paved in 2015 was a doubling of our effort compared to 2012,” Moon said. “It was a significant effort and we’re really pleased with how the paving program went this year.”
(Updated at 12:10 p.m.) Arlington County and Fort Myer firefighters and medics are on the scene of a carbon monoxide incident on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
The incident is taking place at the Cody Child Development Center on the base. Firefighters were dispatched there shortly after 10 a.m.
According to scanner traffic, employees and children were evacuated to an auditorium due to a high level of carbon monoxide in the building. The source of the CO has been traced back to a malfunctioning boiler.
Firefighters are ventilating the building while a hazmat team continues to monitor conditions. Medics treated and monitored at least eight patients, who are suffering nausea and anxiety-like symptoms. No patients required transport to the hospital.
A crew of firefighters was dispatched to the center’s kitchen to retrieve infant formula for some of the children, according to scanner traffic.
Around noon, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall issued the following press release about the incident, asking parents to come pick up their children.
A “suspicious odor” reported this morning at the Cody Child Development Center on the Fort Myer portion of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall has led to the relocation of the center’s children to another portion of the center as JBM-HH Fire and Rescue services investigate.
Emergency services responded after detection of a “suspicious odor” in the facility earlier this morning. At approximately 11:30 a.m., the emergency services
Parents of the children have been notified and are asked by the center’s management to pick up their children as soon as possible.
“Our primary concern is the safety of everyone involved,” said Col. Mike Henderson, JBM-HH commander. “We are doing everything possible to mitigate any potential danger to children, staff and others involved.”
Children are being screened and will be treated by medical services on scene.
Joint base officials said that there is a plan in place to quickly relocate children to another portion of the joint base if responders’ investigation determines that there is indeed a safety hazard present.
Parents seeking additional information about the situation can contact the Cody Child Development Center’s management at 703-696-3712.
Additional information will be released as available. Please check the JBM-HH Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jbmhh for additional details as they become available.
ACFD on scene of a CO incident at Ft. Myer. Several patients were evaluated but not transported. Units will be clearing the scene soon.
The Crystal City Shops will become more accessible thanks to an agreement reached between property owner Vornado and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
A citizen’s complaint led federal prosecutors to investigate the indoor shopping concourse, which runs along Crystal Drive and connects with the Crystal City Metro station. The complaint stated that portions of the shops are inaccessible to those with disabilities, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
As a result of the agreement, Vornado will build ramps or lifts in portions of the shopping center that were previously only accessible by stairs. New signage, accessible parking spaces and accessible restroom fixtures will also be added.
The press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, after the jump.
State Lawmaker: Add Lanes to I-66 — State Sen. Chap Petersen (D), who represents part of Fairfax County, doesn’t much care for Arlington’s efforts to dissuade VDOT from adding an extra lane to I-66. “When I was a little boy, we put a man on the moon. We can figure out how to put six lanes through Arlington County,” Petersen said in an interview. [WTOP]
Del. Levine Proposes Minimum Wage Increase — For his first piece of state legislation, freshman Del. Mark Levine (D) has proposed a bill that would allow localities in Virginia to raise the minimum wage up to $10. The maximum amount would then rise every year with the consumer price index. The likelihood of the bill passing is slim. [InsideNova]
Highway Project Giving Away Grant Money — Transurban, the private company behind the newly-revived I-395 HOT lanes project, is trying to endear itself to the communities along the I-395 corridor. For one, the company recently joined the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. It’s also giving away grants of $1,000 to $5,000 “to respond to the needs of local organizations and direct impact neighborhoods located within the I-395 corridor.” Applications for the Community Grant Program are currently being accepted. [395 Express Lanes]
AFCYRs to Host MLK Event — The Arlington-Falls Church Young Republicans will “celebrate and honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and recommit ourselves to living out Dr. King’s dream” at the group’s meeting on Monday. Speaking at the event will be Elroy Sailor, CEO of the J.C. Watts Companies and current senior advisor to Rand Paul’s presidential campaign. [Facebook]
A young man groped a woman’s butt while she was walking in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood last Friday morning.
From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
SEXUAL BATTERY, 160108021, 700 block of S. Dinwiddie Street. At approximately 10:36 a.m. on January 8, an unknown male subject approached a female from behind and groped her buttocks. The suspect is described as a younger male, approximately 5’6″ and weighed 160 lbs. He was wearing a blue hoodie, green/grey cargo pants, and gray shoes.
This past weekend, a Bethesda teen was arrested after allegedly smashing a mug on a man’s head in Clarendon. According to court records, the teen’s defense attorney is state Sen. Scott Surovell.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 160109003, 3000 block of N. Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 1:04 a.m. on January 9, following a verbal altercation, a 19 year-old male victim was allegedly hit over the head with a glass mug. The victim was transported to the hospital with non- life threatening injuries. Jarett Witzal, 18, of Bethesda MD was arrested and charged with malicious wounding.
(Updated at 6:50 p.m.) An 18-year-old Arlington man has been arrested and charged with a murder in Alexandria.
Edwin Umana was charged in the homicide of a 22-year-old man, Eduardo Almendarez, whose body was found stabbed in Four Mile Run Park, near Potomac Yard, on Dec. 4.
Alexandria Police say the the crime was “gang-motivated” and that Umana was a member of the MS-13 gang. Almendarez was not in the gang, said Alexandria Police spokesman Crystal Nosal.
The suspects and the victims of both crimes were all undocumented immigrants, according to police.
The press release about the arrest of Umana is below.
Alexandria Police have charged a suspect in connection with the homicide of Eduardo David Chandias Almendarez, who was found deceased in Four Mile Run Park on December 4, 2015.
Edwin Alexander Guerreo Umana, 18, of Arlington, was charged with Murder on January 13, 2016. He is being held without bond.
“The hard work of Alexandria Police detectives and vital assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations directly led to this arrest and closure for the victim’s family”, said Police Chief Earl Cook. “This homicide investigation continues and the Alexandria Police Department is unwavering in its determination to arrest all responsible for this young man’s death. The safety of this community is of utmost importance to us. ”
The Police Department asks that anyone with information about this investigation contact Detective William Oakley at 703.746.6606.
Advisory Board Wants Birthday Cake Banned from Schools — Student birthday celebrations are getting out of hand in Arlington Public Schools, with too many sugary treats being consumed as a result. That’s the view of the Student Health Advisory Board, which made its case to the School Board last week. Some individual schools in Arlington have banned birthday celebrations or, at least, sweet birthday treats. The overall school system, however, does not currently have a formal policy on the matter. [InsideNova]
Del. Hope Wants to Ban ‘Conversion Therapy’ — Del. Patrick Hope (D) has introduced a bill to ban so-called conversion therapy for minors in Virginia. Practitioners of the controversial “therapy” claim that it can change the sexual orientation of individuals from homosexual to heterosexual. [Washington Blade]
The Corner Tex-Mix Lives? — Despite being pronounced dead by ARLnow and Google, it appears that The Corner Tex-Mix at 1621 S. Walter Reed Drive was open last night, at least for a short period of time. A tipster said lights were on and an employee answered the phone and confirmed they were open, shortly before a power outage sent everyone home. The county health department confirmed to ARLnow this morning that there have been no health code violations that would have closed the restaurant temporarily. The tipster said The Corner Tex-Mix seems to just be keeping “odd hours.” [ARLnow]
‘WeLive’ Apartments to Feature Free Cleaning, Sunday Supper — Details of a new apartment building in Manhattan from co-working company WeWork have been released, and they’re likely to also apply to the company’s second “WeLive” building, in Crystal City. The apartments will be fully furnished and will have cable TV, monthly cleaning and a communal Sunday supper included, among other amenities. [UrbanTurf]
$5 Ribs from Texas Jack’s Barbecue — Ribs at the recently-opened Texas Jack’s Barbecue in Lyon Park will cost you around $5. As in, nearly five bucks per rib. The restaurant, in the former Tallula and EatBar space, features a menu of smoked meat created by Executive Chef Matt Lang, winner of the Food Network’s Best in Smoke 2011 and formerly of Hill Country Barbecue in D.C. [DCist]
Va. Voter Registration Deadline Approaches — The deadline to vote in Virginia’s March 1 presidential primary is Monday, Feb. 8. On the GOP side, the election will feature a somewhat controversial loyalty pledge requested by the state party. “Voters who wish to vote in the Republican Primary must first sign the following non-binding statement, which is permitted under § 24.2-545.A of the Code of Virginia: ‘My signature below indicates that I am a Republican,'” county officials note. In-person absentee voting, meanwhile, starts Friday. [Arlington County]
State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D) has again proposed a bill to decriminalize marijuana for personal use in Virginia.
