Around Town

Is North Quincy and 9th Street a Dangerous Intersection?

By ARLnow.com

To be sure, the intersection at North Quincy Street and 9th Street in Ballston is challenging, for both cars and pedestrians. But is it dangerous?

The intersection is a two-way stop, with stop signs on 9th Street but clear sailing on Quincy. Those on foot crossing Quincy must trust that fast-moving cars are going to obey the law and yield to them in the crosswalk. Those behind the wheel on 9th Street during rush hour must play a real-life game of Frogger, dodging pedestrians and cars in their effort to make a left or cross the street.

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News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Happy World Car Free Day — As mentioned earlier, it’s Car Free Day, the day in which car commuters are encouraged to consider alternatives to driving solo to work. Thousands of people in the DC area have signed a pledge to keep their car at home today, according to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. If leaving the car at home doesn’t sound fun enough on its own merits, there will be a Car Free Day party from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Capital Bikeshare station at Crystal Drive and 23rd Street in Crystal City.

Arlington Issues Hundreds of Texting Citations — According to the Washington Examiner, Arlington County police issued 131 citations for texting while driving during the first half of the year. Texting while driving is illegal in Virginia, D.C. and Maryland.

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Events

New to Arlington, Artist Holding Exhibition in Rosslyn Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Novo was a fixture of the arts scene in Columbia, S.C. up until earlier this month, when he packed up and moved to Arlington. Novo, originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, left Columbia after 18 years to allow his wife, a chemist, to take a new job in the Washington area. As newspapers mourned his departure, Novo prepared himself for his new life in D.C.

The first act in his D.C. story comes tonight, when a selection of his works entitled “Sueños de Insomnio” (Dreams of Insomnia) will go on display at Piola restaurant (1550 Wilson Blvd). Novo hopes the exhibition, which runs through November 27, will serve as an “informal introduction… to the local audience.”

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News

Long-Sought Arlington Boathouse May Become a Reality

By ARLnow.com

The National Park Service is expected to launch an extensive environmental and historical impact study for potential boathouse locations in the next several months, the first step in what is expected to be a lengthy but, at last, finite process.

The impact study would likely wrap up by the end of 2011. If it the boathouse then gets the go-ahead, and if funding can be secured for the project, the Park Service would seek bids for the planning, building and daily operation of the boathouse.

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Around Town

Ballston’s New Pizza Autentica Expected to Have Outdoor Seating

By ARLnow.com

Pizza Autentica has applied for sidewalk seating outside its forthcoming Ballston restaurant, and county staff is recommending that the request be granted.

The county board is expected to decide on the matter at Saturday’s board meeting. Staff is recommending that the board approve seating consisting of eight tables with two seats apiece at the northwest corner of Wilson Boulevard and North Randolph Street, facing Ballston Common Mall.

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News

Route 50 Lane Closure Will Likely Remain Through End of Year

By ARLnow.com

The lane closure, put into place to facilitate a utility relocation project, was originally supposed to be lifted in July. Now, it will likely be in place through the end of the year.

Washington Gas will wrap up their portion of the utility work by the end of October or beginning of November, according to VDOT utility relocation manager Matthew McLaughlin. Then it’s expected that Dominion will start a two-month installation of an underground electrical conduit. The existing lane closure will stay in place during that time.

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News

Energy Recommendations Include Renovation Restrictions

By ARLnow.com

The ambitious and sometimes ambiguous recommendations range from tax incentives for energy efficiency to installing 160 megawatts worth of solar electricity generating capacity to migrating high density neighborhoods to district energy systems (centralized heating and cooling plants serving numerous buildings).

One recommendation that may receive particular resident scrutiny is a requirement that all new home renovations, starting in 2015, must prove a 30 percent gain in energy efficiency (over today’s average). Likewise, all new commercial building renovations must prove that the work will provide a 50 percent gain in efficiency.

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Around Town

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Crystal City Serves Up Latin Flare — On Sunday, food and wine lovers flocked to Crystal City for the consumption bonanza known as Vintage Crystal. Now in its fourth year, Vintage Crystal continued last year’s Latin theme. There were South American wines, tequila tastings, salsa dancers and lots and lots of food. See more photos on Flickr.

Capital Bikeshare Gets New York Times Write-up — The Old Gray Lady spent some time in Arlington recently to preview the Capital Bikeshare system, which officially launched yesterday. Not content to give Arlington and DC all the spotlight for hosting the largest bike share system in the country, the Times noted that New York is studying a possible bike sharing program of its own: 30,000 bikes, nearly 30 times as many as Washington’s modest collection of 1,100 custom-designed Capital Bikeshare cycles. More from the New York Times.

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Events

Mary Hynes to Lead Helicopter Forum

By ARLnow.com

Arlington County board member Mary Hynes will lead a panel discussion about helicopters and local helicopter regulations Wednesday night at the Arlington County Board Room (2100 Clarendon Blvd, third floor).

Hynes, who chairs the Aviation Policy Committee for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, says there has been a noticeable uptick in complaints about helicopter noise in the past couple of years. She says Wednesday’s forum will allow residents to learn more about the rules that govern helicopter flights in the national capital region.

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