The Special Olympics of Virginia is holding a fundraising challenge called “Over the Edge,” and the prize for raising at least $1,000 is the opportunity to rappel off the roof of the Hilton Crystal City hotel on Friday, June 22.
Fundraisers can either sign up to repel down the 15-story building themselves, or nominate someone else to be “tossed” off the building — a boss, for instance. Registration is limited to the first 75 rappellers.
As part of its adult education program, APS is hosting the “2012 Arlington Sing-Off Competition” for those 18 and over.
Auditions for the contest are taking place on Friday, May 11 and Thursday, May 17 at 7:00 p.m. The May 11 audition is being held at Washington-Lee High School, while the May 17 audition is being held at Kenmore Middle School. There is a $10 registration fee for all participants.
Does asking developers to contribute to affordable housing funds or to pay for improvements to nearby roads constitute “official corruption?”
That’s what Arlington resident and conservative political activist Morton C. Blackwell suggested in a letter to the editor of the Washington Times last week.
Major Redevelopment Proposed for Rosslyn — A developer has proposed tearing down four office buildings and two residential towers between N. Kent Street and Arlington Ridge Road in Rosslyn, and replacing them with four new buildings, including 2.5 million square feet of offices, residences, hotel rooms and retail space. If all goes well, the project might even attract a Ritz Carlton hotel and a Harris Teeter grocery store. [Washington Business Journal]
Nuclear Attack Would Be Survivable for Arlington — Most of Arlington would survive a terrorist nuclear bomb attack on downtown D.C., according to a federal report released earlier this month. The biggest danger to Arlington wouldn’t be the initial blast, but would be the nuclear fallout afterward. One scenario suggests the Columbia Pike corridor would be vulnerable to fallout given a specific set of wind conditions. [Sun Gazette]
The eatery is expected to open for business at or just after 4:00 p.m. This week Paciugo (pronounced “Pah-Choo-Go,” per a sign on the wall) will be serving gelato, cakes and other desserts, coffee and espresso drinks. Next week, the store plans to introduce breakfast and lunch items, including sandwiches.
The company says their sometimes eclectic gelato flavors (from standards like sea salt caramel or stracciatella to the interesting — but currently unavailable — organic maple caramelized bacon or black pepper olive oil) are made on-site daily. Paciguo is a Texas-based chain, but the owner of the Clarendon store lives in Northern Virginia, we’re told.
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a woman called police after walking past a parked car in Rosslyn and spotting the driver with his pants down.
EXPOSURE, 03/23/12, 1400 block of N. Key Boulevard. On March 23, at 7:15 am, a female victim reported seeing a male subject sitting in a parked vehicle with his pants down as she walked past. The victim took a picture of the subjects car, which caused the subject to drive away. The victim did not wish to press charges.
The wine shop traded its former location at 4056 Campbell Avenue — now a Cheesetique wine and cheese store — for a much bigger location a couple of blocks away, at 2900 S. Quincy Street (next to the Energy Club). The larger, sunnier space has allowed owners Suzanne McGrath and Katie Park to to reinvent their store as “The Curious Grape Wine, Dine & Shop,” complete with a sit-down restaurant, coffee and wine bar, and fresh, house-made pastry selection. As before, The Curious Grape also sells wine, beer, cheese and other gourmet items retail.
The Curious Grape restaurant — which quietly started serving diners last night — is helmed by executive chef Eric McKamey, whose resume includes PassionFish in Reston, 2941 in Falls Chuch, and Central, CityZen and Proof in D.C. McKamey’s menu offers “an eclectic selection of seasonal starters, small plates and entrées,” with ingredients “sourced from the Mid-Atlantic region whenever possible.” A press release listed some menu specifics.
Radle announced his candidacy for the seat in January. Previously, the Fairfax County resident had run for public office as both an independent and a Republican. Since last year, Radle’s runs for public office have been dogged by media mentions of his guilty plea on an assault charge out of Arlington in 2010.
Radle’s LinkedIn page says he’s currently unemployed. A recent long-form profile of the candidate suggests he left his job as an insurance agent last year to focus on his campaign.
Per Virginia law, anybody interested in replacing Garvey on the School Board must be a qualified Arlington voter and must not be a School Board employee. Interested parties are asked to submit a resume and a letter of interest to the School Board by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11.
A public hearing on the School Board vacancy will be held on the evening of April 17. The appointment itself is scheduled to take place during the School Board meeting on April 26. The appointee won’t be in the unelected office for very long — Garvey’s term is up at the end of December and the seat will be up for grabs in November’s general election.
Police will actively enforce litter and illegal dumping laws during the month. The goal, according to an ACPD press release, is to “raise awareness of litter, illegal dumping and related crimes; the laws associated with them, and their social and environmental effects on our communities, our economy and the Potomac River.”
Litter Enforcement Month coincides with the 24th annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup.
GOP May Skip November Board Race — With a presidential election likely to bring Democrats out to the polls in droves, Republicans are saying, privately, that it’s likely they will not be running a candidate for County Board in November. Republican Mark Kelly received 43.5 percent of the vote to Democrat Libby Garvey’s 49.2 percent in yesterday’s historically low turnout special election. [Sun Gazette]
D.C. Premiere of H-B Grad’s Film Planned — Fresh off a big win at the Sundance Film Festival, “Fishing Without Nets” will be holding its Washington, D.C. premiere next month. The short film, created by H-B Woodlawn grad Cutter Hodierne, will be premiering at a “surprise location” on Saturday, April 21. Tickets are $15. [Eventbrite]
