To Do This Weekend: Air Force Cycling Classic
It will be a weekend full of bicycle racing and major street closures in Arlington, thanks to the Air Force Cycling Classic.
On Saturday, the 13th annual Clarendon Cup will feature races by amateur and professional cyclists. The amateur races will take place between 8:oo and 10:00 a.m. The Women’s Elite Race follows, with the Men’s Pro Race taking place between noon and 2:15 p.m.
On Sunday the action moves to Crystal City. There will be a non-competitive Crystal Ride for cycling enthusiasts of all abilities, from 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. The Men’s Pro Race will depart from the Air Force Memorial at 11:30 a.m. The Women’s Elite Race and a Amateur race will follow. A bike expo will be held in Crystal City throughout the festivities.
See the full 2010 Cycling Classic schedule here, and a list of street closures here.
For the rest of what’s going on this weekend, check out our events calendar.
Flickr pool photo by afagen.
Parks Dept. Repairing Courts at Virginia Highlands Park
Completing today’s Pentagon City news trifecta, the county is fixing “major cracks” on the basketball and tennis courts at Virginia Highlands Park.
The cracks, which developed over the winter, were causing safety concerns on three of the six tennis courts and on the basketball courts. The work is expected to wrap up by the end of the month, a Parks Department spokesperson says.
Flames Engulf Minivan In Costco Parking Lot
A minivan caught on fire in the parking lot of the Costco store in Pentagon City today. The vehicle’s engine compartment was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived around 1:45 p.m.
No one was in the minivan when the fire broke out and there were no injuries, we’re told.
The cause of the fire is unclear, but the minivan’s front end appeared to be parked over a pile of mulch. Firefighters hosed down the scorched mulch after extinguishing the flames.
Unbelievably, at a time when it seems like almost everybody has a video-capable cell phone, no one who was watching the scene unfold got video of the flames. Not even the half dozen Best Buy employees watching from the store’s loading dock. C’mon, Geek Squad, step it up. –Ed.
Update at 4:15 pm. — The excitement outside the Pentagon City Costco continues. An hour after the car fire, paramedics were called to Fern Street, in front of the store, for an accident with injuries. As they were working on a woman who had arm and facial injuries, a good Samaritan pointed out a man with who was lying unresponsive under a bench. Medics gave him an IV and brought him to the hospital.
EXCLUSIVE: Metro Employee Pepper Sprayed, Arrested At Pentagon City Station
An employee with Metro’s Track and Structures/Systems Maintenance Department was arrested by Metro Transit Police at the Pentagon City Metro station Thursday night, a Metro spokesperson confirmed to ARLnow.com this morning.
“MTPD officers on patrol at the station observed a man who appeared to be unsteady on his feet around 5:15 p.m,” Metro spokesperson Ron Holzer said in an statement. “The man began to run as the officers approached. He then struggled with the officers when they apprehended him… He was charged with being drunk in public and impeding an officer with force (assault).”
The employee was off-duty at the time of his arrest, according to Holzer. He was in his uniform but “his shift had ended many hours before his arrest.”
The man was pepper sprayed during the struggle with police. At that point Arlington paramedics were called to evaluate him. After he was evaluated, officers could be seen pulling an empty glass bottle from the employee’s back pocket.
The man, who has not been identified, has been working for Metro since December 2006, Holzer said.
He could be overheard yelling as police officers surrounded him on a public sidewalk near the Pentagon Centre shopping center.
“I’ve been arrested so many times it’s hilarious,” he said at one point.
Murray Looks Forward, But Berry Supporters Looking Back
Patrick Murray is gearing up for a tough general election fight, but many supporters of the candidate he defeated in Tuesday’s GOP primary still haven’t moved on from what they say was a dishonorable finish to the campaign.
Supporters of Matthew Berry have taken to the comment section of the local Republican politics website RedNoVA to vent their frustration.
Said one: “People I’ve spoken to in the last three days are shocked and disgusted by Murrays tactics… There is no better chance that I will [support] Murray than there is of Murray defeating Moran. Period.”
Another wrote: “Upon losing you pause for a moment and then shift gears to throw your support behind the winner. In the end, we’re all Republicans, right? Well not this time for me. I saw the ugly, inside game Murray put up especially the final 96hrs and I refuse to reward that with my vote in the fall.”
Much of the controversy revolves around a mailer sent out by the Murray campaign on the eve of the election. The last-hour mailer didn’t explicitly point out that Berry is openly gay, but it included statements like “Matthew favors Gay Marriage in Virginia,” and “Matthew, who has never served in the Military, supports change of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
RedNoVA called it “one of the most foul mailers ever.”
Murray, however, disputes the notion that his campaign did anything morally objectionable.
“I want us to be nothing but positive,” Murray said during an interview at his victory party in Alexandria Tuesday night. “There was a little ugly back and forth… but I’m very confident and comfortable that we stayed on the high ground the entire time.”
Murray had an explanation for the last-minute timing of the mailing.
“I delayed the sending of our one mailer — we only did one mailer — I delayed it for days to the aggravation of my campaign staff… because I got involved to investigate in painstaking detail that we were being accurate with my opponent’s position… and we were,” he said. “I feel comfortable about what we did, and I wouldn’t do it otherwise.”
Petition Opponents Call for Signature Submission
The Coalition for Arlington Good Government (CAGG), formed to actively oppose a proposed change in Arlington County’s form of government, is calling on supporters of the change-of-government referendum to submit the signatures they have gathered early.
Citing an ARLnow.com story in which a volunteer signature-gatherer commented that supporters have already gathered the necessary 14,350 signatures, CAGG co-chair Alan Howze wrote:
In the interest of good government and transparency, we call upon the referendum proponents to immediately submit the petitions that they have collected to Arlington’s Voter Registrar for review. Submitting the signatures now will not change the outcome, but further delays by referendum supporters in submitting petition signatures will impose additional expenses on Arlington taxpayers for overtime labor.
An earlier article by the Sun Gazette revealed that submitting all the signatures at once at the July 15 deadline could result in delays and extra expense for the county.
Morning Notes
Army Chief Apologizes for Mismanagement at Arlington National Cemetery – Poor record-keeping and inept management has resulted in hundreds of misidentified or unmarked graves at Arlington National Cemetery, the military revealed. At a press conference, Secretary of the Army John McHugh apologized to families whose loved one’s final resting place was affected by the mix-ups. He also promised to reform the “dysfunctional” management culture at the cemetery. Two of the top cemetery administrators are being forced out as a result of the Army probe. More from the Washington Post.
Battle Lines Drawn for East Falls Church Redevelopment Fight — A plan to redevelop the area around the East Falls Church Metro Station has many East Falls Church residents up in arms. Michael Perkins of the blog Greater Greater Washington, however, is singing the plan’s praises, saying it would “transform the East Falls Church Metro area into a mixed-use, pedestrian, bicycle and transit-oriented community.” More from Greater Greater Washington.
Registration for Library Summer Reading Program Begins Saturday — Last year a record 4,800 kids and teens signed up for the Arlington Public Library’s summer reading program. Library officials expect to set another participation record this year. Registration for the program will begin Saturday.
Flickr pool photo by brianmka
