News

As of 2:30 this afternoon, election officials had counted 12,621 signatures, out of the 14,350 required by law to get a referendum on the ballot. Election staff are nearly finished with their “second pass” through the 761 petition sheets submitted by the Committee for a Better Arlington. A third pass is unlikely to yield a significant number of additional signatures.

Arlington County General Registrar Linda Lindberg says her staff has completed their second pass over about 700 petition pages. Since about 10,200 signatures were validated during the first pass, that means the second pass is, on average, validating 3.5 additional signatures per page. But with only 61 pages to go, it’s likely that the petition will only have about 12,900 valid signatures going into the third pass, which is expected to start Monday.


News

Could you care for an special needs puppy or kitten for a few weeks, then have the heart to let it go? Even if he or she is as cute as Cooper? If so, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington needs your help.

They’re looking for “dedicated, energetic and patient foster parents to care for underage and underweight puppies and kittens, nursing mothers, and ill or injured animals.” From the listing on Volunteer Arlington:


Around Town

The crew interviewed several of Rebel Heroes’ lunchtime customers, as well as a local food blogger. They also traveled to Falls Church’s Open Kitchen, where the Heroes’ Cuban-Vietnamese ingredients are prepared.

The segment is expected to air on a TV program that will profile “the best food trucks in North America.”


Around Town

Arlington is home to a relatively new establishment that may be the country’s only restaurant dedicated exclusively to Tunisian cuisine (at least the only one with a web presence and decent SEO).

Chez Manelle (2313 Wilson Blvd) opened in Courthouse late last year. It is a small, independently operated eatery, with a unique vibe, a unique menu and some good old-fashioned friendly service.


News

As today’s Arlington County crime report notes, a vandal caused some major damage last week when he or she spray painted “numerous” vehicles parked along North Ivy, Lincoln, and 6th Streets in Ashton Heights.

DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY (SERIES) 07/15/10, 3200 block of N. 6th Street and the 500 blocks of N. Ivy and Lincoln Streets. Between late evening on July 14, and 6:30 am on July 15, numerous vehicles on several streets were spray painted with white paint. There are no known suspects.


Events

Crystal City Fit Fair Kicks Off — Crystal City is holding a “fit fair” today from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event is part health fair, part blood drive. Inova’s bloodmobile will be on hand to let donors give blood in air conditioned comfort. For the general public, Inova will be providing blood pressure screening, Dermaview facial skin screening, Body Mass Index Assessment, tobacco cessation consultation and other services. There will also be gait analysis for runners, sports movement analysis, chair massages, and a fitness class demonstration. The event is taking place on Crystal Drive between 18th Street and 20th Street.

Arlington Lawyer Faces More Fraud Charges — An Arlington lawyer accused of practicing law without a license will face three additional charges of fraud. Howard Deiner, who specialized in bringing cases against school districts on behalf of families with special needs children, was already facing two charges when the grand jury tacked on three more on Monday. A trial date is expected to be set today. More from the Washington Post.


News

The worker fell seven stories, through a glass atrium and into the hotel’s front lobby. No word yet on how the worker fell, but ironwork appears to have been underway on four balconies above the atrium.

A pickup truck from Newington, Va.-based Hallmark Iron Works was parked outside the hotel.


Around Town

A thriving “see and be seen” street life and a dedicated cultural district are among the goals of planners who hope to convert Crystal City from the workaday home of monolithic government office buildings to an urban oasis of gleaming trophy office towers, shiny new apartment buildings and busy retail corridors.

To achieve the vision of a pedestrian-oriented urban community, however, major investments will need to be made in Crystal City’s inadequate transportation infrastructure — specifically, the roads.


News

The man — white, mid-30s, balding, well-dressed — worked for Verizon, according to police and witness accounts. It’s not known why he wanted to take his life that day, nor why he chose to do so in a way that thoroughly traumatized the 10-15 people who witnessed it. The word around his office was that he was a quiet man who was divorced and had kids. On this particular day, people said, he was particularly quiet.

The office workers on their smoke and lunch breaks scattered as the glass fell. If it wasn’t for the glass, a witness said, the man could have easily landed on top of someone. Police arrived within seconds of the 911 call but it was too late. The man was on the ground, bleeding.


Around Town

Arlington Joins Region-Wide HOV Enforcement Effort Today — Today Arlington police will be joining Virginia State Police and other local law enforcement agencies in an effort to crack down on HOV violators. During the morning and evening rush hours, police will step up HOV patrols on I-66, I-395 and other local highways. More from WaPo’s Dr. Gridlock.

Injured Vets Stop at Iwo Jima Memorial on Cross-County Bike Ride — A group of 18 bicyclists, many of them wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, stopped in Arlington last night on their way from San Francisco to Virginia Beach. The vets stopped at the Marine Corps Memorial to see the retiring of the colors ceremony. More from the Associated Press.


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