A new Ann Taylor store opened in Clarendon over the weekend.
The store — not to be confused with Clarendon’s existing Ann Taylor Loft store — is located in the Market Common Clarendon shopping center. It replaced the shuttered Myer-Emco electronics store.
The women’s wear retailer was offering coupons to customers who stopped by over the weekend.
The Air Force Cycling Classic was held in Clarendon and Crystal City over the weekend.
Dozens of professional and amateur cyclists competed in a series of circuit races around both urban corridors. Cyclingnews.com has the results from both the Clarendon Cup and the Crystal Cup men’s and women’s pro races.
Photos by ARLnow.com, 83(b), Brendan J. McMurrer, D.WHIT Photography, Tim Kelley
Thunderstorms rumbled through the region tonight and knocked out power to parts of Arlington.
As of 2:30 a.m., 1,734 Dominion customers were without power in Arlington. The outage was said to be centered in the Courthouse and Clarendon area, along Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards.
In addition to restaurants and commercial offices, the outage also hit county government buildings in Courthouse. Some of the county’s internal computer networks were said to have been knocked offline by the outage. Firefighters responded to the county jail after the emergency generator reportedly failed to start, leaving the facility in the dark.
Dominion’s web site estimates that power will be restored no later than 7:00 a.m.
The Air Force Cycling Classic will bring exciting races and extensive road closures to Arlington over the weekend.
The nationally-recognized pro cycling event will kick off early in Clarendon on Saturday, then head to Crystal City on Sunday. Here’s the official schedule:
The races will result in a long list of road closures. See the list, after the jump.
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(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Police are investigating bank robbery in Clarendon.
A man robbed the BB&T branch at 3001 N. Washington Blvd just before noon, according to police. A witness told officers that the man ran north on N. Garfield Street just after the robbery. Police searched the area, including the Clarendon Metro station, but were unable to locate the suspect.
Police issued the following statement about the robbery this afternoon.
The Arlington County Police Department’s Robbery Unit is seeking the public’s help to identify a man who robbed an Arlington bank this morning.
The suspect entered the BB&T Bank in the 3000 block of Washington Boulevard at approximately 11:50 a.m. on Monday, June 6, 2011. He displayed a note demanding money, and implied a weapon. After receiving cash, the suspect fled on foot.
The suspect is described as a white male in his mid 50’s, 6 foot tall and 180 lbs. At the time of the robbery, he wore baseball cap hat, a red wig, glasses, a white and brown plaid button down shirt and khaki pants.
Anyone who has information about this robbery or the identity of the suspect is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective Donald Fortunato at (703) 228-4197. Det. Fortunato can also be reached by emailat [email protected].
See surveillance images of the suspect on the police department’s web site.
(Updated at 6:00 p.m.) A reader sent us these photos, taken today at the intersection of N. Edgewood Street and Wilson Boulevard.
The tipster said he spotted an Advanced tow truck idling in a no parking zone close to the intersection, in front of the Clarendon Whole Foods. Upon closer inspection, he says he noticed that the driver was asleep and the engine was running. The truck sat there “for at least 45 minutes,” hindering the ability of Edgewood Street drivers to see cars and pedestrians coming up Wilson Boulevard, according to the tipster.
“If I did this I’d be towed,” he declared.
When the adjacent El Chaparral Meat Market closed earlier this year, the owners of Boccato Gelato & Espresso in Clarendon (2719 Wilson Blvd) spotted an opportunity. They signed a lease for the space, and are now in the process of converting it into a bar/lounge.
The new “Boccato Lounge” will serve as a “place for families and the community to gather,” according to co-owner Cristian Velasco. Featuring beer, wine and live entertainment, the lounge will similar to Tryst in Adams Morgan — a hybrid coffee/alcohol hang-out spot.
Velasco says the lounge will allow Boccato to give its coffee and espresso program the attention it deserves, while giving customers more room to enjoy their drinks. There will, of course, be free WiFi.
The lounge will include a stage where local musicians will be able to perform and movies will be able to be screened. Velasco envisions Latin, jazz and bluegrass musicians taking the stage on some nights, and DJs performing on other nights. The rest of the lounge space will be able to accommodate various community uses, including yoga in the mornings, educational events during the day, salsa dancing at night and kids activities on weekends.
“Chill atmosphere, good music,” is how he summarized the concept.
Meanwhile, Velasco is busy opening a second Boccato Gelato on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. He expects the store to open in late June. No word yet on when Boccato Lounge may open.
H/t to John Fontain
(Correction at 11:50 a.m. — A quote from Capt. Wasem has been removed. The quote was from his prepared remarks, but was not actually said during the rally.)
More than 100 demonstrators marched through the busy streets of Virginia Square, Clarendon and Courthouse last night in support of immigrant rights and against deportations.
The protesters, assisted by a police escort, marched from George Mason University’s Arlington campus to the Arlington County jail. Holding signs and chanting slogans in English and Spanish, the protesters made their message loud and clear for scores of bewildered bystanders and outdoor diners in Clarendon.
Once at the jail, a number of speakers addressed the crowd. Most condemned the federal ‘Secure Communities’ immigration enforcement program while praising Arlington for attempting to “opt-out” of the program.
“Arlington was one of the first communities to opt out of Secure Communities,” said Tenants and Workers United Interim Director Jennifer Morley. “When people who live in Arlington heard about it, they spoke out, the organized. Arlington knows that Secure Communities is not the kind of initiative we want in our community.”
“We are watching our elected officials closely,” said a priest. “You are our brothers and sisters and our children.”
“Washington, D.C. is a sanctuary community!” shouted Johnny Barnes, executive director of the ACLU’s National Capital Area chapter, to loud cheers.
A woman identified as “Elizabeth” tearfully spoke about how she was deported before, but made her way back to the area so she could support her young daughter, who has a heart condition.
Also speaking at the rally was Arlington County Police Capt. Jim Wasem, who spoke on behalf of the department. ACPD Chief Doug Scott has previously expressed concern that Secure Communities could dissuade immigrants from cooperating with police investigations.
Pro-immigration groups will be marching through the streets of Arlington tonight to protest the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Protesters will march from George Mason University Founder’s Hall, at 3351 N. Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square, to the Arlington County jail, at 1435 N. Courthouse Road in Courthouse, where they will hold a rally against the federal ‘Secure Communities’ immigration enforcement program.
The march is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. Organizers expect the rally outside the jail to start at 7:15 p.m.
“Speakers at the rally will include representatives from Virginia, Maryland, DC, New York, Illinois, California and other locales affected by the discredited deportation program,” organizers said in a statement.
The march and rally will coincide with the start of the Turning the Tide National Summit, a three-day pro-immigration gathering that’s being held this year at GMU’s Arlington campus.
Secure Communities helps federal authorities enforce immigration laws by checking the fingerprints of those arrested by local law enforcement through a Department of Homeland Security immigration database.
In September the County Board voted unanimously to attempt to withdraw from the program, saying that Secure Communities “will create divisions in our community and promote a cultural fear and distrust of law enforcement.” County officials eventually determined that it was not feasible to withdraw from the program. A coalition that helped organize local opposition to Secure Communities was later given the county’s James B. Hunter Human Rights Award.
Iota to Hold Memorial Day Fundraiser — Iota Club and Cafe (2832 Wilson Blvd) in Clarendon will be holding a Memorial Day fundraiser for tornado and flood victims. It will be open for breakfast and brunch starting at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, then the music and the burger/hot dog cookout will begin at 3:00 p.m. Among the 21+ acts scheduled to perform are Alexandria folk-rockers The WeatherVanes, Arlington acoustic rocker Taylor Carson and Arlington singer/songwriter/vocal powerhouse Margot MacDonald.
Civic Federation to Discuss Public Safety — At its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 7, the Arlington County Civic Federation will hear presentations from and ask questions of Arlington’s police chief, director of emergency management and a senior fire department official. Also at the meeting, the Federation will hear presentations from ask questions of Arlington housing and planning officials, regarding affordable housing.
Farm Animals in South Arlington — The Arlington Career Center apparently houses chickens, goats and a pony behind its concrete walls. [Pike Wire]
A liquor license application notice is taped to the window, but that’s just about the only sign of progress at the future Trader Joe’s on N. Highland Street in Clarendon.
Interior construction of the hotly-anticipated grocery store has yet to begin. In November a Trader Joe’s rep told the County Board that they hoped to have the store open by “mid-2011.” Now, that seems highly unlikely.
Reached for comment yesterday, all Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki could tell ARLnow.com is that the store is on track to open by the end of the year. She said the company never actually promised an earlier opening.
A closer look at construction permit applications reveals that the company only started applying for its permits last month. As of this writing, the building permit is still listed as ‘rejected’ due to numerous discrepancies. County inspectors have also rejected the store’s fire prevention, mechanical and plumbing plans.
We’ve reached out to an Arlington building official but have yet to hear back.
