District of Columbia

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Metro Assault Suspect Arrested — The registered sex offender from Maryland suspected of groping a woman on an Orange Line train in Arlington has been arrested by Metro Transit Police “following media coverage” of the case. MTPD is now looking for additional victims. [Twitter]

Scott Parker Eyes D.C. for Next Venture — “Boston burger chain Tasty Burger has closed its sole D.C. location… Eater has learned Scott Parker — the restaurant owner of millennial-targeted bars such as Clarendon’s Don Tito and Ballston’s A-Town Bar and Grill — is pursuing a project at the Shaw location of the former burger joint in the Atlantic Plumbing building (2108 8th Street NW).” [Eater]

Circus Coming to Rosslyn — Jack Burkman, conspiracy theorist and Rosslyn area resident, says he’s going to hold a press conference at the Rosslyn Holiday Inn tomorrow to “reveal the first of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s sex assault victims” — though he has not offered any evidence to back up the accusation and is now facing a possible FBI investigation into a woman’s claim that he tried to pay her to testify that she was abused by Mueller. Burkman’s last Rosslyn press conference, in which he promised a bombshell revelation, was instead panned by fellow conspiracy theorists. [The Atlantic, Daily Beast, Heavy]

Arlington Nursing Homes Lauded — Two Arlington nursing homes — ManorCare and The Jefferson — were included in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Nursing Home” list. A total of 2,975 facilities across the U.S. received the “Best Nursing Home” distinction. [WTOP]

Caps Host Special Hockey Players in Ballston — Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals hosted more than 80 players from the American Special Hockey Association at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Ballston on Tuesday. [NHL]

Snowy Winter Ahead? — “Consulting meteorologists and weather companies like AccuWeather and the Weather Company unanimously agree: Washington is in for a snowy winter. So, now, do the forecasters you watch on television.” [Washington Post]

Nearby: 5K to Raise Money for Pittsburgh Victims — A 5K run/walk has been planned to raise money for the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue shooting victims and the non-profit refugee group HIAS. The run is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 2 along the C&O Canal Towpath in D.C. [Active, Safety and Health Foundation]

ACPD Arrests Rape Suspect After Standoff in D.C.

By ARLnow.com

A man suspected of raping a woman in Arlington has been taken into custody after a 16-hour barricade situation in D.C.

Arlington County Police say Salodus Zeloter Hicks, 60, barricaded himself inside a home on the 3300 block of Mt. Pleasant Street NW after Arlington officers arrived to execute a search and arrest warrant last night (Wednesday). He was taken into custody around 1 p.m. today with the assistance of D.C. police and the FBI.

Hicks is facing charges of forcible rape and strangulation in connection with the Sept. 17 sexual assault of a woman in an apartment building on the 5500 block of Columbia Pike. Police say Hicks, who was caught on surveillance video, met the victim after responding to an online ad.

“During the arranged service, the suspect physically assaulted and raped the victim,” police said in a press release. “Following the assault, the suspect fled the scene on foot.”

Police were vague about the exact nature of the advertisement in order to protect the victim’s identity.

JUST IN: Arlington Cyclist Killed in D.C.

By ARLnow.com

A 64-year-old Arlington man was killed while riding his bike to work in D.C., according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

The crash occurred yesterday (Monday) morning on the 1200 block of Constitution Avenue NW. A driver in a dark sedan ran a red light at a high rate of speed, struck Thomas Hendricks Hollowell in the crosswalk and drove off without stopping, according to police.

Despite a quick response from police and passersby, Hollowell died from his injuries. NBC 4’s Adam Tuss reported that Hollowell rode his bike to work at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History every day.

Image via Google Maps

Bezos: HQ2 Decision Coming By End of Year

By ARLnow.com
1/3

Amazon will select a location for its second headquarters by the end of the year, CEO Jeff Bezos said Thursday night.

At a sold-out Economic Club of Washington event, Bezos did not give any hints of whether Arlington has a leg up on other locations. He sidestepped a question from interviewer David Rubenstein about whether HQ2 would be coming to the D.C. area, but did confirm that the HQ2 decision would come by the end of the year.

The process has been subject to months of breathless speculation about the company’s plans, with two different sites in Arlington advancing as finalists in the unusual bidding war for HQ2. Amazon expects the new headquarters will bring as many as 50,000 new jobs to wherever it lands.

While communities across the country earned looks from Amazon, the D.C. region has long been viewed as a favorite to earn Amazon’s new headquarters after the company listed Northern Virginia, Maryland and D.C. among its 20 finalists in January.

Industry watchers and even betting markets have zeroed in on the D.C. area as a likely landing spot for HQ2.

Arlington earned high marks as a particularly strong contender after the county submitted both a Crystal City site and locations along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor for consideration.

Amazon officials subsequently toured those locations this spring, and even linked many of its employees to a particular ARLnow article about the county’s environmental accolades.

JUST IN: Three Arrested in D.C. After Driving the Wrong Way Down I-395 While Fleeing Police

By ARLnow.com

Three people have been arrested and will likely face charges in Arlington after a desperate attempt to flee a traffic stop on I-395.

The incident started just before 10 a.m., when an Arlington police officer tried to pull over a vehicle heading northbound on I-395 in the Pentagon City area. The driver of the vehicle then sped off heading the wrong way on southbound I-395, according to ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage.

“The vehicle did not stop and fled the area at a high rate of speed,” she told ARLnow.com. “The vehicle traveled NB in the SB HOV lanes, struck a vehicle, and the three occupants of the suspect vehicle fled the scene on foot.”

A search ensued, as U.S. Park Police set up a perimeter and combed the area around East Potomac Golf Course for the suspects, according to scanner traffic. All three were eventually caught.

“With assistance by the United States Park Police and Virginia State Police, all three suspects were located and taken into custody,” Savage said. “Charges are pending at this time.”

There were no reports of injuries in the crash, according to Savage.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Happy Trails to Barry Trotz — Arlington resident and Stanley Cup winning coach Barry Trotz is stepping down as head coach of the Washington Capitals. (A number of Caps coaches and players call Arlington home, given that the team’s home base is the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Ballston.) [Washington Post, WJLA]

Crash Closes Departures Roadway at DCA — A vehicle crash and the subsequent cleanup effort closed the departure level roadway for an extended period of time yesterday. “A car with three occupants accidentally ended up on a jersey wall and rode along it for approximately 100 yards before coming back down,” an Arlington County Fire Department spokesman told ARLnow.com. “One occupant had minor injuries, but none were transported.” [Twitter, Twitter]

Neighborhood Battles to Save Tree — “Another development-preservation battle is gearing up in Arlington, this one focused on the fate of a dawn redwood on Ohio Street… A petition was recently initiated by Todd Murdock who lives several houses away from the tree. In a day the petition had 500 signatures and by June 10 the number of signatures had grown to more than 700.” [Arlington Connection]

Kaine on Housing Affordability, Amazon — U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) swung by Clarendon on Monday to speak at a forum on housing affordability. He believes localities like Arlington that are dealing with skyrocketing rents need help from the federal government, but he lamented that the Trump administration’s policies could be actively making the problem worse. Afterwards, he told a reporter that rush hour traffic may be a significant detriment to Northern Virginia’s bid for Amazon’s HQ2. [Twitter, Washington Business Journal]

Nearby: Wawa Coming to Georgetown — Rosslyn residents and workers may be able to walk — or take a gondola? — to the next D.C. Wawa. The convenience store chain plans to open in the former Restoration Hardware space on Wisconsin Avenue NW. [Washington Business Journal]

Photo courtesy @NineTiger

‘Wonder Woman’ Behind Heavy Rosslyn Traffic?

By ARLnow.com
1/5

Traffic on N. Lynn Street in Rosslyn is backed up to the Marine Corps War Memorial as of 10 a.m. this morning.

The unusually-heavy, post-rush-hour traffic may be due in part to road closures across the Key Bridge in Georgetown, where Wonder Woman 2 is currently filming. (See tweets, below.)

Police are posted at the busy intersection of N. Lynn Street and Wilson Blvd to help control traffic.

Adding to the driving woes, a crash between a bus and another vehicle was reported on Lynn Street around 9:30 a.m.

https://twitter.com/AnnieYuFox5/status/1007234102297354240

Update at 10:30 a.m. — The backups have largely cleared up.

One Missing After Boat Overturns Near Key Bridge

By ARLnow.com

Update at 2:10 p.m. — The incident ” has transitioned from a rescue to a recovery operation,” according to D.C. Fire, indicating that officials believe the missing worker did not survive. The barge that overturned has been secured, the fire department said.

Earlier: Rescuers are searching for a worker who remains unaccounted for after a small barge overturned in the Potomac River near the Key Bridge Monday morning.

At least people were rescued after what was described as a “workboat” reportedly flipped over amid a strong current in the rain-swelled Potomac. A total of six people were in the water and five made it out uninjured, according to Twitter posts from D.C. Fire and EMS.

An “extensive search” remains underway, D.C. Fire said.

The Key Bridge is in the midst of a $14.5 million rehabilitation project.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Arlington Named Fittest ‘City’ in U.S. — “Arlington has been named the fittest city in America, according to the 2018 American Fitness Index ranking from the American College of Sports Medicine. The Northern Virginia jurisdiction eeked out a win over last year’s champ, Minneapolis, by just a half point, with an overall score of 77.7. Minneapolis came in second with a score of 77.2.” [Washingtonian, USA Today]

Person Rescued from High Water — Firefighters rescued someone trapped under a bridge by high water following last night’s storms. Around 9:30 p.m., firefighters responded to the 2800 block of S. Glebe Road for a possible water rescue along Four Mile Run. The victim was removed from the high water and evaluated by paramedics. [Twitter, Twitter]

Airport Noise Battle Rages On — “Residents in several Northwest Washington neighborhoods aren’t giving up their fight against airplane noise from flights at Reagan National Airport. They are asking for a rehearing of their case against the Federal Aviation Administration from a full panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.” [Washington Post]

Courtesy photo

Happy Bike Month! Celebrate with a Car-Free Bike Ride

Want something fun to do in May? How about going on your best bike ride ever?

DC Bike Ride is the regions only closed-road, car-free bike ride! This is your only chance to ever bike DC completely car-free. It’s not a race. It’s not competitive. It’s a recreational bike ride that you can do at your own pace. You can jump on a bike and enjoy the ride even if you haven’t been on two-wheels in years.

Join us on Saturday, May 19 to celebrate life on two wheels. Register now and use the promo code ARLBIKE18 for $10 off standard registration. Kids ages 3 to 7 are always free and youth ages 8 to 17 are always half-price.

DC Bike Ride also has a Finish Festival after the ride along the National Mall with beats, eats and fun for all ages. DC’s famous go-go band Trouble Funk will headline the festival, and attendees can enjoy free yoga by KIND Healthy Snacks, get a bike tune-up by Conte’s, try out a virtual reality bike ride with Events DC or test an electric bike with JUMP Bikes.

The Washington Area Bicyclist Association is the event’s non-profit beneficiary with funds from DC Bike Ride supporting WABA’s work to make streets safer for all.

Don’t have your own bike? No problem! We partner with Bike and Roll DC to bring you easy bike rentals.

Find us on social media: @dcbikeride on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information visit www.dcbikeride.com.

Make DC Bike Ride your favorite spring tradition and join the ride today. Don’t forget to use the promo code ARLBIKE18 for $10 off standard registration. Online registration will be open through Wednesday, May 16.

Your Only Chance to Bike DC Car-Free

DC Bike Ride is the region’s only car-free, closed-road, recreational bike ride. Register now before the price increases on May 1.

Save even more when you use the promo code ARLBIKE18 for $10 off standard registration. Kids ages 3 to 7 are always free and youth ages 8 to 17 are always half-price

Join us on Saturday, May 19 for a fun, recreational, family-friendly bicycle adventure. DC Bike Ride celebrates bicycling as a form of healthy living, fitness, transportation and fun.

Your registration includes access to the closed-road DC Bike Ride course that starts in West Potomac Park — this is the only time Washington, DC closes roads for bicycles!

The 20-mile ride will feature on-course entertainment, music and rest stops, as well as a short-cut to the finish that offers a 6-mile course (in case you get tired, are riding with little ones or get hungry for some snacks).

The ride ends with a Finish Festival party with beats, eats and activities for all-ages at the National Mall in front of the U.S. Capitol. DC’s legendary go-go band Trouble Funk and DJ Little Bacon Bear will be performing at the festival. Participants also get a limited edition DC Bike Ride water bottle.

The ride raises support for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s work to make streets safer for all roadway users. The event has committed more than $100,000 in support over three years to WABA for street safety neighborhood programs.

No bike? No problem! We partner with Bike and Roll DC to bring you easy bike rentals.

Find us on social media: @dcbikeride on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information visit www.dcbikeride.com.

Make DC Bike Ride your favorite spring tradition and join the ride today. Don’t forget to use the promo code ARLBIKE18 for $10 off standard registration now through April 30.

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