developing story

Defense Bill Would Keep Up To 6,000 Jobs in Arlington, For Now

By ARLnow.com

A bill being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives this week would delay the scheduled move of up to 6,000 defense jobs from Arlington to Alexandria.

The language was included in the 2011 Defense Authorization bill by Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), who is a member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Moran says he’s concerned about the traffic on I-395 around Alexandria’s Mark Center, the development where the jobs are set to move to by September 2011 as part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC)..

“If nothing is done and the relocation continues as scheduled, VDOT has stated there will be ‘complete gridlock’ on Seminary Road and Beauregard Street and ‘severe’ congestion between the King Street and Duke Street exits on I-395,” Moran said in a statement.

The bill now before congress would cap the number of parking spaces at the Mark Center at 1,000 and would ban the lease of additional spaces near the development, effectively preventing the relocation of thousands of jobs. The cap would only be lifted when the Defense Department completes traffic improvements that meet congressional approval. It’s not clear how long such a project would take, but it would probably be measured in years.

About 6,400 defense personnel who now work in Metro-accessible office space in Northern Virginia are slated to move to the Mark Center, which is not near a Metro station. About 6,000 of those jobs are with the Defense Department’s Washington Headquarters Services division, which has offices in Crystal City, Rosslyn and Ballston, according to Arlington Economic Development spokesperson Karen Vasquez. The scheduled relocation of those jobs would be delayed if the bill passes, Vasquez said.

“The Pentagon dropped the ball on transportation planning for the base realignment at the Mark Center. A building of this size with no access to Metro should never have been considered at this location,” Moran said. “Now we’re pulling out all the stops to mitigate the consequences of the Defense Department’s mistakes.”

Four Hospitalized After CO Incident at Courthouse Hotel

By ARLnow.com

At least four people were sent to the hospital after elevated carbon monoxide levels were detected in the Arlington Court Suites Hotel at 1200 North Courthouse Road.

Firefighters believe the CO may have wafted into the hotel after a vehicle was left running for an extended period of time in a parking garage.

Several victims complained of headaches as a result of carbon monoxide exposure. One other person was evaluated on the scene and released.

Firefighters have brought in portable fans to ventilate the building.

UPDATED: Arlington Bombarded With Calls From 307-459-1039

By ARLnow.com

Arlington residents are being bombarded with mysterious, repeated hang-up calls from a Wyoming telephone number at all hours of the day and night.

At an online message board, dozens of people identifying themselves as residents of Arlington and other Northern Virginia communities have swapped stories of receiving calls from the same phone number, 307-459-1039.

Upon picking up the phone, the mysterious entity at the other end hangs up.

By some accounts, the calls are coming in every two or three hours.  Most people mention receiving calls on Friday and Saturday. Others report having received calls for the past week.

Tamar Abrams, a Huffington Post blogger, wrote about receiving the bizarre phone calls at her Northern Virginia home. A Verizon operator reportedly told Abrams that an investigation into the calls is underway.

Calls to 307-459-1039 are greeted with a recorded message saying that the line has been disconnected.

Other localities around the country have reported getting repeated calls from the same 307 number. A Connecticut newspaper reported last month that the police department in the coastal town of Stonington received “hundreds of complaints” about the calls.

Although the number traces back to Cheyenne, Wyoming, some have theorized that the caller ID may be faked, or “spoofed,” and that the calls actually originate from overseas.

Update on 4/26 — The Arlington County Police Department says it has received more than 150 complaints about phone calls from the 307 area code. Police released the following statement:

Preliminary investigation reveals calls were received from this telephone number in Arlington, Alexandria, and parts of Maryland. Detectives are currently working with agencies from local jurisdictions, communications personnel, and several telephone providers. At this time, it appears that the telephone calls may have been the result of a computer dialing error.

Representatives at Verizon state that although the calls were not generated from a Verizon account; they are in contact with the service provider involved. A Verizon spokesperson stated that Verizon customers who are receiving the annoying telephone calls may contact them at (800) 257-2969 to initiate a courtesy trace for two weeks. Non-Verizon customers may contact their respective telephone provider to report any annoying calls.

The Arlington Police are aware of the issue and are actively working to resolve it. Arlington residents wishing to report telephone calls related to this matter may email Detective Diane Guenther at [email protected] (preferred), or call (703) 228-4242.

Verizon has also released a statement, via police.

“Verizon security is working with the carrier who has this number {a} to block that number from reaching Verizon’s network – and our customers – and {b} to investigate ultimately who’s responsible for this. We are not happy about this, and we sympathize with our customers and the level of annoyance this has caused them.”

DEVELOPING — Armored Truck Guard Robbed In Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

A Brinks armored truck guard was robbed in Crystal City just after 1:00 this afternoon.

Police say a man sprayed an unknown substance in a guard’s face as he was walking outside the truck at South Bell Street and 15th Street. The suspect grabbed a bag of money, got into a dark SUV with another suspect and sped off.

The guard did not require medical attention, police said. Another guard remained in the truck during the robbery, per company policy.

There were several witnesses who were interviewed by investigators.

The FBI is assisting with the investigation. The incident does not appear to be connected to an earlier bank robbery in Ballston.

New Group Wades into Change-of-Government Fray

By ARLnow.com

A group of civic activists has formed the “Coalition for Arlington Good Government” (CAGG) to push back against an effort to change Arlington’s form of government.

The group’s goal is “to inform Arlington residents about the negative impacts of the proposal behind the petition drive.”

CAGG has set up a Facebook page with the slogan “Decline to Sign” and is in the process of launching a website.

The coalition’s co-chairs are Bill Bozman, Judy Connally, Alan Howze and Kris McLaughlin.

More from CAGG’s press release, after the jump.

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Group Fires Back at Change-of-Government Memo

By ARLnow.com

The Committee for a Better Arlington is firing back at a memo released by the County Attorney’s office yesterday. The memo concluded that the change-of-government plan promoted by the committee would be “a step backwards for the County.”

The committee just issued a strongly-worded statement (below) and pointed us to a memo from Ron Carlee, the previous county manager, which talks about the limitations of the County Manager Plan of government currently in place in Arlington.

Here’s the full statement:

It is disappointing that taxpayer dollars spent on the County Attorney’s salary were used for the overtly political memo disguised as a legal opinion on this ballot initiative.

The Committee for a Better Arlington was established in order to improve the current form of government in Arlington County so that it is more accountable and responsive to its citizens. It was established to improve the transparency between elected officials and Arlingtonians. More importantly, it was established to curtail the power an unelected bureaucrat has over the services and citizens of Arlington.

Prior to embarking on this initiative, the Committee for a Better Arlington deliberately reviewed the various forms of government provided for in the Virginia Code. The Committee felt the County Board form of government was the least disruptive yet responsive form of government that would remedy the faults in the current system – mainly communication and transparency with the County Board.

To date, thousands of Arlington registered voters have signed the petition expressing the same desire to improve Arlington County. This is not simply a matter pushed by Arlington’s police and fire unions to increase their pay.

If the County Attorney believes those who are pushing this change are naive then he believes the thousands of Arlington voters we meet each weekend at grocery stores, metro stops and farmers’ markets are also naive. Perhaps these voters will be equally naive come November and vote to improve the current system – one that places political expediency over better government practices.

County Attorney Blasts Change-of-Government Proposal

By ARLnow.com

A proposed change to Arlington’s form of government would “significantly impair” the county board’s effectiveness, and would invite “certain mischief” among elected officials, according to County Attorney Stephen MacIsaac.

In a memo to county board members, MacIsaac says the change would transfer some of the county government’s current powers to the state and would “compromise and even eliminate the County’s ability to achieve long established goals.”

The change-of-government proposal is sponsored by the Committee For a Better Arlington, which is endorsed by the Arlington Green Party, the Arlington County Republican Committee and the police and fire unions. The committee is currently trying to collect the 14,350 signatures necessary to put the proposal to a voter referendum.

If approved, the proposal would change Arlington’s government from the current “County Manager Plan” to the “County Board Form,” as outlined by state law.

The County Board Form calls for board members to be elected by districts, rather than at-large, and it would result in the board being elected all at one time, instead of holding separate, staggered elections.

MacIsaac said such a change could cause the “balkanizing” of county politics. Instead of promoting the interests of the county as a whole, there could be “competition among board members for funding and staff time for the betterment of one district over others.”

The change would also apply to the school board, “creating the possibility that schools in some districts would fare better than those in districts of less influential, powerful, or persuasive members.”

The County Board Form would give the board some of the executive powers currently entrusted to Arlington’s unelected county manager. Control over personnel matters, including appointments and compensation, would be transferred to the county board, “potentially introducing a form of political patronage not possible under the County Manager Plan.”

The county’s purchasing agent would report directly to the county board under the plan, presenting “the opportunity for undue influence in the award of contracts, and favoritism generally in the competitive procurement process.”

The change would also prevent the board from enforcing a human rights ordinance that prohibits all forms of discrimination, MacIsaac says. The board’s authority would be limited to the classes proscribed under state law, which does not include sexual orientation.

MacIsaac argues that the County Board Form was designed for a more rural county and is not suited to a large, wealthy, urban county like Arlington. As an example, he cites a state requirement that County Board Form governments establish a department devoted to agricultural and practical continuing education.

“It is naive to believe it is possible to change the form of Arlington’s government and expect the many powers Arlington now enjoys to neatly transfer into the comparatively small box afforded by the County Board Form,” MacIsaac concludes. “Adoption of the County Board Form would be a step backwards for the County.”

DEVELOPING: Hazmat Investigation on Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Update at 3:18 p.m. — We’re told that the situation is under control. The powder does not appear to be dangerous.

An Arlington County hazardous materials team has responded to an office tower at 1001 N. 19th Street in Rosslyn. Initial reports suggest that an employee on the 12th floor opened a letter from a former employee and white powder fell out.

So far, there are no reports of anyone in the office becoming sick as a result of the white powder.

The building is the headquarters of FBR Capital Markets, a large investment bank. It’s not clear whether the office involved belongs to FBR or another tenant.

DEVELOPING: Arlington Hires New County Manager

By ARLnow.com

Arlington has hired Savannah, Georgia city manager Michael Brown as its new county manager. Brown will replace current acting county manager Barbara Donnellan.

“Michael Brown is a thoughtful, articulate and dedicated manager who brings broad expertise and a record of strong fiscal management,” said county board chairman Jay Fisette, who announced Brown’s hiring this afternoon. “He has a proven track record of success on economic development, public safety, and regional and planning issues. We look forward to having him on our team.”

During his 15-year tenure in Savannah, Brown provided city assistance for more than $1 billion in development, including retail stores, hotels, and condominiums. He supported the development of Savannah’s waterfront and the creation of more than 5,000 units of affordable housing. He was also instrumental in historic preservation and directed the creation or renovation of numerous parks.

Brown helped the city pass a $890 million special sales tax, but also worked to sustain a 27 percent property tax reduction over 10 years.

A Prince William County native, Brown graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Virginia. His wife, Linda Lee, also hails from Prince William County. They have three children: Brendan, Alex and Rebecca.

Brown will begin his new job in Arlington on Monday, May 17.

“Arlington is a wonderful, world class community with great leadership including the Arlington County Board and staff,” Brown said in a statement.

“I am very appreciative of this appointment by the County Board. I hope that my skills and experience will be of real value in a number of initiatives such as plans for the growth corridors, neighborhood vitality, mobility, environmental sustainability, and good fiscal management. Also I share the Board’s and the community’s commitment to diversity and to inclusive citizen engagement and collaborative decision making. My wife Linda Lee and I are excited about Arlington’s many community cultural assets and opportunities.”

The Savannah Morning News has more on the resignation letter Brown sent to the city’s mayor today.

DEVELOPING: Two People Stabbed on Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Update at 5:10 p.m. Monday — Police now say they know who the suspect is.

Two cousins, a man and a woman, were stabbed around 8:00 Sunday night at the Dorchester Apartments on Columbia Pike.

The victims were stabbed following a verbal altercation with an unknown male suspect, according to police spokesperson Lt. William Griffith.

The victims’ wounds were not life-threatening, Griffith said.