News

(Updated on 12/23/21 at 11:05 a.m.) The woman accused of trying to destroy a painting at the National Gallery of Art is apparently from Rosslyn.

Police say Susan [redacted], 53, tried to pull a painting (NSFW) called “Two Tahitian Women” off the wall, then started punching the painting. She later allegedly told police that the painter, French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin, was “evil,” that the painting was “very homosexual,” and that she was “trying to remove it.”


Events

Mickey D’s is undertaking an ambitious company-wide initiative to hire up to 50,000 people nationwide, including 1,400 in the D.C. area — all in one day. To that end, they’re holding a “National Hiring Day” from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19.

Among the four area restaurants that will be hosting job applicants are two Arlington locations: 1823 N. Moore Street in Rosslyn and 40 N. Glebe Road, just off Route 50.


News

A black coupe suffered heavy front-end damage after slamming into the pole while heading eastbound on the Pike. Arlington firefighters were called in to help extricate the driver from the vehicle. The driver’s condition is not known at this time.

Stop lights are flashing at the intersection and Fairfax County police are directing traffic. Drivers should expect minor delays in the area.


News

Arlington County recently approved a building permit that will allow the market to build Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant bathrooms — one step in the beer garden approval process. The other step will come on May 14, when Westover Market goes before the county board to ask for a live entertainment permit, which is necessary in order for the beer garden to host musical acts.

At the moment, the market is only permitted to seat nine people in the beer garden, which used to host large neighborhood gatherings.


News

Storms Rip Through Area — A line of strong storms ripped through the area in the pre-dawn hours this morning. Winds in excess of 60 miles per hour were observed as the fast-moving storms passed by around 4:30 a.m. A tornado warning was issued for the region, but Arlington was spared from the worst of the storm damage. Expect showers, gusty winds and colder temperatures for the rest of the morning. [Washington Post]

Tejada Plans Ballston Rally — County board member Walter Tejada kicked off his re-election campaign over the weekend at the Dominion Hills Recreation Center. Tejada lauded the county’s commitments to affordable housing, walkable neighborhoods, and fiscal responsibility. He is now planning a rally in Ballston tomorrow — no word yet on when or where exactly the rally will take place. (Update at 12:20 p.m. — The rally will be held outside the NRECA building at 4301 Wilson Blvd at 6:30 p.m., prior to the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.)


Around Town

McGeough met now-fiance Nadia Itraish at the library 18 months ago, during the author talk for his book Kill Khalid: Mossad’s Failed Hit and the Rise of Hamas. Following a “very animated discussion” about the book, Itraish — a Palestinian-American peace activist, George Washington University alum and Freddie Mac manager — came up to McGeough to continue the conversation. The pair “hit it off” and started dating, according to library employee Ann-Marie Dittmann.

On Saturday afternoon, with the discreet help of library staff, McGeough brought Itraish to a library conference room — like the one in which they met — and asked her to marry him. She said yes, and the couple went across the street to Busboys and Poets to celebrate.


News

On Thursday night Arlington County held a small business ‘listening session’ at Clarendon Ballroom. More than 50 business owners showed up to tell county staff what they like and don’t like about how the county treats small businesses.

The event was part of County Board Chair Chris Zimmerman’s year-long push to make Arlington more small-business-friendly. Zimmerman gave the opening and closing remarks at the event, but it was county planning and economic development staff who led the group discussions that were the evening’s main substance.


Around Town

The hookah lounge/pool hall/nightclub/restaurant at 3111 Columbia Pike opened around the beginning of the year and was able to attract crowds to some events, but not on a day-to-day basis. The name has been removed from the building’s exterior and we haven’t spotted any activity there in several weeks.

Since the club has no listed phone number, we have been unable to confirm its fate. However, we hear the club had problems obtaining a live entertainment permit and was subject to several police inspections.


Around Town

A song entitled “Arlandria” is track number five on the album, Wasting Light. Arlandria is the section of Alexandria around Mount Vernon Avenue, across from the Arlington border.

Grohl is no stranger to the area. He grew up in Northern Virginia, went to high school in Alexandria and recorded an early solo album in Arlington. His first Foo Fighters album included a song called “Weenie Beenie,” after the Shirlington hot dog stand.


Opinion

This site is often a venue for serious debate about (mostly) serious issues. Which is fine — although we wish some folks would play a little nicer in the comments section.

On a day like today, however, with the sun shining, plants in bloom, and people enjoying the nice weather, maybe a less serious question is in order.


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