WB Route 50 Ramp to Courthouse Road Closed
The ramp from westbound Route 50 to Courthouse Road is now closed, cutting off a key route for drivers heading from D.C. to the Courthouse area.
VDOT tells us the closure will last about 6-8 weeks while crews construct a new ramp as part of the Route 50/Courthouse Road interchange project.
As a detour, drivers are encouraged to take the Queen Street exit from WB Route 50, about a half mile before Courthouse Road. VDOT says exit signs will then direct drivers up 14th Street, to 15th Street, and finally to Courthouse Road.
Not every driver seems willing to abide the ramp closure, however. Today we spotted a minivan with diplomatic license plates that drove up to the closure, then reversed in traffic on Route 50, and weaved between a pair of orange barrels to get on to Courthouse Road.
TRAFFIC ALERT: Crash Brings Down Utility Pole on Glebe Road
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Glebe Road was blocked in both directions in the area of 8th Street S., just north of Columbia Pike, due to an single-vehicle accident around 3:45 this afternoon.
A green Honda sedan collided with a utility pole, knocking the pole and numerous utility lines to the ground. As of 4:15, police had reopened one northbound and one southbound lane of Glebe, but authorities are advising drivers to avoid the area “for the next few hours.”
Metro says buses that use that stretch of Glebe Road may be delayed up to 20 minutes.
Police and Dominion crews remain on the scene. No word on any injuries.
Arlington Resident Chopra Announces Run for Lt. Gov.
Arlington resident Aneesh Chopra announced today that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for Virginia Lieutenant Governor in 2013.
Chopra, who lives with his wife and two children in the Donaldson Run neighborhood, says he’s running to create “new opportunities” for Virginians and to help solve the state’s “biggest challenges.”
Chopra, who was appointed the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States by President Obama, said he’s also going to work to support the president’s reelection. Last month he joined actor Kal Penn at two events for Obama supporters in Arlington.
The following statement was issued by Chopra this afternoon.
“We live in a time of profound change. In our communities, our Commonwealth and our country, people are looking for pragmatic solutions that address our biggest problems, create opportunities and improve our lives.
Ideas matter. And so does action to make our economy work for everyone.
Since I left my position as U.S. Chief Technology Officer, friends, neighbors, business and community leaders have encouraged me to take action by running for statewide office. I’m humbled by their support and pleased to announce that today, after months of reflection, I enthusiastically filed my candidate qualification to seek the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor in 2013.
As Virginia’s Secretary of Technology, I worked with communities across the Commonwealth to plant the seeds of new ideas to ensure all Virginians have the skills they need to compete in the 21st Century economy. We created hands-on high school technology training through Virginia STAR, accelerated efforts to prepare more people without a high school degree for jobs of the future through PluggedInVA, and harnessed the power of mobile technology to support great teaching through our Learning Without Boundaries initiative.
I remain excited about these efforts and the new opportunities we have to bring Virginians together to solve our biggest challenges in the years ahead. I am committed to seeding innovative ideas that support a quality workforce and educating Virginians throughout their lifetime to strengthen and maintain a state economy that is built to last.
Over the next several months, our Commonwealth and our country face important choices. I will work hard to help elect President Obama, Governor Tim Kaine, and our exceptional roster of Democratic Congressional candidates this November. In addition, in the days, weeks and months ahead, I look forward to continuing to listen to Virginians, hearing directly from them about the issues affecting their families and serving as an enthusiastic advocate on their behalf.”
Moran to Host Immigration Workshop in Arlington
Rep. Jim Moran (D) will be hosting a workshop for immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship later this month in Arlington.
Called “Pathway to Citizenship,” the event is intended to “assist 8th District residents navigating the federal government’s immigration and naturalization system.”
D.C United coach and former soccer star Jaime Moreno will be the keynote speaker at the event, which is also expected to be attended by Moran, Arlington County Board member Walter Tejada, and representatives from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The event is being held on Tuesday, July 31, at 6:30 p.m., at Gunston Middle School (2700 S. Lang Street).
There are more than 190,000 foreign-born residents living in Virginia’s 8th District, including some 110,000 who are not U.S. citizens, according to 2010 American Community Survey data. As of the 2000 census, there were more than 50,000 foreign-born residents in Arlington alone.
Photos: WPGC Softball Game in Nauck
Members of the Nauck community gathered last night (Wednesday) for a softball game featuring radio personalities from WPGC (95.5 FM).
The game — between the WPGC “Naturals” softball team and a team of local residents — was part of the radio station’s “Knocking Violence Out the Park” campaign. The Naturals have previously faced off against teams of police officers and residents in various parts of D.C. and Maryland as part of the campaign.
There was a police presence at last night’s game, which was held at Drew Model Elementary School; a member of the Arlington County Police Department’s gang unit played on the Nauck community team.
Former candidate for County Board Terron Sims, who helped WPGC organize the event, said the game was all about bringing the community together in a fun way.
“This has been great,” he told ARLnow.com. “Everyone came together, we were able to get the permits we needed at the last minute for the field, the station came out, we were able to get the vendors to come out, the community’s out here… having a good time. ”
“The message is… about unifying the community in all our actions, whether it’s taking care of our kids, or crime prevention, or anything of that nature,” Sims continued. “It takes the community as a whole to move forward in a positive manner.”
In addition to the game itself, the event featured food vendors, kids activities, and a voter registration drive.
Bug Fans of All Ages Welcome at Firefly Festival
Lightning bugs will take center stage at this weekend’s Firefly Festival.
On Sunday, July 15, people of all ages are welcome to join representatives from Arlington’s Department of Parks and Recreation for a celebration of the bugs that light up the night. There will be bug walks, games, crafts, educational talks and scavenger hunts.
Attendees are welcome to bring a blanket and a picnic to enjoy while the sun goes down and the fireflies emerge.
This event takes place from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Fort C.F. Smith Park (2411 N. 24th Street) and costs $5 per person, or $20 per family. It will be cancelled there is rain.
For more information about the event, call 703-228-6535.
Photo by Bruce Marlin via Wikipedia
Courthouse Office Building Poised for Demolition
It appears that the 1960s-era Arlington Executive Building in Courthouse (2009 N. 14th Street), home to the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and other tenants, is finally set to be demolished.
While there’s no word on exactly when demolition is expected to begin, we’re told a crane has been sitting in the building’s parking lot for the past couple of weeks, while the Chamber just announced that it is in the process of moving to a temporary office in Ballston.
Replacing the office building will be a new 16-story, 254-unit apartment building called the Tellus. The mixed-use building will also include more than 15,000 square feet of office and retail space. Construction had been set to begin in 2010, but financial difficulties forced it to be delayed.
Over the next couple of days, the Chamber will be moving to a new, temporary office at 4600 Fairfax Drive, Suite 804. The Chamber says it will be closed to the public through Monday, July 16, during the move.
The Chamber plans to move back into the first-floor office space of the Tellus, once it’s completed. That could happen as soon as 2014, the Chamber says.
Crime Report: Strike Three Edition
In the latest Arlington County crime report, a routine traffic stop turned into something more serious when the driver reportedly claimed to be a police officer. According to police, the man was in fact not an officer, and the “bullet proof vest” he was wearing was anything but.
IMPERSONATING A POLICE OFFICER, 07/06/12, 1700 block of S. Arlington Boulevard. At 2:15 am on July 6, a subject was stopped for a traffic infraction and indicated he was a police officer and was wearing a bullet proof vest. Upon investigation, it was learned he was not an officer and was wearing a baseball catchers vest under his clothing. Stephen Clark Robinson, 37, of Washington, DC, was arrested and charged with impersonating a police officer, possession of a altered driver’s license, no operator’s license, and failure to ID.
Also from this week’s crime report — which includes items from the past two week, due to the July 4 holiday — a woman was robbed at gunpoint, on the Fourth of July, in the normally safe Pentagon City area.
ARMED ROBBERY, 07/04/12, 1300 block of S. Eads Street. At 5:25 am on July 4, a female victim was robbed at gunpoint for the tote bag she was carrying that had cash, credit cards and a phone. The suspect fled the scene in a beige minivan. The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 6’0” tall and 150 lbs. He was wearing dark clothing and had a black bandana around his face at the time of the incident.
Finally, police are looking for a man who stood on a toilet in the ladies’ room of the Ballston-area Harris Teeter, watching the ladies do their business.
PEEPING TOM, 07/07/12, 600 block of N. Glebe Road. Between 5:35 and 6:32 pm on July 7, an unknown male subject entered the female restroom in a grocery store and was seen standing on the toilet watching females use the restroom. The suspect fled the scene after being confronted by the store manager. The suspect is described as a white male, 30s, 5’7”-8” tall and 200 lbs. He had long curly brown hair and was wearing a long sleeve green t-shirt and jeans at the time of the incident.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
