Ballston

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

ACPD Cruiser Hits Dog — An Arlington County police cruiser hit a dog Thursday night. The dog’s owner is accusing the police officer of speeding at the time the dog was struck, but a police spokesman suggests that that the dog’s injuries — it survived and is expected “to make a full recovery” — would have been worse if the officer was actually speeding. [WUSA 9]

Ballston Craft Market Season Starts — The Ballston Arts & Crafts Market will open its 2012 season on Saturday, May 12. It will take place on the second Saturday of the month through October. [Sun Gazette]

Wine Shop Offers Discount for Locals — The new Crystal City Wine Shop is offering 10 percent off to neighbors who live in the 22202 zip code and can prove it with a valid photo ID. The deal is valid on Tuesdays only. The shop is also offering 10 percent off on Wednesdays to anybody who works in the 22202 zip code and can prove it with a business card.

Crime Report: Woman Raped in Tara-Leeway Heights

By ARLnow.com

A woman was raped while visiting her sister in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood last Thursday, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report.

The crime happened while the victim was visiting her sister’s apartment, in the basement of a home shared by several tenants, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. A man who lives in one of the rooms forced himself upon her while in one of the basement’s common areas, according to Sternbeck.

RAPE, 04/26/12, 2100 block of N. Patrick Henry Drive. At 3:30 pm on April 26, a victim was raped by a known subject at a multi-family residence. Carlos Montalban Pineda, 45, of Arlington, VA, was arrested and charged with animate object sexual penetration.

On Saturday a man was arrested after police say he brandished a BB gun during a parking dispute at Gunston Middle School.

BRANDISHING A FIREARM, 04/28/12, 2700 block of S. Lang Street. On April 28 at 9:37 pm, a subject displayed a black handgun after arguing with the victim over a parking space. Officers located the suspect a short time later at a soccer field and learned the firearm was a BB gun. Mohamed Sesay, 30, of Alexandria, VA, was arrested and charged with brandishing a firearm on school property. He was held on no bond.

On Sunday, police responded to the Comfort Inn in Ballston for a report of two women who were advertising prostitution services on Backpage.com while using the hotel’s lobby computer. No arrests were made.

PROSTITUTION, 04/29/12, 1200 block of N. Glebe Road. At 8 pm on April 29, officers were alerted of two subjects engaged in prostitution at an area hotel. Upon arrival, it was learned that the subjects were placing online solicitations ads from the hotel lobby computer.

The rest of the crime report, after the jump.

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Gingrich Coming to Arlington to Suspend Presidential Campaign

By Katie Pyzyk

Newt Gingrich will come to Arlington tomorrow to officially end his presidential run, the National Journal reported today.

In a video message thanking supporters, Gingrich confirmed he’ll suspend his campaign at a press conference on Wednesday. His website shows the announcement will take place at 3:00 p.m., at the Hilton in Ballston (950 N. Stafford Street).

Arlington County Police will be assisting with traffic control outside the hotel, where a number of news networks are expected to be broadcasting live, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.

Although presidential candidate Mitt Romney is also scheduled be in Virginia tomorrow, he’s not expected to appear at the press conference to accept an endorsement from Gingrich, according to ABC News.

Romney is in Arlington for a fundraiser tonight at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City.

Fro.Zen.Yo Moving into Smoothie King Space in Ballston

By Katie Pyzyk

On Tuesday, we told you that Rosslyn is going to be getting a Fro.Zen.Yo store. Now, we can tell you that Ballston will be getting one as well.

A spokesperson for the frozen yogurt chain confirms that the long rumored Ballston location is going to become a reality. It will move into the old Smoothie King space at 850 N. Randolph Street, across from the Ballston mall.

This location will be owned by former Washington Bullets champion Kevin Grevey. One year ago this month, Grevey became the the very first Fro.Zen.Yo franchisee.

The Ballston location is expected to open sometime in June.

Ballston to Get Its First Bikeshare Station

By Katie Pyzyk

Ballston will be getting its first Capital Bikeshare station next week, as CaBi continues its westward push.

The station will have 19 docks, and will be set up on N. Stuart Street at 9th Street, in front of Welburn Square. The station is scheduled to be installed from noon to 2:00 p.m. next Monday, with a ribbon cutting event to follow.

“Ballston already has a number of transit options, and this is a great addition to that,” said Ballston BID Executive Director Tina Leone. “We see this as a great asset for Ballston, and for Arlington.”

CaBi stations have been popping up quickly throughout Arlington, particularly along the Orange and Blue Line corridors. The most recent additions came yesterday, when stations were installed along Key Blvd at N. Veitch Street in Courthouse, and N. Quinn Street in Rosslyn.

There’s an online map showing where future stations are expected to be built. CaBi takes suggestions for new station locations online.

Ballston Building Seeks Permission for Lighted Sign

By Katie Pyzyk

The Ballston Point office building at the corner of Wilson Blvd and Glebe Rd wants to add a lighted sign along its roofline. The County Board is scheduled to look at whether to grant a permit for the sign at its meeting on Saturday.

AES Corp. requested the permit to put a 63-square-foot lighted sign on the eleventh floor of the cylindrical tower portion of the building. It would consist of the company’s logo, along with the letters “AES.”

The sign will not directly face any residences and there have been no complaints from nearby neighborhood associations. Reviewers found the request to be in accordance with the county’s current sign regulations and proposed changes to the regulations, and recommend approval of the permit.

The applicant agreed to only have the sign lit up from 8:00 a.m. to midnight each day, and to install a sensor that automatically adjusts the sign’s intensity based on the time of day.

Crime Report: Really Bad Day Edition

By ARLnow.com

A woman had a double whammy of a bad day this past Friday night/early Saturday morning. Not only was her bike stolen from outside the Ballston Metro station, but a man tried to rob her at knifepoint while she was walking home after finding out that her bike was stolen.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY, 04/14/12, 1400 block of N. Glebe Road. On April 14 at 12:20 am, after returning to Arlington from DC to find her bike stolen from the Ballston Metro stop, a female walking home alone was approached by an unknown subject with a knife. The suspect demanded the victims purse, causing the victim to begin screaming for help. The suspect fled the scene on foot without the purse and is described as a white male, early-mid thirties in age, approximately 5’6″ to 5’8″ tall, with a semi-muscular build and a chipped or missing front tooth. He was wearing a Phillies jersey and jeans at the time of the attempted robbery.

The rest of this week’s Arlington County crime report, after the jump.

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Latest Design for Mosaic Park Revealed

By ARLnow.com

The latest conceptual design plan for major improvements to Mosaic Park (544 N. Pollard Street), near Ballston, includes interactive water features, a playground, a multi-use court and a small lawn for play and picnicking.

The plan, from noted design studio Oculus, was revealed at a community meeting last week.

In addition to the water jets and playground equipment, the park will also have green power features — currently slated as an array of solar panels designed to generate the 1.2 kilowatts necessary to power the park while at the same time providing some desirable shade. Additionally, there will be “wooden platform seating” near the water features — similar to the seating along New York City’s High Line.

The Shooshan Company, which is behind the nearby and still-under-construction Founders Square development, will be footing the $6.6 million bill for the improvements, per an agreement with the County Board.

County planners say they’re not sure when exactly the park will be built, but they’re planning on construction beginning at some point in 2013. A second phase of the project, which is expected to include a basketball court and additional green space, has been planned, but depends on the county’s ability to obtain land from a private property owner.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Ranked Second Healthiest County in Va. — Arlington has been named the second-healthiest county in Virginia, second only to Fairfax County. The rankings were released yesterday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Arlington County works hard to promote a healthy way of living, and to provide residents with options that make it easier to stay healthy and fit,” County Board Chair Mary Hynes said, citing biking, walking and recreational activities as examples of healthy options encouraged by the county. [Arlington County]

Donnellan: Theater Builds Communities — A robust arts program is vital to quality of life in Arlington, according to County Manager Barbara Donnellan. A theater buff in high school, Donnellan says theater helps build a sense of community, which is one of the key roles of local government. [Theatre Washington]

ACT College Closes in Arlington — ACT College, a D.C. area health training school, has suddenly shut down its Arlington, Alexandria and Manassas campuses. The school’s Arlington campus was located at 1100 Wilson Boulevard in Rosslyn. [WJLA]

Ballston Company Recruits Nerds — In its effort to recruit top software engineers, Ballston-based Applied Predictive Technologies (APT) is billing itself as a paradise for nerds. The company, which analyzes sales data for big retailers and restaurants, has been sponsoring hackathons, computer competitions and even StarCraft tournaments for students at top universities. The nerd recruitment seems to be working: the average SAT score of APT employees is 1560. [Washington Post]

Photo courtesy Andrew Clegg

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Contractor Chosen for New Ballston Apt. Tower — KBR Building Group has been tapped to build “The Place at Founders Square,” a new 17-story, mixed-use residential tower at 4000 Wilson Boulevard. Construction is expected to wrap up by the end of 2013. [CityBiz Real Estate]

Construction Update on Rosslyn Office Building — Construction on 1812 N. Moore Street, a 35-story behemoth in Rosslyn that will be the region’s tallest building upon completion, has topped the construction pit and reached surface level. [DC Metrocentric]

Multimedia Tools Available at Library ‘Lab’ — Next month Arlington Central Library will be launching a temporary “lab” on the first floor that will provide do-it-yourself multimedia creation tools. The Digital Projects Lab, as it will be called, will be open 20 hours per week and will have digital tools like Photoshop, Flash, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Final Cut Pro, Audacity and iMovie. The lab will be powered by MacBook computers and will also have a video camera, microphone, large color printer, film/photo scanner and Wacom Intuos 3 tablet. [Arlington Public Library]

Arlington GOP Doesn’t Rule Out Nov. Run — Arlington Republicans say they’re trying to recruit a candidate to take on newly-elected Democratic County Board member Libby Garvey in November. A Republican County Board candidate would face very steep odds, as the presidential election is expected to drive Arlington Democrats to the polls in droves. No Democratic candidate filed to challenge Garvey for the nomination before last night’s filing deadline. [Washington Post]

Woman Dies After Fall from Ballston Parking Garage

By ARLnow.com

A woman died Saturday after falling from the parking garage at Ballston Common Mall.

The woman fell from an unknown level of the parking structure and landed on the sidewalk on the N. Randolph Street side of the garage. The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The incident remains under investigation.

The incident happened around 5:25 p.m. on Saturday, as St. Patrick’s Day revelers were heading to local bars. Several passersby witnessed the fall, we’re told.

This is the second time in the past two years that someone has fallen to their death from the county-owned public parking garage.

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