News

Mixed Reaction to Electronic Textbooks — Electronic textbooks are getting mixed reviews from Arlington Public Schools students. Some say they appreciate the accessibility and update-ability of the electronic books, but others say the books can be glitch-y and are not easy to search. [Sun Gazette]

Topping Out for New Ballston Hotel — A “topping out ceremony” was held on Friday for the new Residence Inn hotel within the Founders Square development in Ballston. The ceremony was held to celebrate the last of the building’s 11 floors being built. The hotel is expected to open mid-2013. [CityBiz Real Estate]


News

A woman was struck and seriously injured by a vehicle on Route 50 overnight, according to police.

“At 2:30 am, an adult female attempted to cross Route 50, just prior to the on-ramp to Washington Boulevard, after darting out from the tree line,” said Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. “The driver was unable to stop his vehicle in time and the pedestrian was struck. She remains in critical condition at GW Hospital.”


Events

Penn — famous for roles in movies like Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, and TV shows like House and How I Met Your Mother — will first drop by a young professionals event at Café Asia (1550 Wilson Blvd) in Rosslyn at 6:00 p.m. He’s expected to talk about why he supports President Obama and why Virginia is an especially important state in the re-election effort.

At 7:30 p.m., Penn will greet phone bank volunteers at the Obama campaign’s Arlington office (2408 Columbia Pike).


Feature

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

You may have noticed an unusually high number of special beer-themed events happening around the area this week. Well, you can thank SAVOR for that. SAVOR is a yearly festival run by the Brewer’s Association, a trade association representing the interests of craft breweries. SAVOR features craft breweries from all over America (many of whom aren’t available in our area yet) and focuses on pairing craft beer and food. Over the past few years, SAVOR has quickly become one of the can’t-miss events on the beer geek’s calendar.


News

(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) The National Park Service will be installing a series of safety improvements along the George Washington Parkway, intended to make Memorial Circle and several Mt. Vernon Trail crossings across the parkway less dangerous.

The improvements were announced this morning by Rep. Jim Moran (D). Work on the improvements will start next week and will wrap up by the fall. Among the planned changes, according to Moran’s office:


News

Yesterday the Democratic blog Blue Virginia reported that the call claimed Shuttleworth was “doing a conference call… with [Democratic National Committee] Chairwoman [Rep.] Debbie Wasserman Schultz on women’s issues.” In reality, Blue Virginia blogger Lowell Feld wrote, “this call was simply ‘one of several monthly constituency caucus calls the Chair is making this week, with several thousand total participants.'”

In response, the Shuttleworth camp released a statement it sent to to Blue Virginia.


News

Rosslyn Outdoor Movies Start Tonight — The season of weekly, political-themed outdoor movies in Rosslyn starts tonight with the 1999 Matthew Broderick/Reese Witherspoon flick “Election.” The movie is scheduled to start at dusk.

Anti-Harassment Ads at Metro Stations — WMATA has placed anti-sexual harassment public service announcements in 28 Metro stations. In Arlington, the ads can be found in the Ballston and Clarendon Metro stations. [Stop Street Harassment]


News

The Arlington County Fire Department and numerous other local fire departments are participating in a month-and-a-half-long study in Crystal City that could help save lives.

The “Fire Fighter Safety and Deployment Study,” organized and funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), is putting real-world firefighters in realistic firefighting simulations in a vacant Crystal City high rise. The goal of the study is to determine how firefighters can be most safely and effectively deployed in the event of a fire in a high rise building.


Events

The farmers market will now hold its grand opening on Thursday, June 28, according to Ballston Business Improvement District spokesman Will Marlow. Local rockabilly band Jumpin’ Jupiter will provide live music for the grand opening.

Starting this year, the farmers market is being managed by FRESHFARM Markets, which also runs the Crystal City Farmers Market and numerous other markets in D.C. and Maryland. The market will from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursdays through October 25, at Welburn Square (between N. Taylor and Stuart Streets).


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