Have Fun at Weekend Fundraisers
Want to have fun, learn something new, get some exercise, meet cool people and raise money for a good cause? If so, there are three great events to attend this weekend, starting tonight. (Is it wishful thinking to consider Thursday night the weekend?)
Tonight, the Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation is partnering with the Colon Cancer Alliance, Harry’s Tap Room and socialite/blogger Pamela Sorensen to throw a happy hour fundraiser, part of the DC Goes Blue Week for Colon Cancer. It’s taking place from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Harry’s Tap Room (2800 Clarendon Blvd). The happy hour will include a silent auction, raffle prizes, a signature “Blue Life” cocktail specially created for DC Goes Blue week, as well as special guest celebrities. A portion of all sales from the event will go to benefit Chris4Life and the Colon Cancer Alliance.
On Saturday, the Friends of the David M. Brown Planetarium will hold another “Night at the Planetarium” fundraiser, consisting of shows and outdoor stargazing. See more details from our post earlier this week.
Finally on Sunday, the Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund will hold a 5K run/walk at Bluemont Park (601 North Manchester Street). All fees collected for this event will go to help prevent and treat cancer. All participants receive a race T-shirt, and children under 13 will also receive a blue ribbon. See more information here.
There’s a lot more going on this weekend. Check out our events calendar for more.
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ADORE Child and Family Services – Adore is an agency that helps place children in loving homes. Find out more about adoption or becoming a foster parent by attending a special breakfast at Metro 29 Diner (4711 Lee Highway) from 7:00 to 8:30 tomorrow morning. Guest speakers will include Jack Dalaba and county board member Barbara Favola.
Gossip on 23rd – Visit Gossip’s boutique on 23rd Street in Crystal City and find the latest in women’s fashion — all for under $100. See some of the store’s latest arrivals here.
Dudley Chapman — If you’re looking to buy or sell a home, give Dudley a call. He grew up in Arlington, knows the area like the back of his hand, and can help guide you through the particulars of the local real estate jungle.
Pathways 2 Independence — If you’re between 16 and 25 years old and you like money, this free financial fair will help you figure out how to keep more of it. There will also be prizes and the promise of a “surprise celebrity sighting.” Mark your calendar for the afternoon of Sunday, October 17.
Business owners: Click here to learn more about reaching the largest local audience in Arlington.
Groundbreaking Scheduled for Rosslyn Skyscraper
Originally approved by the county in 2007, the planned 35-story office tower at 1812 North Moore Street in Rosslyn is finally moving forward with construction. A groundbreaking ceremony has been scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 14.
Unable to sign a tenant or obtain financing for the building, owner Monday Properties is paying the first $30 million of the project’s estimated $300 million cost in cash, according to the Washington Post.
Once it’s built, the 390-foot building will be the tallest in the Washington area. It will offer expansive views of the DC skyline and surrounding areas.
Construction is expected to wrap up in early 2013.
“We’re of course very pleased to see it happen,” said Arlington Economic Development spokesperson Karen Vasquez. “[It is] a great addition for Rosslyn as well as for Arlington.”
Vasquez noted with a pinch of irony that with the 387-foot Central Place tower also moving forward, “we may see another Chrysler Building/Empire State Building competition right here in Arlington.”
Crime Report: Man Touches Teen Girl on Shoulder, Gets Tased
From this week’s Arlington County crime report:
ASSAULT AND BATTERY-ARREST 09/23/10, 2000 block of S. 27th Street. On September 23 at 6:30 pm, a man touched a teenage girl on her shoulder without her permission. The man fled the area when confronted by another adult. The suspect was located by police. A tazer was deployed because the suspect was uncooperative. Alton Dixon, 46, of no fixed address, was charged with Assault and Battery and Fail to Identify to Law Enforcement. He was held on a $1,000 bond.
Also on the crime report, a drunken brawl broke out inside Bailey’s Pub in Ballston early Wednesday morning.
MALICIOUS WOUNDING 09/29/10, 4200 block of Wilson Boulevard. On September 29 at 1:30 am, a group of intoxicated males was in a fight inside a bar. One male was hit in the face. Police received reports that another man had been cut on his back, but that could not be proven. The suspects are unknown.
The rest of the report, including an especially frightening attempted robbery near Ft. Myer, after the jump.
Watch Out for the Sinkhole on Columbia Pike
It’s now surrounded by a small army of orange barrels, but this sinkhole on Columbia Pike at the intersection with South Wakefield Street claimed at least one car’s muffler this morning.
Heavy rains apparently caused the patched-up section of roadway to sink, while the older, existing road stayed at the same level. So it must have been quite the jolt when one driver we talked to hit it at full speed, causing his muffler to fly off.
The barrels are currently blocking the left-hand lane of westbound Columbia Pike.
Area Under a Flash Flood Warning
So far, we have not heard of any flooding in Arlington as a result of this morning’s deluge. However, Arlington County just issued the following alert:
THE DC AREA IS UNDER A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANING IT IS IMMINENT.USE CAUTION. DO NOT DRIVE VEHICLES THROUGH WATER COVERING ROADWAY.DO NOT CROSS BARRICADES.RUSH HOUR LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED.RESIDENTS LIVING IN FLOODING AREAS TAKE IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY.CHECK LOCAL WEATHER SOURCES FOR STATUS REGULARLY.
Coming Soon to Arlington: Mobile Pizza
An outfit called Flippin’ Pizza, which just rolled out a pair of mobile pizzerias in Fairfax County, is applying for a mobile food vendor license in Arlington.
Much like the DC Slices truck, which occasionally serves private events in Arlington, the Flippin’ Pizza trucks bake the New York-style pies in the truck and then sell them at various locations around town. Two slices and a drink from the truck will cost you $5. Flippin’ Pizza, of course, announces the location of their trucks via Twitter.
The company says they expect to launch a truck in Arlington later this fall.
For those following at home, the pizza saturation warning level in Arlington has just hit condition red.
BREAKING NEWS — SUV Rollover Crash on I-395
An SUV rolled over several times on southbound I-395 near the ramp to Washington Boulevard. All lanes are currently blocked.
At least two other cars are reported to be involved in the accident.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
Update at 9:10 a.m. — One lane is now squeezing by.
Update at 9:30 a.m. — Two lanes are now getting by the accident scene. The SUV is currently being loaded onto a flatbed tow truck. Traffic backing up to the Pentagon.
Update at 10:05 a.m. — The accident has been cleared.
Update at 10:10 a.m. — WTOP’s Adam Tuss is confirming scanner reports that a mom and her two kids were in the SUV at the time of the accident. They were taken to Fairfax Hospital.
UPDATED: Two Injured By Turbulence on DCA Flight
A US Airways flight arriving at Reagan National Airport hit severe turbulence this morning, injuring at least two flight attendants.
Flight 1223 from Providence, R.I. hit the turbulence as it was preparing to land at Reagan National, according to US Airways spokesperson Andrew Christie.
The flight landed safely and no other people on board were hurt. An ambulance met the plane at the terminal and took the two women to Virginia Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The Airbus A319 jet was carrying 64 passengers and 5 crew members at the time.
“Our top priority at US Airways is always the safety and well being of our customers and employees,” Christie said.
Morning Notes
Arlington Woman Hits Lotto — An Arlington woman who won $1 million playing the Mega Millions game is expected to pick up her prize today. So far, the new millionaire’s identity is unknown. More from WTOP.
Arlington Schools to Get iPads — Arlington school officials are using a state grant to buy about 70 iPads. Meant to increase participation in a state “Beyond Textbooks” program, the grant will provide iPads to a fourth-grade social studies class at Drew Elementary and two world history classes at Washington-Lee High School. More from the Washington Examiner.
League of Women Voters to Hold Referendum Discussion — In the wake of this year’s unsuccessful attempt to change Arlington’s form of government by referendum, the League of Women Voters is holding a panel discussion entitled “Citizens Making Change in Arlington: How Does the Referendum Process Work, and Does It Work Well?” The talk is taking place at the Arlington Career Center main hall (816 S. Walter Reed Drive) from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Flickr pool photo by BrianMKA
Get Ready For the Deluge
From Arlington Alert:
FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FOR DC AREA FROM MIDNIGHT WED TO THUR UP TO 11PM. MONITOR FORECASTS. BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD WARNINGS BE ISSUED. POSSIBLE 1-2 INCHES OF RAINFALL EACH DAY/NIGHT.
Advanced Towing: Rip-off Artists? Or Fair Parking Enforcers?
Advanced Towing is either a hated predatory towing company or a very effective solution for ridding parking lots of illegally-parked vehicles, depending on your perspective.
The company’s drivers will watch over restricted parking spaces and wait for some unfortunate schmo to park there and walk off the owner’s property, at which point they snatch the car and drive off. They do this at the Four Mile Run branch of the Virginia DMV, at the Westmont Shopping Center on Columbia Pike, and elsewhere around Arlington. Needless to say, it has not won them many friends.
They have earned themselves a steady stream of hate on Yelp. They have been the subject of a not-safe-for-work screed by a prominent local blogger. And they’re often involved in disputes that have to be settled by police.
The dispute that led to the photo above happened last week when a driver thought his car was damaged by an Advanced tow truck. Police concluded that it was preexisting damage.
One day later, a man contacted TBD and ARLnow.com after his car was towed from the same private lot adjacent to the DMV. He accused Advanced of using a “decoy” to attract people to the spaces, then threatening him when he tried to warn others. “Aggressive towing, intimidation at Arlington DMV parking lot,” TBD’s headline read.
This all brings up the inevitable question: Is Advanced unethical? Are they preying on unsuspecting drivers without regard to circumstance? Or are they delivering justice to people who ignore no parking signs?
EXCLUSIVE: College Pro Painters Fined Following Electrical Accident
(Updated on 9/30) Citing “serious” violations of occupational safety laws, Virginia’s Department of Labor and Industry has slapped Massachusetts-based College Pro Painters with a $14,875 fine for a near-fatal electrical accident in Ashton Heights on June 16.
A painter in his mid-20′s nearly died after the ladder he was using touched 19,900 volt power lines at a home on North Highland Street. The employee was burned and knocked back nearly 9 feet by the electrical shock. He was without a pulse when paramedics arrived on the scene, but was resuscitated and eventually transported to the MedStar burn unit in DC.
At the time, College Pro Painters president Rodney Larmand told ARLnow.com that the company was “deeply concerned” and was “investigating the circumstances” that led to the accident.
According to a citation obtained by ARLnow.com under the Freedom of Information Act, state safety inspectors determined that the company “failed to ensure employees did not perform any work” that would cause ladders or other equipment “to be placed within 10 feet of any overhead high voltage line.”
The company also failed to work with the power company to make temporary safety arrangements before the work was performed, and “did not ensure first aid supplies were easily accessible,” according to state inspectors.
The company has the right to contest the citation, which was issued earlier this month. Larmand declined to comment on the fine, citing a scheduled meeting with state occupational safety officials on Wednesday.
He did, however, point out that College Pro Painters has a safety record that is “significantly better than industry standard.
“Our safety program is excellent and we plan to continue our current program with improvements and updates for 2011 that will take into consideration our learning from this unfortunate incident,” Larmand said.
Arlington’s Unemployment Rate Remains Low
Arlington’s unemployment rate dipped 0.1 percent to 4.1 percent in August, easily maintaining the county’s distinction of having the lowest unemployment rate in Virginia.
By contrast, the unemployment rate statewide remained steady at 7.0 percent, Alexandria increased slightly from 4.9 to 5.0 percent, and Fairfax County decreased slightly from 5.0 to 4.9 percent. Nationally, the unemployment rate dipped 0.2 percent to 9.5 percent.
The local data was released this morning by the Virginia Employment Commission.
Other County Board Actions Last Night
It was a long night for the county board, which didn’t adjourn its recessed meeting until a few minutes after midnight. In addition to a controversial resolution regarding the Secure Communities program, a briefing on next year’s budget projections and the passage of the Crystal City Sector Plan, the board took a number of other significant actions.
The board heard a presentation by County Manager Michael Brown regarding staff research into the proposed development plan for East Falls Church. Details are available on the county’s web site.
Funds for the design of a better Ballston beaver pond were approved unanimously. The $471,842 contract calls for a new design that will allow the pond to do a better job of treating stormwater while still providing a habitat for wildlife.
A plan to renovate 162 apartments in Colonial Village was approved unanimously. The board looked into concerns about parking and trash expressed by neighboring residents, but otherwise made no alterations.
After another somewhat lengthy discussion about outdoor patios, the board voted unanimously to renew Hard Times Cafe’s outdoor seating permit. The board specified an allowance of four tables and eight chairs on the North Highland Street sidewalk during dinner time.
The board voted 4-1 to advertise a steep fee increase for restaurant and food vendor licenses. The board was careful to emphasize that the fee hike, from $100 to $285, was mandated by the state and already in place in neighboring jurisdictions. The fee would apply evenly to brick and mortar restaurants and mobile food vendors.
At the very end, the board approved some sort of settlement with the owner of the long-delayed Bromptons development in Cherrydale. Update at 11:15 a.m. — The settlement deals with a dispute between the owner and the county over utility undergrounding. Under terms of the settlement, Bromptons owner R15, LLC will pay $255,000 to a utility fund.
