News

A man, believed to be homeless, was found dead today behind the Arlington Funeral Home in Virginia Square.

The man was found unresponsive behind a dumpster in the funeral home parking lot around 10:30 this morning, according to police. Officers arrived and determined that the man had passed away. Detectives are still on scene investigating the man’s death, though so far there’s no word of anything suspicious.


Around Town

The publicity stunt will start at the intersection of N. Lynn Street and Lee Highway in Rosslyn. “Flight Time” will dribble and spin basketballs for one mile from the intersection, across the Key Bridge, and to a basketball court at a playground in Georgetown. (See a map of the route here.)

“Flight Time’s grand arrival tips off ‘Globetrotter Week’ in the D.C. metropolitan area, which includes multiple school visits and goodwill appearances,” the Globetrotters said in a press release. “The week concludes as the Globetrotters bring their one-of-a-kind skills to town for three big games on March 24 & 25: Verizon Center in Washington D.C. (Sat., March 24 at 1 p.m.) and the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA (Sat., March 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sun., March 25 at 2 p.m.).”


News

A 22-year-old man died Saturday after collapsing while playing football at Washington-Lee High School.

The man collapsed around 5:40 p.m. during a flag football game. Police say witnesses immediately began treating the man, who briefly regained consciousness, but he was later pronounced dead in a local hospital.


News

A woman died Saturday after falling from the parking garage at Ballston Common Mall.

The woman fell from an unknown level of the parking structure and landed on the sidewalk on the N. Randolph Street side of the garage. The woman was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The incident remains under investigation.


Opinion

Last week Slate columnist Matthew Yglesais, author of The Rent Is Too Damn High, wrote about Arlington and suggested that the prevalence of expensive high-end rentals and condos stems from two factors: restrictions on building height and the width of the corridor itself, which is sometimes just 2-3 blocks wide, thanks to zoning restrictions intended to preserve the single family homes on either side of the corridor.

“What you see is a narrow thread of urbanism between Wilson Boulevard and Clarendon Boulevard, with a bit of a thicker blob of urbanism around the Metro station itself,” Yglesais writes. “I don’t really want to condemn this development paradigm because if you compare it to other suburban jurisdictions around the United States, what Arlington has done really stands out as practically best in class. But still the fact of the matter is that these single-family homes adjacent to the corridor of urbanism are sitting on some extremely expensive land.”


News

Lawmakers Punishing Arlington for HOT Lanes Suit — Arlington may have succeeded in blocking a state-backed plan to build High Occupancy Toll lanes on I-395 last year, but the lawsuit the county filed against the HOT lanes project is coming back to haunt it in Richmond. State lawmakers have proposed budget amendments that would reduce Arlington’s share of road maintenance funds by $100,000 — a form of punishment for the county’s legal tactics. [Washington Times]

Wardian Wins D.C. Marathon — Arlington’s Michael Wardian won the SunTrust Rock ‘n’ Roll USA Marathon in the District on Saturday, completing the race with a time of 2 hours, 26 minutes and 35 seconds. The 37-year-old father of two had previously won the race’s predecessor, the National Marathon, five times. [Competitor]


Events

Instead of taking place at 2511 S. Clark St, the event will be held at 1851 S. Bell St. Crystal City Business Improvement District President Angela Fox explained that while the agreement to use the Clark Street location was being finalized, Vornado announced plans to replace the Bell Street venue with a new building. Vornado then put forth an offer to hold Artomatic at the old building before it’s torn down.

“This presented an amazing opportunity to showcase the transformation of Crystal City,” Fox said in a press release.


Around Town

The news isn’t entirely surprising to those who know the history of Overlee. The Victorian clubhouse, which was recently torn down, had been built in the 1890s and came to be known as the Febrey-Kincheloe House. Ernest Febrey built the house and later it was inhabited by the Kincheloe family. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Kincheloe turned the house into Crestwood Sanitarium, a home for elderly Washington dignitaries.

But the ghost isn’t believed to be one of the sanitarium inhabitants. Mike Maleski, who is on the Overlee Board of Directors, said that for decades people have reported seeing a girl in Victorian clothing. Researchers think the girl is Margaret Febrey who died in January 1913, and was said to be 14 years old. A family member reported that the Febrey family stopped using the house after Margaret’s death.


News

A section near N. 15th Street, close to the AMC Theatres, appears to be finished and crews have moved farther into the plaza. Just looking around the area reveals that there’s a significant amount of brick that hasn’t even been torn up yet, much less replaced. The project is already nearly a year behind schedule.

Some business and restaurant owners are frustrated with how long the project has taken, and how it has driven away customers. Toscana Grill Operating Partner Joe Smith said the construction has definitely hurt his business. With the warm weather, the restaurant has set up tables outdoors. However, the usual area for outdoor dining is currently reduced because it’s partially blocked by the brick work.


Feature

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

Today’s column touches on a sensitive subject related to last week’s look at Lambic beers. That would be the subject of brettanomyces, the wild yeast that makes the spontaneous fermentation of Lambic happen. Brett is a touchy topic as many tend to either love or hate its presence in beer. In fact, brett is the dividing line that keeps many wine drinkers from appreciating beer, as its presence in wine is a basic, inherit fault. In beer however, brett has a long history of use and is a major factor in the profile of many beer styles.


News

Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) has been arrested at a protest outside the Sudanese embassy in Northwest D.C., along with actor George Clooney and several other activists.

Moran’s office confirmed the arrest, which can be seen in this video from NBC Washington.


Around Town

Clarendon is getting its first store dedicated solely to cosmetics, skincare and scents, plus a spa. Bluemercury is set to open to the public today.

An employee told us if all goes well, the store will open at noon. The store is located at 2855 Clarendon Blvd, where Best Cellars was located until closing last July.


View More Stories