Hot Diggity Dog — In honor of National Chili Dog Day, Hard Times Cafe is giving away a free chili dog to everyone with every purchase from opening until closing. Yes, simply buying a soda counts as a purchase.
Rabbit Food — Salad and sandwich restaurant Rabbit holds its grand opening in Clarendon today. After filling up on your free chili dog, stop by 3035 Clarendon Blvd for a free cupcake from 4-8pm. One per person.
No cases of West Nile Virus have been reported in humans this year or last year, according to the Arlington County Department of Human Services. Fairfax, Alexandria and the District all identified West Nile in mosquito samples in recent days. However, Arlington County no longer does sampling because it confirmed long ago that mosquitoes with West Nile are present throughout the region.
Arlington County discontinued mosquito spraying several years ago, but encourages residents to be proactive about avoiding contact with mosquitoes. A “Mosquito Information Center” website has been set up with tips for staying mosquito bite free.
The national survey is aimed at finding out what motivates avid walkers and what prevents others from walking more. WalkArlington and Arlington County Commuter Services have teamed up to conduct the survey locally.
To take the online survey, click here. It takes about fifteen minutes and results are anonymous. The deadline has been extended to this Friday. Everyone who participates is entered into a drawing for a $100 Visa gift card.
Here’s a sneak peek at the new Fire Station No. 3 in Cherrydale.
Previously, the firefighters had to rent space from the Cherrydale Volunteer Fire Department in the facility two blocks away. The size of the new 14,100 square foot station allowed for the addition of meeting rooms and offices, as well as a significantly larger exercise room and laundry room.
As first reported by Coryn Julien in the blog The Arlington Connection, summer is a tough time to find homes for kittens and cats. Because of spring’s increase in births, there are too few adopters to take in all of the kittens and cats in shelters.
The SPCA of Northern Virginia has noticed the cat problem as well. The organization’s website lists an urgent need for foster homes for cats and kittens. It says while foster homes are always needed, it “is especially critical for cats during kitten season.”
Goldman Fund Buys Rosslyn Buildings–A real estate private equity fund run by Goldman Sachs has agreed to buy 10 office buildings in Rosslyn from Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. The sale is viewed as the sign of an uptick in commercial real estate values in the area. [Wall Street Journal]
Power Pilot Program–Dominion Virginia Power plans to launch a pilot program in the fall to give discounts to electric vehicle owners who charge up during off-peak hours. [Washington Post]
It’s no secret that Borders filed for bankruptcy in February and then announced last week that all stores would be closing, including the one in Pentagon City. Now you can pick up books and basically anything in the remaining Borders store in our area, at 1201 S. Hayes Street in Pentagon Centre, for 10-40% off.
The sale will continue until the stores close, which is expected to be in September.
Help is wanted from August 10-14. Volunteers are asked to attend an orientation session to learn about the fair and what opportunities are available. The first orientation is tonight and the other is next Tuesday. Volunteers will have the chance to win a door prize of tickets to a concert at the 9:30 Club.
If you’d like to volunteer, click here for the application, or email [email protected] for more information.
The county has been planning to redesign parts of Arlington Ridge Road from 23rd Street to South Meade Street. Some of the improvements include work on curbs, gutters, sidewalks and bike lanes. The county cites pedestrian safety as the reason for the revamping.
Some neighbors launched a campaign called “Save Our Streets” to oppose the approximately $200,000 project. Group members say they’re upset because of wasteful spending, the county isn’t listening to them and there’s a lack of transparency.
The company’s 2.4 million customers used 20,061 megawatts of electricity between 3 and 4pm on Friday. That broke the previous record of 19,688 megawatts set on August 8, 2007. One megawatt provides enough electricity for about 250 homes.
Although the blistering heat and oppressive humidity from last week has died down, the continued warm weather means high electricity use. Dominion has the following tips for keeping energy costs down and keeping homes comfortable:
Officials have been taking in feedback and holding listening sessions since the proposal was brought up earlier this year. The idea was to ban children under the age of 8, and to require parental supervision for children aged 8 through 14.
In a letter to Community Canine Area sponsors and users, Arlington County Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Director Dinesh Tiwari said the existing rules and regulations are adequate. However, the county will take some additional steps to make sure dog park users comply with rules. One measure is to install signs advising parents “to pay close attention to their children to ensure that they remain under direct supervision at all times.”
Xe Services to Move–Xe Services, the company formerly known as Blackwater, is moving its corporate headquarters to Arlington. [CBS MoneyWatch]
Metro Songs CD for Sale— Jason Mendelson, the budding songwriter who was inspired to write a series of songs about Metro, is releasing his first CD. The $5 CD includes such songs as “Pizza Party at Virginia Square” and “Crawling Out of Crystal City.” [Washington Post]
