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County Board Adopts Resolution Calling on Redskins to Change Name

Published May 19, 2015 at 5:55PM

The Arlington County Board adopted a resolution Tuesday afternoon calling on Washington’s professional football team to change its name.

The resolution was introduced by County Board member Walter Tejada, who said using the name Redskins as a reference to Native Americans is “objectionable to many Americans, Virginians and Arlingtonians.”

In introducing the resolution, Tejada noted that the team is in talks to move from its current home at FedEx Field, perhaps to Virginia. He also said that the issue is “personal for me” as a native of El Salvador with Mayan roots.

The resolution passed with the support of Tejada, Mary Hynes and Jay Fisette. John Vihstadt and Libby Garvey abstained, saying they agreed personally with changing the name but did not think the Board should take a position on the issue.

Tejada said that Arlington “has often ‘spoken out’ on issues ‘before it became popular, and it is time for us to do it again,'” according to a county press release.

The full text of the resolution, after the jump.

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BREAKING: Officer-Involved Shooting in Buckingham

By ARLnow.com

Published May 19, 2015 at 11:05AM | Updated May 19, 2015 at 4:57PM

(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) A man is dead after being shot by Arlington County Police in the Buckingham neighborhood.

Police say officers responded to the 4200 block of 2nd Road N., at the Gates of Ballston apartment complex, just before 11:00 a.m. for an anonymous report of a domestic dispute. Officers arriving on scene heard screaming inside an apartment and entered it.

An officer-involved shooting followed. An adult male suspect was shot fatally — scanner traffic indicates he was shot twice in the chest — by police, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

An officer sustained what is described as a serious facial laceration. He’s currently undergoing surgery at Virginia Hospital Center but is expected to survive, according to Sternbeck.

Additionally, another officer suffered an injury after being tased, and a woman who was in the apartment suffered minor injuries, Sternbeck said.

Police and medics administered aid to the wounded suspect on scene but he was subsequently pronounced dead at Virginia Hospital Center. Neighbors say the man who was shot was a middle-aged Ecuadorian man who lived with his mother and was known for occasional angry outbursts.

Late Tuesday afternoon, police identified the deceased suspect as 54-year-old Alfredo Rials-Torres.

Police are conducting an investigation on scene, photographing and processing evidence. Second Road North is closed to traffic and is expected to remain closed for an extended period of time, but police are allowing residents back into their apartments.

After the shooting the female occupant of the apartment was brought to police headquarters and was being interviewed by investigators.

This was the second shooting on the 4200 block of 2nd Road N. in the past three years. In March 2012 a man was shot twice and seriously injured by a ski-mask-wearing assailant.

Board to Consider Selling Reeves Farmhouse

By ARLnow.com

Published May 19, 2015 at 10:00AM

Three years after unsuccessfully seeking proposals for use of the historic, county-owned Reeves Farmhouse, the Arlington County Board tonight will consider a proposal to sell it.

County Manager Barbara Donnellan is recommending that the Board approve putting the house and a portion of the surrounding property, adjacent to Bluemont Park, on the market for sale to a private buyer. The proposal was added to today’s County Board agenda on Monday.

Even after being sold to a private party, the house — which dates back to 1899 — would remain a local historic district and would be protected from changes that would hurt its historical integrity.

The Reevesland property was the last operating dairy farm in Arlington County. The county purchased the house and its 2.5 acres of land from the Reeves family in 2001 for $1.8 million.

The county has been struggling to find an entity with a viable proposal for an “adaptive reuse” of the farmhouse. Cost has been a factor. In 2012 it was said that the house needed more than $1 million in work. Now, the county says it would cost $2.5 million to bring the house “up to code for public use,” not including ongoing maintenance costs.

County officials have been in touch with the Reevesland Learning Center, a group interested in using the farmhouse for educational purposes, but staff says the group doesn’t have the money needed to restore the house.

“The County has attempted several different ways to seek a partner for the adaptive reuse of the Reeves Farmhouse, but have not received responses from partners with the necessary financial resources to bridge the $2 – $2.5 million gap,” according to the staff report.

Under Donnellan’s proposal, the land around the farmhouse will be subdivided and the county will retain ownership of much of the property, including portions currently being used by the Reevesland Learning Center.

“The County will continue to own the rest of Reevesland, including the much-loved sledding slope and the historic milking shed, and will continue to maintain the recently expanded raised planting beds there,” according to a press release.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 19, 2015 at 9:00AM

Taste of Arlington Winners — The judges at Sunday’s Taste of Arlington event in Ballston selected four winners among the dozens of restaurants that participated. Il Forno won for Best Appetizers, Liberty Tavern won for Best Fast Casual, Water and Wall won for Best Fine Dining and Northside Social won for Best Dessert.

Real Estate Prices Rise — Real estate prices in Arlington continue to rise. The median home sale in Arlington between January and April was $545,000. That’s up 9 percent year-over-year. [InsideNova]

Clarendon Real Estate Was a Bargain in 1900 — Clarendon is full of nice restaurants, luxury condos and million dollar homes now, but in 1900 it was an emerging suburban community with vacant land for sale. How much were plots of land going for? Between $90 and $140. [Ghosts of DC]

Presidential Candidate in Arlington Today — Mark Everson, a former IRS commissioner and a candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, will speak and greet supporters at a $100-a-head reception in Courthouse today. The event is being held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Courthaus Social, 2300 Clarendon Blvd. [Mark Everson for President]

APS Educator Named Top Hispanic Teacher — Arlington Traditional School art teacher Veronica Perez has received the Victoria D. de Sanchez Northern Virginia Hispanic Teacher of the Year Award. [InsideNova]

Motorcyclist Hurt in Crash Near Lee-Harrison Shopping Center

By ARLnow.com

Published May 18, 2015 at 5:30PM

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash in front of the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center over the weekend.

The incident happened just before 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, on Harrison Street. There’s no official word yet on the exact circumstances of the crash, but police say a blue SUV was involved.

The man riding the motorcycle could not get up and remained down in the middle of the roadway following the wreck. A nurse who was in the area rendered aid before police and medics arrived on scene, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

The man suffered significant but non-life-threatening injuries, Sternbeck said, and was transported to the Level 1 trauma center at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Young Republicans to Host Death Penalty Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published May 18, 2015 at 3:35PM

Tonight (Monday) the Arlington Falls Church Young Republicans will host a presentation of “the conservative case against the death penalty.”

The discussion will be held at the AFCYR’s monthly meeting, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Hard Time Cafe in Clarendon (3028 Washington Blvd).

The group Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty will tell young Republicans why they’re “questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their principles.” The organization notes that 152 individuals, to date, have been released from death row after it was determined that they were wrongfully convicted.

“I will make the case why capital punishment violates many of the conservative values that we hold dear,” said Marc Hyden, a former National Rifle Association field representative who’s now a national coordinator for CCATDP. “For example, as conservatives, we want to limit the power of government, including a broken government program like the death penalty, which has the real potential of killing innocent Americans.”

“The Arlington Falls Church Young Republicans are excited to continue our discussion about the criminal justice system,” AFCYR Chair Matthew Hurtt said in a statement. “Many prominent conservatives have questioned the death penalty as another costly, inefficient, bureaucratic, government-run operation. Our members are interested in hearing CCATDP’s argument behind raising the red flag about the death penalty in the U.S.”

#Young Republicans

County Board Approves Parking Meter Rate Increase

By ARLnow.com

Published May 18, 2015 at 1:30PM

The price of street parking in Arlington is going up.

The Arlington County Board on Saturday approved a 25 cent-per-hour rise in metered parking rates. The rate increase is expected to be implemented in September and bring in nearly $1 million per year in extra revenue.

(The increase won’t apply to some reduced-rate meters, currently priced between $0.50-0.75 an hour.)

The Board unanimously approved the rate increase and also voted unanimously to delay action on a proposed extension of metered parking hours from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. A public hearing on parking hours is now planned for September.

In a press release (after the jump), the county said that the rate increase is being being made due to increased parking demand. The higher rate will help ensure “that businesses that need short-term parking spaces on the street for their customers are more likely to have them available,” said County Board Chair Mary Hynes.

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New Arlington Homeless Shelter Delayed

By ARLnow.com

Published May 18, 2015 at 11:00AM

Arlington’s new year-round homeless services center in Courthouse is still another 3-4 months away from completion.

On Saturday the Arlington County Board approved allocating an additional $140,000 to MTFA Architecture, which is providing administration services for the construction project.

County staff said the expenditure is necessary as “a direct result of the construction contractor’s inability to meet its contractual delivery date.”

The shelter was originally expected to be substantially complete by Feb. 27, with final completion 30 days after that.

Miller Brothers, Inc., the contractor, was awarded a $6.6 million contract in Feb. 2014 to convert two-and-a-half floors of offices space at 2020 14th Street N. into a comprehensive facility for serving the county’s homeless population.

The additional funds for the architecture firm will be at least partially offset by a $1,250 per day charge being assessed by the county against Miller Brothers. The county allocated $116,842 plus a $25,000 contingency for MTFA.

“Given the construction delays experienced to date on this project, an additional three (3) months of construction administration, site visits, and support services are anticipated,” according to the staff report. “The requested contingency amount allows for continuing the contractor’s services for another month should there be further construction delays.”

The County Board approved the allocation without public testimony as part of its Consent Agenda.

The new homeless services center will have up to 80 beds and will replace the county’s emergency winter shelter, located two blocks away in Courthouse.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 18, 2015 at 9:20AM | Updated May 18, 2015 at 10:15AM

County Board Approves ART Facility Contract — On Saturday the Arlington County Board approved a $12.4 million construction contract for a new two-story ART bus operations facility along Route 1. The total budget for the facility and a linked streetscape improvement project is $17.6 million. [Arlington County]

Yorktown Ranked No. 12 in Va. — New U.S. News & World Report “Best High Schools” rankings place Yorktown High School as No. 12 in Virginia and No. 299 nationally. Washington-Lee, the next-highest-ranked Arlington High School, is No. 20 in the state and No. 537 nationally. Wakefield High School ranked No. 36 in the state. [U.S. News and World Report]

Board Approves Change to ‘WeLive’ Building — The Arlington County Board has given the okay to a site plan amendment that would allow the planned “WeLive” micro-unit apartments to also have shared work spaces. The apartments are set to be built in an aging 12-story office building. [Arlington County]

Abduction Incident Near East Falls Church — A man has been arrested and charged with abduction in connection with an incident near the East Falls Church Metro station. Police say a 28-year-old woman was walking home from the station when a man grabbed her from behind, placing his hands over her mouth. [InsideNova]

Letter: Artisphere Was Wise Investment — Artisphere was “among the county’s wisest investments” and Arlington would no longer be able to call itself “a world-class community and tourist destination” if it moves forward with plans to close it, says a letter to the editor writer. [Washington Post]

Flickr pool photo by John Sonderman

ART Bus Driver Found Not Guilty of Reckless Driving in Seven-Vehicle Wreck

By ARLnow.com

Published May 15, 2015 at 4:40PM

The ART bus driver who was involved in a seven-vehicle wreck along Columbia Pike in December has been found not guilty of reckless driving.

The verdict was reached today after a trial held before Arlington County General District Court Judge Richard McCue. Agere Sileshi, 27, was found not guilty of the original charge of reckless driving, but was found guilty of “improper driving.”

Sileshi faces a $250 fine but no jail time on the charge, which “embodies a finding by the Court that the ‘degree of culpability is slight,'” according her attorney, Alexandria attorney Joseph Blaszkow. Sileshi has been on medical leave since the incident, Blaszkow said.

According to court testimony, Sileshi was driving her bus through the parking lot of the Columbia Pike Plaza shopping center when a car suddenly turned in front of her. Sileshi struck the car and then drove her bus through a retaining wall and onto S. Dinwiddie Street, striking several additional vehicles.

Altogether, five passenger vehicle, a mixing truck and several bicycles were damaged in the crash. Three vehicle occupants and a pedestrian were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

One Dollar Wasn’t Enough for Blond, Backpack-Wearing Bandit

By ARLnow.com

Published May 15, 2015 at 1:40PM | Updated May 15, 2015 at 4:07PM

(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) A slim man with blond hair and a red backpack stole another man’s wallet in the Columbia Heights West neighborhood last Friday, according to police.

The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. on the 5200 block of 8th Road S. Police say the man approached the victim and demanded money — but he apparently did not specify how much.

“The victim gave the suspect one dollar and the suspect asked for more,” according to the daily Arlington County crime report. “As the victim was opening his wallet to give the suspect more money, the suspect snatched the wallet and fled the scene.”

“The suspect was described as a white male, approximately 5’7″, slim build with blonde hair wearing a white shirt, grey shorts and a red backpack,” the crime report continued. “The investigation remains ongoing at this time.”