Aurora Highlands

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Tidal Basin an D.C. monuments, as seen from a flight arriving at DCA (Flickr photo by Rob Cannon)

Seven Dems Line Up to Replace Brink — Seven Democrats are running for the House of Delegates seat being vacated by Del. Bob Brink, who’s heading to the McAuliffe administration. The candidates, who will compete in a firehouse primary on Sunday, made their pitch to members of the Arlington County Democratic Committee at its meeting in Ballston last night. Also last night, Brink thanked ACDC members for their support over his 17 years in office. [Blue Virginia, Washington Post, InsideNova]

O’Leary to Retire Monday — County Treasurer Frank O’Leary, also speaking at last night’s meeting of Arlington Democrats, formally announced his retirement. O’Leary, who has served more than 30 years as county treasurer, touted his record of reducing tax delinquency rates, increasing the county’s return on financial investments, and improving customer service. His deputy, Carla de la Pava, will be sworn in as interim treasurer after O’Leary submits his resignation Monday. [InsideNova, Blue Virginia]

Aurora Hills Babysitting Co-op Turns 50 — A babysitting co-op in Arlington’s Aurora Highlands neighborhood just celebrated its 50th anniversary. Babysitting is free in the co-op, which requires members to contribute by babysitting each other’s children. [Washington Post]

SoberRide Returns for July 4 — The Washington Regional Alcohol Program will offer free taxi rides on Independence Day tomorrow through its SoberRide program. Revelers can call 1-800-200-TAXI for a free cab ride home from 10:00 p.m. on July 4 through 4:00 a.m., as long as the fare is under $30. [WRAP]

DCA Warns of Long Lines — The Fourth of July holiday is expected to result in longer lines and wait times at Reagan National Airport this weekend. The airport is advising travelers to arrive two hours early, especially during its “peak travel times… typically during the early morning (5:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.) and late afternoon (3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.).” There may also be a mid-day peak from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Adding to the problems, the airport reports that some airlines are canceling flights due to Hurricane Arthur. [MWAA]

Flickr pool photo by Rob Cannon 

Photos: A Tree Falls in Aurora Highlands

By ARLnow.com
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Arlington wasn’t immune from problems caused by this week’s heavy rains.

Among other rain-related issues, the water-saturated ground caused a tree to topple over onto power lines in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood Thursday afternoon.

As a result of the felled tree, part of 17th Street S. was closed near S. Joyce Street, and we’re told parts of the Aurora Highlands and Arlington Ridge neighborhoods lost power for a few hours.

Dominion Power cut the tree back off the lines but it’s still partially hanging over the sidewalk, according to neighborhood resident Jim Oliver.

Photos courtesy Jim Oliver

Miracle on 23rd Street Returns Tonight

By Ethan Rothstein

Linden Resources 'Miracle on 23rd Street' 2011An annual Aurora Highlands Christmas tradition will return tonight, with Santa Claus arriving on an Arlington County Fire Department truck.

The Linden Resources “Miracle on 23rd Street Celebration” will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Linden office at 750 23rd Street S.

The event is free and open to the public, will include a Christmas tree lighting, a brass band and children’s activities, including photos with Santa.

The event will kick off with a vendor gift fair from local businesses and will feature “local dignitaries,” according to a press release.

Linden Resources, a company devoted to helping those with disabilities find employment opportunities, will also collect donations for its “Vets Ready2Work” program that helps place military veterans with disabilities with jobs.

File Photo

Arlington Man’s Massive Pez Collection Started as a Bet

By Orrin Konheim

Mandrake Summers and his Pez collectionMandrake Summers didn’t set out to maintain a collection for 20 years when he  started a competition with his friend in his senior year of high school — in 1992 — to see who could collect the most Pez dispensers.

The Aurora Highlands resident, who has been working in Arlington County’s Department of Aging and Disability since 2009, has amassed a collection of well over 1,000 Pez dispensers at this point.

“Partly, it’s a compulsion,” admitted Summers. “I can’t walk into a store, see a Pez dispenser that I don’t have, and not buy it.”

Summers, 37, cites two key advantages to his Pez dispenser collection, as compared to other types of collectables: It takes up very little space, and Pez dispensers are easy to find.

“If I were collecting antique gliders, that would be very problematic,” said Summers, whose hobby also persisted when he stationed in the Ivory Coast for the Peace Corps in 2000.

“I would keep an eye out but my post was pretty rural,” said Summers. He caught up on his collection when he returned stateside.

While he has told his coworkers about his hobby, Summers surmises that if he has gotten any notoriety for it, it’s because he posts his new acquisitions on his Facebook page. One friend told us that he likes the posts because many of the photos bring back nostalgic childhood memories.

Summers owns a number of books on Pez that he uses as field guides, and he is part of an internet community of what he estimates to be approximately 100 or so forum members, who exchange information about new finds and reliable vendors.

Asked if he has any advice for would-be collectors, Summers said: “I guess I would say collect something that’s small because if you collect large items, they’ll quickly take over your house. Decide early on what you want to collect and sort of just commit to that.”

For those who take up Pez collections, Summers has more specific advice.

“My recommendation for anyone who’d want to start, is to go out to stores that are selling Pez dispensers and just buy as many different dispensers as you can, he said. “You can start there and within a few months you can probably get 30 or 40 dispensers without having to go on eBay.”

As for whether he developed a sweet tooth via his Pez collection, Summers says he doesn’t actually eat the candy — he gives it to his stepson.

Tree Lighting, Santa Visit Scheduled for Miracle on 23rd Street

By Katie Pyzyk

Aurora Highlands will get a little brighter tonight, during the annual “Miracle on 23rd Street” holiday celebration.

Linden Resources, Inc. is hosting the holiday festivies including a Christmas tree lighting and holiday music. Santa Claus is scheduled to arrive on an Arlington fire truck.

The event is open to the public and begins at 6:30 p.m. in front of the Linden Resources building (750 S. 23rd Street). In addition to the outdoor activities, guests are invited to take part in multi-cultural children’s activities inside the building.

Linden Resources employs and provides job placement for adults with intellectual, physical and mental health disabilities.

Car Drives Through Yard, Across Street, into Front of Building

By ARLnow.com

An elderly driver was involved in a bizarre accident near Crystal City this afternoon.

The accident happened around 4:00 p.m. on the 700 block of 23rd Street S. Witnesses say an elderly driver in a white sedan pulled out of a commercial driveway, slammed into the side of passing minivan, continued driving across the street and into the front yard of Linden Resources, then back across the street and into the front of a small office building.

The elderly male driver seemed shaken up by his car’s airbag but not seriously injured, witnesses said. He was transported via ambulance to a local hospital. No other injuries were reported.

The office building, which houses NATO offices among other tenants, did not suffer any significant, apparent damage. Linden Resources’ flower bed was torn up and its front walkway railing was knocked over.

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Police: Newspaper Carrier Carjacked at Gunpoint

By Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 7:15 p.m.) Police say a newspaper carrier was carjacked early this morning (Wednesday) in the 2300 block of S. Joyce Street, between the Aurora Highlands and Arlington Ridge neighborhoods.

Around 4:30 a.m., the 73-year-old woman was doing her rounds of paper delivery and had just exited the car to place a paper on a customer’s doorstep. According to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, two men then drove up in a van next to her, and one said “give me the car.”

Police say both of the subjects, one of whom had a gun, pushed the woman to the ground. At that point, one of the men reportedly jumped into the woman’s car and threw her dog out of the vehicle, before driving off. The other suspect got back into the van and drove off.

Sternbeck said the woman yelled “fire” hoping someone would hear and help her. The resident at the house she was in front of came outside to assist, and they called police together.

According to police, the victim said she never leaves her car except at this one residence.

A tipster tells us the woman is a carrier for The Washington Post. The carrier and her dog, named Sparkle, were both shaken up but are otherwise fine, the tipster said. She didn’t report any injuries and denied medical attention.

Sternbeck said the woman describes both suspects as black men, about 5’9″, medium build, wearing dark sweaters and ski masks. The victim’s car was a beige Toyota Corolla, but there was no additional information provided regarding the suspects’ van. Anyone with information about the crime or the suspects is urged to call the police non-emergency number at 703-558-2222.

A Washington Post spokeswoman declined to comment about the incident.

Obama Unveils Jobs Plan During Arlington Visit

By Katie Pyzyk

President Obama chose Arlington’s Fire Station No. 5 (1750 S. Hayes St) as the place to deliver a speech about the creation of a new Veterans Jobs Corps.

Around 11:30 a.m. the President arrived at the fire station via motorcade and took the stage to announce his new $1 billion initiative, which he highlighted during the State of the Union address last month. The program particularly targets veterans who have served since 9/11 — a group whose unemployment rate is currently hovering around 13 percent.

“Our veterans are some of the most highly trained, highly educated, highly skilled workers that we’ve got,” said the President. “These are Americans that every business should be competing to attract.”

Under the initiative, 20,000 veterans will be put to work over the next five years on a Veterans Job Corps conservation program, which will “restore our great outdoors by providing visitor programs, restoring habitat, protecting cultural resources, eradicating invasive species, and operating facilities,” according to the White House. The corps will also “repair and rehabilitate trails, roads, levees, recreation facilities and other assets.”

In addition to the Veterans Job Corps, the president announced that he will seek $5 billion in funding to boost local police and firefighter hiring. Preference for those jobs would be given to post-9/11 veterans.

“Let’s get more cops on the beat. Let’s gets more rangers in the parks. Let’s get more firefighters on call,” Obama said today. “And, in the process, we’re going to put more veterans back to work. It’s good for our communities, it’s good for our economy, and it’s good for our country.”

The president explained that in addition to contributing to the overall good of communities, there will be specific financial benefits for taking part in the initiative.

“Today, we’re announcing that communities who make it a priority to recruit veterans will be among the first in line when it comes to getting help from the federal government,” the president said.

(more…)

President Obama to Visit Fire Station 5 Tomorrow

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 2:20 a.m.) President Obama will visit Arlington’s Fire Station 5 tomorrow morning to discuss a new initiative to help returning military veterans get jobs — including jobs as firefighters and police officers.

Obama and representatives from the International Association of Fire Fighters union will announce the initiative at the closed event, which is expected to begin around 11:00 a.m.

Fire Station 5 is located at 1750 S. Hayes Street in Aurora Highlands, just blocks from Pentagon City mall. Police say drivers should expect road closures and other impacts in the area.

“The event is expected to create moderate traffic disruptions in the Crystal City area from approximately 10:00 a.m. to noon,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “Emergency parking restrictions will be in effect along South Hayes Street to facilitate the presidential visit.”

Photos: ‘Miracle on 23rd Street’

By ARLnow.com

Linden Resources — formerly SOC Enterprises — held its annual ‘Miracle on 23rd Street’ tree-lighting ceremony Friday night.

Families from the surrounding Aurora Highlands community formed a sizable crowd outside the Linden Resources building at 750 S. 23rd Street. The ceremony featured a brass band playing Christmas songs, the much-anticipated tree lighting, and the arrival of Santa Claus via fire engine.

Linden Resources provides employment opportunities for adults with disabilities.

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Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Aurora Hills Babysitter Co-Op — While the District has been ranked as the most expensive place in the country for childcare, parents in the Aurora Hills neighborhood, near Crystal City, have banded together to save money by taking care of each other’s kids. The Aurora Hills babysitting co-op is “just a group of moms helping each other out,” according to one of the members. [MyFoxDC]

Seasonal Green Chiles Arrive in Arlington — A shipment of green chiles, fresh from the famous growing region of Hatch, N.M., has arrived at Santa Fe Cafe (1500 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn. The restaurant is expecting to receive about 100 pounds of Hatch green chiles throughout September. Owner Kip Laramie says he’ll be using the flavorful, spicy ingredient to serve dishes like locally smoked pork chop with green chile peach chutney, grilled spinach with green chile quesadilla, and red snapper with artichokes, mushrooms and green chiles. [Rosslyn Blog]

Public Forum Planned for Comcast Renewal — Comcast is seeking to renew its cable franchise agreement with the county, and a public meeting is planned to give residents a chance to share their thoughts on the company’s service in Arlington. Officials are specifically seeking ideas for public services that Comcast can provide as part of a new franchise agreement.  The meeting will be held on at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the County Board room of 2100 Clarendon Boulevard. [Arlington County]

ARLnow Mobile Site Disabled — We’ve temporarily disabled the mobile version of our web site. Web-enabled mobile phone users visiting ARLnow.com will now see the full version of the site. We expect to have the mobile site back up by Monday.

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

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