More on Fallen Arlington Marine — “Life for the Collart family had already been hard these past three years before they learned of the crash off the Australian coast on Sunday that took the lives of Cpl. Spencer R. Collart and two of his fellow U.S. Marines. In March 2020, just when the coronavirus pandemic was settling in, the family’s Northern Virginia home burned down, leaving little more than embers.” [Washington Post, WJLA]
Arlington Pickleball Controversy on NPR — “Arlington County is one of the many communities caught up in the pickleball craze. That’s not without its problems. Denizens are fighting over sound ordinances and the use of public parks.” [1A]
Marymount Enrollment Growth — “Marymount University’s academic year opened with the highest number of first-year students in seven years, representing a 20-percent increase from a year ago… The institution set record undergraduate numbers for inquiries received (12,752), campus visits from prospective students (1,146) and submitted applications (3,610) ahead of the fall semester.” [Gazette Leader]
Video of Confused I-395 Driver — From Dave Statter: “When @VaDOTNOVA blocks off your I-395 exit do you: a. drive through the traffic cones? b. drive very slowly in the left lane of an interstate highway? c. stop the car in the left lane of an interstate highway for more than 2 minutes? d. do all of the above?” [Twitter]
Va. Drivers Don’t Play — “A new national study by Forbes Advisor ranks Virginia No. 4 for having the most confrontational drivers — West Virginia’s drivers rank even worse at No. 3. Maryland comes in at No. 19. The District of Columbia wasn’t included in the study. Of those polled, more than half in Virginia said they’ve been involved in an incident where the other driver got out of their vehicle to yell at or fight them. Ninety percent have had another driver curse at them, insult them, or make threats.” [WTOP]
Back to School Rally in Green Valley — “The Green Valley Civic Association got the new school year off on the right foot with a Back to School Rally. The event, held Aug. 26 at Dr. Charles Drew Elementary School, provided 130 participating students with backpacks two days before the opening of Arlington Public Schools’ 2023-24 school year.” [Gazette Leader]
Tito’s Still ABC’s Most Popular — “Tito’s Handmade Vodka is once again the top spirit of choice among customers at Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC) stores, garnering $72 million in sales in fiscal year 2023. Tito’s was followed by Hennessy VS cognac ($44M), Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 whiskey ($30.1M), Patron Silver tequila ($28.6M) and Jim Beam straight bourbon whiskey ($24M).” [Press Release]
It’s Thursday — A cloudy day to start, gradually clearing to become mostly sunny with a high near 78 degrees. Along with a northeast wind blowing at 11 to 14 mph and gusts as high as 23 mph during the day, the night will be mostly clear with a low around 60 degrees and a north wind at 7 to 9 mph. [Weather.gov]