Is Kitty O’Shea’s Being Forced Out?
A new restaurant called “Wilson Tavern” is coming to 2403 Wilson Boulevard in Courthouse, according to a state liquor license application filed earlier this week.
That’s news to Danny McFadden, owner of Kitty O’Shea’s, which is the current occupant of 2403 Wilson Boulevard.
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” a befuddled McFadden said when reached by phone this afternoon. McFadden said his lease is up in 2015 and he has no plans to leave. The pub was named D.C.’s Best Irish Bar last year by the Washington City Paper.
The application for Wilson Tavern was filed by a company called 2403 Wilson Blvd LLC. According to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, the registered agent for the company is Raymond Schupp, the building’s landlord. Schupp’s development company lists the building in its list of commercial properties.
So far, Schupp has not responded to requests for comment. McFadden says he’s worried that Kitty O’Shea’s may be getting the boot.
“I’ve gone through crap [with the landlord] for three years,” he said. “He’s got a track record of rolling over small guys.”
“I’ve got to call my attorney,” McFadden said, before ending the brief conversation.
Deer Head Found in Family’s Backyard
A mom in the Waycroft neighborhood made a revolting discovery behind her house on Sunday.
“I just came home to find the crows are pecking at what looks like a decapitated deer head in my backyard,” the woman said in an email to the Waycroft-Woodlawn email listserv. “I don’t know what I am supposed to do… I REALLY don’t want to pick it up… it may have some disease. I have never seen a deer in our neighbourhood before. And where is the rest of the poor thing?”
The woman ended up reporting it to animal control officers with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. An officer quickly arrived and indeed found part of a deer’s head lying in the grass.
“It was in a pretty rank state of decomposition,” said AWLA Executive Director Neil Trent, adding that “there’s no evidence of how it got there, or of any foul play.”
Trent said animal carcasses are discovered “fairly regularly” in the county, but they’re usually found on the sides of roads, not in people’s backyards.
The woman’s house is located between I-66 and Washington Boulevard, just a couple of blocks away from Ballston. Trent said one possible explanation would be that the deer was hit and killed on the highway, and part of its remains were carried off by a scavenger, which dropped it in the yard.
Blockbuster Store Closes on Lee Highway
The Blockbuster video store at 5400 Lee Highway has closed up shop.
We’re not sure when it closed — no one is answering the phone, unsurprisingly — but the store’s signs have already been taken down. A number of people could be seen inside the store today, apparently cleaning out the remaining video inventory.
The store was one of Blockbuster’s larger locations, and was noted for having a sizable video selection.
Blockbuster Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September. It expects to close many of its 3,000 stores and focus more heavily on its rental-by-mail and digital businesses, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Del. Hope Proposes Bill to Unshackle Pregnant Inmates
Del. Patrick Hope (D), who represents part of Arlington County, has proposed a bill that would prohibit the shackling of a pregnant inmate during labor and postpartum recovery.
Hope says that his bill has the support of medical organizations, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, among others. Ten other states have passed similar legislation.
“Shackling pregnant women is dangerous and inhumane. Excessively restraining prisoners and detainees during pregnancy increases their chances of accidentally tripping or falling, and harming their pregnancies,” Hope said in a statement. “During labor and postpartum recovery, shackling can interfere with appropriate medical care and can be detrimental to the health of the woman and her newborn child.”
The bill, HB 1488, is set to be considered by a House of Delegates subcommittee today.
See the press release from Hope’s office after the jump.
UPDATED: Woman Found Dead in Front of Ballston Common Mall
A woman, believed to be homeless, was found dead in front of Ballston Common Mall this morning, Arlington Police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal confirms.
The deceased woman was found on the stairs outside Macy’s, in the alleyway between the mall and a Chipotle restaurant. Police are on the scene investigating.
Update at 4:40 p.m. — Police have released the following statement about the incident.
ARLINGTON, VA. – The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is investigating the death of a woman discovered this morning.
At approximately 9:49 a.m., police and medic units were called to the 4300 block of Wilson Boulevard for an unresponsive person. Upon arrival, it was apparent that the person was deceased. The victim is an adult female, who was possibly homeless. The investigation is on going, and more details will be released when available.
Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective Alan Lowrey at (703) 228-4199.
Community Emergency Response Training Begins in March
Want to learn how to help your neighbors, co-workers or family in an emergency? If so, Arlington will be offering free emergency response training in March.
The training is part of the county’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program.
Recent news and weather headlines illustrate the importance of being prepared for and able to respond to all kinds of emergencies. That’s what Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training is all about. This eight-session course, sponsored by the Arlington County Citizen Corps Council, Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and Fire Department (ACFD), covers disaster preparedness, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, team organization, disaster psychology, fire suppression and terrorism. It follows a FEMA/DHS curriculum being used around the globe.
To-date, over 480 individuals have completed CERT training in Arlington County. It is open to Arlington residents – and those who work in the County but reside elsewhere — who are at least 18 years of age (16 if accompanied by at least one parent) and able to participate in all aspects of the training, some of which requires lifting and carrying. The training is free, but participants are expected to acquire certain supplies themselves, many of which you probably already have on-hand. All classes meet at the Arlington County Fire Department (ACFD) Training Academy in Shirlington and are taught by ACFD and OEM staff and CERT members. Neighboring jurisdictions also offer CERT training for their residents.
Some complete this training simply to be safer in their own homes and workplaces. Others choose to complete additional requirements necessary to become active members of neighborhood teams trained to assist in major disasters. All help make Arlington County a safer place to live, work and play!
Spring CERT classes are scheduled to begin on March 16 and 22 and there are seats available in both that will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Advance registration is required. If you’d like additional information or would like to sign up, please contact the program’s volunteer coordinator, Cynthia Kellams, at ArlingtonCERT@aol.com.
Accident Closes Northbound Sycamore Street
(Updated at 9:25 a.m.) The northbound lanes of Sycamore Street are closed near I-66 and the East Falls Church Metro due to a vehicle collision, authorities said this morning.
Four people were injured in the three-vehicle collision.
It was the second crash at the intersection in nearly two weeks. See a photo of the earlier accident here.
Morning Notes
Power Outage Update — There are more than 2,100 Dominion customers still without power in Arlington. That’s down from 16,700 at the height of the storm. Dominion is receiving some favorable comparisons to Pepco from the Washington Post. The Post notes that Dominion called in out of town power crews early, while Pepco did not.
Arlington Delegates Have Bills Killed in House — Bills that would increase Virginia’s cigarette tax, lower the mandatory retirement age for judges and impose a 5-cent tax on plastic bags have all been killed in the House of Delegates, after being proposed by Arlington-based lawmakers. [Sun Gazette]
Library to Get Solar Panels — Thanks to a $300,000 federal grant, the Arlington Central Library will be getting 60-kilowatts worth of solar panels installed on its roof by this summer. [TBD]
Counting of Pedestrians Continues — Arlington is counting pedestrians and cyclists on local trails using an automated, database-driven system. Check out the sneak peak of some of the data that’s being recorded. [Commuter Page Blog]
Photo courtesy Lindsay W.
