Water Main Break in Lyon Park
Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management issued the following statement tonight regarding a water main break in Lyon Park.
Commuters should avoid the intersection of Pershing Drive and N. Barton Street due to a water main repair now underway. Pershing Drive between Wayne Street and N. Barton Street is one travel lane with flaggers. Access from Barton Street onto Pershing Drive is affected. The break occured today during the installation of a new 12-inch water main. One residential block of N. Barton Street from Pershing Drive to N. 9th Street and a small number of businesses in the 2200 block of N. Pershing Drive have been notified that they will remain without water while repairs are made into the evening.
More Cannon Fire Planned Tomorrow Morning
There will be another round of cannon fire at Arlington National Cemetery tomorrow morning.
The Army’s Presidential Salute Battery will be conducting more firing drills from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman.
“This elite element of The Old Guard has the duty of firing final salutes during memorial ceremonies for service members and veterans laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery,” the military said in a statement. “The Presidential Salute Battery maintains the highest level of ceremonial proficiency through recurrent training and will continue to perform to the utmost standards and traditions of the United States Army and our nation.”
Although the year’s first firing drill woke up residents in parts of South Arlington, lately the cannon fire has been heard mostly in the District, prompting numerous complaints from D.C. residents.
Web Site Provides Quick View of Capital Bikeshare Availability
A new web site called Capital Bikeshare Tracker is providing a quick view of bike availability at CaBi stations in Rosslyn, Crystal City and the District.
The site uses pie chart-style icons on a map to represent the number of bikes available at each station compared to the number of available bike docks. Clicking on a station gives you the option of seeing historical usage data for each station.
A map on the Capital Bikeshare web site will only display bike availability data after you click on an icon for the station.
Officials are in the process of adding about 30 stations to the Capital Bikeshare system in Arlington County. They expect the expansion to be complete by the end of the year.
UPDATED: Widespread Power Outage in Arlington
(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Power has been restored after a widespread outage in Arlington, Dominion says.
Power was restored just after 1:50 p.m., according to Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson. She said the outage, which lasted 38 minutes, was caused by a malfunctioning piece of equipment at the company’s Clarendon power substation.
Nearly 8,000 Dominion customers in Arlington lost power at the height of the outage, Anderson said.
Several traffic lights went dark in the Clarendon, Virginia Square and Ballston areas around 1:15 p.m. Police directed traffic at the busy intersection of Washington Boulevard and N. Quincy Street — near the Arlington Central Library — during the outage.
There were also several reports of people who were stuck in elevators that stopped when then the power went out.
Police Investigate Bomb Threat at WJLA Building
(Updated at 1:10 p.m.) Police investigated a bomb threat at the WJLA (ABC 7) building (1100 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn this afternoon.
Initial reports suggest the threat was non-specific. Pedestrian traffic was still allowed in and out of the building as normal as police and building employees searched in and around the building. A police dog could be seen sniffing around news vans at the station’s parking lot.
Police are in the process of clearing the scene. No threats were found, according to Arlington police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal.
Tejada: No Chance of In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants
Arlington County Board Member Walter Tejada would like to see the children of illegal immigrants in Virginia offered in-state tuition at public universities — but he’s not kidding himself.
On WAMU’s Kojo Nnamdi Show, Tejada said that Virginia Republicans, including Gov. Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, would never support such a plan.
“I don’t think that there’s a chance right now [given] the political environment,” Tejada said.
A woman who called into the show questioned the wisdom of granting illegal immigrant children in-state college tuition when they would be unable to legally obtain a job in the United States.
The children of illegal immigrants still must go through the same college admission process as other students, Tejada argued. He said that illegal immigrant children should be given the same opportunities as the children of legal Virginia residents.
“We have the best and the brightest — some who are valedictorians — we are not allowing them to continue their education,” Tejada said. “It is wrong.”
Tejada says that he supports comprehensive immigration reform.
Coming Soon: Live Entertainment, Sidewalk Cafe, Metro Kiosk
On Saturday, the County Board is expected to approve a sidewalk cafe for Mad Rose Tavern, live entertainment for Samuel Beckett’s Irish Gastro Pub, and a Commuter Store kiosk outside the Ballston Metro Station.
The three items are all part of the board’s site plan amendment agenda.
County staff is recommending the board approve Samuel Beckett’s request for live entertainment from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and federal holidays. The Shirlington pub, at 2800 S. Randolph Street, has said that it wants to host traditional Irish music.
Staff is also recommending a sidewalk cafe for the struggling Mad Rose Tavern in Clarendon (3100 Clarendon Blvd). The sidewalk seating would wrap around the restaurant from Washington Boulevard to Clarendon Boulevard, and would operate from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. seven days per week. Staff says the cafe “would serve to activate the streetscape at this major intersection” and is consistent with other sidewalk cafes in the area.
Finally, the board will consider whether to place a county-run Commuter Store kiosk at the Ballston Metro Station. Currently, there are Commuter Stores in the Ballston Common Mall, Crystal City Shops, Rosslyn Metro Center Mall and at the Shirlington Bus Station — in addition to a mobile Commuter Store RV.
Morning Notes
CERT Graduates Number 500 — The Arlington Community Emergency Response Team program graduated its 500th resident on Saturday. CERT says this weekend’s graduating class of citizen emergency responders was their largest one yet.
More on Mala Tang — Rebecca Cooper, formerly of TBD.com, takes a look at Mala Tang, the new Chinese “hot pot” restaurant near Clarendon. Unanswered question: are there enough potential customers who are willing to sit down and learn the hot pot process — and who don’t mind their meal getting “a little messy?” [Washingtonian]
Empty Shelves at Papery — Is Papery in Clarendon merely restocking its supply of stationary products, or is it in danger of closing? The store says they’re “making way for new stock.” [Clarendon Culture]
Elementary Students Run TV Show – Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy’s “Snapshots” TV segment visits the televised morning announcements show run by Henry Elementary students. [AETV]
