June, 2015 | ARLnow.com

Bus Delays Expected at Pentagon Transit Center

Published June 16, 2015 at 4:05PM | Updated June 16, 2015 at 4:33PM

An ART bus driving around the county (file photo)

Yesterday, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority began work on improving the bus bays at the Pentagon, according to WMATA spokesman Richard Jordan.

Jordan said that the bus bay improvements, which include expanding pedestrian walkways and replacing the pavement with concrete, are the largest component of the transit center renovations, which are intended to move pedestrians more efficiently and make the bus bays more comfortable. Jordan said the project also aimed to improve traffic circulation, access and security, although he was unable to speak to specifics.

Ask Will: Renting Vs. Owning

Published June 16, 2015 at 2:30PM

This regularly-scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Will Wiard, an Arlington-based real estate broker. Please submit your questions via email.

Q: My partner and I have been renting an apartment in Arlington for the last few years and are considering taking the next step to purchase a home. Many of our friends are new homeowners, and while some say the process was seamless, others say the exact opposite. Do you have any advice on renting vs. owning?

Schools

County Considering Historic Designation for Stratford School, Worrying Parents

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2015 at 1:15PM

With the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program set to move from the Stratford building to a new building in Rosslyn, Arlington Public Schools is planning a $29.2 million renovation of Stratford that would allow it to house a new 1,000-seat neighborhood middle school. Both schools are set to open in 2019.

Tomorrow night, however, the county’s Historic Affairs and Landmark Review Board will hold the first of six public hearings on whether to recommend designating Stratford, which was built in 1950, a local historic district. It’s already on the National Register of Historic Places as a result of its role in the civil rights movement: in 1959 Stratford became the first public secondary school in Virginia to be racially integrated.

News

Cussing Law Fears Are Bullshit, Say Arlington Police

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2015 at 12:15PM

As ARLnow.com previously reported, the County Board on Saturday considered — and approved — an update to its public drunkenness and profanity ordinance.

The update, meant to bring Arlington in line with a Virginia law that’s on the books throughout the Commonwealth, replaced “drunkenness” with “intoxication” so that police could charge someone who’s under the influence of drugs, rather than just alcohol. It also made the crime a Class 4 misdemeanor, upping the maximum fine for the first and second offense from $100 to $250, but reducing the maximum fine for each subsequent offense to $250 from $500.

News

Dog Bites Woman, Friend Pepper Sprays Dog Owner

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2015 at 10:45AM

Arlington police car (file photo)

The chain of events started Sunday evening on the 2400 block of S. Monroe Street, in Nauck.

Police say a woman was bitten in the face by a dog that belonged to a man who was renting a room in her house. The dog attacked the woman after she stomped her feet and tried to take a bone away from it, according to Arlington County Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The dog’s owner was not at home at the time.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2015 at 9:30AM

Car2Go Coming to Arlington — Arlington County is giving the car sharing service Car2Go a try. The county will allow up to 200 Car2Go vehicles on the streets, in metered parking spots, as part of a one year pilot program. Car2Go will pay the county for use of metered spaces. [UrbanTurf, WTOP]

‘Jen’s Kitchen’ Now Open in Va. Square — “Jen’s Kitchen” has reportedly opened in Virginia Square, replacing the former Metro Cafe and Gourmet at 901 N. Nelson Street. [Twitter]

News

County Board to Hold Public Meetings on New Plan for Rosslyn

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 15, 2015 at 6:30PM

The map of the the Rosslyn Coordinated Redevelopment District

The County Board is considering adopting the Rosslyn Sector Plan, but first it is seeking out residents’ opinions.

The Rosslyn Sector Plan is the county’s long-term goal for the neighborhood, including a new Metro entrance, updated parks and a new pedestrian bridge. The County Board authorized two public hearings — one before the Planning Commission on July 6 and the other before the County Board meeting on July 18 — for residents to speak and ask about the new plan.

Events

Outdoor Movies Coming to Clarendon, Columbia Pike

By Mariah Joyce

Published June 15, 2015 at 5:00PM

Outdoor movie festivals at Market Common Clarendon and Penrose Square on Columbia Pike have both announced their weekly lineups.

“Dinner and a Movie on the Loop” will take place on four consecutive Thursday evenings at Market Common Clarendon (2700 Clarendon Blvd), starting this week. The event was started last year as Now Playing at the Loop.

Feature

Legal Insider: Divorce and Federal Employee Retirement Benefits

By ARLnow.com Sponsor

Published June 15, 2015 at 3:45PM

This is a sponsored column by attorneys John Berry and Kimberly Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC, an employment and labor law firm located in Reston Town Center that specializes in federal employee, security clearance, retirement, and private sector employee matters.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the federal agency that processes court orders that properly articulate awards of federal retirement-related benefits to the former spouses of federal employees. The rules governing court-ordered retirement benefits for divorced federal employees and their former spouses are detailed and complex. Therefore, federal employees and their spouses should consider the following general advice if they are facing a divorce involving the division of federal retirement benefits.

Around Town

Photos: Air Force Association Cycling Classic

By Heather Mongilio

Published June 15, 2015 at 3:10PM | Updated June 15, 2015 at 3:48PM

(Updated at 3:45 p.m.) Hundreds of cyclists took to Clarendon and Crystal City streets as part of the Air Force Association Cycling Classic this past weekend.

The two-day event saw professional, amateur and youth cyclists speed up and down Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards and Crystal Drive. The course also featured several tight turns for participants to whip around. The Clarendon Cup had five of these turns, which makes it one of the more difficult courses of its kind in the United States.

Schools

UPDATED: Key Elementary Closed Due to A/C Outage

By ARLnow.com

Published June 15, 2015 at 2:10PM | Updated June 15, 2015 at 9:18PM

“At this time, the air conditioning at Key Elementary School cannot be maintained at a comfortable temperature for students to return on Tuesday,” the school said in an email to parents. “If APS needs to close Key School on Wednesday, an additional notification will be sent. Otherwise, school will be open on time on Wednesday, June 17.”

“Fifth grade promotion will take place in the Washington-Lee High School auditorium (1301 N. Stafford St.) at 6:30 p.m. Fifth grade students should arrive at Washington-Lee by 4 p.m. for promotion practice.”

Crystal City Company to Hold Business Competition to Help Fight PTSD

Published June 15, 2015 at 12:50PM

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

Eastern Foundry, a government contracting incubator, is bringing a Shark Tank-esque competition to Crystal City in hopes of finding creative solutions to help combat post-traumatic stress disorder.