$23 Million House Up for Auction — Its address might say McLean, but a $23 million house that’s now up for auction on Chain Bridge Road is technically located in Arlington. The house, once featured on the MTV show “Teen Cribs,” will be auctioned off at the Arlington County Courthouse on Sept. 27 after its owner went into foreclosure. [Curbed, Tranzon Auction]

School Bus Stop Next to Sex Offender’s House — A local mom is lobbying Arlington Public Schools to get her middle-school-aged daughter’s bus stop moved, after finding out that the stop is located near a convicted child sex offender’s house. [WUSA 9]

APS Not Formulating New School Names, Yet — Arlington Public Schools say the process for naming two new elementary schools expected to be built over the next couple of years will start when the schools’ boundaries have been decided. At that point, a committee of parents, teachers, staff and residents will be formed to recommend a name. If the school is to be named after a person, that person must have been dead for at least five years. [Sun Gazette]

Lacrosse Team Selling Mulch — As part of a fundraiser, the Yorktown boys lacrosse team is selling hardwood mulch for delivery. The mulch, which is $4.95 for a 3 cubic foot bag (minimum 10 bags) will be delivered by on Saturday, Oct. 13. The deadline for ordering is Oct. 2. [YHS Patriot Lacrosse]


The 8th annual “Ice Champions LIVE!” ice skating show and fundraiser will be coming to Arlington next month.

The event is taking place on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 4:00 p.m. at Kettler Capitals Iceplex (627 N. Glebe Road) in Ballston. Among those scheduled to perform are recognizable national skating champions like Brian Boitano, Ashley Wagner, Ryan Bradley, Kimmie Meissner, Mirai Nagasu, Michael Weiss, Steven Cousins, and Richard Dornbush.

The ice show (and a silent auction of skaters’ personal memorabilia at the event) benefits Weiss’ nonprofit, the Michael Weiss Foundation, which provides financial support for skaters with Olympic potential who need help paying for things like coaching, choreography, costumes, music editing and tutoring. The foundation is currently sponsoring 22 potential future skating stars.

“Knowing firsthand the financial burden required for an athlete to get to the Olympics, Weiss established the Foundation to give back to the sport that has given him so much by providing deserving children with scholarships so they can become future Olympians and carry out the legacies of their heroes who preceded them,” according ot a press release. Weiss is a resident of McLean.

Tickets for the show start at $30 and are available online. Seats are also available on the ice itself for $50.


Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the vice presidential pick of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, will be coming to Arlington this week for a private fundraiser.

Ryan will headline a private fundraiser at the Westin hotel in Ballston at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. The fundraiser will benefit the Romney presidential campaign.

The stop is one of three planned Virginia events for Ryan this week. He will also be attending a fundraiser in Richmond on Thursday with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, and will be attending a rally at Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Va. at 11:00 a.m. on Friday.

Ryan’s wife, Janna, was living in Arlington and working as a tax attorney for PricewaterhouseCoopers when she first met Ryan in 1999.


What do cops, consultants, hockey coaches, radio personalities and current and former Washington Capitals players have in common? They’re all expected to help raise money and awareness for blood donation at Kettler Capitals Iceplex (627 North Glebe Road) next month.

Under the slogan of “Give Blood, Play Hockey,” Inova Blood Donor Services is holding its fourth annual Charity Hockey Classic fundraiser at the ice rink in Ballston on Sept. 9. Tickets for the event are available online.

More information about the fundraiser, from a press release:

Inova Blood Donor Services is asking the local community to “give blood, play hockey” as they host their fourth annual fundraising event, the Charity Hockey Classic, which will — for the first time — feature members of the Washington Capitals Alumni facing off against three local teams, including two-time defending champion Virginia Coaching Cardinals on Sunday, September 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex.

Admission to see the Capitals Alumni compete in this round-robin tournament against the Booz Allen Minutemen, Northern Virginia Law Enforcers and Coaching Cardinals is $10 per person and FREE for kids. All fans are encouraged to wear their hockey jerseys.

“The fourth Charity Hockey Classic promises to be another spirited day of competition and charitable giving by the local hockey community,” said Charity Hockey Classic Chairman Adam Bartholomew. “We are thrilled and grateful to welcome the Washington Capitals Alumni program for the first time and appreciate the support of our two returning squads along with the Northern Virginia Law Enforcers for their support of our mission to provide a safe and adequate blood supply to the entire DC metro area.”

The Capitals alumni team, which will also include some front office staffers, is in the process of assembling with a final team roster anticipated later this month. Current Washington Capitals teammates Matt Hendricks and Jeff Schultz have offered their support in the past serving as honorary captains.

The Cardinals, a ‘flock’ of youth hockey coaches from across Northern Virginia, blanked the Booz Allen Minutemen (Booz Allen Hamilton’s corporate hockey team) in last year’s contest by a score of 5-0, and look to defend their title, securing a three-peat in 2012. The Cardinals roster consists of coaches from local youth hockey programs including the Ashburn Xtreme, Reston Raiders, NoVA Ice Dogs, and Washington Little Caps. The Booz Allen Minutemen features employees from across the region while local officers and patrolmen will comprise the hard-charging Northern Virginia Law Enforcers. Each squad will face one another in a 15-minute mini-game.

The beneficiary of the Charity Hockey Classic is Inova Blood Donor Services, a service line to the not-for-profit Inova Health System that collects, tests and provides blood and blood products each day to 15 hospitals and medical centers throughout the Washington, D.C. metro area. In 2011, the event raised over $65,000 – up from $40,000 in 2010 (an increase of over 60%) and pushing the three-year total to just over $146,000 The goal for 2012 has been set to raise $90,000, which is needed to refurbish one of Inova’s older bloodmobiles.

Kettler Capitals Iceplex (home of the Washington Capitals) will host the event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at its location atop Ballston Common Mall. Other attractions and game entertainment include a silent auction, local celebrity appearances by radio personalities, Mike O’Meara, Oscar Santana, Buzz Burbank and Robb Spewak from The Mike O’Meara Show, Capital’s mascot Slapshot and spirit team, the Red Rockers. And be sure to catch the intermission games with mini-mites youth hockey and the popular chuck-a-duck promotion.

Inova Blood Donor Services, a 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Sterling, VA, also maintains its strong ties to the hockey community as the Official Blood Collection Agency of the Washington Capitals in addition to partnerships with the Washington Nationals and George Mason University.


The Arlington Food Assistance Center’s Young Professionals Committee will be holding its second annual “Dog Days of Summer” dog walk and yappy hour fundraiser on Wednesday (July 18).

The event, which will benefit AFAC’s efforts to fight hunger, will take place after work in Clarendon.

Young professionals are invited to bring their dogs — and a $5 donation — to the (now closed) James Hunter dog park at the corner of  N. Herndon Street and 13th Street around 6:00 p.m. The walk will start at 6:30 p.m., will wind through the residential neighborhoods around Clarendon, and will end by 7:30 p.m. with a “yappy hour” on the patio at Mexicali Blues (2933 Wilson Blvd).

Those without dogs are welcome to participate — and perhaps even adopt a pooch of their own.

“Although this is a dog walk event, walkers do NOT have to have a dog to participate,” organizers said in an email. “Volunteers from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington will… join the walk with dogs in need of loving homes.”

Those interested in participating are asked to RSVP to [email protected].


Kaine Coming to Arlington — Former Virginia governor and current U.S. Senate candidate Tim Kaine (D) will be in Arlington this afternoon. Kaine is scheduled to have an economic discussion with local Latino business and community leaders at 4:00 p.m. The closed event is taking place at The Salsa Room (2619 Columbia Pike).

Cancer Charity Event This Weekend — The second annual Erica Paul Fabulous event will be held at the Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd) on Saturday. The fundraiser runs from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. and benefits the Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation. The ‘Fabulous’ event also celebrates the life of Erica Paul, who died last year, at the age of 29, from metastatic colon cancer. [Clarendon Nights]

Ham Operators to Have a ‘Field Day’ — Arlington County will host its annual “Field Day” exercise for amateur radio operators this weekend. The exercise, held at Minor Hill Park (3400 N. Powhatan Street), is described as part of a nationwide event “during which thousands of Hams across the United States and Canada will operate portable radios and antennas to contact each other, simulating emergency conditions.” [Arlington County]

HOT Lanes Suit Costs County Transportation Funds –Virginia is contributing more than $16.5 million to Arlington’s road maintenance and construction budget for fiscal year 2013, which starts on July 1. But that figure is $100,000 less than it otherwise could have been. The Commonwealth Transportation Board has stripped $100,000 from Arlington’s allocation as retribution for the county’s costly lawsuit against the proposed I-395 HOT lanes project. The money will be used to help pay the legal bills of a former state transportation official who was sued by Arlington as part of its fight against the project. [Sun Gazette]


Celebrities like DC 101 morning show DJ Elliot Segal, of “Elliot in the Morning” fame showed up at the Hilton Crystal City (2399 Jefferson Davis Highway) to dangle from the side of the building.

It’s all part of Special Olympics Virginia’s “Over the Edge” fundraiser. Today, local celebrities including ABC 7’s Steve Chenevey and Arlington Connection’s Deb Cobb joined Elliot in taking part in the event. They each did a test run from only one story up, then moved on to the big event — a 15 story rappel.

Tomorrow, Friday, the fundraiser is open to the public. Participants are asked to donate $1,000 for the chance to rappel down the side of the hotel. Many groups pooled together money and signed up co-workers for the daredevil stunt.

The event tomorrow runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sixty people are signed up to rappel down the hotel, but there are still spots available for people who want to sign up on site. Participants have one month to come up with the $1,000 donation.


The pitter patter of many little feet will be filling the air on Saturday, during the Animal Welfare League of Arlington’s 17th Annual Walk for the Animals.

AWLA considers this one of its most important fundraisers of the year. Money raised will help care for all the homeless animals brought to AWLA every day, from dogs to hamsters to birds.

The three mile walk or one mile stroll will start and finish at Bluemont Park (329 N. Manchester Street). Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and the walk starts at 9:30 a.m. In addition to sponsor booths, there will be demonstrations by WOOFS! Dog Training Center of Shirlington, and by the Arlington County Sheriff’s Department K-9 Unit.

Humans are encouraged to bring any canine walking partners older than four months. Dogs must be on a flat leash, not a flexible leash. Cats and other pets must stay at home. All pre-registered human walkers will receive a t-shirt, and dogs will receive a bandana.

You can register for the race on AWLA’s website. The cost for the walk is $25 in advance and $40 the day of the event. Special prizes will be awarded to participants who raise the most money.


The Young Professionals fundraising branch of the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC) is holding their second annual “Hunger Is No Joke” benefit at Cafe Asia (1550 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn tonight.

Local party band Over the Line will perform at the event, which starts at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $35 for one or $60 for a pair. There will also be food and “plentiful” drinks, provided by Cafe Asia, and a raffle for signed Capitals pucks, D.C. United tickets, and gift cards to local restaurants, boutiques, salons and spas. All proceeds will benefit AFAC.

“This event promises to be our best of the year,” said Carrington Blencowe, chairwoman of the AFAC-Young Professionals Executive Committee. “Where else can you enjoy a night on the town while also helping your neighbors in need?”

AFAC provides groceries and other necessities to more than 1,600 families each week.


If you’ve ever dreamed of rappelling down a tall building, here’s your chance to actually do it, legally.

The Special Olympics of Virginia is holding a fundraising challenge called “Over the Edge,” and the prize for raising at least $1,000 is the opportunity to rappel off the roof of the Hilton Crystal City hotel on Friday, June 22.

Fundraisers can either sign up to repel down the 15-story building themselves, or nominate someone else to be “tossed” off the building — a boss, for instance. Registration is limited to the first 75 rappellers.

In addition to the fundraisers, several media personalities and VIPs will be rappelling down the side of the hotel on Thursday, June 21, in an effort to bring additional attention to the cause. The rappelling is being supervised by a company that specializes in running such fundraisers.


Wine and beer may not be the first things that come to mind when you think of children’s literacy. But a fundraiser is combining the two in an event called “Of Wine & Words.”

The Reading Connection is hosting the event on Friday at the Boeing Conference Center (1200 Wilson Blvd). Attendees can enjoy a wine and beer tasting, food from local restaurants and a silent auction.

WJLA Meteorologist Brian van de Graff will emcee and children’s book author Jarrett J. Krosoczka will be the literacy honoree. Lyon Hall‘s Executive Pastry Chef Rob Valencia has earned the distinction of being the event’s first ever Chef Chair.

A special VIP reception will allow guests to speak with Krosoczka, Valencia and representatives from Tallgrass Brewery and Chateau O’Brien at Northpoint winery.

The 8th Annual Of Wine & Words runs from 7:00-10:00 p.m., and the VIP reception begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person, or $115 including the VIP reception.


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