Believe It Or Not, It’s Trout Fishing Season in Arlington
Holy mackerel, you say, there’s trout fishing in Arlington? You bet your bass there is.
On Saturday morning more than 100 anglers showed up at Bon Air Park, not far from the high-rises of Ballston, for the beginning of Arlington County’s trout season. From 9:00 a.m. to noon, the kids 15 and under has free reign of the prime fishing spots along Four Mile Run, without adult competition.
Arlington’s trout season lasts about six weeks, effectively ending when all the trout have been caught. Trout cannot naturally survive in Four Mile Run due to the lack of cool, shady spots during the summer, so the county parks and recreation department contracts with a fish hatchery in West Virginia to stock the stream from Barcroft Park to Bon Air Park every third weekend in March. An annual Four Mile Run stream clean-up, every second weekend in March, is timed to coincide with the beginning of trout fishing season.
The trout program has been around for nearly 20 years, but was nearly canceled this year due to the county’s budget problems. The go-ahead for this season came in at the last minute, which caused a drop in attendance on Saturday due to the lack of advance notice, according to veteran park ranger Lynda Kersey. About 600 anglers from all over the area will take advantage of the trout fishing by the end of the season, Kersey said.
W&OD Flasher Strikes for Eighth Time In Two Months
A man exposed himself to a woman on the W&OD trail in Glencarlyn Park around 6:30 Friday night, according to police. Investigators believe it’s the same suspect who has previously struck seven times since the beginning of the year.
The suspect is described by police as a white Hispanic male with shaggy black hair, 5’6″ and 160 lbs. He was wearing gray clothing and a gray cloth over the lower half of his face during this latest incident, according to investigators.
Standing Water on I-395 Causes Big Splash
Update at 4:45 p.m. — A road crew has now blocked off the lane.
We spotted a big pool of standing water covering the left HOV lane of I-395 North approaching the 14th Street Bridge. At least three cars and trucks drove through it, causing a big splash but, so far, no accidents.
Chick-Fil-A Coming to Crystal City
Crystal City office- and apartment-dwellers will soon be able to “Eat Mor Chikin.” Chick-Fil-A is opening up a Crystal City location in August, a source tells ARLnow.com.
The restaurant will be housed in the space formerly occupied by Olsson’s Books, at 2200 Crystal Drive.
This will be Arlington’s second Chick-Fil-A, in addition to the location in Ballston Common Mall.
Art Replaces Ads in Rosslyn and Pentagon City Stations
A provocative series of photographs are on display at six Washington-area Metro stations, including Rosslyn and Pentagon City.
The photographs, displayed in frames usually reserved for advertisements, show the faces of nine American soldiers photographed between tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Soldier Billboard Project, as the series is called, is a collaboration between New York photographer Suzanne Opton and curator Susan Reynolds. The billboards ask viewers to Tweet their reactions.
The photograph at the Rosslyn Metro, above, went on display Thursday. It will remain there until April 4th.
New Exec. Director for Columbia Pike Revitalization Org.
The Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization has a new executive director. Economist, planner and Pike resident Takis Karantonis will start as CPRO’s executive director on March 29th.
CPRO has been busy lately, supporting new stores and developments, sponsoring the upcoming Arlington Home Show and Expo and advocating for the planned Columbia Pike streetcar line.
The Columbia Pike revitalization also received some (mostly) positive attention from WAMU radio Friday.
The CPRO announcement on Karantonis’ hiring, after the jump.
Affordable Housing Development Tests Church-State Divide
Arlington County’s effort to build affordable housing on land owned by the First Baptist Church of Clarendon is facing tough opposition from neighbors who claim the development violates the separation of church and state. One resident has even filed a lawsuit — on constitutional grounds — against the church, the county and the Commonwealth of Virginia.
More from the Washington Post.
Berry Leads Online Poll Ahead of GOP Primary
Update at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23 — Laurence Socci has endorsed Matthew Berry. “Matthew knows the issues important to the 8th District and has a viable plan for fixing the problems caused by Jim Moran,” Socci said.
Virginia’s eighth congressional district, which includes Arlington, has been a decidedly elusive target for Republicans for nearly two decades.
The first George Bush was president the last time a Republican held the seat. The last three presidential elections have been laughably lopsided in favor of Democrats. President Obama carried the district by a margin of 69 percent to 30 percent over Sen. John McCain, whose own national campaign headquarters was based in Arlington.
Despite the apparent electoral futility, attorney and GOP hopeful Matthew Berry is optimistic about his chances. Last month he cited polling data that showed a close race in a potential match-up with incumbent Rep. Jim Moran. And now, an online poll shows Berry well ahead of his competitor for the GOP nomination, Iraq war veteran Patrick Murray.
The poll, hosted on the blog Red NoVa, shows Berry leading Murray by a margin of 787 votes to 317 votes. Laurence Socci, who withdrew from the race last week, has received 321 votes.
Both Berry and Murray hope to use voter unease about health care reform to their advantage.
Moran “Proud” of Yes Vote on Health Care Reform
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) says he’s “proud to have helped make progress [and] history on the House floor” Sunday night after casting a “yes” vote on health care reform.
“While complex and politically difficult, I think everyone on Capitol Hill knows in their heart of hearts that health reform is in the best interests of the people back at home and of the nation as a whole,” Moran said.
Moran’s office outlined the benefits it expects his congressional district, which includes Arlington, will receive as a result of health care reform:
- 493,000 people will see improvements in their current health care coverage.
- 8,700 people who can’t buy health insurance now because of a pre-existing condition will be able to obtain coverage.
- 101,000 families will get tax credits to help make health insurance more affordable.
- 17,500 small businesses will get tax credits to help make health insurance more affordable for their employees.
- 64,000 Medicare beneficiaries will see better care and will pay less for prescription drugs because the Medicare Part D donut hole will be closed.
- 50,000 young adults living in the 8th district will be able to stay on their parents’ health insurance policy until their 26th birthday.
- 29,000 uninsured residents will have access to health care coverage.
- 800 families won’t have to file for bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
- 8 community health centers in the eighth district will receive millions of dollars in new funding to see thousands of new patients.
“Some of the benefits in the reform package are gradual and will be phased-in over time,” Moran said in a statement. “But many benefits will kick in this year.”
