Apartment Fire in North Arlington
Firefighters responded to an apartment fire at Potomac Towers (2001 N. Adams Street) in the North Highlands neighborhood tonight.
Initial reports suggest a smoky kitchen fire broke out in an apartment on the fifth floor around 5:30 p.m. The blaze was quickly extinguished once firefighters arrived on scene and no injuries have been reported.
Heavy smoke has been reported in parts of the apartment building. Firefighters are working to ventilate the building.
New CrossFit Gym Coming to Ballston
A new CrossFit gym is hoping to open in Ballston next month.
Pending county approvals, Ballston CrossFit expects to open on Monday, Feb. 13. Interior construction is partially completed at the gym, located on the ground floor of an office building at 1110 N. Glebe Road. A shipment of fitness equipment was moved in earlier this week, according to Ballston CrossFit’s Facebook page.
“At Ballston CrossFit you will be challenged and motivated every day with constantly varied high intensity functional workouts, resulting in a greatly enhanced level of fitness,” the gym says on its website. “Our program efficiently combines the most effective methods of Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics, kettlebells and high intensity cardio.”
Photo via Facebook
Shakespeare in Klingon Coming to Artisphere
Klingon is making a theatrical comeback in Arlington.
Less than two years after the Arlington-based Washington Shakespeare Company made headlines with an evening of Shakespeare performed in the fictional Star Trek language, the company is planning on staging another Klingon production.
WSC Avant Bard, as the company is now known, will host “Shakespeare in Klingon II” at 8:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. The one-night-only performance will be held at Artisphere’s Rosslyn Spectrum theater, the company’s permanent home since vacating the Clark Street Playhouse in Crystal City. Tickets for the show/fundraiser are $85 and include two “flexible-use passes” for future WSC Avant Bard shows.
Among those taking the stage — besides the Shakespearean Klingon actors — will be WSC Avant Bard Board President Marc Okrand, creator of the original Klingon language, and the fortuitously-named Michael Kahn, Artistic Director of the (unrelated) Shakespeare Theatre Company in D.C.
“The revelry for Washington’s Shakespeare moniker will be in both English and Klingon, using scenes from Hamlet, The Tempest, and others,” WSC noted on its website. “In addition, the Company Benefit performance will include a short conversation with Marc Okrand about his work with the Star Trek franchise over the years, and an audience question and answer session with Kahn, Henley, and special guest Klingons at the conclusion of the show.”
Photos courtesy WSC Avant Bard
Artomatic Coming to Crystal City
Crystal City will play host to Artomatic this year.
The popular, periodic arts event will take over the Transwestern Presidential Tower at 2511 S. Clark Street from May 18 to June 24. More than 76,000 visitors attended the last Artomatic, in 2009. The event featured more than 2,500 artists and performers. While the 2009 Artomatic was held in D.C., Crystal City hosted the event in 2007.
Described as an “open-entry creative arts showcase of visual art, music, film, performance, poetry and fashion,” Artomatic promises to transform the Transwestern tower into a “vibrant arts communit[y] that celebrate[s] creativity.”
Said a press release: “Every night of the event, thousands of people visit Artomatic to discover new art, grab a drink, listen to music, go on dates, and mingle with the creative community… No matter what kind of creative events you like, you’ll find something to like at Artomatic.”
The event is free for visitors and the process for submitting art is open on a first-come, first serve basis. Artomatic also features daytime art workshops for kids.
Organizers say they’re excited that the event is returning to Crystal City.
“Crystal City is the perfect partner to take Artomatic to the next level in 2012,” said co-founder George Koch. “With the largest exhibit space we’ve ever had, we’re excited to host the biggest event in Artomatic’s history.”
ACFD To Honor Unprecedented Number of Retirees
Arlington firefighters will be honoring an unprecedented number of retirees at a ceremony next week.
A retirement ceremony is being held on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 24 for about 20 Arlington County Fire Department retirees. The firefighters have all retired over the past month or so after 25 to 37 years of service, according to department spokesman Lt. Gregg Karl.
“This is the largest number of retirees the ACFD has seen at one time and we want to honor them for their service,” Karl said.
Over the past 1-2 years the fire department has been in “heavy recruitment mode” as it anticipated the retirements. Fire Chief Jim Schwartz said in 2010 that the timing of at least some of the retirements was driven by changes to Arlington County’s retirement benefits. Older firefighters who might otherwise have stuck around for a bit longer were planning to retire by January 2012 in order to take advantage of better retirement health coverage.
Lopez Bill: Prenatal Care for Recent Legal Immigrants
Newly-elected delegate Alfonso Lopez (D) has introduced a bill that would provide prenatal care for recent legal immigrants.
Low-income women in their first five years of lawful residence in the United States are eligible for a number of pregnancy services under Virginia’s Medicaid system, including payment of labor and delivery costs and costs associated with the child once he or she is born. Prenatal costs, however, are not covered. Del. Lopez’s bill would change that.
“Prenatal care can reduce maternal deaths, miscarriages, birth defects, low birth weights, and other preventable problems,” Lopez said in a statement. “Women who receive no prenatal care are three and a half times more likely to have a low birth weight baby and nearly three times as likely to give birth prematurely as other pregnant women.”
“For every dollar we spend on prenatal care, it is estimated that we will get back 150% of the funding due to reduced neonatal costs,” Lopez noted. “Providing this coverage is both the right thing to do and the fiscally responsible thing to do. I encourage my colleagues in the House of Delegates to join me in supporting this legislation.”
Similar legislation has been introduced by Richmond-area delegate John O’Bannon (R) and Sen Adam Ebbin (D).
Audi Dealership Coming to Columbia Pike
The shuttered Brown’s Used Car Super Center (3200 Columbia Pike) is set to become a new Audi dealership.
Architectural signs in the window indicate that the Arlington Audi dealership will be owned by Rosenthal Automotive, which also owns the Jeep/Chrysler dealership across the street. The Rosenthal Jeep/Chrysler site is set to be razed and redeveloped.
Already, Audi cars with “Audi of Alexandria” license plate holders are parked in the used car center’s parking lot. Rosenthal didn’t respond to an email request for comment, but one source said the new Arlington Audi will be replacing the Rosenthal-owned Audi of Alexandria dealership in Del Ray, perhaps as soon as this summer.
Hat tip to B.A.
Morning Notes
Republican Files for County Board Race — Arlington County Republican Committee Chairman Mark Kelly has filed to be the GOP nominee in the upcoming County Board special election. It’s not the first time Kelly has run for County Board. In 2010 incumbent Chris Zimmerman defeated Kelly 57 percent to 36 percent. [Sun Gazette]
Progressive Group Endorses Bondi — Democratic County Board candidate Melissa Bondi has garnered an endorsement from Virginia New Majority, a statewide progressive organization. “As a long-time advocate of affordable housing and Smart Growth, she was worked tirelessly to ensure that the county’s plans for economic development have not been pursued at the expense of the county’s working and poor families,” the organization said in its endorsement. “And, we expect Board Member Bondi to pursue a transportation plan that won’t encourage displacement of low-income communities.” [Virginia New Majority]
ACDC To Offer Free Trips to Caucus — The Arlington County Democratic Committee is offering free transportation to its caucus tomorrow night. (The caucus is being held to select a nominee for County Board.) “Rides will be available from the Ballston Metro every 15 minutes from 6:45PM to 8:30PM,” ACDC said in a press release. “Voters can meet the Ride Coordinator at the top of the Ballston escalators… next to Tivoli.” Thursday’s caucus is being held at Washington-Lee High School, while a caucus on Saturday is being held at Kenmore Middle School.
Four Mile Run Footbridge to Be Replaced — The bike and pedestrian bridge that connects the W&OD and Custis trails near the East Falls Church Metro station is being replaced. The new bridge should be complete in the next couple of months and, unlike the old bridge, will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. [Greater Greater Washington]
Flickr pool by ddimicky. ACDC is presently an ARLnow.com advertiser.
