Courthouse

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Hotel-to-Apartment Project on Hold — “A proposal to convert the Arlington Courts Suites extended-stay hotel in the Courthouse area to apartments is on hold, at least for now. The project had been slated for County Board consideration on July 18, but has been deferred until at least October at the request of the applicant, citing ‘economic concerns about the project due to the COVID-19 emergency.'” [InsideNova]

Controversy Sparks Idea for Fundraiser — A local man has raised more than $140,000 “after starting a GoFundMe page to buy Goya Foods products and donate them to local food pantries after critics called for a boycott over pro-Trump comments from Goya’s CEO. ‘People are seeing in the news a double standard for one political view,’ 27-year-old Casey Harper of Arlington, Va., told FOX Business.” [Fox Business, GoFundMe]

Jury Questionnaire Going Out Soon — “The Arlington Circuit Court, which includes the City of Falls Church, will soon begin its annual juror qualification process.  Juror questionnaires will be mailed in early August to randomly selected residents of Arlington County and Falls Church City.  These questionnaires are used to qualify residents for jury duty which begins Jan. 1, 2021, and ends Dec. 31, 2021.” [Arlington County]

Job Losses Possible at DCA — Among the 36,000 United Airlines workers who may be furloughed starting in October, according to WARN Act notices, are 116 employees at Reagan National Airport. [Virginia Employment Commission]

Swearing In for New County Board Member — “Takis P. Karantonis, elected to the Arlington County Board in a special election on July 7, 2020, will be sworn in at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 14 in a virtual ceremony. Clerk of the Circuit Court of Arlington Paul Ferguson will officiate.” [Arlington County]

Red Hook Lobster Pound Shuts Down — Long-time local food truck operator and concessionaire Red Hook Lobster Pound is selling its trucks and assets as the pandemic forces it out of business. This presumably means that there will be no Red Hook lobster restaurant near Clarendon, either. [Washingtonian]

ACPD Investigating Airbag Theft Along Lee Highway — “At approximately 7:30 a.m. on July 12, police were dispatched to the report of a larceny. Upon arrival, it was determined that between 7:00 p.m. on July 11 and 7:30 a.m. on July 12, an unknown suspect(s) smashed the windows of approximately three vehicles and stole the airbags. There are no suspect(s) descriptions. The investigation is ongoing.” [Arlington County]

Photo courtesy Mike Cantwell

Local Startup Storyblocks Acquired by Boston Firm, But Will Remain in Courthouse

By Vernon Miles

Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders, plus other local technology happenings. Monday Properties remains firmly committed to the health, safety and well-being of its employees, tenants and community. This week, Monday Properties is proudly featuring 1000 and 1100 Wilson (The Rosslyn Towers).

Arlington stock footage startup Storyblocks, which saw continued success during the pandemic, has been acquired by Boston-based private equity firm Great Hill Partners.

The price was not publicly disclosed, but a representative said business will continue as usual in Arlington. A press release said the partnership will allow Storyblocks to “accelerate its mission of modernizing the creative process to better support affordable, efficient video creation and to extend its current capabilities and product offerings.”

Great Hills Partners is known for its investments in Gizmodo and, locally, Fairfax County-based Custom Ink.

“We have seen dramatic changes to workflows for customers ranging from freelancers to small businesses to major production studios in recent years as they adapt to an ever-increasing demand for high-quality video content,” said TJ Leonard, CEO of Storyblocks, in the press release. “We are excited to partner with the Great Hill team because we share the belief that creatives are hungry for a new model to meet these new needs.”

Storyblocks started in 2009 as Footage Firm, shipping stock footage via DVDs, and the company has changed locations and brand over several years.

The company will retain its existing staff of 115 people, the Washington Business Journal reported, but will expand its product, engineering, marketing and sales staff.

Photos courtesy Storyblocks

Man Staggers to Police HQ After Being Stabbed at Party

By ARLnow.com

A man stabbed multiple times at a party in the Rosslyn area managed to stagger up to police headquarters in Courthouse to get help.

The stabbing happened Saturday evening on the 1700 block of N. Troy Street, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.

“At approximately 6:53 p.m. on June 27, an officer was approached outside Police Headquarters in the 2000 block of 14th Street N. by an individual who had been stabbed multiple times,” ACPD says. “Officers immediately began to render aid to the victim until medics arrived and transported him to an area hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.”

“The investigation determined that the victim was attending a social gathering when a verbal dispute between known individuals began to escalate,” the crime report continues. “The victim attempted to intervene, however the suspect then allegedly produced a knife and struck the victim multiple times. The victim was able to run away from the gathering, where he then sought assistance from police nearby. The investigation is ongoing.”

A passerby described a bloody scene outside of ACPD HQ.

“I was walking by the police station last night and saw police and the ambulance with the guy,” the tipster said. “There was blood everywhere on the steps of the police station. Looks like the guy way stabbed a bunch of times in the chest and stomach. Later they had to bring in a fire truck to wash the blood away.”

The victim is expected to survive.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Juneteenth Rally in Courthouse Today — “Please join the Arlington Black Employees Council for a 2020 Juneteenth Peace Rally on Friday, 11a-12p, outside at the Bozman Gov’t Center. The event will include a George Floyd tribute and recognition of victims of violence.” [Twitter]

Police Investigating Columbia Pike Robbery — “At approximately 1:24 a.m. on June 17, an officer was flagged down by the victim stating they had just been robbed. The investigation determined that the victim had exited a business when two unknown suspects approached him. One of the suspects struck the victim with an object appearing to be a firearm, causing him to fall to the ground. The suspects searched the victim’s person and fled the scene without taking anything from the victim.” [Arlington County]

ACPD Helps the Homeless During Pandemic — “In April, Arlington launched a homeless outreach coalition to help identify unsheltered individuals at high risk for COVID-19 and connect them with available resources and services. The coalition is comprised of stakeholders from the Police Department, Department of Human Services, and Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network (A-SPAN). ” [Instagram]

Coronavirus Signage in Rosslyn — “The Rosslyn Business Improvement District decked out the neighborhood with a variety of light-hearted messages as part of an awareness campaign launched this week to encourage social distancing as the region loosens stay-at-home restrictions imposed to fight the spread of Covid-19. Through the messages — which are stamped to the sides of trash cans, in the windows of office buildings and on public benches — the BID hopes to remind people not to let their guard down.” [Washington Business Journal]

Backyard Blues Fest on Saturday — “CPRO is planning an alternative Backyard Blues Festival on June 20 from 5-7 p.m. Arlington community radio station WERA 96.7 FM will play a curated selection of blues while various local restaurants will offer special discounts on food and drinks, which can then be enjoyed in one’s backyard or patio with the radio cranked up.” [ARLnow]

Nearby: Falls Church Closes for Juneteenth — “In keeping with Governor Northam’s declaration designating Juneteenth as a state holiday, the City of Falls Church will also observe the holiday. City of Falls Church Government administrative offices will be closed. Employees who staff essential programs and services will work as scheduled.” [City of Falls Church]

Hair Cuttery Courthouse Snipped From Official Listings

By Vernon Miles
1/2

(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) It seems Hair Cuttery has trimmed Courthouse from its list of locations and barbershop/salon is now closed.

The location at 2020 Wilson Blvd is now empty, with a sign in the windows saying the space is available to lease. The site is also no longer listed on the company’s index of locations.

The Hair Cuttery in Courthouse opened alongside retail shops on that block in late 2014.

The next closest Hair Cuttery is at 3307 Lee Highway, but there are still other barbershops closer in Courthouse and along Wilson Blvd.

Other Hair Cuttery locations throughout the region have closed as well while the parent company has filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As pointed out in the comments, Hair Cuttery locations in Shirlington and Crystal City have also been removed from the official list. Other Arlington locations — at Penrose Square, the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center, and 3307 Lee Highway — remain.

Photos: Hundreds Take to the Streets for Anti-Racism Protest

By ARLnow.com
1/21

(Updated at 11:15 p.m.) Hundreds — perhaps more than a thousand — braved 90 degree weather to march from Courthouse to Clarendon and back Thursday evening.

Police closed portions of Wilson and Clarendon boulevards at the marchers held signs and chanted slogans like “no justice, no peace.”

The demonstration started at 5 p.m. and was organized “in solidarity with those across the nation asking for justice for George Floyd and those who have been directed affected by systemic racism,” according to a social media post.

“This will be a peaceful march. If you feel as if you can’t express yourself in a peaceful manner, please just stay home,” organizers wrote. “We encourage all to make signs to express their feelings towards the injustices that have been going on throughout our country.”

Another large rally and march is scheduled to take place Courthouse on Saturday.

Protest Marches Planned in Arlington Through Sunday

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 10:40 p.m.) A number of peaceful marches against racism and in support of Black Lives Matter are planned in Arlington through Sunday.

The first will be taking place from 5-7 p.m. today (Thursday), marching from the county parking lot in Courthouse to Clarendon to demand justice for George Floyd “and those who have been directly affected by systemic racism.” Some county offices are closing early due to expected crowds.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-09s7pLtR/

Another is planned Friday evening, in memory of Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by Louisville, Kentucky police officers in March.

Demonstrators will march from Bob & Edith’s Diner on Columbia Pike to the county courthouse, starting at 6 p.m., according to social media posts.

The third march is planned Saturday from noon-5 p.m. and is expected to be a “large scale event.” The march will go from Courthouse to the White House, via Rosslyn and the Lincoln and MLK memorials in D.C.

From an event page on social media:

Arlingtonians are coming together to stand in solidarity in a peaceful protest against racial oppression.

We will convene at the Arlington Courthouse at noon on Saturday, June 6 and march together past the Iwo Jima Memorial and across the Memorial Bridge to the Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King Memorial. From there, we will march up to Lafayette Park to join peaceful protests demanding meaningful and urgent reforms for racial justice.

All are welcome and loved. Bring a mask and join us!

The local branch of the NAACP will be participating, the group said in a statement. The marching will be preceded by a rally from noon-1 p.m. in front of county government headquarters at 2100 Clarendon Blvd.

“Elected officials and members from the Arlington Branch NAACP, community activists, and elected leaders will be in attendance,” the organization said. “This is expected to be a large scale event and expect 250-500 attendees.”

County Board members Christian Dorsey and Libby Garvey, along with 1776 co-founder Evan Burfield, are listed a co-hosts on the Facebook event page for the Saturday march.

https://www.facebook.com/eburfield/posts/10103190602284609

Prior to the rally, a march from the Columbia Pike Branch Library to Ballston and then Courthouse is planned, starting at 10 a.m. at Welburn Square in Ballston, marchers will pause “to say the names of those who have lost their lives at the hands of police brutality and hold space to reflect as a community.”

On Sunday, another protest march is planned from 5-7 p.m., starting at Green Valley Pharmacy (2415 Shirlington Road). The march will “support #BlackLivesMatter as well as gun violence awareness.”

Meeting Tonight to Discuss Trio of 2020 Road Projects

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 1:40 p.m.) Arlington County will be holding a virtual public meeting tonight to discuss a trio of road projects set for later this year.

The county plans to repave and re-stripe portions of Wilson Blvd in the Dominion Hills and Boulevard Manor neighborhoods, Potomac Avenue in Potomac Yard, and Clarendon Blvd in the Courthouse and Rosslyn neighborhoods. The work is expected to take place this summer and fall, following the current public engagement process.

Arlington has been using its regularly-planned street maintenance to re-stripe roads in an effort make them safer, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists. It often involves the addition or enhancement of bike lanes, sharrows and crosswalks.

At an online meeting tonight from 6:30-7:30 p.m., held via Microsoft Teams, county staff will present the concept plans for its three 2020 projects while seeking public feedback.

More from the event page:

The Master Transportation Plan identifies routine street maintenance as an opportunity to provide cost-effective and easy to implement measures to improve safety and access for all people using the street. Community engagement is a core value in Arlington, and we wanted to provide opportunities for community members to share their feedback on the concept plans for the 2020 Street Maintenance season.

Please join county staff for an online meeting on Thursday, June 4 from 6:30-7:30 pm to learn about the project, ask questions and share feedback on the design concepts for the three 2020 Resurfacing Projects for Complete Streets.

Staff will present concepts for:

  • Wilson Boulevard – N Larrimore Street to McKinley Road (Dominion Hills/Boulevard Manor)
  • Potomac Avenue – S Crystal Drive to Alexandria City Line (Potomac Yard)
  • Clarendon Boulevard – N Nash to N Oak Street (Clarendon-Courthouse/Radnor/Fort Myer Heights)

The country recently repaved and re-striped portions of Lorcom Lane and Military Road. The work was done in conjunction with construction on the new Dorothy Hamm Middle School.

An online open house in April discussed all four projects.

Survival, Not Success, on the Menu for Courthouse Restaurant Sweet Leaf’s Reopening

By Vernon Miles

(Updated at 10:15 p.m.) Like other local business owners, Andre Matini feels like he’s building his franchise back from the ground up.

Andre Matini and his sister Arita are the cofounders of Sweet Leaf Cafe, a bowl and sandwich-focused local restaurant with a handful of regional locations. The store’s Courthouse location (2200 Wilson Blvd) is set to reopen Thursday for takeout and delivery, with orders ideally placed online or — if necessary — with walk-ins.

Matini said the location is reopening with ambitious 9 a.m.-8 p.m. hours, 7 days a week, but that could change as it adjusts to operating during the pandemic.

“It’s like starting the whole business from scratch,” Matini said. “So many things go into getting production.”

The big problem, Matini said, is trying to rehire staff. Matini said he has had zero responses to a help-wanted ad he put out recently.

“Right now, my ex-employees won’t come back, which is causing a problem,” Matini said. “Some of them are making more by staying home because of $600 [weekly enhanced unemployment] bonus. That bonus runs out in mid-July, and then they all want to come back.”

For Sweet Leaf, though, Matini said that leaves businesses opening before July with very little to offer former employees to come back to work, potentially risking their health to earn less than they would staying at home. While some larger companies have offered extra pay for employees to work through the pandemic, Matini said many smaller businesses don’t have the profit margins to afford that kind of package.

“Who wants to risk possibly getting sick to break even and work for the money when you could get it for unemployment,” Matini said. “One of our biggest problems is getting anyone to come back. We’re staffing managers on salary, but that’s not a long term possibility here, to pay people $50 to $60 grand for hourly work.”

As frustrating as that is, Matini said he’s still happy about receiving a federally-based Paycheck Protection Program loan, saying even with an imperfect implementation it’s allowed the company some breathing room. He’s not sure there will be many customers when he reopens, but now that he has the PPP loan he has to most of the money on rent, utilities and employee pay within 8 weeks in order to have that portion of the loan forgiven, according to Small Business Administration guidelines.

Matini said he’s preparing for the careful balancing act of keeping employees and other customers safe while not embarrassing those who don’t follow social distancing standards.

“We have all these new procedures in place to keep customers and employees safe, but with the nature of the virus, it’s difficult,” Matini said. “It’s a balancing act. We’ll be asking people without masks to order online without embarrassing them. There are no issues right now, but you can see as businesses open up in a month and you have 20 people in a store, it might be difficult to single someone out.”

Matini said he’d prefer government step in to establish what the rules are — Arlington County officials are considering doing so by making masks mandatory while out in public — so individual businesses don’t have to set their own rules.

“We’re excited to open, but it’s not a grand opening type of excitement, it’s just ‘let’s get something rolling again we can keep in place for a couple of months or a year,'” Matini said. “We’re doing walk-ins, but you just can’t sit down. Please use delivery or takeout, it’s easier, you’ll get a discount. It’s about a 10% discount. If you spend $25, you get $2 off.”

As the Courthouse location gets restarted, Matini said the focus isn’t on thriving, but surviving.

“We’re not growing businesses, just seeing what we can do,” Matini said.

While Courthouse is reopening, one of the two Sweet Leaf locations in Ballston will remain closed — the one in an office building on N. Glebe Road. “There’s nothing going on there,” Matini said. The N. Quincy Street location is currently open with limited hours.

Sweet Leaf isn’t alone in reopening. McNamara’s Pub and Restaurant in Crystal City (456 23rd Street S.) is also planning to reopen tomorrow, offering dinner along with beer, wine and cocktails from 3-9 p.m. Other restaurants, like Mexicali Blues, have been reopening over the last few weeks and offering take-out and delivery options.

Photo courtesy Sweet Leaf

Ireland’s Four Courts Reopening for Takeout

By ARLnow.com

Ireland’s Four Courts will once again be serving shepherd’s pies and fish and chips, starting Friday.

The long-time Courthouse watering hole closed on March 15, devastatingly just before St. Patrick’s Day. But customers have rallied around the pub and donated nearly $35,000 via a GoFundMe campaign to benefit Four Courts and its laid off employees.

“The closing of the doors is like closing the doors on a family, placing unwelcomed economic burdens and stress on its members,” the GoFundMe page said. “So please raise your glass and give a donation in honor of Ireland’s Four Courts and its staff members that have given so much to this community. All donations will go directly to help support the staff during this time of uncertainty.”

Yesterday, a month and a half since the closure, came word on the fundraiser page that Four Courts will be reopening Friday for takeout.

“We are pleased to announce that everyone has been offered their position back and that we plan to open for to-go orders on Friday, May 8,” Four Courts manager Dave Cahill wrote. “We are awaiting further instruction from the our Governor in regards to reopening our bar and restaurant for dine in customers… Ireland’s Four Courts has served the people of Arlington for over two decades and we have never been more excited to open our doors again!”

The announcement comes amid a wave of restaurant reopenings around the D.C. area, though one prominent local restaurant owner cautions that many are due to business receiving PPP loans. The doors might not stay open past the Fourth of July, he suggested.

The full announcement from Four Courts is below, after the jump.

(more…)

Courthouse Startup DivvyCloud Acquired for $145 Million

By Vernon Miles

(Updated at 3:50 p.m.) Just a few months after moving into a larger office space in Courthouse, Arlington cybersecurity startup DivvyCloud is being acquired for $145 million by larger cybersecurity company Rapid7, Inc.

In the crowded cybersecurity marketplace in Arlington, DivvyCloud specializes as a cloud-focused security option that not only fixes gaps in security coverage but makes it easier for a company to see where its security is weakest.

The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of 2020, according to a spokesperson for the company. When it does, it will be a big payday for the company and any employee that received equity in it, as well as one of the Arlington startup scene’s bigger exits, alongside fellow Courthouse tech firm Opower’s 2016 acquisition.

“Through DivvyCloud’s platform, Rapid7 will enable customers to innovate more securely in the cloud and make infrastructure more accessible and manageable for both DevOps and security teams,” said Brian Johnson, CEO and co-founder of DivvyCloud.

As more companies using the cybersecurity services of Boston-based Rapid7 start to move more to cloud-based services, DivvyCloud will allow customers to innovate and safely move out of data centers, making their infrastructure more accessible.

“Joining forces with Rapid7 is a natural next step,” said Johnson. “Their commitment to customers, employees, and company culture is well-aligned with the values that have made DivvyCloud so successful. With the combined expertise of both Rapid7 and DivvyCloud, we are even better positioned to help enterprises accelerate innovation using cloud and containers without the loss of control.”

Despite the acquisition, Johnson tells ARLnow that the company is staying put.

“The DivvyCloud team will continue to be located and work out of our office in Arlington,” he said, “although we are all working from home these days.”

Photo courtesy DivvyCloud

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