Dominion Virginia Power is using parts of Arlington and three other Northern Virginia localities as an urban testing ground for its new smart meter system.
The company plans to install 32,000 advanced digital meters in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax County and Falls Church by the end of the year. Of the 32,000 meters in Northern Virginia, more than 19,000 will be installed in Arlington, according to Dominion spokesperson Le-Ha Anderson.
Words by Barry Skidmore of People-Powered Arlington. Photos by Mark Blacknell.
Brooke Miller of Team Tibco won the women’s elite race, sprinting to a dramatic finish that saw her one of her competitors flip her bike and crash 50 meters from the finish line.
In an ironic twist, Arlington taxpayers, who have already paid nearly three quarters of a million dollars to fight the state and federal plan to build high occupancy toll lanes on I-395, may end up partially footing the bill for the eventual construction of the lanes.
Uriah Kiser of InsideNoVA.com reports that state transportation officials are considering a plan that would use taxpayer dollars to supplement private funding for the construction of HOT lanes. Previously, officials had said that the lanes would be wholly funded by a private company, in exchange for a long-term lease on the lanes.
Happy Flag Day — Today is Flag Day. The holiday commemorates the adoption of the United States flag by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. June 14th also happens to be the birthday of the U.S. Army. Today the Army turns the ripe old age of 235.
Post Writes Up EFC Development Battle — The Washington Post is running a story this morning about the increasingly ugly battle between the East Falls Church Planning Task Force and vocal anti-development residents. The task force and their pro-development allies say that development is inevitable given that East Falls Church will be the transfer station to the new Silver Line. Anti-development forces say they don’t want a nine-story “high-rise” among their “bucolic” bastion of single-family homes. The County Board will discuss the task force’s development plan on Tuesday.
The Arlington County Board approved a controversial snow removal ordinance on Saturday by a vote of 4-1. Board chairman Jay Fisette cast the lone ‘no’ vote, calling the hefty penalties in the ordinance “overkill.”
The board also passed a fare hike for the county’s ART and STAR buses. The base ART bus fare will increase from $1.25 to $1.50.
The Air Force Cycling Classic Clarendon Cup, one of the premiere events in U.S. professional cycling, was held right here in Arlington yesterday afternoon.
Hundreds of spectators braved sweltering heat to watch cyclists whiz by on the short, circular course.
On Saturday, the 13th annual Clarendon Cup will feature races by amateur and professional cyclists. The amateur races will take place between 8:oo and 10:00 a.m. The Women’s Elite Race follows, with the Men’s Pro Race taking place between noon and 2:15 p.m.
On Sunday the action moves to Crystal City. There will be a non-competitive Crystal Ride for cycling enthusiasts of all abilities, from 7:30 to 11:00 a.m. The Men’s Pro Race will depart from the Air Force Memorial at 11:30 a.m. The Women’s Elite Race and a Amateur race will follow. A bike expo will be held in Crystal City throughout the festivities.
The cracks, which developed over the winter, were causing safety concerns on three of the six tennis courts and on the basketball courts. The work is expected to wrap up by the end of the month, a Parks Department spokesperson says.
A minivan caught on fire in the parking lot of the Costco store in Pentagon City today. The vehicle’s engine compartment was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived around 1:45 p.m.
No one was in the minivan when the fire broke out and there were no injuries, we’re told.
“MTPD officers on patrol at the station observed a man who appeared to be unsteady on his feet around 5:15 p.m,” Metro spokesperson Ron Holzer said in an statement. “The man began to run as the officers approached. He then struggled with the officers when they apprehended him… He was charged with being drunk in public and impeding an officer with force (assault).”
The employee was off-duty at the time of his arrest, according to Holzer. He was in his uniform but “his shift had ended many hours before his arrest.”
Supporters of Matthew Berry have taken to the comment section of the local Republican politics website RedNoVA to vent their frustration.
Said one: “People I’ve spoken to in the last three days are shocked and disgusted by Murrays tactics… There is no better chance that I will [support] Murray than there is of Murray defeating Moran. Period.”
The Coalition for Arlington Good Government (CAGG), formed to actively oppose a proposed change in Arlington County’s form of government, is calling on supporters of the change-of-government referendum to submit the signatures they have gathered early.
Citing an ARLnow.com story in which a volunteer signature-gatherer commented that supporters have already gathered the necessary 14,350 signatures, CAGG co-chair Alan Howze wrote:
