Winner of County Vehicle Decal Contest Announced
Arlington has a winner in its 2011-2012 vehicle decal contest.
Out of the four design finalists, Wakefield High School student Maya Giacobbe was named the winner for her design, “Hume, Sweet Hume.”
Giacobbe said she chose to design a decal featuring Arlington’s Hume School — the present-day home of the Arlington Historical Society — because “it was one of the first schools in Arlington.”
“I see it every day,” she added.
Nearly 2,700 votes were cast online and by mail between Jan. 12 and Feb. 13. Giacobbe’s design received 906 votes, a plurality.
The tradition of choosing the design via contest open to Arlington high school students began in 2005. Arlington has required some form of a vehicle license or decal since 1949.
The winning design was announced at this afternoon’s county board meeting. Each finalist will receive a $500 savings bond from Wachovia. The winning design, meanwhile, will appear on more than 155,000 vehicles.
“Vincent van Gogh, in his lifetime, did not achieve such an honor,” noted Arlington County Treasurer Frank O’Leary.
Smoothie Store Coming to Clarendon
A homegrown smoothie store called South Block Blends is coming to the corner of 11th Street and North Garfield Street in Clarendon.
South Block Blends will specialize in “California-inspired real fruit smoothies” and “exotic & healthy burritos,” according to its nascent web site. The store’s Facebook page shows various views of the currently empty, 714-square-foot storefront, on the ground floor of the Clarendon Center project’s “south block” building.
Typically, build-out and permit acquisition for a store like South Block Blends would take about 6 months.
Photo via Facebook
Mad Rose Tavern Opening Tomorrow in Clarendon
Update at 3:10 p.m. at 2/16/11 — Despite management giving ARLnow.com every assurance that the restaurant would open on Wednesday, TBD is reporting that Mad Rose Tavern has delayed its opening until Thursday.
Mad Rose Tavern (3100 Clarendon Blvd) has acquired all the necessary county permits and will open to the public Wednesday afternoon, management said Tuesday.
The restaurant, shown here still under construction, will open its doors at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon after some last-minute cleaning. For the rest of the the week, Mad Rose will be open for evenings only. Starting on Monday, it will also be open for lunch.
General Manager Seamus Phillips described Mad Rose as “warm and inviting, modern meets old world, affordable yet high quality.” The restaurant has been eight months in the making and is rumored to have cost owners upwards of $1 million so far. It will include a menu full of hearty dishes and an extensive beer, scotch and wine selection.
If you see people inside tonight, don’t get too excited — it’s a private event. And if you stop by this weekend, be prepared for a wait.
“I have a feeling with it being Clarendon it’s going to be a pretty busy weekend for us,” Phillips said.
The Tavern’s occupancy permit allows just over 120 people inside. In the next few weeks, it will roll out patio seating for another 50 customers. A grand opening celebration is being planned for some point in March.
Bayou Bakery Owner Nominated for Award
Bayou Bakery owner and chef David Guas has been nominated for Food & Wine Magazine’s The People’s Best New Chef award.
Guas is one of ten chefs nominated for the award in the Mid-Atlantic region, and one of 100 chefs nominated nationwide. Other local nominees include Kyle Bailey of Birch & Barley, Dan Giusti of 1789 Restaurant, and Nicholas Stefanelli of Bibiana.
The ultimate winner will be decided by an online vote. The winners in each of the ten geographic regions will be featured in the July issue of Food and Wine.
Bayou Bakery is located at 1515 North Courthouse Road in Courthouse.
Cuccinelli Rips Arlington For HOT Lanes Suit
The anti-Arlington sentiment in Richmond and on the pages of local publications continues to grow.
This time, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is taking a few pointed shots at the county for its lawsuit against High Occupancy Toll lanes on I-395.
Forget the fact that the county has agreed to withdraw the lawsuit and the state has, for now, decided not to move forward with the I-395 portion of the HOT lanes project. In a statement, Cuccinelli piled on and called the lawsuit “dirty,” “legal thuggery” and “wildly unfounded.”
Cuccinelli also lobbed a sports metaphor at the board.
“When that pitcher throws multiple bean balls in a game, it is downright dirty, and the crowd wants the umpire to take action,” Cuccinelli said. “The Arlington County board has thrown several bean balls aimed at [government] officials, but they are hitting northern Virginia commuters, too.”
To be fair, Arlington officials haven’t always had the nicest things to say about Cuccinelli, either.
A Recipe for Plagiarism at Patch?
Since launching last year, Arlington’s two Patch sites have raised some unanswered questions.
Why, for instance, are there separate sites devoted to Clarendon and Ballston?
Why does Ballston have its own Capitals beat reporter and cooking columnist?
What’s up with all the high school gymnastics articles and photo slideshows?
Who gets this excited about The Melting Pot?
Is there a better way to describe Ballston Common Mall’s Christmas tree than “enormous” and “erect?”
On a more serious note, the aforementioned cooking column begs another question: How doesn’t anybody over at the Ballston site realize that it’s wrong to copy and paste copyrighted material without proper credit?
Morning Notes
Pothole Problem May Persist — County Manager Barbara Donnellan says the county is waiting for the beginning of spring to fix most of the potholes on local roads. Donnellan, speaking at Saturday’s county board meeting, said “it’s better” to fix the roads after the winter. Board member Walter Tejada acknowledged one resident’s complaints about potholes on his street, adding that Wilson Boulevard and Columbia Pike also have some particularly rough patches. [Sun Gazette]
Remy to be Guest Bartender at Fundraiser — Arlington rapper Remy will be the guest bartender tomorrow at a fundraiser for the Arlington Free Clinic. The fundraiser is being held at Velocity Five (2300 Clarendon Blvd) from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Remy’s sister, Lena, will help select the evening’s door prize winners. [Gregs List DC]
Myerton Apartments Becoming Condos — In 2007, developer JBG decided to scrap plans to market a new renovation project in Penrose as condominiums. Instead, with the economy on the ropes, it leased out the property as the Myerton Apartments. Now, the project’s 74 apartments are once again slated to be sold as condos. Two bedrooms will be priced just below $300,000. [Urban Turf]
President’s Day Schedule Set — Most county offices will be closed on Monday in observance of President’s Day. [Arlington County]
Major Delays on I-395 Due to Fire in D.C.
The main lanes of I-395 are backed up in Virginia from the 14th Street Bridge to the Springfield interchange due to fire activity in the District.
A fire at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center prompted a large emergency response that shut down 14th Street between Constitution Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue. The fire, which originated in the building’s kitchen and spread through the ductwork, is now under control. Fire equipment has been clearing the scene and 14th Street will likely reopen soon — but that’s little solace to the thousands currently crawling along on I-395.
The good news, if any, is that the HOV lanes are clear until just past the Pentagon.
