Coming to Clarendon: Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream
Move over Goody’s, a new ice cream place is coming to Clarendon.
Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream has signed a lease in the Clarendon Center project, located less than a block away from the Clarendon Metro.
Larry’s will share the block with BGR The Burger Joint, Pete’s New Haven Apizza and Rabbit, the newly-named salad and froyo place from the owners of TangySweet.
Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream shares a name with an ice cream shop in Dupont Circle, but it’s unclear what connection, if any, there is between the two stores.
A woman who identified herself over the phone as the owner of the Dupont Larry’s Homemade Ice Cream said she wasn’t behind the Clarendon store. A quick web search didn’t reveal any other stores by that name in the area.
With the addition of Larry’s Homemade, the retail space in Clarendon Center’s north building is now completely leased out. Many of the stores are expected to open in the spring, depending on the building’s construction schedule.
Va. Legislature May Consider Tough Immigration Measures
Just when it looked like the hubbub was dying down over Arlington’s failed effort to withdraw from the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program, the Virginia state legislature now appears poised to stir up the immigration hornet’s nest once again.
According to the Washington Examiner, Del. Dave Albo (R-Fairfax) has indicated that he will be introducing bills that will deny driver’s licenses and government benefits for illegal immigrants, while permitting police to check the immigration status of anyone who is taken into custody.
That last proposal is intended to mimic the controversial Arizona immigration law that quickly turned into a hot-button national news story. It would fly in the face of Arlington’s stated policy that “it is not the role of Arlington County law enforcement to enforce federal immigration laws.”
“I hope the General Assembly will examine these measures very carefully,” said Del. Bob Brink (D), who represents part of Arlington. “I’m concerned that, in addition to their potential for stigmatizing some Virginians, they could actually make the work of law enforcement more difficult.”
Brink added that he wants to talk with Arlington’s public safety officials “to get their reaction to the proposed bills.”
Albo, meanwhile, told the Examiner that he doesn’t think his immigration bills stand much of a chance of passing the Democratic-controlled state senate, although he predicted the bills would likely pass the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.
Photo via Creative Commons License
New Shelter Director Aims for More Collaboration, Fewer Euthanizations
Among certain local animal welfare circles, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington has developed a bit of an unsavory reputation over the past couple of years.
Its high euthanization rate and its reluctance to cooperate with animal rescue groups prompted animal advocates to launch an anonymous blog last year called the AWLA Hawk.
Most recently, the AWLA Hawk published statistics showing that about 30 percent of all dogs and cats that entered the shelter in FY 2010 were euthanized.
Enter Neil Trent, who took over as the League’s executive director in September.
“Not on my watch,” he said, after being asked about the numbers.
Trent, who started his career in animal welfare more than 30 years ago as an animal cruelty law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, says that he is making collaboration a high priority in his effort to reduce the kill rate.
“Whatever we can do to try to get more animals turned around through the shelter process and out into foster homes or new homes as quickly as we can, that’s what our challenge is going to be,” he said. To that end, he’s pushing AWLA to be “more collaborative, to reach out more and engage more members of the community.”
Among the initiatives Trent has been undertaking is collaborating with animal rescue organizations — including breed-specific rescue organizations — to try to place more cats and dogs with adoptive families.
“We are starting to network more with local rescue groups,” he said. “They do great work in finding homes.”
Trent has also been trying to bolster the League’s volunteer corps, in an effort to make shelter animals more visible at events in the community.
“If we get more volunteers, we’ll have more opportunity… to get more of our adoptable animals out to these outdoor events,” he said.
“We’re talking about living animals here,” Trent added. “They’re not just commodities sitting in a parking lot with a for sale sign on them. They’re living breathing creatures, and our role is to ensure that these animals get every possible chance that they can to make a very short spell here at the shelter and back into a good forever home as quickly as possible.”
On Wednesday, AWLA will host a workshop about feral cats with the group Alley Cat Allies. At least 50 people are expected to attend the event, during which Trent will discuss the new Trap-Neuter-Return program that he’s helping to implement.
Do You Have What It Takes To Be an ACPD Officer?
The Arlington County Police Department is recruiting for a new class of police academy candidates.
Before you get out your resume, however, you should be aware that the application process is a bit more rigorous than that of your average post-collegiate job.
Among the tests you’ll have to pass:
- Human relations test
- Character/background investigation
- Panel interview
- Polygraph examination
- Stress test
- Psychological evaluation
- Drug testing
- Medical examination
- Physical abilities test
The department recently released a YouTube video that details what candidates will have to do to pass the physical abilities test. Among the requirements: being able to rack the slide and pull the trigger of a .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic handgun 13 times in 26 seconds.
Sound easy? Take a look at this elaborately-produced, three year old video of a not-so-typical day in the life of an Arlington police officer and see if you still got what it takes.
Free Salsa Lessons at The Salsa Room on Columbia Pike
What better place is there to learn how to salsa than The Salsa Room on Columbia Pike? It’s a natural choice, like ordering cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.
Now thanks to one of our marketing partners, you can now get salsa lessons for free while mingling with D.C. area professionals.
Local group buying web site So What’s the Deal is offering the two hour, $10 dance lessons for $2. But why pay anything at all? Email freesalsa@sowhatsthedeal.com and get a coupon code to make your ticket free.
The dance lessons, organized by the networking group Professionals in the City, will take place from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 18. Beginner and intermediate dancers are welcome.
Murray Asks for Sign Retrieval Help
Patrick Murray, who lost his bid to unseat Rep. Jim Moran earlier this month, is asking his supporters for one last act of honor and courage: to clear remaining campaign signs from median strips.
Murray estimated that the campaign has collected about 95 percent of signs. That would mean that 5 percent of the campaign’s signs — about 550 signs out of a total of 11,000 — are still scattered about the Eighth District.
In an email, Murray asked supporters to help with the retrieval effort before the Tuesday deadline for removing campaign signs.
Most of our local jurisdictions require signs to be removed within two weeks after the election. With that deadline looming on Tuesday, we need some help. If as you move about the district during the next day or two and see a sign still in place, I ask that if you have the time that you stop and pick it up for us.
If you see a sign or two and are not in a position to pick it up, or if you have some you need to get to us please send an email to campaignmanager@MurrayforCongress.com, and note the location so we can attempt to have another volunteer recover it as soon as possible.
Morning Poll: Least Least Attractive?
Travel + Leisure magazine recently published a list of America’s most and least attractive cities. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that the much-maligned D.C. area ranked near the bottom of the list, as the country’s #6 least attractive city.
But does Arlington share the blame for the ugliness? If you take a walk around Clarendon on a Friday night, do you find the bar-goers more or less attractive than, say, the bar-goers walking around Adams Morgan on a Friday night?
For the purposes of this poll, let’s narrow the scope down to people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. And while you can make your case for another area’s abundance of attractiveness in the comments, we’re only considering the District and Arlington for this poll.
Morning Notes
Arlington is One of Country’s Richest Counties — Well, here’s one way Arlington is a “green” county — its residents are loaded with cash. So says Newsweek, which ranks Arlington the #5 richest county in the nation. Seven of the top ten richest counties are in the DC area. More from DCist.
Charges Pending Against Driver in Davies Wreck – The young woman who was driving the car that crashed last October on the George Washington Parkway, killing one woman and severely injuring U.S. soccer star Charlie Davies, is expected to be charged with involuntary manslaughter. Investigators believe Maria Espinoza of Clarksville was intoxicated when her SUV careened across a grassy area near Memorial Bridge and struck a guardrail, nearly splitting it in half, according to the Washington Post.
Washington-Lee Bests Yorktown in Football Playoffs — Washington-Lee defeated Yorktown High 28 to 7 on Friday night. With the win, the Generals (6-5) will advance to the next round of the playoffs, facing Hayfield (7-4) on Friday. Washington-Lee played Hayfield in September and won 23-7. More from the Sun Gazette.
Flickr pool photo by Team Rank
