Arlington and the surrounding D.C. region is now under a Tornado Watch.
The warning of possible tornadic activity comes as a strong storm front approaches the area. We’re also under a Flash Flood Watch and a Wind Advisory. From the National Weather Service:
Arlington County auto crimes detectives are “actively engaged in” an investigation into the thefts, said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck, who couldn’t recall any other taxi thefts in Arlington in the past year. The cabs all had D.C. tags and ranged in model year from 1998 to 2004.
From the stolen vehicle portion of this week’s crime report:
The proposal would do away with the 17.5 cents per gallon gas tax, but would increase the state’s sales tax from five percent to 5.8 percent. The plan also would increase vehicle registration fees and add a yearly $100 charge for drivers with alternative fuel cars. McDonnell said that would raise about $3.1 billion over five years to fund road, transit and rail projects across the state.
County Board member Jay Fisette said that while it’s good to have some sort of proposal on the table in order to start a conversation about transportation funding, this plan is not the answer. He further stated that the plan was offered to the General Assembly at the last minute, without adequate time to review and understand it.
Independent’s Day is a weekly opinion column by published on Wednesdays. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
Today, the Washington Business Journal reported that Arlington-based Virginia Commerce Bank (VCB) is beingn sold to Charleston, W.Va.-based United Bankshares. At about $3 billion in assets, VCB is tiny. Compared to the largest banks — like JP Morgan Chase & Co. with over $2 trillion in assets — it is infinitesimal. So why does it matter? It matters because the small banks have done the majority of the business lending in our communities for a very long time. As banks consolidate, some of that power of personal, relationship lending disappears.
A Safeway representative attended the Cherrydale Civic Association (CCA) meeting earlier this month to discuss the remodeling plan with residents. According to information presented at the meeting, the building footprint would remain the same and the remodeling would occur within the store.
“We’ve asked them for a better deli, fresh produce, a bakery. A lot of food was too close to expiration,” said CCA President Maureen Ross. “It’s just in need of renovations.”
Our Arlington Pet of the Week this week is Charlotte, a Shiba Inu-Chihuahua mix puppy.
Rescued from a high-kill shelter in North Carolina, Charlotte now resides with owner Jeannie on Columbia Pike, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Jeannie wrote the following about Charlotte.
The winner will be announced at the end of the night and will receive $100 cash as a prize. The audience will also select its favorite! The winners of our monthly contests go on to compete in Tournaments where the prize jumps to $250. Submit your 100-word story synopsis at storyleague.org or fill out a card at the show.
Join us this Thursday, January, 31st for a “Beer and Bundle Bash” featuring Baltimore and San Francisco beer as well as our Prepared Foods Super Bundle.
A cold front will bring high winds, heavy rain and possible thunderstorms tonight.
A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for Arlington and the D.C. region and Arlington County just issued the following alert.
The 20 grants total $202,000 and come from designations to the Arlington Community Impact Fund during the annual workplace giving campaign.
Each year, United Way NCA solicits funding proposals from its member nonprofit organizations for specific programs and work in the community. This year, organizations from Arlington submitted 51 proposals totaling $895,500. A citizen-led task force made up of volunteers determined the grant recipients by examining where there may be gaps in services and where the funds would do the most good.
The local Point-in-Time Count is part of a nationwide count that occurs during the last 10 days in January each year. The census helps to highlight trends, justify requests for federal funding and measure community progress towards preventing and ending homelessness.
Last year, the Point-in-Time count of both sheltered and unsheltered homeless people dropped to 451. That’s down two percent from 461 in 2011.
Javon Martin Trial Underway — The trial for Javon Martin, one of the men accused of killing Arlington resident Carl Diener in 2009, began on Monday. Attorneys for the Commonwealth spent much of Tuesday (January 29) presenting evidence against Martin. The other man accused of the crime, Martin’s cousin Roger Clark III, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last year and is awaiting sentencing. [Washington Post]
Man Arrested for Attempted Rental Car Theft — Police arrested a man who caused a scene at Reagan National Airport on Tuesday morning. He was spotted running around the grounds of DCA and along the George Washington Parkway after allegedly trying to steal a rental car. Airport Police found 28-year-old Robert Cooper of Washington, DC in Crystal City a short time later and arrested him. Cooper has been charged with Attempted Grand Larceny.
