County Snow Crews Gearing Up for Storm
Arlington County snow crews are finalizing plans to tackle the winter storm that’s predicted to hit the region tomorrow evening.
Employees from the county’s Water Sewer Streets Bureau will be divided up into two teams that will work 12-hour, round-the-clock shifts starting tomorrow before the storm’s arrival.
Snow-clearing equipment will be readied tomorrow morning, with crews getting on the road by mid-afternoon, according to Department of Environmental Services spokeswoman Myllisa Kennedy.
County plows will continue clearing roads throughout the overnight hours, Kennedy said.
Gone in 90 Seconds in Clarendon
(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) How quickly do you think your car would get stolen if you left it directly outside a 24-hour store, on the side of a busy Clarendon street, with the keys still in the door?
Try 90 seconds, according to a woman whose Mitsubishi Eclipse was stolen from outside the 7-Eleven at 3000 Washington Boulevard.
The woman, who we will call “Lucy,” said she and a companion were “in a big rush” when they ran into the store, leaving the keys hanging from the driver’s side door.
“Stupid move on our part, but it was freezing and we ran in for literally 90 seconds,” Lucy wrote in an email. “We were running late and it was a dumb mistake.”
Lucy came out of the store, saw that the car was gone and called the police. The police took a report, but have so far not been able to locate the stolen car.
“[The] good news is we’re fully insured and no one was hurt,” Lucy wrote. “Some valuables in the car, but all replaceable. No sighting by anyone on who stole the car as it probably just looked like an owner since they had the keys.”
Despite being the victim of a crime, Lucy has been able to find humor in the situation. She described her stolen two-door Mitsubishi as “a total s–t car” and noted that “we’re not upset about it… it’s actually sort of funny.”
Lucy added that she hopes others will learn from her dumb mistake.
“We just let our guard down living in the bubble of safe Arlington and want to send out a warning for others,” she wrote. “We’re city folk and only recently joined the more suburban scene (and love it). But, this was a reminder to not be idiots since crime can happen anywhere.”
Winter Storm Watch in Effect
A winter storm watch has been issued for Arlington (and the rest of the Washington region) tomorrow.
Forecasters are calling for snow to start falling tomorrow afternoon, with accumulations of five or more inches possible.
… WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BALTIMORE MD/WASHINGTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH… WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
* PRECIPITATION TYPE… BECOMING ALL SNOW DURING LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
* ACCUMULATIONS… 5 OR MORE INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE.
* TIMING… SNOW STARTING DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. ENDING AFTER MIDNIGHT FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
* TEMPERATURES… MID TO UPPER 30S WEDNESDAY… DROPPING TO THE LOWER 30S BY THE EVENING. THE UPPER 20S WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
* WINDS… NORTHEAST 10 TO 15 MPH WEDNESDAY… BECOMING NORTHWEST AROUND 15 MPH WEDNESDAY EVENING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW… SLEET… OR ICE ACCUMULATIONS THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS.
Another Rosslyn Groundbreaking
The JBG Companies broke ground today on the latest large construction project to hit Rosslyn.
The project, formerly known as Rosslyn Commons but now being called Sedona and Slate, will consist of two residential towers on the 1500 block of Clarendon Boulevard.
The 14- and 12-story towers will have about 450 housing units, including 55 affordable housing units. The buildings, which will be LEED Silver certified, are expected to have sweeping rooftop views. One building will have a rooftop pool.
JBG says they’re targeting restaurants to fill the ground floor retail slots. To further entice potential eatery tenants, the company is promising cafe seating along Clarendon Boulevard.
Among those at the groundbreaking this morning were County Board Vice Chair Mary Hynes, County Board Member Barbara Favola and Rosslyn BID Executive Director Cecilia Cassidy.
This was the second residential project to break ground in Rosslyn so far this year. Abdo Development held a groundbreaking for the Gaslight Square luxury condo development earlier this month. Meanwhile, work is well underway on a new Skanska-developed office building on the 1700 block of Wilson Boulevard.
Wilson Boulevard Shut Down in Clarendon
Update at 3:30 p.m. — The road has reopened.
Wilson Boulevard has been shut down in the area of North Jackson Street and Washington Boulevard in Clarendon.
A vehicle collided with a utility pole, splitting it in half near the Hess gas station. Dominion is on the scene replacing the pole, which has transformers on it, complicating the process.
No word on when the street will reopen.
Publicity May Have Prompted Rape Suspect to Turn Himself In
Arlington police and other law enforcement agencies had been looking for rape suspect Ronald Berton, but it wasn’t until his mug shot was splashed across TV screens and computer monitors that the 36-year-old decided to turn himself in.
It’s not known for sure whether media attention helped convince Berton to surrender to police Sunday night — two days after police handed his photo over to local news organizations — but it certainly didn’t hurt.
“The media coverage around Berton’s warrant assisted with his arrest,” Arlington County police said in a statement. “This is an excellent example of citizens, the media, and law enforcement working together towards a safer community.”
AHC Needs More Teen Tutors
Local affordable housing outfit AHC is “in serious need” of teen tutors.
AHC has been running its teen tutoring program for more than 15 years. Tutors act as a teacher, mentor and role model for at-risk middle school and high school students who live in AHC communities. They work one-on-one with the teens, devoting at least an hour and a half per week.
“AHC’s Teen Tutoring program is growing, which is wonderful, but as the second half of the school year gets underway, we need more volunteers to work with middle and high school teenagers, particularly at Berkeley Apartments (2900 South Glebe Road),” AHC spokeswoman Celia Slater wrote in an email. “Now that the third quarter is starting, students are more and more interested in working hard to get good grades for the year. Volunteers work closely with one student for about an hour and a half one evening a week, which helps build strong mentoring relationships.”
The organization recently produced a short public service announcement (below) about its work with at-risk teens.
If you’re interested in donating your time and tutoring talents, email Jennifer Cavaliere at cavaliere@ahcinc.org, or call 703-486-0626 x154.
Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade Date Set
Last year, the Clarendon Mardi Gras parade became a St. Patrick’s Day parade due to a snow-related postponement.
This year, the two holidays are close enough together that organizers are planning to make the parade a joint Mardi Gras/St. Patrick’s Day affair.
The Clarendon Mardi Gras/St. Pat’s parade will place take this year on Fat Tuesday, March 8. Further details are still in the works.
(St. Patrick’s Day is Thursday, March 17.)
Morning Notes
Iwo Jima Memorial Revamp Planned — One of the most memorable sights in Arlington may be getting a face lift. The 56-year-old Iwo Jima memorial is in need of a refurbishment and more frequent flag replacements, supporters say. A group, the Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation, also wants to add a volunteer-staffed reception center with permanent restrooms, replacing the plastic portable toilets currently on site. [USA Today]
George Allen Wants His Senate Seat Back – Former Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) says he will run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and formerly held by himself. The 2012 race will also feature a challenge on Allen’s right during the primary. Some fellow Republicans wasted no time portraying Allen, once thought of as a possible presidential candidate, as “one of the biggest government guys out there” and “a part of the Washington establishment.” [Washington Post]
The Planetarium Booster — Meet Alice Monet, president of the Friends of Arlington’s Donald M. Brown Planetarium group. The retired Naval Observatory astronomer and Washington-Lee grad is helping to raise money to upgrade the planetarium and keep it open for future generations. [Washington Examiner]
Yorktown High Wins Theater Award — Yorktown High School took first place at the National District One-Act Play Festival for the third time running. The competition, held in Fairfax over the weekend, showcases D.C. area theater talent. “Yorktown’s show Bottom’s Dream, an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, will advance to the Northern Region One Act Play Festival [on] Feb. 5,” a parent tells us. “Yorktown will hold an encore performance of the show at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at Yorktown High, 5200 Yorktown Boulevard.”
Flickr pool photo by Shannon Field
