Westbound I-66 Slow After Accident
Update at 4:45 p.m. — Two lanes are now getting by the accident scene.
Traffic on the westbound lanes of I-66 is heavy from Spout Run to the eastern border of Fairfax County due to an accident.
Two cars were involved in an accident near Williamsburg Boulevard. At least one person was injured and transported to a hospital.
One lane is blocked while crews work to clean up the wreck. A Twitter user said the westbound lanes of I-66 are like “a parking lot” before the accident.
Ben’s Chili Bowl Eyeing Expansion in Clarendon?
The owners of Ben’s Chili Bowl are considering opening a new location in Clarendon, the Washington City Paper reported today.
Kamal and Nizam Ali are said to be looking at a half-dozen different locations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, including Clarendon.
Currently, the U Street landmark — famous for its half-smokes and its Bill Cosby connection — only has one other satellite location: in Nationals Park.
Photo via Ben’s Chili Bowl
Dog Blogs Abound in Arlington
Arlington, the home of seven individual dog parks, is quickly becoming a haven for locally-focused blogs about dogs.
There are at least four dog-related blogs with an Arlington connection at the moment, including two that have sprung up in the past couple of months. They include the NOVADog Magazine blog, Two Dog Tales, Animal Eyes Arlington and the new A-Town Dog Blog.
The A-Town Dog Blog, which launched earlier this summer, is solely devoted to photos of dogs in Arlington. Why start a site about dogs in Arlington?
“Arlington has lots of dog owners, and lots of great dog parks, and I enjoy taking photographs of the dogs,” the anonymous dog blogger writes, on the blog’s About page. “I’ve had owners ask me for copies of the pictures I’ve taken before, so I decided that I’d just start sharing them publicly.”
Animal Eyes Arlington, which also launched earlier this summer, focuses on “making a positive impact on the lives of companion animals and their families.” Recent posts have including a missive about the rehabilitation of abused pit bulls, a profile of a therapy dog that participates in the Paws to Read program at Arlington libraries, and an article about dog trainers who help train rescue dogs.
Demolition Underway on Pentagon City Warehouses
Demolition is underway on a block of empty warehouses on S. Fern Street in Pentagon City.
The warehouses, which used to house a DHL distribution office and a Danker furniture store, are being torn down to make way for a new 18-story apartment building called Three Metropolitan Park. The building will be the third in the Metropolitan Park development, across from Costco.
According to the county’s planning division web site, Three Metropolitan Park will consist of 411 apartments and 16,345 square feet of ground floor retail space, one block from the Pentagon City Metro station. The building will be 18 stories — or 202 feet — tall and will have 502 parking spaces.
The Washington Business Journal reports that the apartment building is expected to start renting by the beginning of 2014 at a construction cost of at least $160 million.
Photo courtesy @hoborocks
Pike Resident Nominated for ‘Roommate of the Year’
Columbia Pike resident Jesse McLaughlin is one of 12 nationwide finalists competing for the title of “Roommate of the Year.”
McLaughlin, a security analyst, advanced to the finals thanks to a humorous contest entry video that showcased his willingness to do the dishes, clean the bathroom, pay for pizza, make dessert and perform other feats of roommate courtesy. The video, entitled “Roommating MVP,” is narrated by a faux-British sports announcer.
McLaughlin will win free rent for a year and $10,000 cash if he can gather the most votes online by July 31. The contest is sponsored by Apartments.com.
BB&T Bank Robbed in Seven Corners
Another BB&T Bank branch has been robbed, this time in Falls Church.
Arlington Police have been told to be on the lookout for a man who robbed the BB&T branch at 6120A Arlington Boulevard, in Seven Corners. The man was wearing a surgical mask at the time of the robbery and implied that he had a weapon, police have been told.
Three BB&T branches have been robbed in Arlington alone so far this year.
Storm Photos from Last Night
Despite ominous black clouds and frequent lightning, last night’s line of thunderstorms hit pretty much everywhere but Arlington.
Other than a few drops in Clarendon and a brief shower in Rosslyn, the storm managed to bypass Arlington completely. Nonetheless, the clouds and the natural light show made for some good photos. Here are a few sent to us by readers.
Photos by Alex Otwell, K. Graves, J. Morrow and Philliefan99
Heat Advisory in Effect Today
(Updated at 9:00 a.m.) Arlington and the rest of the D.C. region is under a heat advisory from noon to 8:00 p.m., as temperatures are expected to soar this afternoon.
Forecasters are predicting a high temperature of 96 degrees, with heat index values reaching into the 100s. Some forecasts even have the temperature hitting 100 today.
As a result of the dangerous heat, Arlington’s Office of Emergency Management issued the following advice this morning.
A HEAT ADVISORY MEANS THAT A PERIOD OF HOT TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED. THE COMBINATION OF HOT TEMPERATURES AND HIGH HUMIDITY WILL COMBINE TO CREATE A SITUATION IN WHICH HEAT ILLNESSES ARE POSSIBLE. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS…STAY IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED ROOM…STAY OUT OF THE SUN…AND CHECK IN ON RELATIVES AND NEIGHBORS.
TAKE EXTRA PRECAUTIONS IF YOU WORK OR SPEND TIME OUTSIDE. WHEN POSSIBLE…RESCHEDULE STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES TO EARLY MORNING OR EVENING. KNOW THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE. WEAR LIGHT WEIGHT AND LOOSE FITTING CLOTHING WHEN POSSIBLE AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER.
TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK…THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE IS AN EMERGENCY – CALL 9 1 1.
In response to the heat, the Arlington Street People’s Assistance Network is opening its main office at 2708-B S. Nelson Street early, at 9:30 this morning. Homeless individuals will be able to go inside the office to get cool.
A-SPAN is requesting donations of bottled water to distribute to those remaining on the street. The organization is also requesting assistance in locating any street person who may be suffering from a heat-related medical condition. A-SPAN can be reached at 703-820-4357.
“It’s very important that we get people indoors today,” A-SPAN Executive Director Kathleen Sibert said in a statement. “The extreme heat is just as deadly as the extreme cold of winter and that’s why we’re opening up so much earlier today. If possible, when you go out today, bring an extra bottle of water with you and share it with someone on the street.”
Photo courtesy A-SPAN
Morning Notes
Beloved Bishop O’Connell Football Coach Dies — Steve Trimble, Bishop O’Connell High School’s varsity football coach since 2002, died suddenly at his office yesterday morning. Trimble played high school football in Cumberland, Md., before playing for the University of Maryland on a scholarship. He played free safety for the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears during the early-to-mid 80s, before playing in arena leagues and then joining the coaching staffs of several NFL teams. Trimble, 53, was the father of four sons, all of whom played football at O’Connell. [Arlington Catholic Herald]
Immigrant Advocate Wants Office for Latinos — Lois Athey, the head of tenants-rights group BU-GATA, told the County Board over the weekend that she would like the county to establish an Office of Latino Affairs for Arlington’s 31,000 Latino residents. Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman asked County Manager Barbara Donnellan to look into options for further outreach to the Latino community. [Sun Gazette]
More iPads Coming for Arlington Students? — Camilla Gagliolo, the instructional technology coordinator for Arlington Public Schools, is a big believer in using iPads in the classroom. The device “is bringing educational technology to new levels of student engagement,” she told a conference. iPads are currently in use at several Arlington elementary schools. [THE Journal]
