Arlington Fire Dept., Always Vigilant
At around 7:00 tonight Arlington firefighters responded to a call about a fire on the practice field at Wakefield High School. Turns out it was a candlelight vigil.
Dream of Dremo’s Delayed, Not Dead
Many an Arlington resident is longing for the return of Dr. Dremo’s, the character-building, frathouse-like home of beer, abandoned vehicles, and totem poles. Dremo’s closed down two years ago, as its landlord planned some grand new development that never came to fruition thanks to the recession.
Last year we heard that a new Dremo’s was in the works. Apparently, the Clarendon location that was settled on has fallen through, but now investors are looking at another possible location, according to DCist.
Shiny new brasseries are great, but here’s hoping for the return of an old-fashioned, grungy Arlington hangout.
Here’s our favorite comment from the aforementioned DCist story.
Grand Opening Giveaway At New Crystal City Spa
About a year and a half ago, the local and national news media went gaga for a delightfully quirky new service: fish pedicures. It was offered by Yvonne’s, a hair salon and day spa in Alexandria. Fish pedicure stories appeared on numerous network and cable news shows, as reporters and anchors debated the pedicure’s sanitary merits.
Well, now Crystal City residents don’t have to drive down to Alexandria to have their toes nipped at by tiny flesh-eating fish. Yvonne’s is opening up a new location in the Market Square at Potomac Yard development (3650 S. Glebe Road), near the Harris Teeter.
For their grand opening celebration tomorrow (Saturday), Yvonne’s is giving away $50 gift cards to the first 100 customers. The gift cards are going fast but, if you don’t make it in time, a small block of gift cards is being set aside for ARLnow.com readers. Just be sure to say that you heard about the promotion here.
President Obama Speaks in Arlington
President Obama spoke at OPOWER, a small energy efficiency business based in Courthouse, just before noon today.
A helicopter hovered overhead as roads around Courthouse were shut down for the president’s motorcade.
The president spoke for ten minutes about clean energy jobs. He also addressed new unemployment figures that revealed the loss of an additional 36,000 jobs in February.
“Even though it’s better than expected, it’s more than we should tolerate,” Mister Obama said of the job losses.
The president also took a tour of the OPOWER offices, greeting employees and cracking jokes. From the White House Pool Report:
Obama took a tour of the smallish office, stopping by each row of 12 two-computer rows to talk to employees, asking what they did. He joked a lot about the youth of the workforce. “Is there anybody over 30 who works here?” Obama asked, prompting laughs.
Here’s some background on OPOWER, which the president praised as “a model of what we want to be seeing all across the country.” The information is provided by the company.
OPOWER is a 75-person Smart Grid and Energy Efficiency software company that partners with utilities to help people use less energy by giving them better information.
OPOWER delivers its services to two million households and works with six of the ten largest utilities in the country and twenty-five utilities overall.
OPOWER is projected to save existing customers more than $250 million over the next three years. If the OPOWER model were deployed nationwide, it would save enough energy to power 3 million homes.
OPOWER grew from 30-60 people in 2009, and expects to add 100 new people in 2010.
The Administration’s focus and commitment on the creation of a clean energy economy – including the Recovery Act – has directly and indirectly supported OPOWER’s growth.
OPOWER’s corporate headquarters is located at 1515 N. Courthouse Road.
A transcript of the president’s speech, after the jump.
Pentagon Metro Station Reopened
The Pentagon Metro station fully reopened just after noon today, WMATA has confirmed. The station was temporarily closed to allow the FBI to investigate last night’s shooting.
Pentagon Gunman Left Rants About 9/11 Conspiracy
Suspected Pentagon Metro gunman John Patrick Bedell, 36, left a trail of 9/11 conspiracy theory and marijuana-legalization ramblings on the internet, according to Gawker.
After parking his car in a nearby garage, Bedell, wearing a business suit, carried two semiautomatic handguns and a large quantity of ammunition with him as he approached a Pentagon entrance outside the Metro station, according to police.
Two Pentagon police officers, both highly-trained former service members, were slightly wounded when Bedell opened fire. The officers, along with a third officer, returned fire, striking and ultimately killing Bedell, according to the Washington Post.
Apartment Fire On Columbia Pike
Firefighters responded to a fire at an apartment complex on Columbia Pike this morning. The blaze was quickly extinguished, but not before causing some damage.
The fire broke out at one of seven buildings in the Archstone Columbia Crossing apartment community on the 1900 block of Columbia Pike. So far, no word on a cause.
BREAKING NEWS – Pedestrian Struck on N. Glebe Road
A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on N. Glebe Road and Pershing Drive around 10:00 Thursday night. The victim’s injuries may be life-threatening, authorities said.
Police said the victim was unconscious and bleeding from the head when they arrived.
A sobriety test was performed on the driver of the striking vehicle. It’s unclear whether the driver will face any charges.
A video from the scene, after the jump.
UPDATE – Pentagon Metro Closed, Suspect Dead
The Pentagon Metro will be closed Friday morning as the FBI investigates Thursday night’s shooting. It’s not known when the station will reopen.
Meanwhile, CBS News is reporting that the suspect in the shooting has died. The suspect was shot in the head by police after he shot two officers, various news outlets have reported.
NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski said on NBC4 tonight that police are questioning a possible accomplice in the shooting. Miklaszewski said the second individual may have been carrying ammunition. So far, those details have not been confirmed. Investigators now say an individual seen talking to the suspect on surveillance footage is not connected to the shooting.
