Pentagon City

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Airport Body Scanner Company Is Based in Crystal City — One of the companies behind the controversial “naked” body scan machines in U.S. airports is located right here in Arlington. Recently, writer Annie Lowrey visited the company’s Crystal City offices to see how they were handling the controversy. More from Slate.

AT&T Rolls Out Pentagon City Store — AT&T’s new wireless store in the Pentagon City mall opened its doors yesterday, just in time for the holiday shopping rush. The store features “a state-of-the-art, hands-on design to engage customers and provide a ‘try before buy’ service experience,” according to a press release.

Verizon Activates New Cell Site — “In a continuing effort to provide the best wireless service for local residents in the Arlington County, Va., Verizon Wireless has expanded its network with a new cell site,” a company press release says. “The new cell site provides increased wireless voice and 3G data coverage in the neighborhood near 22nd Street North.” Verizon did not elaborate on the site’s exact location.

Crystal City ArtJamz Reviewed — The ladies from the DC on Heels blog created their own personal masterpieces at ArtJamz in Crystal City last week. What exactly is ArtJamz, you ask? The explanation, with plenty of photos, from DC on Heels. (Disclosure: ArtJamz is an ARLnow.com advertiser.)

Flickr pool photo by Philliefan99

Big Bike Changes Planned for Pentagon City

By ARLnow.com

Changes could be coming to Army Navy Drive that will make the intersection-laden and car-clogged stretch of road a lot friendlier to bicyclists.

This weekend, the county board is expected to accept $210,000 in federal grant money to help plan a bike route on the busy Pentagon City thoroughfare. The funds will also help plan a bike route on South Joyce Street that will connect Army Navy Drive, Columbia Pike and an existing pedestrian path.

Both routes are marked in yellow on the maps above.

County engineers currently envision a two-way bike lane on Army Navy Drive, made possible by narrowing the road’s comfortably wide lanes and shifting the median. South Joyce Street will likely only get a single bike lane, since its configuration is set by huge concrete structures that hold up the highways that run over it.

The grant-funded preliminary engineering phase is expected to last 8-9 months, according to Transportation Planning Bureau Chief Thomas Bruccoleri.

So far, no money has been made available for construction. Bruccoleri says the funds would most likely be allocated in the FY 2013 budget, meaning that the bike paths are at least a few years away.

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Rain Brings More Accidents on Arlington Roads

By ARLnow.com

This crash near Pentagon City mall, at the intersection of Hayes and 15th Streets, is just one of numerous accidents around Arlington County today.

While most of the accidents were minor, they serve as a reminder of how much more careful drivers should be on rainy days, especially when you add fallen leaves into the equation.

At least two people from this accident were taken to the hospital with injuries.

Crime Report: Heck of a Getaway Edition

By ARLnow.com

A 19-year-old who was driving without a license allegedly tried to flee after being pulled over by police, according to this week’s Arlington County crime report. The teen eventually crashed into a guardrail on I-395.

ATTEMPT MALICIOUS WOUNDING-ARREST 11/02/10, 1900 block of S. Pollard Street. On November 1, an officer pulled over a vehicle. The driver of the vehicle drove away abruptly and almost struck the officer. The vehicle then crashed into a guardrail. William D. Jones, 19, of Alexandria was charged with Attempt Malicious Wounding, Disregarding a Police Order, Driving While Suspended, and Hit and Run. He was held without bond.

The rest of this week’s crime report, including yesterday’s Taser incident at the Pentagon City Best Buy, after the jump.

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Man Arrested in Arlington Was Former Top Army Soldier

By ARLnow.com

A man who investigators say purposely struck a person with his car in Pentagon City last week was formerly the top enlisted member of the U.S. Army.

Police say Manassas resident Gene C. McKinney, 59, had picked up commuters from a slug line and was driving north toward Washington when the commuters demanded to be let out of the car because, they claimed, McKinney was driving fast and erratically.

After McKinney let them out on the 1100 block of South Eads Street, one man took out a camera and tried to snap a photo of McKinney’s license plate. That’s when McKinney hit the gas and struck the man with his car, according to police. He was arrested and charged with attempted malicious wounding.

McKinney, who’s now out on bond, was the 10th Sergeant Major of the U.S. Army, serving from 1995 to 1997. As the top non-commissioned member of the Army, McKinney was responsible for advising the chief of staff and acting as a liaison between soldiers and Army leadership. He was the first and remains the only African American to hold the post.

McKinney’s tenure as Sergeant Major was marred by numerous accusations of sexual harassment, although he was eventually acquitted of all harassment charges.

McKinney faces a preliminary hearing on December 6.

Road Closures and Metro Changes for Marine Corps Marathon

By ARLnow.com

It’s going to be very hard to get around certain parts of Arlington on Sunday. The Marine Corps Marathon will shut down streets in Rosslyn, Crystal City and Pentagon City. The Key Bridge and a stretch of Lee Highway will also be closed.

The good news is that Metro will be opening at 5:00 a.m., two hours earlier than usual, to accommodate marathon runners and spectators (the race starts at 8:15 a.m.). Metro will be running additional Blue Line trains for much of the day, but the agency says riders should expect the system to be especially busy.

“Customers can expect crowded conditions, especially after the race as people will have to wait in long lines to get back into the rail stations,” Metro said in a statement.

Also due to the marathon, buses that normally serve the Pentagon Transit Center will be relocated to the Pentagon City station until 4:00 p.m.

The Arlington County Police Department’s full road closure list, after the jump.

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Road Closures Near Pentagon on Sunday for Army Ten Miler

By ARLnow.com

A number of roads near the Pentagon will be closed for Sunday morning’s Army Ten Miler race. Here’s the news release from the Arlington County Police Department:

The Arlington County Police Department will close several streets near the Pentagon on Sunday, October 24, for the 26th Annual Army 10-Miler race.  The race begins at 8 a.m. on Washington Boulevard, crosses the Potomac River into the District of Columbia, and ends in the Pentagon South Parking Lot.

The following roads in Arlington will be affected:

* Washington Boulevard (Route 27), between I-395 and Memorial Bridge, will be closed in both directions at 5:30 A.M.
* Columbia Pike, east of South Joyce Street, will be closed at 5:30 A.M.
* I-395 HOV southbound lanes will be closed at 5:30 A.M.
* South Eads Street, from Army Navy Drive into the Pentagon/northbound I-395 HOV lanes, will be closed at 4:30 A.M.

All of the roads should be reopened by noon.

In addition, access to the Pentagon Reservation will be restricted to “Authorized Vehicles Only” from 4:30 A.M. to 2 P.M. Pentagon employees must park at the North Parking Lots using the Boundary Channel Drive access points.

Runners, spectators and support personnel are encouraged to use Metro, parking is limited.  The Pentagon and Pentagon City stations on the Blue and Yellow Lines are located within walking distance of the start and finish lines.

Condoleezza Rice To Appear at Pentagon City Costco

By ARLnow.com

Condoleezza Rice has been making the television rounds lately, promoting her new memoir. Last night, she made an appearance on the Daily Show. Today she’s appearing at the Pentagon City Costco.

The former U.S. Secretary of State will sign copies of “Condoleezza Rice: A Memoir of My Extraordinary, Ordinary Family and Me” from noon to 2:00 p.m.

The book is a candid look at Rice’s childhood and adolescence in Birmingham, Ala. during the civil rights movement.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

It’s October — The good news: playoff baseball returns. The bad news: cold temperatures return.

Abuse Charges at Nursing Home — Nearly a dozen employees of the Potomac Center nursing home in Pentagon City have been indicted on charges including neglect and assault. An investigation by the Virginia State Medicare Fraud Office and the FBI determined that employees neglected patient care, forged documents and abused at least one patient. A $10 million lawsuit has also been filed against Potomac Center’s parent company. More from WUSA9.

SUV Rollover Driver Charged — The mother who flipped her SUV on I-395 during yesterday morning’s rain  has been charged with failure to maintain control of her vehicle. The 36-year-old woman and her two kids were taken to the hospital after the accident, which temporarily shut down all southbound lanes of the highway. More from the Associated Press.

Whipple Votes Against Costly Revised Liquor Plan — Gov. Bob McDonnell has revised his plan to privatize Virginia’s liquor stores, but has lost the support of an Arlington lawmaker in the process. Responding to criticism from his own party, McDonnell dropped two proposed tax hikes on cocktail sales and wholesale liquor purchases. The change opened a $47 million per year hole in the state’s budget, prompting Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple (D-Arlington) to vote against it as a member of a state subcommittee on government reform. More from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Flickr pool photo by Picture Perfect

Registration Still Open for Arlington 9/11 Run

By ARLnow.com

Online registration is now closed for this year’s Arlington 9/11 Memorial 5K, but runners can still register in person over the next three days.

The race, which was started by two Arlington police officers in 2002, will be held Saturday in Pentagon City. Thousands of runners are expected to participate.

Team and online registration is closed, but anyone interested in participating can register in person today at Pacers Running Store in Clarendon (3100 Clarendon Blvd) between noon and 8:00 p.m.

On Thursday, in person registration will take place at the Pacers store in Pentagon City (1101 South Joyce Street) from noon to 9:00 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday it will take place at the DoubleTree Hotel in Pentagon City (300 Army Navy Drive). The cost of registration is $30 now, $35 on race day.

The race will kick off from the DoubleTree at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday. Fifteen minutes before the race, Del. Bob Brink (D-Arlington) will dedicate part of Washington Boulevard as “9/11 Heroes Memorial Highway.”

Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA

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