News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com
Sunset above Langston Blvd and the bike/pedestrian bridge (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Local Harris Teeters Sold — “Could Piggly Wiggly make a grand return to Greater Washington? It’s possible, now that the Kroger Co., Harris Teeter’s parent company, and Albertsons Cos. Inc. have agreed to sell a combined 413 stores, including 10 Harris Teeter stores in Virginia, Maryland and D.C., to C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC. The Keene, New Hampshire-based grocery store supplier also own hundreds of Piggly Wiggly stores across the country.” [Washington Business Journal]

Crash Near 14th Street Bridge — From Dave Statter: “Today’s crash on I-395N Exit 10C for the GW Parkway northbound. At least the 5th crash involving drivers trying to get to that exit in the last 23 days.” [Twitter]

APS Still Looking for Some Teachers — “As of last week, the school system was still shy 33 full-time and four part-time teachers… At 99 percent filled, Arlington’s teaching recruitment has done better this school year than any other school system across Northern Virginia, Durán believes.” [Gazette Leader]

Clement Wants Missing Middle Forum — “Epstein asked the candidates if they would support the county board holding a public hearing in early 2024 to review the Expanding Housing Option program and consider making adjustments to it. Audrey Clement, an independent candidate for Arlington County Board, was the first to answer and the only candidate to directly respond to the question. ‘Yes, a forum next year to discuss alternative solutions to Missing Middle would be on the top of my agenda if elected,’ Clement said.” [Patch]

GOP Candidate: ‘Time for a Change’ — “[State Senate candidate David] Henshaw praised Favola’s quarter-century in elected office, but said it was time for a change, calling Favola ‘out of touch’ with Virginians on a number of issues. ‘That’s a lot of public service you’ve done – I do appreciate that,’ he said in a direct exchange with the incumbent. ‘At the same time, though, I think it’s time for a change.'” [Gazette Leader]

National Landing Dining Options — “The lively stretch that includes Crystal City, Pentagon City, Westpost (Pentagon Row) and Potomac Yard is still home to plenty of time-tested establishments that are worth a taste. Here are some oldies, goodies and newbies to try… with more to come.” [Arlington Magazine]

It’s Tuesday — There is a 30% chance of showers after 2pm today, with mostly sunny skies and a high near 86°F. For Tuesday night, expect a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms, increasing in likelihood after 8pm. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low of around 68°F. A south wind of 5-7 mph will shift westward after midnight, and new rainfall amounts could range between a quarter and half an inch. [Weather.gov]

Around Town

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Sep 11, 2023

By ARLnow.com

Good Monday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.

🕗 News recap

The following articles were published earlier today — Sep 11, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Arlington, from our event calendar.

⛅️ Tuesday’s forecast

There is a 30% chance of showers after 2pm today, with mostly sunny weather and a high near 86°F. Calm winds will become southwest around 6 mph in the afternoon. On Tuesday night, expect a 60% chance of showers and thunderstorms, with possible rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch. Lows will be around 68°F, with south wind 5-7 mph turning west after midnight. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
– Joshua J. Marine

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.

News

Test Image

By aatkinson

Here is some post content including an image with updated padding:

Washington monument
Washington monument

Test paragraph

1/4
News

ACPD: Theft suspect throws fake gun at officers in Courthouse

By ARLnow.com
File photo

A 47-year-old Richmond man is facing charges after police say he robbed a store and then threw a fake gun at responding officers.

The incident happened Friday afternoon after 3 p.m., in the Courthouse area.

More, below, from today’s Arlington County Police Department crime report.

ASSAULT ON POLICE, 2023-09080157, 2000 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 3:19 p.m. on September 8, police were dispatched to the report of a brandishing. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect entered the business and allegedly concealed merchandise before attempting to exit the store without payment. A store employee confronted the suspect during which he lifted his shirt exposing what appeared to be a firearm before fleeing the scene on foot. Responding officers canvassed the area, located the suspect and gave him commands to stop. The suspect disregarded their commands and continued to walk away before stopping, lifting his shirt and throwing the firearm in the direction of the officers. The officers then took the suspect into custody and recovered the firearm which was determined to be a replica. [The suspect], 47, of Richmond Va. was arrested and charged with Robbery and Assault on Police (x2).

Also in today’s crime report were a number of weekend incidents involving guns, including a shots fired call in Glencarlyn, a gun brandishing in Clarendon, and an armed robbery of jewelry along Columbia Pike.

From ACPD:

SHOTS FIRED, 2023-09100027, 300 block of S. Harrison Street. At approximately 1:44 a.m. on September 10, police were dispatched to the report of shots heard. Upon arrival, officers recovered evidence confirming several shots had been fired. Witnesses reported observing several unknown individuals running from the area after the shots were discharged. No victims or property damage were located. There is no suspect description(s). The investigation is ongoing.

BRANDISHING, 2023-09100028, 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard. At approximately 1:49 a.m. on September 10, the victim approached an officer to report disorderly conduct. The preliminary investigation indicates that following a dispute earlier in the evening where the suspect was allegedly acting disorderly inside a business, he approached an employee of the business and lifted his shirt to display a firearm. The suspect then fled the scene on foot. Officers canvassed the area for the suspect yielding negative results.

ROBBERY, 2023-09090226, 1800 block of Columbia Pike. At approximately 8:10 p.m. on September 9, police were dispatched to the report of an armed robbery. Upon arrival, it was determined the male victim met with the suspect, an acquittance, for the prearranged sale of jewelry. During the incident, the suspect grabbed the jewelry and ran to his vehicle. The victim ran after him and upon arriving at the suspect’s vehicle, observed the passenger brandishing a firearm. The suspects then fled the scene in the vehicle with the stolen jewelry. The investigation is ongoing.

Announcement

mPowered Virtual Learning Summer Sessions!

By mPowered. Virtual Learning & Education Support, LLC

mPowered Virtual Learning & Education Support, founded by Mary Doherty, former APS special education teacher, serves students through virtual, one-to-one, and small group personalized learning. We focus on strengthening and developing reading, writing, elementary math and executive function skills.

We are trained in the Orton-Gillingham Approach, which is a highly structured and systematic program that breaks down reading and spelling into smaller skills. Each lesson is sequential, direct and multisensory. Limited availability for summer tutoring sessions remains!

Go to mPowered Virtual Learning Summer Sessions! Read more
Schools

Nottingham ‘swing space’ proposal puts cart before horse, says county-wide PTA

By Jo DeVoe
CCPTA President Claire Noakes speaks at the School Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023 (via Arlington Public Schools)

(Updated at 2:30 p.m.) The Arlington County Council of PTAs is criticizing plans to close Nottingham Elementary School and make it a “swing space” where students go when their school is being renovated.

In suggesting this change, the coalition of PTAs, or CCPTA, says Arlington Public Schools has not considered how little money it has in the next decade to spend on sorely needed renovations. It adds the move would disadvantage low-income, diverse neighborhoods that rely on schools for county and community-based services.

This spring, APS proposed closing Nottingham, in the Williamsburg neighborhood at 5900 Little Falls Road, and making it a swing space as early as 2026. It was part of a suite of proposed changes to solve for projected capacity imbalances: several schools below Langston Blvd are over-full while their counterparts north of the highway have many empty seats.

Nottingham was chosen because it would cost the least to retrofit — $5 million to expand its ability to receive buses — compared to other schools, county facilities or commercial buildings. APS also argued it would be more fiscally responsible to use the under-capacity buildings it currently has, rather than build a new school.

This proposal quickly rankled current and future Nottingham parents, some of whom argue APS made the decision on faulty projections of falling enrollment. The CCPTA joined their chorus during the School Board meeting last Thursday.

“Recent spending decisions and currently proposed spending projects have monopolized our bond issuance capacity until at least FY 2032, leaving insufficient funding for a major renovation,” CCPTA President Claire Noakes said in a statement released after the meeting.

She notes 17 of 37 school buildings have not had a major renovation in at least 20 years and are in need of upgrades, creating “a backlog of need.”

“The lack of available funds for a major renovation will cause the swing space to stay empty for six years, while other identified needs that could have been paid for with that $5 million will go unmet,” she continued.

The CCPTA illustrated its argument in a chart that shows how much money APS estimates it can issue in bonds for major renovations over the next decade.

It estimates a major renovation would exceed $25 million, based on estimates for one such project down the pike. The CCPTA say that APS would have to accumulate a few years of bond capacity, from Arlington County, to embark on a major renovation.

This squeeze is due to projects APS already has in the queue, including the new, forthcoming $180 million Arlington Career Center building and related plans to retrofit the current Career Center for the Montessori program now housed in the former Patrick Henry Elementary School. This building is set to be demolished and turned into a green space.

(Note: The chart below lists $7.5 million for the Career Center because this was tacked onto the project’s costs after APS approved the project via the previous Capital Improvement Plan.)

A chart from the CCPTA arguing APS will deliver a “swing space” at Nottingham at least six years before having the money to start a major renovation project (via CCPTA)

(more…)

Announcement

Orton-Gillingham Trained Reading Tutor

By Reading Tutor

Reading tutoring and intervention for students with Dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Summer hours available. Meg Hunter is a Special Educator with 9 years of experience and a passion for teaching students with Dyslexia and other disabilities.

Trained in Wilson Reading System, Orton Gillingham, PALS, Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and Leveled Literacy Intervention. Offering direct phonics instruction, multiple catered interventions, comprehension strategies and take home games to play with the family. Email [email protected] to start your child’s new chapter!

Go to Orton-Gillingham Trained Reading Tutor Read more
View More Stories