Tea Party Star O’Donnell Speaks at Arlington Rally
Former Delaware U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell joined the Northern Virginia Tea Party organization for a small rally at Fort C.F. Smith’s Hendry House in Arlington this afternoon.
O’Donnell, promoting her new book “Trouble Maker,” told the audience that the Tea Party movement should not “take the bait and respond respond in anger” to attacks by the “not-so-nice liberal media.” If they can “rise above it,” O’Donnell said, the Tea Party can bolster its image as “a middle class movement” instead of “the angry extremists that they’re accusing us of.”
The advice comes less than 24 hours after O’Donnell walked off the set of CNN’s Piers Morgan Tonight for what has been portrayed in the press as frustration over a line of questioning about gay marriage.
Joking that the interview is now “infamous,” O’Donnell explained that she was late for another appearance and that Morgan’s questioning before the gay marriage question was “rude.”
“It was very sexist, the line of questioning,” she said. “I think I was a good sport leading up to his questions. He took a decidedly creepy turn… He asked question after question after question about sex. Then he threw a question about gay marriage in there… He wouldn’t let up, and I was well over a half hour late for a Republican women’s event covered by C-SPAN.”
“I think Piers Morgan exaggerated what happened,” O’Donnell added.
In addition to taking digs at the media and talking about her book, O’Donnell repeatedly implored audience members to stand up for “the power of our principles.”
“These principles are nothing to be embarrassed about,” she said.
O’Donnell also discussed the need for the Republican Party’s “D.C. cocktail crowd” to unite with the Tea Party to better pursue the goal of smaller government.
“Just like America is at a crossroads, the Tea Party is at a crossroads… Right now we need leadership, we need stability,” she said. “If the Republicans as a party can unite and stop shooting within the tent… then we can make sure Barack Obama is a one-term president.”
“We crave freedom, and when you articulate that to people they get it,” O’Donnell added.
Two Family-Friendly Neighborhood Events This Weekend
Two family-friendly, Latino-oriented neighborhood events are planned for Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, the Smithsonian Latino Center and Arlington County’s Tell Arlington’s Story initiative are sponsoring a “family afternoon” at the Walter Reed Community Center (2909 16th Street S.).
The afternoon will feature “hands-on activities inspired by Central American ceramis, Mayan dance presentations, live music, storytelling and talks by archeologist Favio Amador about Central America’s indigenous civilization.” The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m.
On Sunday, a Buckingham community street festival will be held from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. on N. Pershing Drive between Glebe Road and Thomas Street.
The festival will feature music, food, games, raffles, kids activities. Scheduled performers include Amla Boliviana and Luz De Luna.
The event is being organized by the community group BU-GATA, along with various county agencies including the Arlington County Police Department.
UPDATED: Man Killed After Car Falls On Him
A man was seriously injured after a car on which he was working fell on top of him in the Douglas Park neighborhood of South Arlington.
The man reportedly had the car propped up on a small jack when something when wrong and the vehicle fell on him. Police, firefighters and paramedics responded and managed to remove him from underneath the vehicle, a Toyota Camry sedan.
Police aren’t commenting yet on the man’s condition, but initial reports suggest his injuries were very serious. The incident happened in an apartment parking area off of the 1100 block of S. Thomas Street.
Update at 5:00 p.m. — Police have now confirmed that the victim died from his injuries.
The Arlington County Police Department is investigating the death of a man that occurred this morning.
At approximately 11:40 a.m., police and medic units were called to the 1100 block of South Thomas Street for a person injured while working on a motor vehicle. Upon arrival, it was apparent that the person was deceased. The victim has been identified as Miguel A. Interiano, 63, of Arlington. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department Tip Line at 703 228-4242, or Detective Cynthia Garcia at (703) 228-4195.
Crystal City Plans Wine-Filled September
Bummed out about the approaching end of summer? Crystal City’s Business Improvement District hopes to ease the transition to cooler weather with a little vino.
Crystal City will be holding six wine events during the month of September, including its popular annual ‘Vintage Crystal’ wine and jazz festival on Sunday, Sept. 18.
The wine-filled month will start on Sept. 2, with the first of five ‘Wine in the Waterpark’ events. The Washington Wine Academy will pour $5 glasses of wine and $4 beers in the Crystal City Water Park (across from 1750 Crystal Drive) while Crystal City’s Jaleo restaurant serves up free snacks and while DJ Adrian Loving spins “mood-setting, ambient music.”
Wine in the Waterpark will take place from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. It will continue every Friday through Sept. 30, when Pacers will host a special ’5K Friday’ race. The race will start at 6:30 p.m. and will count the night’s Wine in the Waterpark event as its official after party.
The marquee Vintage Crystal event on Sept. 18 will feature tastings of 30 different wines from Spain, Argentina and Chile. More than 20 local restaurants will be there, handing out free samples. Latin jazz group Trio Caliente will perform, as will dancers from Columbia Pike’s The Salsa Room.
Tickets to the event — which will take place from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. — are $20 and include a free wine glass.
Disclosure: Crystal City BID is advertising its September wine events on ARLnow.com.
Va. Prisons to Ban the Shackling of Pregnant Inmates
The Virginia Department of Corrections will prohibit the shackling of pregnant inmates during labor and post-partum recovery, Del. Patrick Hope announced this morning.
Hope introduced a bill earlier this year to ban the practice. The bill was defeated but supporters were able to pressure the department to change its internal policies without the need for legislation.
Here’s the press release from Hope’s office announcing the planned change in policy.
The Virginia Department of Corrections is planning to implement regulations to prohibit the shackling of pregnant inmates in Virginia’s prisons. The regulation is modeled after legislation (HB 1488) introduced by Delegate Patrick A. Hope (D-Arlington) in the 2011 legislative session and supported by the following organizations: the American Medical Association, American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Virginia Chapter of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Legal Aid Justice Center, ACLU of Virginia, NARAL Pro-Choice-Virginia, Planned Parenthood-Virginia, VA CURE, and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
Specifically, the regulations prohibit the use of restraints on pregnant inmates during labor, delivery, or post-partum recovery. Front-end handcuffs may be used but only during transport. Additional restraints may be used if a determination is made that the inmate poses a danger to herself or others. The regulations take the additional step in requiring documentation when additional restraints are used.
Delegate Hope worked with Virginia Department of Corrections Director, Harold Clarke, for several months on this in-depth policy and offered high praise saying, “Director Clarke recognized the importance of spelling out a policy that protects the health of the mother and her unborn child. He deserves a lot of credit for taking this significant, bold step.” Delegate Hope continued, “This policy sets the tone for other correctional facilities such as our county and regional jails to follow suit. I hope they will also spell out similar regulations.” The Department of Corrections only has jurisdiction over Virginia’s prisons.
With this regulation, Virginia’s prison system joins ten other states — California, Colorado, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, New York, Texas, Vermont, Washington, and West Virginia – who have banned the practice. The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service also have policies that block the shackling of inmates during childbirth.
Hope is running for reelection to the House of Delegates this year. He faces Independent Green Party candidate Jennifer Stanley.
County Employee Recounts Chasing Down Robbery Suspect
By night, Juan Rivera is a mild-mannered conga player and salsa dancer. By day, he’s an undercover crime fighter.
At least, that’s the role Rivera played Tuesday, when he helped to chase down a man who tried to rob a woman at an ATM machine in Courthouse Plaza.
Rivera, an employee in the county’s Commissioner of Revenue office, had just picked up sushi across the street from his office when he saw a man running and someone yelling “thief!” Dressed in a shirt and tie and still holding his to-go box of sushi, Rivera gave chase. Soon, he was joined by two other men, one of whom was calling police on his cell phone. The suspect, a tall, physically imposing man in his mid-20s, tried to flee into a nearby residential neighborhood.
“We went after him, he hid [behind] some houses, and I was like, hey he must be in one of these houses, because he just turned around the corner and disappeared,” Rivera recounted. “So we went looking and he was there. There was some verbal confrontation between him and the other person who was chasing him. Then he ran back into the houses, jumped a couple of fences to keep going, and we were right behind him and jumped a couple of fences, too. When he got to the last fence, which was really high, the police came from the left-hand side and caught him.”
So why did Rivera decide to chase after the man, ignoring the potential danger involved?
“To me, that’s just common sense. That’s just how i do things,” he said. “If someone gets robbed, to me, the people should react in a helpful manner. But there were only three of us that reacted. I didn’t go to tackle the guy… but at least participate in assisting this person who was just robbed.”
“It’s kind of sad to see how little participation there was,” Rivera continued. “I live in Columbia Heights in D.C., and if that would have happened there that guy would have not gotten farther than a block. People over there, they’re going to participate. The men there, if something happens to a woman, they just go.”
“Some kids might just do it for the fun of beating someone up,” he added with a laugh.
Once the suspect was in police custody, Rivera headed back to the office, slightly sweaty but with his sushi still in hand. He told his supervisor what happened, and was granted an extra 15 minutes to finish his lunch. Then, he got back to work. Yesterday afternoon, the victim — also a county employee — came and thanked him.
As it turns out, the suspect never got any of the victim’s cash. She was able to break free from the suspect’s choke hold, cancel the ATM transaction and yell for help, according to police. The suspect, identified as 26-year-old James Williams of no fixed address, has been charged with attempted robbery as well as grand larceny, from a previous warrant.
As for Rivera, he’s taking his five minutes of fame — which included an interview with NBC4 — in stride. After all, he’s already used to the spotlight, given that he plays the conga in two bands.
“It’s not a big deal to me,” he said of the new-found attention.
Crime Report: Serial Groper Strikes Again
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, the serial groper who targets Eastern European lifeguards strikes again.
SEXUAL BATTERY, 08/12/11, 3400 block of S. Utah Street. On August 12 at 9:20 am, an unknown man approached a female lifeguard from behind while she was unlocking the pool gate and touched her breasts. The suspect was a white male between 25 and 35 years of age, 5’10″ with a medium, muscular build. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt, khaki knee length shorts, a dark blue baseball cap and large black sunglasses.
That same day — Friday, Aug. 12 — a man in a van exposed himself to a teenage boy in the Buckingham neighborhood.
EXPOSURE, 08/12/11, 4200 block of N. Henderson Road. On August 12 at 7 am, a 17-year-old male was walking to the high school when and unknown man in a vehicle exposed himself to the juvenile. The suspect was driving a brown van and was described as a white male in his 40’s, with a chubby face, a “buzz cut” and glasses.
The rest of this week’s crime report, including the world’s most innocuous series of car break-ins, after the jump.
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Morning Notes
A Squirrel Did It — Last night’s widespread N. Arlington power outage was caused when “a squirrel tripped a number of circuit breakers at a substation.” [WUSA9]
Artisphere Supervisor Heads to N.J. — Norma Kaplan, the director of Arlington County’s Cultural Affairs division, is heading to New Brunswick, N.J. after 25 years in her current position. Kaplan, who oversaw the creation of Rosslyn’s struggling Artisphere cultural center, will serve as executive director of the New Brunswick Cultural Center. [Washington City Paper]
Sign Intrigue at Areizaga-Soto HQ? — The Jaime Areizaga-Soto campaign for state Senate has been told by several of its volunteers that someone showed up yesterday afternoon at the campaign’s Lee Highway office, took down all the Areizaga-Soto signs and replaced them with signs for his Democratic primary opponent, Barbara Favola.
Broadcaster With Arlington Connection Dies — Nat Allbright, a legendary radio broadcaster who could take simple telegraph accounts of a baseball game and spin it into an exciting play-by-play broadcast, died last month. Allbright’s New York Times obituary notes that he served as the voice of the Dodger Network, which broadcast Brooklyn and then Los Angeles Dodger games across the eastern U.S., from a Washington-area studio. As recently as about 10 years ago, Allbright sold advertising for the Arlington Sun Gazette newspaper. He died in Arlington on July 18, at the age of 87. [New York Times]
Flickr pool photo by Damiec
