weekend discussion

According to the Capital Weather Gang, today was the second wettest day of the year so far at Reagan National Airport, after 1.61 inches of rain fell during this morning’s stormy weather.

And perhaps the rain and colder temperatures had some of you yearning for the warm days of summer, based on some of this week’s most-read articles.

The planned new beer garden called The Lot and the soon-to-open Wilson Hardware, both in Clarendon, got plenty of attention this week, as did the Westover Beer Garden’s efforts to add more outdoor seating.

In other news this week, there are now five remaining options for the name of the new elementary school, while on Sunday police chased a man from Buckingham to Columbia Pike.

And in case you missed them, a bronze eagle was unveiled this week outside George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, and an umpire in Arlington Little League has gotten some attention for being the only female ump in the league.

Feel free to discuss these stories and anything else that’s on your mind below. Have a great weekend!

It’s been another busy week in Arlington, as the county looks to the future with several projects in the pipeline.

Some of our most popular stories have been a first look at the revamped Market Common in Clarendon, the County Board’s approval of changes at the “Five Points” intersection in Cherrydale, price increases coming to the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse and the decision to move ahead with the Long Bridge Aquatics Center.

Also this week, a major water main break caused problems for residents and business in South Arlington, and law enforcement and first responders were involved in an exercise to simulate a major response to an act of terrorism.

Looking ahead, it promises to be a scorching weekend, with thermometers set to hit 90 degrees for the first time this year.

Feel free to discuss those or any other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a great weekend!

It’s been quite a week for well-known national businesses getting set up in Arlington.

Some of our most popular stories have included the new Dunkin’ Donuts on N. Glebe Road, signs going up for a new McDonald’s in Rosslyn and Starbucks‘ impending move into Marymount University’s “Newside” building.

Also popular on the site: more details about the building replacing Ballston mainstay CarPool and a look at the three sites left in the running for the county’s new high school.

Feel free to discuss those or any other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a great weekend!

Flickr pool photo via thekidfromcumlin

It appears Arlingtonians were looking for a lot of things to do this week, based on some of the top ARLnow stories.

A lot of readers were interested in the Capitals offering free yoga classes during the NHL playoffs (the second one is tomorrow), Heritage Brewing Company opening on Wednesday and a number of farmers markets opening for the season.

Notable illegal activities also picked up a lot of attention, such as the return of dozens of ATV riders on county streets, two teens arrested for breaking into cars and two similar armed robberies that police believe could be connected.

Feel free to discuss those or any other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a great weekend!

Following Thursday’s strong storms — which spawned a rare Arlington tornado — and today’s chillier temperatures, the weekend should warm back up. That’s just in time for APS students’ first days of spring break.

Local small business news created quite a buzz this week, as long-time retailer Casual Adventure announced it will close and CarPool poured its final beers after months of surviving on borrowed time. Despite previous rumors of it “not doing well,” the owner of Clarendon restaurant Oz said that the Aussie-themed eatery has experienced a turnaround.

ARLnow readers also showed a lot of interest in residential news, with articles about recommendations to change residential parking near Metro stations and an affordable housing lottery drawing the most comments this week. An article about a local historic district nomination for the possible site of a new high school came in third.

Feel free to discuss those or any other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a great weekend!

Update on 4/5/17 — Still seeing this post at the top of the homepage? Press the “refresh” button on your web browser.

Rain today will give way to what’s expected to be a mostly pleasant, springtime weekend.

The past week has seen some police-related stories, some bus-related mayhem and a couple big restaurant-related announcements.

Here are the top 5 most-read articles of the week:

1. The Board Room To Move Into Former Sehkraft Brewery Space
2. DEVELOPING: Police Investigate Shots Fired Call on N. Adams Street
3. P. Brennan’s on Columbia Pike to Close Tomorrow
4. DEVELOPING: Bus Crashes into Pentagon City Apartment Building
5. Public Fornication Leads to Police Altercation
   (Although this article was from last week, it got a ton of traffic over the weekend due to a Drudge Report link and the residual traffic from that was enough to put it in fifth place this week.)

Feel free to discuss those or any other topics of local interest in the comments. Have a nice weekend!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

If you’re celebrating with pints of Guinness, shots of Jameson or any other type of alcohol, you can get home safely and for free tonight via SoberRide’s new Lyft service.

The top five most-read articles this week were:

1. Police Tase Suspect in Pikachu Onesie During Brawl Outside A-Town Bar & Grill
2. Williamsburg Middle School Principal Gordon Laurie Resigns
3. UPDATE: Winter Storm Warning Issued for Arlington, Region
4. Police Investigating Reported Home Invasion Robbery in Shirlington Apartment Building
5. Arlington Bar Named No. 1 Destination for St. Patrick’s Day

Feel free to discuss the news of the week, your favorite St. Patrick’s Day destination, or any other topic of local interest in the comments.

The first full work week in March started out chilly, turned warm and pleasant, before ending with a burst of snow and falling temperatures.

If that sounds exciting, it’s nothing compared to what may be coming next week — we’ll be closely following the potential Nor’easter snowstorm that’s on tap for Monday night and Tuesday.

Of this week’s top five most-read articles, three were crime stories and two were about restaurants. Three had a Columbia Pike connection.

1. ACPD, State Police, Feds Conduct Raid at Columbia Pike Apartment
2. Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Columbia Pike Shooting
3. Mysterious Pio Pio Still Closed for Maintenance
4. Arlington Bar Named No. 1 Destination for St. Patrick’s Day
5. Arlington Woman Charged With Felony Welfare Fraud (NBC4 updated this story late Friday with details obtained from court documents)

Feel free to discuss the impending wintry weather, the top stories of the week or any other topic of local interest, in the comments.

The progression of this week’s weather can be summed up into three words: warm, wet, windy.

The news, however, was hot, hot, hot. The top six most-read ARLnow.com stories of the week were:

• Missing Arlington Woman Found Dead
• Resident Confronts Man Breaking into Neighbor’s Car
• Barricade Situation Ends in Douglas Park
• New Ramen Shop Open in Clarendon
• Dunkin’ Donuts Mulling Clarendon Location
• WJLA Anchor Charged With Trespassing at Clarendon Bar

Also, you may have seen a new byline on the site this week. That’s because we have a new ARLnow.com reporter, Chris Teale. That means — and I’ll switch to first-person perspective for this — my time with this company has come to an end.

It’s been a blast reporting on news in D.C. and here in Arlington. I’ve learned a lot since my humble days covering food truck controversies and writing about oddball shows at Artisphere. I’ll miss you all, especially ARLnow’s colorful commenters. Starting later this month, I’ll return to my former home of Chicago to prowl the streets in search of adventure and hot dogs. If you’d like to reach me for whatever reason, please tweet me.

With that, feel free to welcome Chris, discuss the big stories from this week or talk about or any other topic of local interest in the comments.

Flickr pool photo by Lisa Novak

The temperature climbed into the 70s today, and many locals — Arlington County police included — spent the day outside biking, walking or running.

The warm weather isn’t expected to last, unfortunately. A cold front is predicted to sweep through the area tomorrow afternoon, possibly causing some thunderstorms.

The top five most-read stories of the week were:

1. Police Investigating House Party Homicide
2. Is Clarendon’s Oz Restaurant in Trouble?
3. Yorktown Discrimination Allegations Prompt “Record” Public Comments at School Board Meeting
4. Lack of Child Care Options a Concern for Arlington County
5. “Pershing Manor” Mansion Back On the Auction Block

Feel free to discuss these big stories from this week, the warm weather or any other topic of local interest in the comments.