News

Dr. James Bundschuh has served as Marymount’s president since July 2001. He oversaw the recently-completed 26th Street Project, which added several new buildings to the school’s main North Arlington campus.

Marymount is a Catholic university with approximately 3,600 students enrolled in a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs. The school has about 450 full-time employees and 300 part-time employees.


Events

Ten contestants will compete to see who can eat the most tacos, without vomiting, in 15 minutes. They will have to consume four different varieties of tacos, in the following rotating order: breakfast taco, pollo asado, carnitas, carne asada.

According to District Taco’s contest web page, the winner of the contest will receive a number of prizes and honors, including free tacos and apparel.


Around Town

The signs outside say the Ruby Tuesday restaurant in Rosslyn (1300 Wilson Boulevard) is renovating. That’s true, we’re told, but those renovations are coming on the heels of a gas-fed kitchen fire that broke out around 11:00 p.m. Thursday night.

An employee who answered the phone today said Ruby Tuesday will be closed for at least the next couple of days, although an exact reopening date has not been set.


Around Town

Photos on Shirlington Village blog show people lining up along Campbell Avenue for a chance to check out the the long-anticipated pub, which not only imported building materials from Ireland but also imported actual Irishmen to work there.

The Samuel Beckett’s web site is now live, although much like any restaurant opening there are still some kinks to work out. For one, the title of the home page reads “Samue Becketts.”


News

There are about 4,800 metered parking spaces in Arlington, according to Traffic Engineering and Operations Bureau Chief Wayne Wentz. After studying the occupancy rate of parking spaces around the county, officials decided to take action to improve the utilization of about 180 spaces that are on the fringes of commercial areas.

The rate at those spaces will be lowered from $1 per hour to $0.50 per hour for a six month “trial period.” After the trial period, county officials will evaluate the results of the change and decide what to do next.


News

Arlington Tourism Declines — Tourism revenues in Arlington County, Virginia’s top tourist destination, declined by $276 million between 2008 and 2009, according to data released in December. Arlington is currently seeking state approval to renew a hotel tax surcharge that funds its tourism promotion efforts, but county officials acknowledge that Arlington’s tourism draw is primarily its proximity to the District. [Washington Examiner]

McDonnell To Propose Transportation Spending Splurge — Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell wants to borrow $3 billion over the next three years to pay for transportation projects in the state. [Washington Post]