Schools

Independent candidate declares second bid for School Board seat

By Jo DeVoe
Independent School Board candidate James ‘Vell’ Rives (courtesy photo)

James “Vell” Rives is entering the race to fill the Arlington School Board seat being vacated by Reid Goldstein.

He will be running in the general election in November against the candidate who wins the Arlington County Democratic Committee endorsement caucus, either be Miranda Turner or political newcomer Angelo Cocchiaro, who both nabbed high-profile endorsements recently.

Voting in the caucus will take place in early May.

Rives, an Arlington resident of 24 years with two children in Arlington Public Schools, ran as an independent last year, nabbing the endorsement of the then-Sun Gazette (now the Gazette Leader). He lost to Bethany Sutton, who had the support of Arlington Democrats and captured 68% of votes on Election Day, compared to the 30% Rives garnered.

“His campaign priorities include school safety, academic rigor, and teacher retention,” Rives’ announcement says.

Some of his previous campaign issues included reinstating School Resource Officers and doing away with standards-based grading, per a video on his website.

Rives is a psychiatrist and past co-chair of the Arlington Public Schools School Health Advisory Board (SHAB). He currently represents SHAB for the Arlington Addiction Recovery Initiative and his website details his policy positions on the twin epidemics of student drug use and mental health issues.

“Substance Abuse has increased since the pandemic among students nationally, and anecdotal reports suggest the same for Arlington,” Rives’ website says. “While continuing preventive education in school, I support aggressive early intervention to change the trajectory for students using drugs.”

Earlier this year, a 14-year-old student died of a drug overdose at Wakefield High School, which one of his children attends. APS has since stepped up education and increased the availability of the overdose reversal drug Narcan but some teachers say they do not feel heard when they report concerns to administrators.

Rives says APS should redirect resources to address rising mental health concerns.

“We must also rebuild connectedness among the school community by promoting athletics, performing and visual arts, and physical education that involves exercise and play,” he said.

The budget that the Arlington School Board is teed up to adopt later this year includes a handful of additional substance abuse counselors and a psychologist and social worker to maintain current staffing levels.

Rives says he also supports the position of SHAB that APS should adopt a policy requiring students to keep personal devices off and stored during school hours. A handful of schools have independently adopted this but SHAB says it needs to be systemwide to be enforceable. Some current School Board members support such a policy, while others oppose it.

As for the Democratic candidates, Turner has also staked out positions on mental health, such as more teen programming and tighter controls on APS-issued devices, as well as greater academic rigor, especially calling for more math interventionists.

On substance use, Cocchiaro says he would like to add more counselors.

Around Town

Kong Dog is opening in Pentagon City and giving away free corn dogs

By Matt Blitz
Kong Dog is opening at the Pentagon City mall (photo courtesy of Kong Dog)

Kong Dog at the Pentagon City mall is marking its opening this week by giving away free corn dogs.

The Korean corn dog restaurant announced that it would be opening its first Virginia location this weekend in the Pentagon City mall food court. It will be located near the end of the food court, close to the Forever 21 store.

To celebrate, the eatery says it will be serving up free corn dogs to the first 200 customers in line starting at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Per a press release:

To celebrate its grand opening, Kong Dog’s Pentagon City location (found in the Fashion Centre food court) will be giving away free corn dogs to the first 200 customers in line during its soft opening on Friday, April 28. With its trendy, delicious, and homemade corn dogs, Kong Dog is opening its doors in Pentagon City as a ‘new bite to grab’ offering corn dog lovers a selection of fun and flavorful toppings that make for a customizable experience unlike any other, The new food-lovers destination will also host a grand opening the next day, Saturday, April 29.

The restaurant will officially open to the public at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

In January we first reported that Kong Dog was setting up shop in the mall. It was originally set to open up in February but inspections and other delays pushed it back several months, a restaurant spokesperson told ARLnow.

The eatery sells Korean-style corn dogs with toppings like cheese, fried potato, hot Cheetos, and ramen. With U.S. locations mostly clustered in Illinois and New Jersey, the Pentagon City location is the first in Virginia. Locally, there is a location in Silver Spring and another opening in Georgetown later this year, the spokesperson said.

Kong Dog is not the only Korean-style corn dog restaurant in Arlington. Oh K-Dog and Egg Toast opened in Ballston Quarter last year and said it was also working to open a Crystal City location, though that does not appear to have materialized yet.

Sponsored

The Trees’ Tale: a history on Arlington’s natural heritage

By Carolanne Korolowicz

This recurring Real Estate feature is sponsored by The Eli Residential Team. Their mission is to guide, educate, and advocate for their clients through real advice, hands-on support, and personalized service. This week’s post is written by Carolanne Korolowicz.

In Arlington, the contention between urban development and environmental preservation is ever present. Citizens went to bat to save Arlington’s tree canopy during the Missing Middle debacle, there are environment-focus ballot measures almost every election, and plenty of local associations with a mission to preserve the county’s green landscape. But, did you know that debating over trees is actually an Arlington tradition? Before boundaries were even drawn, trees have been at the center of almost every development project.

On October 21, 1767, the stage was set by John Carlyle and Charles Alexander. The two prominent figures went to trial to dispute whose land (modern day Arlington and Alexandria City) was whose. Twenty-four witnesses gave their testimonies about the land boundaries defined by tree markers. Many of these witnesses were quoted mentioning the trees’ ages, whether they had been marked as line or corner trees, and the type of instrument used. With tree-defined boundary lines, the testimonies became a source of confusion rather than clarity.

In other historical accounts, it is clear that the DC-area forefathers viewed trees as part of the area’s heritage. A friend of Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Nothing affected Mr. Jefferson like this wanton destruction of the fine trees scattered over the (Federal) City grounds.” The friend also stated that Jefferson himself once said, “The unnecessary felling of a tree, perhaps the growth of centuries, seems to me a crime little short of murder.” As obvious by these statements, the conservation cause has always been one of great passion.

(A part of George Washington’s Oak Tree Displayed at The Glencarlyn Library, Photo: ArlingtonHistorical.com)

The acknowledgement of prominent trees has been documented over the centuries. George Washington’s survey oak in Glencarlyn being one of the first. Later in 1860, a large, anciently marked poplar tree was noted to be a landmark for the Cherrydale Neighborhood, but was cut down for the Washington and Old Dominion Railway in 1912. George Nicholas Saegmuller, an original owner of “Reserve Hill”– today’s Knights of Columbus Arlington Headquarters– planted a strip of evergreen forest from LIttle Falls Road to Old Dominion Drive as a homage to his homeland of Germany. Most importantly, the first tree to be given protection was one of the oldest oak trees of the Nation at the Grunwell Estate, located in Country Club Hills, in the late 19th century.

(A Champion Ash tree in Barcroft Park being measured, Photo: Arlington County)

Citizens acting as stewards of wildlife are deeply rooted in the makeup of Arlington. This symbiotic relationship remains today through the Forest and Natural Resources Commission’s Notable Tree Nominations. Since 1987, the volunteer-led program has awarded over 400 significant trees and their caregivers. In 2024, eleven trees were selected, including four on Fort CF Smith, six in North Arlington and one located on the corner of Columbia Pike and George Mason Drive. Though not legally protected, the status has proved helpful when communicating the importance of conservation during development projects.

What makes for a notable tree? The committee looks for these three items: size, neighborhood value, and uniqueness. Nominations are due every year on October 31st – so it’s not too late to submit! For legal protection, an application must be submitted for a ‘Specimen Tree’ through the Trees and Shrubs Ordinance. This designation requires tree conservation and protection if development of a site occurs. Violations result in a civil penalty of up to $2,500. Applications are due September 30th every year.

(A 2024 Notable Tree Winner: Deodar Cedar on Fort CF Smith, Photo: Arlington County)

As headbutting between developers and “tree-huggers” continues on, Arlington County has made efforts in favor of the area’s ecosystem over the decades. The citizens hold the power to improve these protections. Nominating trees for significance, or legal protection, is the easiest way to make a difference.

To quote the late local historian Eleanor Lee Templeman, “Although Arlington County has already lost a great deal of its forests through careless development of subdivisions, an awakened public concern over this priceless heritage will save a great deal of remaining beauty. Our stream valleys and palisades still possess true wilderness areas which must be preserved for posterity.” (Arlington Heritage: Vignettes of a Virginia County, 1959)

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News

County Board mulls putting pickleball courts in empty offices and private clubs

By Jo DeVoe
1/9

One person’s vacant building is another’s future pickleball facility.

Not to be topped by a County Board candidate’s suggestion to put pickleball facilities at the condemned Key Bridge Marriott, Board Vice-Chair Libbey Garvey mulled whether vacant office buildings could be retrofitted for courts.

“We’ve got these office buildings that are kind of empty, and we’re trying to figure out what to do with them,” she asked at the Board’s Tuesday meeting. “Is that a possibility?”

Already recognized in some rankings as a great place to play pickleball, Arlington County is looking to add more courts in response to the sport’s booming popularity. But it has found itself in a pickle, balancing pressure to add courts with pressure to address pickleball-related noise and land use concerns from some neighbors.

During the Arlington County Board conversation with the Dept. of Parks and Recreation, members took a diplomatic approach, in contrast to the threats of legal action, accusations of bullying and public urination, and late night TV lampooning that have characterized the ongoing local pickleball battle.

In addition to Garvey’s vision for pickleball taking over vacant office buildings, others floated nudging private clubs to get in on the fun. They said private courts could ease the burden on the local government to add facilities, mute the “pop” the paddles emit and help address the stubborn office vacancy rate.

Such possibilities would require working with Arlington Economic Development, said Dept. of Parks and Recreation Director Jane Rudolph.

“There’d have to be an evaluation with others who understand layouts of office building and warehouses and things and with [Arlington Economic Development] colleagues about what we could be doing in existing private spaces and if they could be built out,” she said.

Arlington Economic Development’s Director of Real Estate Development Marc McCauley told ARLnow that zoning changes the Arlington County Board approved on Saturday do open up opportunities for private pickleball facilities in vacant retail and commercial spaces.

“These private facilities, such as national operator Chicken N Pickle” — a sport, restaurant and event space — “are emerging concepts that could theoretically relieve some demand pressure on use of pickleball courts in public facilities,” McCauley said. “Challenges may include ceiling height, floor plate size and noise attenuation, but those issues would need to be studied by a property owner and potential tenant on a case by case basis.”

Another example is Kraken Kourts, with two locations in D.C. that offer pickleball, axe throwing, roller skating and a rage room — a place to break things to let off steam.

Board Chair Christian Dorsey asked whether DPR has considered how the the county could “encourage some operators to set up some pickleball facilities so that this doesn’t become solely a government responsibility.”

In communities known for their pickleball amenities, Dorsey observed there are major, private indoor-outdoor facilities which sometimes have “really substantial membership costs or drop-in fee costs.”

This includes, Board member Takis Karantonis noted, “some very private places with a lot of tennis courts — a lot of new tennis courts, actually.”

(more…)

Traffic

Rollover crash closes Route 50 during evening rush hour

By ARLnow.com
1/5

The intersection of Route 50 and Park Drive was shut down for part of yesterday’s evening rush hour after a serious crash.

The crash happened around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Scanner traffic suggests that only one vehicle — a gray SUV, which came to rest on the driver’s side — was involved. The driver was trapped in the SUV after the crash.

Firefighters worked to stabilize the vehicle and safely remove the driver, who was initially reported to be unconscious but was alert once rescuers arrived. The driver was then taken via ambulance to a local trauma center.

In addition to shutting down the busy commuter route for an extended period of time, the crash uprooted a road sign at the intersection.

A resident who lives nearby noted that this intersection has seen numerous crashes over the years.

“Lots of accidents at that intersection,” said Michael Thomas, who lives a block or two away. “Lots of inebriated drivers departing from Outback Steakhouse. They (and others) make right turns on red from Park onto Route 50 despite the signed prohibition. And people on Route 50 drive too fast and run red lights.”

Thomas said firefighters cut open the roof the the SUV, a Toyota RAV4, to remove the driver. It was “hard to tell” what caused the crash, he said.

A crowd of local resident gathered as the rescue operation took place. The intersection reopened by 7:45 p.m., according to Arlington Alert.

The intersection of Route 50 and Park Drive was reconfigured several years ago in an attempt to improve safety.

Shortly after the rollover crash, another notable wreck was reported elsewhere in Arlington. A driver rear-ended an ART bus near the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Courthouse Road.

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