News
A flag drapes in the windless morning air as the sun rises over Virginia Square (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

More on Ped Struck in Ballston — From Dave Statter: “UPDATE: @ArlingtonVaPD reports the person struck Friday outside Harris Teeter on N. Glebe was seriously hurt. The driver ‘was cited.'” [Twitter]

Evictions Rising — “Eviction filings have been on the rise across parts of Virginia and, in some areas, have surpassed pre-pandemic levels… Eviction filings have soared even more in Arlington County, increasing by nearly 13% during the first quarter of 2023 compared to pre-pandemic levels.” [WTOP]

APS Looks to Add Office Space — “In a world where tenants are departing and downsizing commercial office space in droves, why is the staff leadership of the Arlington school system trying to rent more of it? That was a question not just taxpayers, but several School Board members, seem to have as a proposal moves forward for the school system to spend $186,000 next year – and more every succeeding year – to rent additional office space in its leased headquarters facility.” [Gazette Leader]

Courthouse Metro Missed Connection — “Dear PoPville, I’m hoping you can help me with a true Cinderella story! We both got on the same metro stop at Courthouse around 8:30 on Wed morning (8/2). He wore black Keds with black socks — quite a slick combo. I wasn’t caffeinated enough to muster up the courage to say hello.” [PoPville]

Indecent Exposure in Courthouse — “2100 block of Wilson Boulevard. At approximately 7:42 a.m. on August 2, police were dispatched to the report of an exposure. Upon arrival, officers made telephone contact with the female victim who stated she was walking in the area when she became engaged in conversation with the male suspect during which he exposed himself. Responding officers located the suspect and the investigation into the circumstances of the incident is ongoing.” [ACPD]

General Buried at ANC Goes Viral — From a viral Twitter post: “In May of 1861, 9 year old John Lincoln ‘Johnny’ Clem ran away from his home in Newark, Ohio, to join the Union Army, but found the Army was not interested in signing on a 9 year old boy when the commander of the 3rd Ohio Regiment told him he ‘wasn’t enlisting infants,’ and turned him down.” [Twitter]

Metro Staying Open Later Sunday — “Metro will ‘Hold Up’ the final train departing from Morgan Boulevard Station on Sunday night to give the #BeyHive a ‘Flawless’ ride to and from FedEx Field. The last Silver Line train toward Ashburn on Sunday night will now depart Morgan Boulevard at 12:04 a.m. instead of 11:34 p.m., allowing concertgoers enough time to walk from the stadium to the station.” [WMATA]

It’s Friday — There is a 30% chance of showers and potential thunderstorms after 5pm today, with mostly cloudy skies and a high temperature of around 79°F accompanied by a south wind at 8 mph. Tonight, a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms lingers before 11pm, with mostly cloudy conditions and a low temperature near 68°F, along with a south wind ranging from 5 to 8 mph. [Weather.gov]


Around Town

Good Thursday 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 — Aug 3, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

⛈️ Friday’s forecast

There is a 20% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms after 5pm today, with mostly cloudy skies and a high of 77°F accompanied by south winds at 8 mph. Tonight, expect a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 10pm, followed by showers until 2am. The night will be mostly cloudy with a low of 68°F and south winds between 5-8 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
– John Quincy Adams

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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


News

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Around Town

Here in Arlington, real estate is a spectator sport. Let’s take a look at some of the smallest and largest homes sold last month (July 2023).

Largest homes sold

  1. 5806 Little Falls Rd — Williamsburg — $1,900,000 (8 beds | 7.5 baths | 7,546 sq. ft.)
  2. 3616 Roberts Ln — Bellevue Forest — $3,200,000 (6 beds | 9 baths | 7,279 sq. ft.)
  3. 5812 37th St N — Williamsburg — $2,450,000 (6 beds | 6 baths | 6,752 sq. ft.)

Smallest homes sold*

  1. 5018 S Chesterfield Rd — Claremont — $850,000 (4 beds | 2 baths | 1,902 sq. ft.)
  2. 1600 Clarendon Blvd Unit W309 — Rosslyn — $1,295,000 (2 beds | 2.5 baths | 1,914 sq. ft.)
  3. 1018 S Rolfe St — Arlington View — $999,000 (4 beds | 3 baths | 1,944 sq. ft.)

*Minimum home value of $200,000 set to exclude certain land sales, retirement condos, properties with expiring ground leases, etc.


Announcement

After a lot of time at home this year, homeowners may be thinking about starting some improvement  projects — whether adding a home office, updating family spaces, or applying a fresh coat of paint. However, finding a trusted vendor in home services and improvement can be tricky.

Best Pick Reports, which is arriving in Arlington mailboxes starting this week is a trusted guide that — unlike other listings — stands behind its vendors with the Best Pick Guarantee, where homeowners are reimbursed up to $2,500 if the work performed is not satisfactory. Each vendor in the guide has been thoroughly reviewed through an unparalleled, independent certification process. Inclusion in the report is by invitation only, and requires that a vendor has met strict qualifying criteria. Companies are not able to pay for a listing in the guide. Arlington homeowners should watch their mail, or find an online guide here.


News
Advanced Towing tow truck outside the company’s lot in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 8:45 a.m. on 7/4/23) Arlington County says it is enforcing some wayward fencing and gates in a public alley abutting Advanced Towing and American Service Center.

It all started because of complaints about tow trucks for the Ballston company parking in front of “the most famous fire hydrant in Arlington County,” so named by public safety watchdog Dave Statter.

Over the last year, an anonymous Twitter account dedicated to the hydrant has made Freedom of Information Act requests to ascertain the alley’s ownership and highlight the county’s responsibility for overseeing how it is used. This inquiry sparked several complaints about illegal parking last fall.

This week, the information requests unearthed an update: the county said it owns the 5th Road N. alley, off N. Quincy Street in Ballston. It said it is working with Advanced Towing to remove a fence and American Service Center, which operates the Mercedes-Benz dealership, to remove the gates.

The owner of the “Advanced Towing Fire Hydrant” Twitter account, says highlighting the zoning code issues was not because of an ax to grind with the towing company. Instead, it was to highlight the degree to which enforcement decisions lie with the Office of the County Manager.

“You shouldn’t have to crowdsource outrage on Twitter to get the government to enforce existing parking regulations,” the account owner, who wants to remain anonymous, told ARLnow.

In a statement, county spokesman Ryan Hudson confirmed the enforcement would begin and traced the move back to citizen complaints.

“Zoning started enforcement due to the fact that these two businesses are encroaching on public land,” he says. “The genesis was a complaint about illegally parked cars in front of the fire hydrant. That led us to become aware the fence didn’t meet the clearance of 3 feet and didn’t have Zoning approval.”

The fire hydrant account posted about the wayward fence earlier this year.

A spokesperson for Advanced Towing confirmed the company is complying with the request.

“We have been in touch with the County and our fence will be open tomorrow,” an Advanced Towing spokesperson said in an email, adding that the company never put the fence up and it has been there for well over 20 years.

Arlington County approved a certificate of occupancy for the tow company but that did not amount to permission to occupy the alley, according to a copy provided to the Advanced Towing Fire Hydrant Twitter account.

While the company can occupy the alley, Hudson says the fence has to be moved back because it is encroaching into a 10-foot wide public alley. Fences on private property are allowed with proper approval — just not in a public alleyway.

“The County, not adjacent property owners or tenants, will determine how to operate and maintain the public alley,” the county spokesman said.

The alley adjacent to the American Service Center property, meanwhile, is a public alley not owned by the auto repair company.

“Gates need to remain open because they are obstructing public use of and access to the public alley,” Hudson said.

A spokeswoman for American Service Center told ARLnow she was directed “not to discuss anything with anyone.”

(more…)


Announcement

Is your son or daughter applying to college this fall? I can help them get their college apps done!

I graduated with distinction from UVA in May with a double-major in English and Economics. In college, I was an admissions tour guide for four years, as well as a paid writing center tutor. I’m happy to use my experience to coach your student on the essay-writing process as well as their general application approach. (I was also raised in Northern Virginia, so have first-hand experience with the dynamics of applying within the VA Public School system.)