Old Glebe

Peeper Peeps on Private Property, Police Pursue But Perimeter Penetrated

By ARLnow.com

Police car (file photo)An alleged peeping tom led police on a foot chase in the Old Glebe neighborhood Wednesday night.

The chase started after officers responded to the 3900 block of N. Abingdon Street around 6:30 p.m. for a “report of a man hiding in the bushes” near a house.

From an Arlington County Police crime report:

Upon arrival, an officer observed the suspect on the property. The suspect saw the officer and fled the scene on foot. A brief foot pursuit was initiated but the officer lost sight of the suspect. A perimeter was established and a K9 track was conducted with negative results. The suspect is described as a black male in his early thirties, approximately 5’8″-6’0″ tall with a black beard. He was wearing a black hoodie and blue running pants with a white stripe at the time of the incident.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Children playing soccer near Arlington Hall (Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick)

Murder Victim Feared Her Estranged Husband — Bonnie Black, who was found dead in her home in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood on April 17, feared her estranged husband, court documents show. After months of continuing to live in the neighborhood a free man during the investigation, David Black is now in jail, charged with murder. [NBC Washington]

Wakefield, W-L Fall in Football Playoffs — The playoff runs for the Wakefield and Washington-Lee high school football teams have ended early. Wakefield could’t hang on to a 6-0 lead at halftime, falling to Potomac Falls 21-6, while W-L lost 44-20 to Westfield. [InsideNova, Washington Post]

Arlington Wants I-66 Widening Delayed — This week the Arlington County Board is scheduled to decide its position on the plan for tolling on I-66. At its Saturday meeting the Board made clear that it wants to delay the widening of the highway as long as possible. Meanwhile, responding to questions from county officials, VDOT says it’s not able to fully enforce existing HOV restrictions on I-66 because the enforcement causes significant traffic delays. Nearly half of the clogged rush hour traffic on I-66 is believed to be HOV rule breakers. [WTOP, WTOP]

County May Ask for Paper, Plastic Bag Tax Authority — Despite failing efforts in previous years, Arlington County’s draft legislative agenda seeks to again ask the Virginia General Assembly for the authority to levy a small tax on single-use paper and plastic bags. The proposal may exempt bags for certain items, like newspapers, dry cleaning and prescription drugs. [InsideNova]

Historic House for Sale — A 145-year-old house known as “The Hill” is now for sale in Arlington’s Old Glebe neighborhood. Originally a summer home for a prominent D.C. family, the four-bedroom house is on the market for $1,568,000. [Preservation Arlington]

Flickr pool photo by Dennis Dimick

Civil War Re-Enactments Scheduled for Sunday

By Ethan Rothstein

Fort Ethan Allen replica cannon (photo courtesy Arlington County)Fort Ethan Allen Park (3829 N. Stafford Street) will host Civil War re-enactments as part of a daylong showcase this Sunday for new interpretive features at the park.

Starting at 10:00 a.m., members of the Arlington County Board and the Old Glebe Civic Association will be on hand to unveil a replica cannon, three new viewing areas and nine new interpretive signs, all built as part of the Fort Ethan Allen Interpretive Project. In addition, a built-to-scale bronze replica of the original Fort Ethan Allen — which was built by the Union as part of the defense of Washington, D.C. — will be unveiled for the public.

The project was funded after Old Glebe requested it as part of the Neighborhood Conservation Program and the Board approved it in 2010. Construction began last fall.

The event will include speeches from county officials and community members, refreshments, a tour of the fort, and it will conclude with a hike from Fort Ethan Allen Park to one of the two other remaining Civil War forts in Arlington, Fort Marcy.

Photo courtesy Arlington County

Police Investigate ‘Suspicious Death’ of 87-Year-Old Man

By ARLnow.com

Police are investigating the death of an 87-year-old resident of Arlington’s Old Glebe neighborhood.

From a police press release:

The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating the suspicious death of an Arlington County resident.

The body was discovered at 10:17 a.m. on October 13, 2012 inside his residence in the 3700 block of N. Wakefield Street by a family member. The investigation is ongoing at this time.

The man has been identified as Mack L. Wood, 87, of Arlington, VA.

As of 9:00 a.m., Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck told ARLnow.com that he did not have any additional information about the incident.

Steeple Cell Phone Antennas Recommended for Approval

By ARLnow.com

County staff is recommending that the County Board approve AT&T’s request to put new cell phone antennas in a pair of North Arlington church steeples.

Last month the company went before the board to request permission to replace older antennas and equipment at 15 existing cell sites around the county. The equipment will allow AT&T to offer high speed ‘Long Term Evolution’ (LTE) data service to cell phone customers in Arlington. The board approved the replacement at 13 of the sites, but withdrew two for further consideration after a number of neighbors voiced opposition.

The two sites in question are both churches: the Westover Baptist Church (1125 Patrick Henry Drive) and Walker Chapel United Methodist Church (4102 N. Old Glebe Road). AT&T already has cell phone antennas in the steeples of both churches, but neighbors objected to what they saw as the possible health risks of the new antennas. Those opposing antennas at Walker Chapel also cited the historic nature of the 140-year-old church, even though the building itself is just over 50 years old.

Ultimately, county staff sided with AT&T, which argued that the new antennas will not be substantially heavier than the existing antennas — thus posing no anticipated structural problems — and will remain compliant with FCC regulations regarding radio frequency exposure.

“AT&T will contribute less than five percent of the maximum permissible exposure allowed,” staff wrote in the board report. The company agreed to annual, independent electromagnetic emission tests at all 15 sites to ensure compliance.

Last week’s revelation that the World Health Organization now considers cell phone use to be “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” however, will likely only serve to increase the resolve of antenna opponents. Even if the County Board wanted to decide the matter on the basis of health concerns, however, it is legally prohibited from doing so. According to the board report, federal law “prohibits localities from basing decisions on the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions if the facility complies with FCC regulations.”

The board is scheduled to consider the cell antenna requests on Saturday.