Apology for Tonight’s Technical Difficulties
ARLnow.com suffered technical problems around 6:30 tonight and we’re still working to get everything up and working again.
Articles and the home page were inaccessible from 6:30 until about 10:00 p.m. As of 10:25 p.m., we have restored most of the site, but we’re still trying to recover articles, comments and forum posts from the past 24 hours. Please be aware that there’s a risk that comments posted between tonight and tomorrow morning may be lost as we work to recover data.
We apologize to our readers for the inconvenience and promise to do our very best make sure technical problems like this don’t happen again.
Update at 8:15 a.m. – It appears that comments and forums posts from yesterday morning to yesterday evening have unfortunately been lost. We sincerely apologize for this.
Update at 9:20 a.m. — We have temporarily taken down the “Latest Top Stories” section of the homepage. It will hopefully return later today.
Person Burned Inside Courthouse Wendy’s
The Arlington County Fire Department responded to the Wendy’s in Courthouse (2038 Wilson Boulevard) this afternoon for a potentially serious burn injury.
Initial reports suggest a technician who was working on one of the restaurant’s fryers somehow had scalding hot oil spilled on his or her abdominal and groin area. Medics on the scene told the dispatcher that the burn injury was “significant.”
The patient was transported via ambulance to the Medstar burn center in D.C., according to ACFD spokesman Capt. Gregg Karl. No other details about the incident, which happened around 2:30 p.m., were immediately available.
Proposed Aquatics Center to Be Discussed Tonight
An open house will be held tonight to discuss the next big step in the development of Long Bridge Park: a planned aquatics and fitness center.
County staff, members of the project’s design team and the Long Bridge Park Design Advisory Committee will be on hand to give information and take questions from residents. Feedback is also welcome.
The Aquatics, Health and Fitness facility is expected to be built in two phases. A concept plan posted on the county’s website lists features of the proposed facility like cardiovascular and weight training equipment, an Olympic sized pool, a hot water therapy pool, a play area with slides and a lazy river.
Building the first phase of Long Bridge Park cost $31 million, and the aquatics facility is anticipated to cost around $50 $70 million. If bond funding is approved this year, construction on the aquatics and fitness center could begin as soon as next year and the facility could open by 2015.
The open house is tonight from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Fairlington Community Center (3308 S. Stafford Street).
Chevys in Pentagon City Alive and Kicking for Cinco de Mayo
Despite the closing of Chevys in Ballston — and rumors of its own demise — the Chevys Mexican restaurant in Pentagon City (1201 S. Hayes Street) is alive and kicking. So much so, it’s holding Cinco de Mayo specials every day this week.
The daily specials started yesterday and include deals like $4 1800 fresh fruit margaritas (Wednesday) and $5 Dos Equis Grandes (Friday).
In addition to the drink deals, there are also food specials and chances to win free dinners. On Saturday, May 5, there will be games and dancing for the big Cinco de Mayo bash. The fiesta ends on Sunday with a “Kids’ Cinco” featuring balloons and face painting.
Gingrich Coming to Arlington to Suspend Presidential Campaign
Newt Gingrich will come to Arlington tomorrow to officially end his presidential run, the National Journal reported today.
In a video message thanking supporters, Gingrich confirmed he’ll suspend his campaign at a press conference on Wednesday. His website shows the announcement will take place at 3:00 p.m., at the Hilton in Ballston (950 N. Stafford Street).
Arlington County Police will be assisting with traffic control outside the hotel, where a number of news networks are expected to be broadcasting live, according to ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
Although presidential candidate Mitt Romney is also scheduled be in Virginia tomorrow, he’s not expected to appear at the press conference to accept an endorsement from Gingrich, according to ABC News.
Romney is in Arlington for a fundraiser tonight at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City.
Good Stuff Eatery Announces Opening Date
Good Stuff Eatery will be holding its grand opening in Crystal City on Wednesday, May 9.
The gourmet burger restaurant, helmed by former Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn, produced a video (above) to tout the fact that Virginians no longer need to cross the Potomac to go to Good Stuff’s Capitol Hill location. The new Arlington eatery is located at 2110 Crystal Drive, about two blocks from the Crystal City Metro station.
Though the public opening is scheduled for next week, Good Stuff will be holding a private VIP opening party, complete with a performance by DJ Josh Madden, on Friday night.
Renovations Approved for New Transit Operations Center
The County Board has given the go ahead for renovating the building that will house the county’s Transit Operations Center.
The building, at 2900 S. Eads Street near Crystal City, was originally purchased by the county for use as storage space for the adjacent water treatment plant. It will now house the Arlington Transit (ART) operation center, which will contain administrative and management offices, dispatch and other operating functions, a break room for bus drivers and a classroom for training.
D&A Contractors won the contract, which is valued at a little more than $1 million. The board approved the measure at its meeting on April 21.
Interior renovations will be made to about 5,000 square feet of office space, and will involve HVAC upgrades and work to achieve Americans with Disabilities Act compliance. An emergency generator will also be installed, to keep bus dispatch services running during power outages.
The Department of Environmental Services Transit Bureau requested the upgrades for its ART bus operations staff, which has been operating out of a temporary office across the street at 2910 Jefferson Davis Highway.
Once the renovations are complete, the temporary office will be removed and a vehicle fueling and wash station installed. There will also be extra parking for buses.
Columbia Pike Library to Temporary Close for Improvements
The Columbia Pike Branch Library will be closing for a few weeks due to building improvements.
Structural upgrades at the Arlington Career Center, where the library branch is located, have been on-going for nearly a year. The library has been able to stay open during renovations up until this point, but soon work to replace the ceiling tiles and heating and cooling ducts will create enough dust that it will be forced to close.
The closure is expected to start on May 15 and end after June 4.
“As tenants of the Career Center facility, the library appreciates all the planning and work Arlington Public Schools has put into this project and the entire community will benefit for years to come,” said Arlington Public Library spokesman Peter Golkin. “In the meantime, the library’s other seven locations will do all they can to make Columbia Pike patrons feel welcome.”
The following measures will be in place at the Columbia Pike branch until it reopens:
- As of now, all non-DVD items checked out from this location will be due June 13.
- Beginning May 8, all DVDs checked out from this location will be due on June 13.
- An external book drop will be maintained outside the library. Returns can also be made at any of the other Arlington Public Library locations.
- Holds will continue to be processed until May 4 at 5:00 p.m. After May 4, holds will be made available on the Central Library holds shelf. They can also be designated for delivery to any other Arlington public library.
Morning Notes
May Day — It’s the first of May and, after a relatively cool April, the weather is finally expected to warm up today. [Capital Weather Gang]
Worries Over Westover Farmers Market Parking — As part of a compromise between the organizers of the new Westover Farmers Market and the Arlington County Board, the market will close at noon (instead of 1:00 p.m., as originally proposed) and will provide attendants to direct patrons to designated parking areas. Still, some businesses and residents are worried that market-goers may cause parking woes in the neighborhood. [Arlington Mercury]
Defense Contractor Relocating to Arlington — DRS Technologies, a military contractor, is relocating its corporate headquarters to Crystal City from New Jersey. The move is expected to bring at least 75 new jobs to Arlington, on top of the 26 employees who already work in an existing DRS office in Crystal City. Gov. Bob McDonnell reportedly initiated talks with DRS about moving to Virginia while attending an air show in England. [Washington Business Journal]
Photos: Children Reading to Dogs — The library has posted some photos from a recent Paws-to-Read session at Westover Branch Library. The Paws-to-Read program, which is now in four Arlington libraries, gives children an opportunity to practice reading aloud to a cuddly, non-judgmental audience. [Arlington Public Library]
