Workers were busy installing 250 solar panels on the roof of Arlington Central Library today.
The 60 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system will save the library $14,000 in peak electricity costs every year and will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 100,000 pounds annually, officials say.
A FroZenYo self-serve frozen yogurt shop is under construction in Crystal City.
The store will be replacing a closed Quizno’s Restaurant, next to the Chipotle at 2231 Crystal Drive. No word on when it will be opening, but building permits are now posted in the windows.
The BB&T Bank at 5515 Lee Highway was robbed around lunchtime today.
The suspect fled the bank on foot, prompting authorities to lock down at least two schools in the area. Parents of Nottingham Elementary and Williamsburg Middle School students received the following message from administrators today.
A total of 27 decorative flags were burned overnight on a quiet couple of blocks between Quantico Street and Sycamore Street, near Bishop O’Connell High School and Tuckahoe Elementary, according to fire department spokesman Lt. Gregg Karl. Neighbors say the plastic flags were recently placed in yards by the Boy Scouts, an annual Flag Day tradition.
Investigators believe whoever burned the flags did so just before 5:30 a.m. The fires caused the plastic flags to melt onto plants, yards and walkways. No word on a motive, but one neighbor on 27th Street theorized that the vandal or vandals were trying to send a message.
Replacing Arlington at No. 1 is our neighbor, the District of Columbia. Parenting says the District was chosen as the best city in the country to raise kids based on “the quality of schools, affordable homes, low crime rates, jobs, and parkland.” Needless to say, some are questioning the methodology that allowed D.C. to top a list based on schools, affordability and crime.
Last year, when Arlington was the top-ranked city, Parenting said it was due to the county’s “fabulous schools, great home values, and an attractive unemployment rate.” This year, the District won praise for its cultural attractions.
In a statement on behalf of the rest of the board, Zimmerman said that the ART bus drivers’ concerns — about sexual harassment and the disciplining of a union leader — “need to be taken seriously.”
Here’s Zimmerman’s full statement.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg News declared that single women had “long odds” when it came to dating in the District.
D.C. has a female-to-male ratio — 112 women for every 100 men — that’s higher than any of the 50 states. Plus, the article suggests, men in Washington are much more focused on their careers than on making good conversation.
Ducklings Rescued from Storm Drain — Hanging upside down in a storm drain, an Arlington animal control officer managed to save nine ducklings that had become trapped in a tunnel. The ducklings and their mother were reunited and brought to the nearby Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary. [Animal Watch]
ART 45 Bus Route Expanding — The ART 45 bus route is expanding. It will now run farther down Columbia Pike while at the same time adding a stop at the Courthouse Metro station en route to Rosslyn. [Arlington Transit]
