Police car at night (file photo courtesy Kevin Wolf)
Two cars were stolen and eight were rummaged through at some point overnight, according to Arlington County police.
The theft series happened in neighborhoods north of Langston Blvd, including the Old Dominion and Donaldson Run communities, between last night and early this morning.
Police have no description of the suspect or suspects.
GRAND LARCENY AUTO, LARCENY FROM AUTO, VEHICLE TAMPERING (Series)(Late), 2023-07260060/2023-07260067/2023-07260075/2023-07260089/2023-07260092/2023-07260145, 2300 block of N. Columbus Street/2400 block of N. Utah Street/4800 block of 24th Road N./4800 block of 24th Street N./4600 block of 23rd Road N./2300 block of N. Stafford Street. The investigation determined between approximately 7:00 p.m. on July 26 and 6:30 a.m. on July 27, the unknown suspects entered approximately eight vehicles, rummaged through the inside and stole items of value. Additionally, two vehicles were stolen from the area. The stolen vehicles are described as a blue 2013 Lexus ES 300 with Virginia license plate… and a white Toyota Rav4 with Virginia license plate… There is no suspect description(s). The investigation is ongoing.
Hot weather amid a July 2021 heat wave (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
What had been an Excessive Heat Watch for Friday is now a warning.
The National Weather Service just issued the Excessive Heat Warning, cautioning against “dangerously hot conditions with heat index values around 110” tomorrow.
From NWS:
…HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…
…EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 8 PM EDT FRIDAY…
* WHAT…For the Heat Advisory, heat index values around 105. For the Excessive Heat Warning, dangerously hot conditions with heat index values around 110 expected.
* WHERE…The Washington and Baltimore Metropolitan areas, southern Maryland, and portions of northern Virginia as well as the Virginia Piedmont.
* WHEN…For the Heat Advisory, until 8 PM EDT this evening. For the Excessive Heat Warning, from 11 AM to 8 PM EDT Friday.
* IMPACTS…Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities.
Some outdoor Arlington events are being cancelled due to the heatwave, including a concert planned today in Pentagon City.
Tonight’s Jazz @ Met is cancelled due to extreme heat conditions. We will see you all next Thursday for our continued series!
On top of it all, forecasters say strong storms are possible later today and on Saturday. A cooldown is expected on Sunday, as high temperatures dip back into the mid-to-upper 80s.
Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening. Strong to severe storms are possible with damaging winds being the greatest threat. High temperatures are also a concern today and a Heat Advisory is in effect. #DCwx#MDwx#VAwx#WVwxpic.twitter.com/w4b8fMOPGi
— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 27, 2023
Each week, “Just Reduced” spotlights properties in Arlington County whose price have been cut over the previous week. The market summary is crafted by Arlington Realty, Inc. Maximize your real estate investment with the team by visiting www.arlingtonrealtyinc.com or calling 703-836-6000 today!
Please note: While Arlington Realty, Inc. provides this information for the community, it may not be the listing company of these homes.
As of October 13, there are 210 detached homes, 54 townhouses and 244 condos for sale throughout Arlington County. In total, 44 homes experienced a price reduction in the past week, including:
Please note that this is solely a selection of Just Reduced properties available in Arlington County. For a complete list of properties within your target budget and specifications, contact Arlington Realty, Inc.
Arlington firefighters are investigating a reported fire in the ceiling at Lost Dog Cafe in Westover.
The fire started in the kitchen area and is said to be out, but firefighters are removing ceiling tiles to make sure there are no remaining hotspots, according to scanner traffic.
It’s unclear what sparked the fire, but accumulated grease in the kitchen ductwork is a commoncause of fires at restaurants.
The local staple at 5876 Washington Blvd is best known for its wide selection of beer and sandwiches. There are other Lost Dog Cafe locations on Columbia Pike and in McLean, Dunn Loring and Alexandria.
At least one lane of Washington Blvd is currently blocked by the fire activity.
Passengers board an ART bus on Columbia Pike (file photo by Jay Westcott)
Arlington is looking to operate buses more frequently and expand service with more off-peak and weekend service.
These are just some of the recommendations that could be implemented as part of an overhaul of the municipal bus service, called Arlington Transit, over the next decade. The changes are part of an update to Arlington’s Transit Strategic Plan, which it is required to have by state law and update every six years.
As part of the update, Arlington County will be redesigning service in North Arlington and enhancing service along Columbia Pike, in Pentagon City and Crystal City, and around the under-construction Shirlington Transit Center. The proposed changes also include closing down some underutilized routes, adding service to community destinations such as Long Bridge Park, and ensuring schedules use easy-to-remember time intervals.
This update comes as ridership continues to recover from being slashed in half by the pandemic.
From July 2022 to this March, the most recent ART Bus ridership report available, monthly ridership increased from 130,299 to 164,516. Today, the highest concentration of riders is taking the bus north-south between Columbia Pike or Shirlington and the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor or east-west along Langston Blvd.
Still, there are gaps in service and barriers to bus use that this update is intended to address. In preparation for the strategic plan update, the county says it heard from users that their biggest asks are reliability, frequency and efficiency, as well as a better user experience.
“People want more direct routes with fewer transfers, taking less time to make their trips… [as well as] a better user experience (clean buses, safe and accessible waiting areas, and high levels of customer service and transparency) overall,” the county said.
Right now, reliability can depend on which route users take. ART bus data from March, for instance, shows that on-time performance is higher from Rosslyn to East Falls Church and from Crystal City to Courthouse but lower from Columbia Pike to Rosslyn and Courthouse. The Columbia Pike routes, however, see four to six times the number of riders.
The county tracked where bus service and demand are mismatched, plus researched popular places people congregate and want to go to — but currently cannot get to easily by bus. County staff specifically looked at places with higher concentrations of people without cars, seniors and people with disabilities or limited English proficiency, among other socioeconomic factors.
It found the following communities, circled in the graphic, could benefit from expanded service.
Areas where service could be improved (via Arlington County)
New routes serving these identified neighborhoods include a new ART 43 providing a “one-seat ride” between Clarendon, Courthouse, Rosslyn and Crystal City — a potential time and cost-saver compared to Metrorail — and a new ART 85, linking Shirlington, Long Branch Creek, Aurora Highlands, Crystal City and Potomac Yard.
“We’ve looked at the proposed route changes in detail and have a bunch of recommendations, both for routes that need improved frequencies, as well as for routes that are overly meandering, duplicative and should not be a priority in this constrained fiscal environment where both buses and bus drivers are at a premium,” SusMo said.
