Maryland

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

‘Meeting Bowls’ Coming to Courthouse — A new, temporary public art installation is coming to Courthouse. Workers will be building 5-foot high “meeting bowls,” designed by the Spanish art collective “mmmm….,” and featuring an 8-foot long circular bench inside. The bowls, which are meant to be used by passersby, are expected to be completed by Monday, July 17 and will remain in place until November. [Washingtonian]

Roosevelt Island Back Open — Roosevelt Island is open again after being temporarily closed by the National Park Service for the removal of diseased trees. [DCist]

Pentagon City Residents Peeved by Shopping Carts — Legions of stray shopping carts are getting on the nerves of Pentagon City residents, NBC 4’s Julie Carey reported during a news broadcast last night. [NBC Washington, Twitter]

Scholarships Awarded to Wakefield Students — “The Wakefield High School Education Foundation recently awarded 27 scholarships totaling $201,000, bringing the total number of scholarships presented over the history of the foundation to 400 and the total dollar amount of scholarships and teacher grants to more than $2.25 million.” [InsideNova]

Local Author Pens New Thriller — Arlington resident Bill Schweigart, author of the Beast of Barcroft, a supernatural thriller set in Arlington, has penned another book of local interest: The Devil’s Colony, which features a fictional Arlington resident as its main character. [Penguin Random House]

Nearby: Montgomery Co. Consider Plane Noise Suit — Montgomery County, Maryland has hired a law firm to explore legal action against the Federal Aviation Administration in response to new flight paths that have produced a dramatic increase in aircraft noise complaints. The flight paths were implemented in 2015 as part of the FAA’s NextGen system and have prompted some complaints in Arlington and D.C. as well. [Bethesda Beat]

Flickr pool photo by Erinn Shirley

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

APS Tells Staff to Stop Paying Sales Tax — As a public institution Arlington Public Schools is exempt from paying sales tax, but the school system’s internal auditor has found that some staff members have been placing orders for APS via Amazon without sales tax exempted. APS has since requested sales tax refunds for those orders. [InsideNova]

Arlington Resident Cited for Boating Incident — An Arlington man has been cited for operating a vessel while impaired after his 28-foot boat ran aground off the eastern shore of Maryland, south of Ocean City. [WMDT]

Notable Rivercrest Property Sold — A home and an adjacent vacant lot have been sold near the intersection of Military Road and N. Glebe Road in the Rivercrest neighborhood. The lot was the site of a “national debate over property rights and conformity,” when in 1969 an architect started to build a custom home on the lot but was ultimately stopped after a legal challenge by neighbors, who thought the home was ugly and would not “retain the very pleasant, beautiful nature of Rivercrest.” [Falls Church News-Press]

Flipper: Selling Home to the County Was a Pain — A real estate investor has penned a piece for the Post in which he recounts the sale of one of his properties to Arlington County. The sale, of a house near Fire Station 8, was “neither lucrative nor convenient” and was more trouble than it was worth, he writes. However, the owner of a run-down property next to his received a much better price by holding out, the piece suggests. [Washington Post]

Mouthwash on Clarendon Bus Stop — Updating the saga of the stick of deodorant atop a Clarendon bus stop, the deodorant has now been joined by an errant bottle of Listerine mouthwash. [ARLnow]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

ACPD Releases New Video of Sex Assault Suspect — Arlington County Police have released new video of the man suspected of sexually assaulting a woman in her Rosslyn condo last month. Police are still seeking more information about the suspect. [Twitter, YouTube]

Big Brother Contestant Is From Arlington — One of the contestants on the upcoming season of CBS’ Big Brother is Matthew Clines, a 33-year-old renovation consultant from Arlington. The show premieres on Wednesday, June 28. [CBS, Hollywood Reporter]

Nam-Viet Closing in D.C. — The Cleveland Park outpost of Arlington’s Nam-Viet restaurant is closing, citing “competition to remain significant and relevant in this fast-paced D.C. restaurant market.” There have been a number of restaurant closings in the neighborhood as of late. [PoPville]

New Cafe in Takoma Park Draws Arlington Talent — A new coffee, beer, wine and cocktail spot called Takoma Beverage Co. has opened in Takoma Park, Md. The cafe features a bevy of Arlington restaurant vets, including alums of Northside Social and the former Sehkraft Brewing in Clarendon. Helping to fund the venture is Mothersauce Partners, the restaurant investment firm and consultancy founded by Nick Freshman of Spider Kelly’s. [Eater]

Flickr pool photo by Bekah Richards

Heartland Dental Job Fair Set for July 20

Heartland Dental logoPlease join the Heartland Dental NOVA Team for an Open House Career Fair.

The career fair is taking place on Wednesday, July 20 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Residence Inn, National Harbor located at 192 Waterfront Street in National Harbor, Maryland.

We have immediate openings for Dental Assistants, Front Office and Dental Hygienists across the Northern Virginia area in Alexandria, Lorton, Springfield, Dale City, Dumfries, Manassas, Fairfax, Herndon and Ashburn.

Why join Heartland Dental? It is the largest Dental Support Organization in the U.S. and is a career-focused company looking for the perfect fit to assist with the growth and development of our supported practices. Heartland provides a wide range of continuing education, benefits and competitive pay. RSVPs are welcome but not required! Please show up with your resume and be ready to express why you feel you’d be a great addition to Heartland’s growing team!

RSVPs should email [email protected] and please visit our website for more information at www.heartland.com.

The preceding post was written and sponsored by Heartland Dental.

Report: Arlington Man Killed By Fellow Rock Climber

By ARLnow.com

David Lawrence Dipaolo (photo courtesy Warren County, N.Y. Sheriff)(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A 69-year-old Arlington man was killed by a fellow climber while rock climbing in Maryland’s Carderock Recreation Area, according to federal prosecutors.

D.C. Crime Stories reports that Bristow, Va. resident David DiPaolo, 31, was arrested in upstate New York and charged with manslaughter in the death of Geoffrey Farrar, of Arlington. The website, run by former Washington Examiner crime reporter Scott McCabe, reports that DiPaolo (pictured, left) admitted to striking Farrar in the head with a claw hammer during an argument and physical struggle at the base of a cliff.

Farrar, a resident of Arlington’s Bellevue Forest neighborhood, was remembered in an online funeral home guestbook as an avid rock climber, sometimes known as “Carderock Jeff.” His obituary initially listed the cause of death as a “rock climbing accident.”

Photo courtesy Warren County (N.Y.) Sheriff

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Va. to Consider Tougher Texting Laws — In January, state lawmakers will consider bills that would stiffen the penalties for texting while driving in Virginia. Currently, texting while driving is a secondary offense — you can only be charged with it if pulled over for another violation — and the penalty is a $20 fine for the first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses. Del. Scott Surovell (D-Mt. Vernon) wants drivers to be charged with reckless driving if they get in an accident while texting. [Lynchburg News & Advance, Daily Press, WTOP]

Road Closures for ‘Jingle Bell Run’ — Parts of S. Joyce Street and Army Navy Drive in Pentagon City will be closed from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. Saturday morning for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis. Race attendees are encouraged to take Metro. [Arlington County Police]

Hynes Lauds Animal Welfare Efforts — Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes has issued a proclamation praising the Animal Welfare League of Arlington and The Humane Society of the United States “for working together to improve the treatment of animals, including farm animals in the food industry.” [Humane Society]

PG Lawmaker Called ‘Too Arlington’ — Prince George’s County Council member Eric Olson, a progressive Democrat and noted environmentalist, recently lost his bid to become chairman of the Council. One lawyer who represents developers in Prince George’s County said of Olson: “Some people think he is too ‘Arlington.'” [Washington Post]

Announcing the Launch of BethesdaNow.com

You might have seen us mention it on social media, or you might have seen some other websites link to it, but today we’re officially announcing the launch of BethesdaNow.com.

Bethesda Now will provide the same standard of up-to-the-minute, original news coverage for Bethesda and Chevy Chase, Maryland that ARLnow.com provides for Arlington. The site will seek to report on important community issues, interesting local stories, and breaking news that impacts the daily lives of those who live and work in the area. Bethesda Now will exclusively focus on Bethesda, Chevy Chase and parts of Potomac — not on other parts of Montgomery County.

BethesdaNow.com is up and running now, but we’re only just getting started. Readers can expect even more news, reported for and by Bethesda area residents, in the coming months. Plus, both ARLnow.com and BethesdaNow.com will be undergoing a site redesign this fall.

Know someone who lives or works in Bethesda or Chevy Chase? Tell them to follow Bethesda Now via Twitter, Facebook or email newsletter.

Arrest Made in Murder of Rosslyn Resident

By ARLnow.com

An arrest has been made in the murder of Jayna Murray, the Rosslyn resident found dead in a Bethesda yoga store last Saturday.

Charging documents say Murray’s Lululemon store coworker, 28-year-old Brittany Norwood, stabbed and beat her to death, then tried to cover up the crime. Norwood, who was found tied up in a bathroom, initially told detectives that two men wearing gloves and masks forced their way into the store and assaulted them. Norwood was arrested on Friday and charged with first degree murder after police found evidence that allegedly conflicted with Norwood’s story.

Norwood was a standout soccer player at Decatur High School, near Seattle, and at Stony Brook University in New York. The Washington Post reports that Montgomery County authorities are investigating whether Murray may have been killed after Norwood was accused of stealing merchandise.

Updated on 3/22/11 — ABC7 is reporting that Norwood may have been suspected of stealing from another Lululemon store before being transferred to the Bethesda store.

Rosslyn Resident Killed in Bethesda

By ARLnow.com

A 30-year-old Rosslyn resident was murdered Friday night during an apparent robbery at a Lululemon store in Bethesda.

Jayna T. Murray, a store employee, was found dead and a co-worker was found injured inside the upscale Bethesda Row store Saturday morning. Police say they were attacked by two men wearing masks and gloves around 10:00 p.m., after closing the store for the night.

In addition to her work at the Lululemon, Murray was close to completing an MBA with a concentration in marketing at John Hopkins’ Carey Business School, according to her Linkedin page.

A former Texas resident and a George Washington University alum, Murray was fond of traveling, running and other outdoor pursuits. On several occasions she posted on Facebook and Twitter about her desire to move to Seattle, the home of a man she was often photographed with.

Murray’s YouTube account includes a video of her bungee jumping on her 30th birthday. It also includes a video apparently taken inside the Bethesda Lululemon store and uploaded on the day she was killed.

Few other details about Murray’s life have been made public. Montgomery County police are continuing to investigate the crime.

Photo via Facebook