News

NOW: Manhunt for escaped D.C. murder suspect underway just across from Arlington

By ARLnow.com
Arlington County police car (staff photo)

A manhunt is underway in D.C. for an escaped murder suspect, and Arlington police are on alert should he try to cross into the county.

D.C. and federal officers are currently searching the Georgetown area, following the 30-year-old suspect’s escape from GW Hospital this afternoon. Police have also been searching the Foggy Bottom area.

Both areas are just across from Arlington, via the Roosevelt Bridge and Key Bridge respectively.

As of 5:30 p.m. traffic on the Key Bridge was partially blocked by the police activity associated with the manhunt. The U.S. Park Police helicopter is also circling overhead.

Shortly after the escape, Arlington County police broadcast a “be on the lookout” notice for the suspect. While officers remain on alert, a police spokeswoman tells ARLnow that they do not have reason to believe the suspect is currently in Arlington.

“The Arlington County Police Department is aware of the wanted escapee out of Washington D.C.,” said ACPD’s Ashley Savage. “At this time, we do not have credible information that the suspect is currently located in Arlington County. If a member of the public observes the individual, they should call 9-1-1.”

News

Candidates for state Senate, Arlington County Board square off on social issues, transparency

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

After a summer lull, politicking in Arlington is back in full swing.

For candidates, the first big stop on the campaign trail was an in-person and virtual forum hosted by the Arlington County Civic Federation, or CivFed, last night (Tuesday).

Democrat and Republican candidates for the state legislature outlined their top social and economic goals, while the four Arlington County Board candidates, meanwhile, were quizzed on more local topics, including government transparency — a key issue for CivFed that roiled the organization earlier this year.

State senate challengers emerge

Two Republicans are challenging Arlington’s two long-time incumbent Democrat state senators: Sophia Moshasha, vying for the 39th District seat against Adam Ebbin, and David Henshaw, going up against Barbara Favola for the 40th District seat.

Last night, the four candidates staked out their party-line positions on center-stage social issues, including abortion, gun violence, public education and crime.

Favola and Ebbin say they are both focused on codifying abortion rights and banning “assault-style” weapons.

Ebbin said his other top priorities “are a state government that fights for Virginians and an economy that works for Virginia, but we need to keep improving our K-12 public education system.”

Both incumbents pointed to their years of experience legislating under Republican and Democrat governors as reasons voters should re-elect them.

“I have always been very pragmatic,” Favola said. “I think I’m one of the more successful lawmakers in terms of gaining bipartisan support for my bills, and actually having my bill signed.”

Both Republicans styled themselves as “political outsiders.” Echoing similar language from GOP Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin during his race and tenure, the candidates called on the state to safeguard the rights of parents to “have a say” in their child’s education. They both also called for increased funding for law enforcement to address crime.

“I am concerned — and a little bit upset — with the direction that our country and our state are going, particularly with regard to education, the high cost of living and crime,” Henshaw said. “Arlington deserves a choice in the election coming up.”

Criticizing Favola’s support of abortion rights, Henshaw said he supports a 15-week abortion ban, with exceptions for the health of the mother as well as rape and incest, as well as lower state taxes.

Moshasha, meanwhile, has made technology and science a marquee issue. Going up against Ebbin, who chairs two senate committees focused on technology, she says she will push for more STEM programs at all educational levels and more policies to attract emerging industries to Virginia.

“I am not a career politician. I focus on the things that we need to move our economy and our community forward,” she said. “I think it’s time to get a fresh voice, a fresh perspective and an innovative mindset with the energy that will get things done on behalf of the greater community.”

Arlington County Board candidates on transparency

The County Board forum began with topics such as police staffing and the office vacancy rate, but heated up during a later question about transparency.

(more…)

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Jazz festival and 9/11 Memorial 5K to cause street closures on Saturday

By James Jarvis
1/2

Several roads in Pentagon City and Rosslyn will be temporarily closed this Saturday for the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K and 2023 Rosslyn Jazz Fest.

While jazz enthusiasts sway to soulful tunes, just a few miles away, emergency responders will be lacing up their running shoes for the Arlington Police, Fire, Sheriff, & ECC 9/11 Memorial 5K race in Pentagon City.

From 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., two roads will be closed for the music festival:

  • Langston Blvd, eastbound from Fort Myer Drive to N. Moore Street
  • Fort Myer Drive access road, from 19th Street N. to N. Moore Street

The festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and feature several jazz acts, including Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Pedrito Martinez Group, Oh He Dead and DuPont Brass, as well as food trucks and games.

Road closures around the Pentagon City and Crystal City will begin at 5 p.m. to prepare for the Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K, which has raised money for 9/11-related charities since its inception in 2002.

The race, which kicks off at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m., will start and end at the DoubleTree Hotel in Pentagon City. All road closures in the area will be lifted by 8:30 p.m.

Street closure maps for the 2023 Rosslyn Jazz Fest and Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K (via ACPD)

More on road closures about the 5K from a police press release:

The Arlington County Police Department will close the following roadways around the Pentagon and in Crystal City to accommodate the event:

From approximately 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.

  • Army Navy Drive, from S. Eads Street to 12th Street S.

From approximately 5:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

  • S. Eads Street, from Army Navy Drive to 12th Street S.
  • S. Fern Street, from Army Navy Drive to 12th Street S.
  • S. Hayes Street, from Army Navy Drive to 12th Street S.
  • Army Navy Drive, from S. Joyce Street to S. Eads Street
  • S. Joyce Street, from Army Navy Drive to Columbia Pike
  • Columbia Pike, from S. Oak Street to Washington Boulevard
  • S. Washington Boulevard, from Arlington Boulevard to Columbia Pike
  • S. Washington Boulevard, from SB George Washington Parkway
  • Route 110 S., from I-66 and Wilson Boulevard to Army Navy Drive
  • Marshall Drive, from Iwo Jima Access Road to Route 110 S.
  • Southgate Road, from S. Nash Street to Columbia Pike
  • The ramp to Army Navy Drive from NB I-395 Exit 8A, Arlington Ridge Road, and N. Washington Boulevard
  • The ramp from NB I-395 Exit 8C to Pentagon City / Crystal City

ACPD said motorists should expect traffic and “extended travel times” in the surrounding areas. The department advises seeking “alternative routes to reduce road congestion,” including taking Metro.

The Rosslyn Metro Station is located within walking distance of the jazz festival while both the Pentagon City and Crystal City Metro stations are in walking distance of the race. Paid parking is available at the Pentagon City Mall garage.

Police say additional street parking near both events will be restricted and motorists should be on the lookout for temporary “No Parking” signs.

Announcement

Arlington-Based Start-Up to Launch Electric Robotaxi Service

By JetBlack.ai

JetBlack.ai is a start-up luxury electric robotaxi service founded in Arlington, Virginia. We hope to launch services in Greater Washington and around the world as early as 2023 and no later than 2025. Our mission is to contribute to reduced traffic fatalities and injuries, improved air quality, and enhanced mobility for the elderly and disabled.

We are presently taking reservations for our Edition 1 model, which is a limousine-quality electric autonomous vehicle based on the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter. You can pay for ownership of this $99,990 vehicle by putting it onto our robotaxi network when it’s not in use by you. We are also in search of potential franchisees who will own and maintain a fleet of JetBlack vehicles. Prospective franchisees should be hardworking people who are interested in owning a piece of a transformational industry. Check us out at www.jetblack.ai to learn more.

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News

Air & Space Forces Association moving to Pentagon City for more modern digs

By Jo DeVoe
1/3

The Air & Space Forces Association will be moving out an office building north of Rosslyn to something closer to the Pentagon.

The association, which supports members the Air and Space Forces, was looking for a more modern space for its national headquarters after spending about 40 years in an office building from the 1980s. It sold its digs on Langston Blvd earlier this year before agreeing to move into the Westpost development, formerly Pentagon Row, in Pentagon City.

Federal Realty Investment Trust, which owns Westpost, announced the deal yesterday (Tuesday). The association, also known as the AFA, will be taking over some 31,000 square feet of space previously occupied by thermal imaging camera company FLIR Systems in 2024.

“The Air & Space Forces Association is excited to relocate our headquarters closer to our Pentagon customers and to continue our strong partnership with stakeholders in the Arlington County area,” said now-retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Wright, the association’s president and CEO. “We look forward to creating a more modern and flexible facility that will enhance AFA’s operational capability and open new doors to growth in the future.”

This summer, the Washington Business Journal reported that the AFA sold the building on June 1 for $16.25 million — after buying the land on which the office building stands in 1982 for just under $1 million.

It noted that Arlington County’s online property database said, and still says, the sale price was $19.1 million. At the time of the sale, the building was 79% leased and had 10 tenants outside the AFA.

The property was sold to an affiliate of Arlington-based Taicoon Property Partners, a recently-formed “privately owned investor and developer.”

Posts on LinkedIn by those involved in the transaction foreshadowed forthcoming development plans for the site.

In its announcement, Federal Realty Investment Trust said the AFA’s new offices are a “convenient” distance from the Pentagon and Reagan National Airport, as well as the Virginia Railway Express station and Metro. It noted, as many such press releases do, that Amazon’s second headquarters complex is nearby.

“We are delighted to welcome the Air & Space Forces Association to Westpost at National Landing,” FRIT Senior Vice President Deirdre Johnson said in a statement.

“Westpost continues to evolve alongside Amazon’s HQ2 as an exciting office destination for Arlington County, and the greater Washington, D.C.-metro region,” Johnson continued. “We are eager to see the Association thrive in its new location and utilize the highly amenitized environment of retail, restaurants and services that Westpost has to offer.”

Per a leasing map, Westpost now has just five ground-floor retail spaces available.

Photos (2-3) via Google Maps

Announcement

Second Civic Federation Meeting on Form of Arlington’s Government

The Arlington County Civic Federation is presenting a series of public meetings to inform citizens about the work of its Task Force in Governance and Election Reform (“TiGER), which is considering whether the Civic Federation should be recommending changes in Arlington’s 90-year-old form of government. The second Zoom meeting in this series will be Monday, May 24 at 7 p.m. Lessons from Other Local Government, Electoral and Governance Reforms Processes: Portland, OR https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMsdemoqTsiGt3SM2o2LRIUmsvYkD6jpWNQ

This meeting will discuss the reform initiatives from the Portland City Club, which has been assessing possible reforms to the form of government there. The URL of the TiGER Corner in the CivFed website is: http://www.civfrg/ed.ocommittees/tiger/ this is where the access addresses for future meetings will be posted. Other information about the work of the TiGER, and recordings of the meetings in this series will be posted there as well.

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