January, 2013 | ARLnow.com

Police Impersonator Tries, Fails to ‘Confiscate’ Watches at Mall

Published January 16, 2013 at 1:10PM | Updated January 16, 2013 at 2:22PM

On Thursday, Jan. 3, a man posing as a police detective entered two stores in the Pentagon City mall, flashed a badge and said he needed to seize a number of wristwatches as “evidence in a case,” according to ACPD. Store employees weren’t fooled, and they asked the man to leave the store. Then, they called the real police.

“The suspect is described as a black male, approximately 5’8” tall and 170 lbs,” according to an ACPD press release. “At the time of the incident he was wearing dark colored jeans, a gray jacket and a red and black plaid hat.”

News

Water Pressure Restored After Repairs to Huge Main

By ARLnow.com

Published January 16, 2013 at 12:15PM

“A leak was discovered at midnight on a 30-inch main at a location just north of the intersection of Arlington Blvd and Irving,” Arlington County Department of Environmental Services spokeswoman Shannon Whalen McDaniel told ARLnow.com. “County crews worked during the night to repair the leak. During the isolation process of the repair, an area of the main was impacted resulting in low water pressure.”

“Pressure should be restored to normal levels now,” McDaniel said. “There will be additional repair work on the main this week (along Irving), however it should not impact pressure for customers.”

Weather

Winter Storm Watch Issued for Region

By ARLnow.com

Published January 16, 2013 at 11:35AM | Updated January 16, 2013 at 2:21PM

Arlington and the rest of the Washington region is now under a Winter Storm Watch.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service say up to five inches of snow is possible tomorrow (Thursday). The snow may be at its heaviest during Thursday’s evening rush hour.

Around Town

Ray’s Hell Burger Closes Due to Landlord-Tenant Dispute

By ARLnow.com

Published January 16, 2013 at 10:30AM | Updated January 16, 2013 at 2:20PM

(Updated at 1:05 p.m.) Ray’s Hell Burger and Ray’s Hell Burger Too (1713 & 1725 Wilson Blvd) has closed in Rosslyn.

The closure is the result of a landlord-tenant dispute between restaurateur Michael Landrum and his landlord, the historic Colonial Village Shopping Center. Court records show that Landrum filed a lawsuit against the shopping center on Nov. 16. Yesterday afternoon, the shopping center locked Landrum and his staff out of both storefronts.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 16, 2013 at 9:05AM

No More Checks for State Tax Refunds — Starting this year, Virginia is no longer sending checks for state tax refunds. Instead, the Commonwealth will only issue refunds by direct deposit or by prepaid debit card. The debit cards are issued by a vendor at no cost to the state; the change is expected to save taxpayers about $200,000 in printing and mailing costs. [Virginia Dept. of Taxation]

Jobs, Wages Decline in Arlington — While wages in Arlington remain high, average wages and the number of jobs in Arlington both declined in the second quarter of 2012, according to new federal data. The decline is worrying some local real estate developers. [Sun Gazette]

Feature

Help Wanted Highlight: N. Va. Leasing Agent

By ARLnow.com

Published January 15, 2013 at 5:00PM

Looking for a job? Know someone who is? ARLnow.com periodically highlights job openings in the area. If you’re an employer with a position to fill, contact [email protected] to find out how we can help get your listing out in front of our talented, well-educated readership.

What You Do

Traffic

Overturned Vehicle on Spout Run Parkway

By ARLnow.com

Published January 15, 2013 at 4:05PM | Updated January 15, 2013 at 4:49PM

The accident happened near Lorcom Lane, possibly at the turn-around between Lorcom Lane and the GW Parkway.

Two vehicles were reportedly involved in the wreck and one vehicle flipped on its roof. An individual was stuck in the overturned vehicle but seemed to to be okay, according to scanner traffic.

Around Town

Library Offers Free Magazine Downloads

By ARLnow.com

Published January 15, 2013 at 3:20PM

Arlington Public Library launched a new feature today that allows library users to download digital copies of popular magazines for free.

Opinion

Peter’s Take: Why McDonnell Failed as Governor

By Peter Rousselot

Published January 15, 2013 at 2:00PM | Updated January 15, 2013 at 3:34PM

We should have known.

We should have known when McDonnell said he could solve our transportation problems with a flawed proposal to sell off Virginia’s publicly-owned liquor stores. He campaigned on this idea in 2009, and spent his first year in office trying to get his flawed plan enacted. Those were two wasted years.

News

Falls Church Seeks Info on Larceny Suspect

By ARLnow.com

Published January 15, 2013 at 1:00PM

Falls Church police say the man in the surveillance images (left) stole more than $2,000 from a “money transfer store” on the 6000 block of Wilson Boulevard.

“At approximately 3:28 p.m. on Friday, January 4, an unknown male entered a store unnoticed and removed $2,324 cash from a locked drawer behind a counter,” police said. “He appeared to leave in a black Ford Fusion.”

Around Town

Local Mom Opens Nail Salon on Lee Highway

By ARLnow.com

Published January 15, 2013 at 11:55AM

Arlington mom Li Vo opened Yorktown Nails, at 5163 Lee Highway, in December. Fellow moms have been spreading the word about the salon in an attempt to drum up business.

“It was opened by Li Vo, a McKinley Elementary and Yorktown [High School] mom who many folks know as the uber-popular manicurist at American Nail,” resident Sarah Moore told ARLnow.com. “Now she and her family have opened their own salon and everything is super clean, new and parking is a cinch.”

News

Ebbin Bill Would Legalize Unmarried Cohabitation in Va.

By ARLnow.com

Published January 15, 2013 at 10:30AM | Updated January 15, 2013 at 10:51AM

State Sen. Adam Ebbin is running unopposed so far in his 2019 bid for re-election

A law against “lewd and lascivious cohabitation” has been on the books in Virginia since the 19th century. Currently, § 18.2-345 of Virginia code specifies that “If any persons, not married to each other, lewdly and lasciviously associate and cohabit together… each of them shall be guilty of a Class 3 misdemeanor” — punishable by a fine up to $500.

A quick internet search reveals that talk of repealing the archaic law dates back to at least 1981, when the University of Virginia’s Cavalier Daily talked to a local prosecutor who attributed “the statute’s permanence… to the reluctance of members of the Legislature to stand up and ask for its repeal.” In 2005, USA Today noted that Virginia was one of seven states that still prohibited unmarried cohabitation.