County staff is recommending that the Board approve the small outdoor seating area for another year. Meanwhile, Green Pig Bistro is still waiting to start its build-out. The restaurant only recently applied for building permit.
The space, which used to the cozy digs of American Flatbread, has since been largely stripped and emptied out. The rear patio area that Flatbread had hoped to use for outdoor dining — only to have their request denied — is now home to a construction dumpster.
FBI agents are using metal detectors, shovels and buckets to try to locate new evidence at the site where gun parts and PVC pipes were found buried in the ground yesterday morning.
An FBI Evidence Response Team truck, an all-terrain vehicle and a tent now line Patrick Henry Drive near the I-66 overpass. Yesterday, VDOT construction contractors found gun parts buried in the ground near a utility box, prompting an investigation by the Arlington County bomb squad and police department. The FBI has since taken over the investigation.
(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) An Arlington police motorcycle officer has been hurt in a crash on Route 50.
The accident happened near the intersection with Garfield Street, around 1:00 p.m. Initial reports suggest that only vehicle — the motorcycle — was involved.
According to new state tourism figures, visitors spent nearly $2.5 billion in Arlington in 2010, an increase of more than 6 percent compared to 2009. Tourism revenue was still down slightly from its peak in 2008.
Tourism was responsible for 23,164 jobs and a total payroll of $790 million in Arlington in 2010, according to the Virginia Tourism Corporation. The county collected some $72 million in tax receipts as a result of tourism, and the state collected $81 million from Arlington tourists.
Dogma Bakery (2772 S. Arlington Mill Drive) is offering a three-course meal for dogs as part of Restaurant Week. The meal consists of a house-made “gar-lick cheese bite” appetizer; a main course of fish, chicken, beef or venison kibble, with a side of vegetables; and a dog ice cream, cookie or muffin dessert.
The meal is available for dine-in or take-out. Owners choosing the sit-down option are invited to order human food from The Bungalow and dine with their dogs.
A new play that’s currently being performed at Gunston Theater One (2700 S. Lang Street) contains full-frontal male nudity.
“Take Me Out,” a Tony Award-winning play about a baseball player who comes out to his teammates, includes extended nude locker room scenes. Produced by Dominion Stage, the play runs though Oct. 22.
More on Possible Shirlington Walmart — Three months after ARLnow.com reported exclusively that Walmart was eying a site for a possible store in Shirlington, County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman is acknowledging that the county is aware of Walmart’s interest in Shirlington. This weekend the County Board is expected to discuss changing the zoning ordinance in order to prevent “big box” stores like Walmart from being constructed without Board approval. When the ordinance change was first advertised, the word “Walmart” was never mentioned. [WTOP]
Fire Station Open Houses This Weekend — Arlington’s 10 fire stations will each be conducting an open house between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. The kid-friendly event is organized as part of Fire Prevention Week 2011. [Arlington County]
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, there were two incidents of male cab drivers trying to get fresh with their female passengers.
ASSAULT AND BATTERY, 10/07/11, 800 block of N. Randolph Street. On October 7 at 3 am, a cab driver touched a woman on her arms and legs, as well at attempted to kiss her without her consent. He is described as a white Middle-Eastern male in his 40’s, 5’7″ with a heavy build. He was wearing a white and blue plaid button-up shirt.
