Padaek’s location on S. Glebe Road (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Padaek’s location on S. Glebe Road (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Those hungry for an update on the arrival of Lao and Thai restaurant Padaek may have to wait a bit longer.
There is no opening date yet for the Southeast Asian restaurant moving into the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center. The message that it is “coming soon” — which is about as tantalizing as the food looks — is splashed across a banner at its location and included in a new post on social media.
“We are waiting for one more permit from Arlington County and getting closer [to a] soft opening but first we plan for take-out,” Chef Seng Luangrath told ARLnow.
Large, bright tropical flowers are splashed across some walls of the 3,500-square-foot space at 2931 S. Glebe Road, according to Instagram. Orchids decorate large windows looking out over an enclosed patio.
Luangrath, the well-regarded chef behind Padaek in Falls Church and the renowned Thip Khao in Columbia Heights, will be bringing much of the original Padaek menu to this new location, which will also serve some Thai and Burmese dishes, Axios previously reported.
Last month, the location received the blessing of local Buddhist monks, according to photos and a video posted on Instagram. The posts depict monks, surrounded by flowers and food, performing a ceremony, while attendees followed along in prayer.
An Instagram post by Padaek from July (via Instagram/Padaek DC)
Then, everyone tucked into heaps of Lao food and sweets.
In the restaurant’s most recent post, Luangrath thanked followers, family and friends “for joining us on the special traditional ceremony and blessing day on for new space.”
The Buddhist ceremony blessing the new Padaek location in Arlington Ridge (via Instagram/Padaek DC)
There have been other signs of progress recently, including an open house a month ago for cooks.
Axios previously reported that the restaurant was targeting a mid-June opening date but that has since come and gone.
Update on 11/7/23 — The suspect in this case has pleaded guilty, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. More, below, from a U.S. Dept. of Justice press release.
A former FBI contractor pleaded guilty today to production and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents, beginning in February, Brett Janes, 26, of Arlington, groomed a 13-year-old minor (MV1) to transition from playing Valorant with him, a popular first-person shooter game, to engaging in “strip” games on a video chat function in Discord. Although MV1 did not want to play this game, Janes employed threats of suicide, various money payments through CashApp, and flattery, until MV1 produced CSAM for him.
In addition, a search warrant revealed Janes was communicating with at least a dozen other minors. Of those minors, he convinced one 12-year-old boy to produce CSAM and attempted to entice another 14-year-old boy to produce CSAM. Janes manipulated these minors by befriending, flattering, and outright begging them for content. A review of his devices revealed he purchased hundreds of videos and images of CSAM from the internet, including graphic videos of prepubescent children being raped.
Janes pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of receipt of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 27, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; and Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema accepted the plea.
Significant assistance was provided by the Arlington County Police Department and the Galloway Township Police Department in New Jersey.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Withers and Special Assistant U.S Attorney McKenzie Hightower are prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Earlier: A 26-year-old Arlington man who worked as an FBI contractor is facing child exploitation and pornography charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria says a grand jury returned charges Wednesday against Brett Janes, including “two counts of sexual exploitation of children and production of CSAM, one count of attempted coercion and enticement, and one count of receipt of child pornography.”
If convicted he’ll face at least 15 years in prison.
Address records suggest that Janes lived in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood, a few blocks from Oakridge Elementary School. Federal prosecutors say he met and then exploited boys over the internet, including via video games and on Discord.
More on the charges, below, from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia returned an indictment today charging a former FBI contractor with sexual exploitation of children.
According to court documents, Brett Janes, 26, of Arlington, Virginia, allegedly contacted roughly a dozen minor boys over Discord and Snapchat. He allegedly groomed the minors by telling them he worked for a U.S. intelligence agency before repeatedly threatening suicide if the minors did not continue to communicate with him. Janes allegedly enticed one victim, a 13-year-old boy whom he met through the first-person shooter game Valorant, to strip and masturbate over a live video Discord call by threatening to kill himself and by paying him money over CashApp. He allegedly enticed a 12-year-old boy to create and send him child sexual abuse material (CSAM) over Discord through flattery and repeated begging.
Janes allegedly received child sexual abuse material from these two minors, as well as two separate minor victims, and attempted to meet up with a minor. He also allegedly purchased hundreds of videos and images of child sexual abuse material from Telegram.
Janes is charged with two counts of sexual exploitation of children and production of CSAM, one count of attempted coercion and enticement, and one count of receipt of child pornography. If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Arlington County Chief of Police, Charles “Andy” Penn, made the announcement.
Assistant U.S. Attorney McKenzie Hightower is prosecuting the case.
Any individuals who believe they or someone they know may have been victimized by Janes are encouraged to contact the FBI at 202-278-2000 and ask to speak to the child exploitation and human trafficking task force.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Fall menu outside of Compass Coffee in Ballston (staff photo)
A Pumpkin Spice Latte ordered from an Arlington Starbucks on Aug. 24, 2023 (staff photo)
It’s that time of year again: the Pumpkin Spice Lattes have arrived at local Starbucks stores.
Local chain Compass beat the Seattle-based coffee giant to market this time, rolling out a fall menu featuring pumpkin- and maple-flavored pick-me-ups a few days ago. Dunkin and others started slinging the spice even earlier, part of a broader trend of fall flavors creeping into the summer season.
Starbucks said it will release its Pumpkin Spice Latte and fall menu on Thursday, six days earlier than last year.
The announcement kicks off the annual debate over whether it’s too soon for fall flavors and if pumpkin fanfare has gone too far.
It also follows pumpkin spice’s Aug. 16 arrival at Dunkin’ and even earlier launches at Krispy Kreme, 7-Eleven and Bath & Body Works.
Between the lines: Nostalgia is one reason why the fall flavor keeps coming back earlier, Jason Fischer, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University, told Axios.
“It brings to mind those associated memories including those flavors and aromas of the pumpkin spice stuff,” said Fischer, a perception researcher who is also a pumpkin fan.
The summer heat is often the argument for why some say pumpkin pandemonium is too early but Fischer said it could be the opposite this year.
“Maybe the enduring heat is a thing that just makes us imagine and crave that cooler weather and then it calls to mind pumpkin spice even earlier,” Fischer said.
So what do you think: Have companies taken the pumpkin spice creep to far? Or do you like the fall vibes starting earlier, actually?
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Cyclists on the bridge over Langston Blvd at sunset (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Leaders Summit Held in Ballston — From Sen. Mark Warner: “Great morning in Arlington speaking with elected leaders across Northern Virginia about some of the most pressing issues the region is facing: the affordable housing crisis, WMATA’s deficit, and the future of workforce development.” [Twitter, Press Release]
Rosslyn VC Firm Co-Leads Big Deal — “Arlington venture firm Sands Capital has co-led a $300 million Series D round into New York fintech Ramp to help the firm hire and bring products to market more quickly. Sands, which invested in Ramp for the first time, led the round with an existing investor, New York-based Thrive Capital.” [Washington Business Journal]
Beyer Blasts Trump Over Tariffs — “Maybe it’s a case of summer boredom, a little attention-seeking, an attempt to take a potential Republican presidential nominee down a peg, or maybe simply a visceral reaction to a main nemesis of the Democratic Party. Whatever the reason, U.S. Rep. Don Beyer wants you to know he is not happy with a proposal put forth by Donald Trump on imposing higher tariffs on all imports coming into the U.S.” [Gazette Leader, Twitter]
Award Deadline Extended — “The 30th annual William T. Newman, Jr. Spirit of Community Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated a tireless and unselfish commitment to improving the quality of life in Arlington… Please submit nominations by Monday, August 28 to be considered.” [Arlington Community Foundation]
Letter: Fair Too Hard to Get To — “Why did Arlington officials make it so difficult to access the County Fair this year? There was only one shuttle-pickup location. Authorized parking was limited to a church with two small lots. Walking from there to the fair was not easy for those with physical limitations, like me, much less persons with disabilities. I suspect that this is a ploy by the County Board.” [Gazette Leader]
No Cable News Here — “PSA: We do not report on every cable outage. Also, small outages are frequent and Comcast has tightened up access to its outage map such that it makes it hard to discern major vs. routine outages.” [Twitter]
It’s Thursday — Scattered showers and thunderstorms with mostly cloudy skies throughout Thursday, accompanied by a high temperature of about 82 degrees. The south wind will blow at 10-13 mph, gusting up to 18 mph, and there’s a 40% chance of precipitation. Thursday night will continue to be mostly cloudy with the possibility of showers and thunderstorms, with temperatures dropping to around 69 degrees. The south wind will slow down to around 8 mph, and the chance of precipitation will rise to 50%. [Weather.gov]
