Around Town

ARLnow Daily Debrief for Nov 30, 2023

By ARLnow.com

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 — Nov 30, 2023.

📅 Upcoming events

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

🌧️ Friday’s forecast

Expect rain to begin after 2pm, with highs near 50°F, accompanied by a south wind at 5-9 mph. There’s an 80% chance of precipitation, with less than a tenth of an inch likely. On Friday night, there is a 50% chance of rain mainly before 9pm, followed by patchy fog after 3am. The night will be mostly cloudy, with lows around 46°F and a southwest wind at 5-9 mph. See more from Weather.gov.

💡 Quote of the Day

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
– Thomas A. Edison

🌅 Tonight’s sunset

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

Around Town

Smallest and largest homes sold in Arlington (October 2023)

By ARLnow.com

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 (October 2023).

Largest homes sold

  1. 1718 N Harvard St — Lyon Village — $4,225,000 (6 beds | 8 baths | 7,360 sq. ft.)
  2. 4903 Williamsburg Blvd — Rock Spring — $1,975,000 (5 beds | 4.5 baths | 5,932 sq. ft.)
  3. 3114 1st St N — Lyon Park — $2,550,000 (6 beds | 5.5 baths | 5,623 sq. ft.)

Smallest homes sold*

  1. 5104 14th St N — Waycroft/Woodlawn — $1,615,000 (4 beds | 2 baths | 1,950 sq. ft.)
  2. 1820 21st St N Unit 1820 — North Highland — $970,000 (2 beds | 4 baths | 1,964 sq. ft.)
  3. 900 N Stafford St Unit 2625 — -Ballston – $1,050,000 (2 beds | 2.5 baths | 1,974 sq. ft.)

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

Sponsored

Just Reduced Properties in Arlington: October 15, 2025

By Sponsor

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:

6223 Langston Boulevard

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.

News

NEW: Former Arlington Aquatic Club board president faces trial for child pornography charges

By Jo DeVoe
Pool at the Long Bridge Park Aquatics & Fitness Center (staff photo)

(Updated at 8:20 p.m.) A former board president of Arlington Aquatic Club is set to go to trial next year for child pornography and sexual coercion charges, according to court documents.

Mark Black, who is about to turn 50, according to public records, was arraigned in federal court last week. A trial date was set for Feb. 27, 2024.

Earlier this month, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Black with six counts of creating, advertising, distributing and receiving child pornography between 2018 and 2023.

His alleged crimes date back to January 2018 and continued up to June of this year, when, according to court documents, he was allegedly found in possession of child pornography, including at least one depiction involving a minor not yet 12 years old.

According to these charges, in July 2019, he coerced one victim, identified as “Victim 1,” to “engage in sexually explicit conduct” to produce child pornography.

He also faces a seventh charge of coercing a minor to engage in sexual activity to create child pornography, after allegedly coercing and enticing a second child victim to engage in sexual activity for this purpose between April 2022 and April 2023.

“He faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 to 30 years for conspiracy to produce child pornography,” a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia told ARLnow this evening, after publication.

He also faces “15 to 30 years for conspiracy to advertise child pornography, 15 to 30 years for production of child pornography, 10 to life for coercion and enticement, and 5 to 20 for both receipt and distribution,” she continued.

The average sentence on federal child pornography charges in fiscal year 2022 was 110 months, or just over nine years, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Trafficking child pornography typically carries longer sentences than reception or possession.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia filed an indictment against Black on Sept. 14, 2023. He was taken into custody at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria the next day, according to court documents.

Later that month, swimming news outlet SwimSwam reported that Black was suspended indefinitely by the U.S. Center for SafeSport and USA Swimming “for unspecified allegations of misconduct.”

The outlet had previously reported Black was entered into SafeSport’s disciplinary database, around the same time he was allegedly found in possession of child pornography.

Black was prepared to enter a plea agreement for the first count, Conspiracy to Produce Child Pornography, however “the Court indicated that the plea would not be accepted at this time,” per court documents.

Neither the Arlington Aquatic Club (AAC) — an elite swimming program notable for producing a Tokyo Olympian two summers ago — nor the U.S. Attorney’s Office could be reached before deadline.

Announcement

Yorktown Wind Ensemble seeking help to get to national festival

By Yorktown Band Boosters

The Yorktown High School Wind Ensemble is proud to announce its selection to the Music For All National Concert Band Festival in Indianapolis, IN. The ensemble was selected as an “Invited Band” based on previously submitted recordings. Students will participate in workshops with nationally-recognized clinicians and have the opportunity to meet with and hear other top-notch bands including the National Honor Band of America.

Joseph Witkowski, Director of Bands at Yorktown High School shared, “It is truly an honor and testament of their hard work that the student musicians of the Yorktown Wind Ensemble have earned an invitation to perform at this prestigious event. I am incredibly proud of these exceptional young people and am excited for them to share their artistry on a national stage.”

Go to Yorktown Wind Ensemble seeking help to get to national festival Read more
Events

AWLA to reduce adoption fees for pets during ‘Empty the Shelters’ event

By James Jarvis
Chanel (courtesy of AWLA)

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington (AWLA) is having its own holiday sale, of sorts, but for pets.

Starting this Friday, as part of the nationwide “Empty the Shelters” event, the shelter is offering reduced adoption fees for dogs, cats and small animal companions such as rabbits, guinea pigs and rats.

During the event, which runs through Saturday, Dec. 9, dogs and cats can be adopted for a reduced fee of $50. Many of the dogs can be adopted for free thanks to funding from several sponsors, per a press release.

Additionally, adoption fees for small animal companions, which range from $25-75, will be halved.

Currently, the shelter says it has 17 dogs awaiting homes. While this number might seem small, AWLA spokeswoman Chelsea Jones emphasized the facility is small and adoptions are at a “historic low” in Arlington, a trend playing out across the country.

“We have several dogs who have been with us for multiple months, like Ginger, who has been with us for more than 230 days, and Sonny, who has been with us since February,” Jones said.

Announcement

3K Scholarships for Immigrant Youth in Virginia

By The Dream Project

The Dream Project Scholarship is for immigrant high school and college students in Virginia – we award $3,000 in renewable college scholarships annually to 100 high-achieving students whose immigration status creates barriers to higher education. We are committed to serving Virginia students who have demonstrated perseverance in the face of adversity. 98,000 students with undocumented status graduate from public schools in the US each year, and less than 10% of them go on to earn a college degree. The Dream Project works to bridge that gap- through financial support, leadership, and a community built by and for immigrant families. 84% of our scholarship recipients cite the Dream Project as a critical factor in their success in earning a college degree. Applications close on February 1, and recipients will be notified by April 1.

Applicants must meet the following qualifications:

Go to 3K Scholarships for Immigrant Youth in Virginia Read more
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