Navy Annex Set to Be Torn Down This Summer
Update on 10/23/12 — Demolition is now set to begin in November or December.
The 70-year-old Navy Annex complex, on the eastern end of Columbia Pike next to the Air Force Memorial, is set to be torn down starting next month.
Demolition on the complex will begin in late May, according to Rep. Jim Moran’s office. The demolition process is expected to last a couple of months.
Until recently, the Navy Annex was home to administrative offices for the Marine Corps. It was originally built as a warehouse in 1941 and has 1 million square feet of office space for up to 6,000 workers, according to GlobalSecurity.org.
The 37-acre site, along with other surrounding land, will be used to expand Arlington National Cemetery.
I-395 HOV Lanes Blocked by Accident on Bridge
Update at 4:45 p.m. — All lanes have reopened, according to WTOP.
The inbound (northbound) HOV lanes of I-395 are blocked over the Potomac River due to an accident.
The accident reportedly involves at least one overturned vehicle and two injuries. Arlington firefighters and medics are on the scene, though the accident is closer to the D.C. side of the river.
HOV traffic is at a standstill approaching the 14th Street Bridge. Drivers should use the mainline of I-395 as an alternative, avoiding the HOV lanes.
Arlington Author Releases Novel About Vampires, Cupcakes
Arlington author Mindy Klasky has released a new novella, with a plot that features vampires, lawyers and cupcakes.
Klasky, a Princeton University graduate and former litigator, is the creator of a series of fantasy novels that center around Jane Madison, a librarian who finds out she’s a witch. Her latest creation, Capitol Magic, teams Jane up with Sarah Anderson, who works as a clerk in a secret supernatural court and who’s apparently fond of cupcakes.
From the book’s description:
Jane Madison is searching for a job that will fulfill her, enabling her to combine her peerless librarian skills with her witchcraft. Sarah Anderson, clerk of court for the District of Columbia Night Court, is just beginning to figure out what she can do as a sphinx, an ancient protector of vampires. Magic flies when Jane and Sarah team up to protect a rare collection of books. Along the way, both women need to balance personal goals, professional careers, and their often-unwieldy love lives!
This novella combines the beloved world of the Jane Madison Series with the excitement of the stand-alone novel, Fright Court. Where else can a reader find a novella of witchcraft, vampires, and cupcakes?
Capitol Magic is available as an ebook from Amazon.com.
Road Sign Wishes Passersby a ‘Happy 420′
A road sign in North Arlington is wishing everyone who drives or walks by a “Happy 420.”
The greeting, on a day that is closely associated with cannabis culture, was likely the result of the same sort of electronic road sign hack that pranksters have used to warn of “Zombies Ahead” or “The British Are Coming.”
A tipster tells us the sign, which is located outside the Madison Community Center on Old Glebe Road, was originally advising drivers of road closures due to water main work nearby.
Photo courtesy James D.
Your Beermonger: Italian Time
Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).
People often ask me about ‘what’s next’ in craft beer. What will be the next big thing? The next hot brewer, or brewery, or style? In all honesty I can only offer guesses, but I think there’s something building here that no one may quite be expecting, and it may turn out to be a great force in beer here in America: the emergence of Italian craft beers and their potential influence on food-pairing in gastropubs and (increasingly) in fine-dining restaurants here in the States. With a rich craft beer scene spearheaded by brewers who came up during the 90s, it’s easy to make the joke that these beers are arriving on ‘Italian time.’
My first wine love was Italian wines. I feel that there is such a strong tie between the regional wines of Italy and their cuisines, more dynamic and vital even than in revered France, and that this tie carries over into the beers produced in Italy today. As we’ve seen more Italian beer arrivals here in the U.S., I’ve found myself more and more sitting down to dinner at restaurants, finding said beers on the menu and opting for them over some truly great options from the world over. There’s a subtlety to Italian craft beer, even ones made in more ‘extreme’ styles, that lends itself to food pairing. Part of this, I feel, is in the ingredients themselves: many brewers in Italy source locally, down to herbs and spices used in Belgian-styled Ales. From my perspective, the grains available all over Italy are a huge factor as well. Specifically spelt malt; which I believe is something of a happy medium between traditional barley and rye that brewers in other countries are just starting to discover. This harmony of flavors and feel makes Italian beers a great choice for the dinner table.
Why now, then? Well, as a niche segment of a niche market the Italian beers that did make it here came at a premium, and most still do to be frank. In my position as a retailer, I get to work with great distributors and importers, though, and there’s a wave coming over the next few months of great new selections from some of Italy’s finest brewers. As these hit bars, restaurants, and retail more folks are going to be able to try them. In my experience, this will only increase demand and in the long term expand the selection of beers available to us.
What should you be looking for? Well, as far as what’s available now I recommend Birra del Borgo, opened in 2005 on the border between Lazio and Abruzzo. Del Borgo’s made a name for itself here with their partnership with Dogfish Head, which has resulted in the Dogfish-released Namaste and My Antonia. There’s a del Borgo version of My Antonia also, and I actually prefer it to the one made here. ReAle Extra is another del Borgo beer that is available right now and is well worth checking out — it’s a great crisp Pale Ale filtered through the Italian aesthetic.
Board to Consider Westover Farmers Market Proposal
The Arlington County Board is set to consider a proposal for a new farmers market in Westover Village at its Saturday meeting.
The farmers market has been in the works for a couple of years. If approved, it will be the seventh weekly farmers market in Arlington.
Organizers are asking the County Board to approve a market that will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sundays along the 1700 block of N. McKinley Road. The street location is temporary — organizers are hoping to eventually hold the market on the adjacent Walter Reed School property, but are still awaiting approval from Arlington Public Schools.
Taking vendor setup and breakdown times into account, the street will be closed from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. That has drawn criticism from the owners of some businesses in the Westover Shopping Center, since it will limit access to the shopping center’s driveway and parking lot. However, county staffers are recommending the open air market request be approved, stating that “the market should not have a substantial adverse impact on neighboring properties.”
As part of their application, market organizers agreed to encourage market patrons to park along Washington Boulevard and in the Reed School’s McKinley Road parking lot, instead of in the nearby residential neighborhoods.
Should the application be approved, organizers are hoping to kick off the farmers market’s inaugural season on May 6.
Students Protest Bishop O’Connell Teacher Firing
Some 150 students took to the streets outside Bishop O’Connell High School yesterday to protest the firing of John Harrison, a beloved social studies teacher.
More than 2,600 people have joined a Facebook group called “DJO Alumni against the firing of Mr. Harrison.” In a letter posted on the Facebook group, Harrison says he was told he wasn’t going to have his contract renewed next year so that an assistant to the school’s new football coach could take his job. After students started protesting, he says, the school fired him.
ABC 7 covered the firing and the protests last night (see video, above). Bishop O’Connell officials told the station that they couldn’t discuss individual personnel matters.
Morning Notes
Defibrillator’s Batteries Weren’t Charged — Metro General Manager Richard Sarles has ordered a review of the agency’s automated external defibrillator (AED) program after it was revealed that the AED used to try to revive a man suffering a heart attack at the Pentagon Metro station on Monday had “insufficient battery charge.” The man later died. [Dr. Gridlock]
Favola Gets Top Business Rating — State Sen. Barbara Favola was the most “business-friendly” member of the Arlington legislative delegation in 2012, according to the Virginia Chamber of Commerce. During her recent campaign Favola was criticizing for taking big donations from real estate developers. [Sun Gazette]
Clock Ticking for River Place Owners — It may be 40 years away, but owners of the 1,720 co-ops and apartments at River Place in Rosslyn may no longer have a home after 2052. That’s because the sprawling residential complex sits on land that the River Place Owner’s Association doesn’t own, but rather leases from an estate. [UrbanTurf]
Man Chases iPad Thief at Airport Metro Station — An alleged 18-year-old thief was eventually apprehended after he reportedly stole an iPad from an auxiliary police officer on a Metro train at Reagan National Airport. The auxiliary cop, whose day job is at the Pentagon, chased the thief and was able to get his iPad back. [Washington Post]
Teen Job Fair This Weekend — The 16th annual Arlington Teen Summer Expo is being held from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The event brings Arlington teens, businesses and non-profits together to help teens find ”the perfect summer job or volunteer experience.” [Arlington Teen Summer Expo]
