Morning Notes
Yorktown Baseball Sets Record – Yorktown High School’s baseball team has finished the regular reason undefeated in the National District. With 14 victories, the Patriots set a National District record for wins in a single season. [Sun Gazette]
Crystal City BRT Named — The Bus Rapid Transit system that will serve Crystal City and Potomac Yard next year will be named “Metro Way” and will feature a blue bus design. The buses will travel from Pentagon City to Alexandria, and will run every 6 minutes during the rush hour. [Greater Greater Washington]
USS Arlington Fundraising $100K Short of Goal — So far, more than $390,000 has been donated or is expected to be pledged for a 9/11 “tribute room” on the USS Arlington. That leaves the ship’s commissioning committee more than $100,000 short of its $500,000 goal, however. Fundraising is continuing and committee member Frank O’Leary says he is “hoping to crack $400,000 this month.”
Street Closures for Weekend Races
Starting tonight and continuing each day this weekend, races will temporarily close down some Arlington roads.
The Arlington County Police Department is assisting with controlling traffic during a 5K and 10K race around Yorktown High School on Sunday, April 14.
The following restrictions will be in effect from 7:30-11:00 a.m.:
- Yorktown Blvd will be closed to westbound and eastbound traffic from N. 30th Street to N. Edison Street
- N. 28th Street will be closed to northbound and southbound traffic from Yorktown Blvd to N. Greenbrier Street
- Yorktown Blvd will be open to eastbound traffic from N. Edison Street to N. 26th Street
Residents are asked to park their vehicles in driveways instead of on the street in order to reduce the congestion in the affected areas. Anyone with questions or concerns regarding the impact to the community can contact Lieutenant Bob Medairos at 703-228-4160.
Roads will also be closed temporarily for the Nottingham Elementary 5K on Saturday (April 13) and the Crystal City 5K Friday tonight. Drivers are advised to find other routes during the affected times.
Capitals Still Locked Out, but Kettler Hosts Yorktown Hockey
The Capitals’ season may be in shambles due to the ongoing NHL lockout, but all is not lost for fans wishing to take in some hockey. The Yorktown High School hockey team is playing a home game at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex (627 N. Glebe Road) in Ballston on Friday.
The Yorktown Ice Hockey Club has been in existence since 2003. The team has not been granted sports team status at the school, but is instead considered an “interest club.” It’s part of the Northern Virginia Scholastic Hockey League, which is the premier high school level league in Northern Virginia, and was bumped up from junior varsity to varsity this year.
One of the coaches boasted to ARLnow.com about having the league’s leading goal scorer on his team. Cameron Smith has scored 17 goals in three games, including a record-setting 11 in one game. So far this year, the team is 2-2.
Friday’s game against Broad Run High School begins at 6:40 p.m. at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in the Ballston Mall. It’s free to attend.
After this Friday, there will be two more Yorktown home games at Kettler. The team will play Osbourne Park at 6:40 p.m. on Friday, January 4, and Madison on Friday, February 8.
Morning Notes
Yorktown Hosts South County in Semifinal — In high school football action, the Yorktown Patriots will take on the South County Stallions tonight in a Northern Region Division 5 semifinal playoff game. The contest is a home game for Yorktown. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Yorktown lost to South County in the regional championship game last year. [Sun Gazette]
APS Awarded for Green Initiatives — Arlington Public Schools has “earned a Platinum Certification as a Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) Certified Green Schools Division.” The school system also placed first in VSBA’s Green Schools Challenge for large school divisions. [Arlington Public Schools]
Award for Affordable Clarendon Development — VPoint, the affordable apartment building built atop a Clarendon church, has been named the “Best Affordable Housing Development” in Virginia at the 2012 Governor’s Housing Conference. “The award is presented to a housing development that is innovative in its concept and design and exceptional in meeting the needs of the intended community,” according to a press release. [Arlington County]
Honors for Arlington VT Students — Arlington resident Liam O’Neill has been selected to be a member of the Marching Virginians marching band at Virginia Tech. O’Neill is a percussion musician and a sophomore majoring in building construction. Another Arlington native, Michelle Sutherland, has been named to Virginia Tech’s Order of the Gavel, an honor society for leaders of major student organizations. Sutherland, a junior majoring in political science, is editor of the Collegiate Times, the school’s student newspaper.
Save Your Profile Information Today — If you’re a registered user of ARLnow.com, please save any user profile information or avatars you’re currently using on the site. Changes will be made to the site this weekend and your information may be lost.
Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann
Westboro Baptist Church Picketers Coming to Arlington
A church group known for stirring up controversy with its extreme messages has scheduled a day of protests in Arlington next month.
According to a picket schedule on its website, the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, will send members to Arlington on Monday, November 12. They’re slated to protest at Yorktown High School (5200 Yorktown Blvd) starting at 7:40 a.m., the Pentagon starting at 8:50 a.m. and Arlington National Cemetery at 10:00 a.m.
The group has made stops in Arlington before, in part to perform protests of military funerals. Such protests have been fodder for lawsuits around the country, but the group’s right to protest at the funerals was upheld by the Supreme Court last year. The church has also made headlines for its prominent anti-gay message, for lauding the 9/11 attacks and for using controversial slogans such as “Thank God for breast cancer” on picket signs.
Although the church’s protests of the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery may not seem surprising, some question why it is targeting Yorktown. The church offered the following explanation on its website:
“Westboro will picket Yorktown High School because we know that Doomed america has turned the school systems into institutions to teach rebellion against God. Every adult that touches the lives of your children hate them, including parents, teachers, coaches, preachers. No truth to be found on the landscape. So you will all land in hell together, and there you will remain, bitter cursing and wailing and gnashing of teeth. How sad is that?! Not to worry, WBC brings HOPE! The Bread of Life. If you loath it, too bad, it is all you get.”
Currently, there have been no reports of plans for increased security or police presence at any of the three sites where protests are scheduled. Arlington County Public Schools Spokesman Frank Bellavia did note, however, that November 12 is Veterans Day, and school is therefore not in session.
Crime Report: Juvenile Robbed at Gunpoint
A juvenile who was waiting for his mother to pick him up in the area of Chestnut Hills Park, near Yorktown High School, was robbed at gunpoint this past Saturday night, according to the latest Arlington County crime report.
ARMED ROBBERY, 09/01/12, 2800 block of N. Harrison Street. Between 8:40 and 8:50 pm on September 1, a juvenile victim waiting for his mother to pick him up was robbed at gunpoint by a suspect in a black four door sedan. The suspect is described as a black male, late 20’s to mid 30’s in age and heavy set. The suspect was wearing a red bandana and had short dreads.
The rest of this week’s crime report, after the jump.
Car Slams Into Baskin-Robbins in Yorktown
A car came crashing into the Baskin-Robbins ice cream store at 2511 N. Harrison Street in the Yorktown neighborhood this afternoon.
Just after 12:00 p.m. an elderly male driver in a Toyota Camry drove into the store’s entrance after accidentally pressing the gas instead of the brake, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. Two people were inside the vehicle at the time. No word on whether anybody was inside the store.
Damage to the store is estimated at $20,000, but a building inspector determined that there was no structural damage to the building.
No injuries were reported and no charges have been filed against the driver.
Courtesy photo
Yorktown Aquatic Center Opening on Sunday
In mere days, anyone looking to dive into a new exercise routine for the new year will have another option. The Yorktown Aquatic Center is set to open on Sunday.
The facility replaces Yorktown’s older pool that had been in use for decades. Visitors now have access to an eight-lane competition pool and a separate instructional pool. There’s also a separate diving area with two springboards and a scoreboard. At least 175 people can overlook the pools from the spectator area. The facility also houses a “wet classroom” which will be available to rent for pool parties.
Sunday’s grand opening open house celebration will run during normal facility hours, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. You can get the full operating schedule here. The pool is located on the Yorktown Boulevard side of campus, and can be accessed from the parking area on 28th Street.
Roads Still Closed as Storm Cleanup Effort Continues
(Updated at 2:55 p.m.) Parts of Old Dominion Drive and Rock Spring Road remained closed this afternoon as crews continued to clean up from the “macroburst” storm that ravaged parts of North Arlington on Sunday.
The smell of freshly-cut wood and the sound of chainsaws and wood chippers was pervasive throughout Yorktown and the other hart-hit neighborhoods. Private disaster recovery trucks — along with crews from Dominion, Verizon and other utilities — roamed the streets, many of which are still covered with debris waiting to be hauled off.
No word yet on when Old Dominion and Rock Spring, which are both open to some local traffic, may reopen to through traffic.
Three-Car Wreck Shuts Down North Arlington Roads
Several Yorktown-area streets have reopened since a lunchtime wreck sent one person to the hospital.
An Audi flipped on its roof and two other cars suffered severe front-end damage in the crash at the intersection of Old Dominion Drive and Rock Spring Road. One person was taken to the hospital and reportedly evaluated for possible head injuries. Amazingly, everybody else was apparently able to walk away from the wreck.
It’s unclear how the collision happened. The speed limit on Old Dominion Drive is 35 miles per hour and there is a stop light at the intersection. Police took photos of the scene as part of an accident investigation.
Old Dominion and Rock Spring were both shut down for just over an hour.
Lots of Events This Weekend
We’ve talked a lot about Clarendon Day, but there are a bunch of other fun and interesting events happening around Arlington this weekend.
Among them: the Arlington Kids Stuff Sale, the Great American Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength, An Evening of Shakespeare in Klingon starring George Takei, the AMEN 35th anniversary celebration and WalkArlington’s Yorktown Walkabout.
See our events calendar for more details.
Police Seek Burglary and Assault Suspect in North Arlington
A north Arlington resident came home this morning and reportedly found a man who was in the process of burglarizing his house. The burglar punched the homeowner in the face and fled with some sort of a metal box, according to police radio traffic.
The incident happened in the Yorktown neighborhood, a few blocks away from the Knights of Columbus and Yorktown High School. Police are now searching the area, trying to find the alleged burglar.
He’s described as a tall black man, wearing a light shirt, a baseball cap and a long coat.
Jay Fisette to Lead Walkabout in Yorktown
There are plenty of reasons to go on a walk on Sept. 26.
It’s the first Sunday of the fall. It’s the first Sunday after World Car-Free Day. And it’s a great way to discover a neighborhood’s hidden parks and historic landmarks.
To that end, County Board Chairman Jay Fisette will be leading a “Walkabout” around the Yorktown neighborhood from 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. on the 26th. The walk will depart from Greenbrier Park (5201 28th Street North) and will take walkers past schools, shopping centers and other local sights. (See a route map here.)
The Walkabout is organized by the county-run WalkArlington organization.
The Case of the Stolen Canadian Flags
Rob Yonick is sick and tired of people stealing his Canadian flag from outside his Yorktown home. He doesn’t know who’s doing it, he doesn’t know why they’re doing it, but he wants it to stop.
Despite the thefts, Yonick says l’Unifolié will still be proudly displayed for all to see this weekend, in time for the epic U.S.-Canada Olympic hockey matchup on Sunday.
“I’m going to put a flag in the window,” he said defiantly, adding that “there’s no doubt” Canada, backed by Pittsburgh Penguins star and Nova Scotia native Sidney Crosby, will defeat the American team.
Yonick, a stout Canadian Embassy employee, first had his beloved Maple Leaf stolen this past Columbus Day. He chalked it up to misplaced patriotic fervor.
Undeterred, Yonick bought two new flags — a Canadian flag and an American flag — and bolted each flag to a column outside his stately N. Columbus St. house.
Earlier this week, the American flag disappeared, leaving only a bare, mangled flagpole. Then at some point on Thursday, the Canadian flag vanished, flagpole and all, leaving Yonick flummoxed.
“I don’t know if it’s kids playing a prank, or someone who doesn’t like Canada,” he said. After writing about it on Facebook, a friend suggested the Olympics might have something to do with it, a theory Yonick says is possible but unlikely.
