Good morning, Arlington. Jo here. It’s Tuesday, August 31: National Trail Mix Day and Larry Fitzgerald’s 38th birthday.

Morning Status

• Today’s Weather: ☁️ A chance of showers, mainly after 4 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 86.
• Tomorrow’s Weather: ⛈ Showers and storms from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Some of the storms could produce downpours. A Flash Flood Watch will be in effect until Thursday morning. High near 79.
• Sunrise:  6:34 a.m.
• Sunset:  7:33 p.m.

What We’re Covering Today

Morning Notes

• Local Pet Rescue Orgs Take in Hurricane Evacuees — “One of the first transports of dogs arrived Sunday with Lucky Dog Animal Rescue, which was able to find fosters to take in evacuated dogs from Mississippi shelters… Homeward Trails Animal Rescue is another rescue urgently working to take in dogs and cats in Hurricane Ida’s path… ‘Fostering or adopting an animal NOW will save more than that one life. It will save dozens. Please donate, foster and adopt NOW.'” [WUSA 9, WTOP, WJLA]
• Arlington Girl Hooks Record-Setting Fish — “If you happen to meet 5-year-old Caroline May Evans, she may want to tell you about the fish she caught. It’s a story worth hearing: She and her mom and dad hiked 12 miles into the remote Wind River Mountains of Wyoming, where she swung a red worm over the outlet of a lake with no name and caught what turns out to be a world-record golden trout. Caroline’s fish, landed on July 8, a few days before her 5th birthday, weighed 2 pounds, a remarkable size for a golden.” [Field and Stream]
• Young Dems Blast Arlington Bishop — From the Arlington Young Democrats: “In a letter penned to his church community, Bishop Michael F. Burbridge of Arlington made heinous statements about trans folks and even trans children, where he stated that “no one is transgender.” Not only is this statement harmful to the hundreds of thousands of trans people that live in this country, many of whom live here in Arlington, but it is categorically false.” [Twitter]
• APS to Punish Less, Teach More — “The Arlington County, Virginia, public schools are reimagining discipline, in the hope that teaching valuable life lessons will benefit students more than punitive consequences. On the first day of the 2021-2022 school year, Superintendent Francisco Duran, standing outside the newly opened Cardinal Elementary School, in North Arlington, said the school system is shifting the focus of discipline from punishment to making amends.” [WTOP]
• Glebe Road Over Pimmit Run Back Open — “After more than two weeks, N. Glebe Road between Military Road and Chain Bridge Road/Virginia Route 123 in Arlington reopened Monday morning after delays caused by storm damage. The stretch was was originally set to be closed for nine days beginning Aug. 13 and ending Aug. 23, but an additional week was added on because of the impact of severe weather.” [WJLA]
• Police Make Credit Card Theft Arrest — “The officer located the owner of the wallet, contacted him, and learned the wallet was previously stolen and there were fraudulent charges on the victim’s credit cards. The officer initiated a follow-up investigation and developed a suspect description. At approximately 8:22 a.m. on August 29, the officer was on patrol in the area of Wilson Boulevard and N. Randolph Street, observed the suspect on foot, and took him into custody without incident.” [ACPD]

The following are preview of stories we’re planning to cover later today. Note that some stories may be pushed back, depending on the day’s news. 

Eagle Cleaners Saved: Eagle Cleaners won’t close just yet, the manager tells ARLnow. The cost to break the lease in order to sell now was prohibitively expensive, he said, so the dry cleaners in Williamsburg is at least here for the five years left on the lease. The manager, who started a fundraiser last week to buy the business, will instead use it to hire a lawyer and make an offer on the business.

More Kitchen Trailers in Clarendon: A vacant lot near the Whole Foods is now home to three kitchen trailers run by REEF, which started its delivery restaurant concept in Arlington last summer. These delivery-only kitchens are an increasingly popular way for restaurants to branch out to new areas without a storefront. But the location is temporary. The county is embarking on a study later this year to decide if the lot can be zoned for high-rise apartments.

Racist Graffiti Found in Courthouse: A county employee found “KKK” written on a pillar in the parking lot of the Arlington County government headquarters building at Courthouse Square. The county has since removed the racist message and the Arlington County Police Department is investigating. The local NAACP tells ARLnow it will weigh in on the hateful message later today.

Beers Ordered in Tribute to Fallen Service Members: Thirteen beers were ordered and arranged at empty tables in two Irish pubs in Arlington over the weekend. The drafts represent the 13 U.S. service members who were killed on Thursday when two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked the crowds of Afghans around Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. The tribute was paid at a number of restaurants and bars across the country.

And in case you missed it, here’s what we covered Monday but didn’t plan in advance: 

Ida Flood Watch: The remnants of Hurricane Ida are heading our way, and forecasters are already warning of potential flooding. Two days ahead of Ida’s arrival, the National Weather Service on Monday issued a Flash Flood Watch, to take effect from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Thursday. Some 2-5 inches of rain could fall during that time. Separately, Arlington was also under a Flash Flood Watch Monday night due to the potential for downpours and storms.

Portabellos Restaurant Closes: A long-time neighborhood restaurant serving the Cherrydale and Maywood communities is closing. Portabellos: An American Cafe is set to serve its last meals on Saturday, Sept. 25. The restaurant, located within a small, one-story shopping strip at 2109 N. Pollard Street, has been open under its current ownership for 15 years.

Stabbing on Columbia Pike: A man was stabbed multiple times and robbed of his wallet along Columbia Pike early Saturday morning. The stabbing happened on the 2300 block of the Pike, the same block as Bob & Edith’s Diner, William Jeffrey’s Tavern and Xsport Fitness. Police say the man suffered serious injuries but is expected to be okay.

Reporter’s Notepad

This week, I’m working on a story about customer service issues for Washington Gas customers. I’ve perused social media and area blogs and found stories of people going without gas for days after they move in, people waiting on hold for hours on end and eventually getting hung up on or getting redirected to voicemail. If this sounds like you, please reply to this email explaining your experience, when it happened, and if Washington Gas gave you any explanation for the delays.

My research so far indicates that customers are experiencing this across Washington Gas’s coverage area, but getting more anecdotes from Arlington will give readers a better sense of the local scope of the problem and how long it has been a problem.

Washington Gas will be getting back to me this week, hopefully with information on staffing during the pandemic, call volumes during COVID-19 and the stormy summer season, and the changes customers can expect.

Going back to the experiences posted online, one common thread through them was the idea of going to the press. Two folks came to us and convinced us to look into it. I’ve come to appreciate this kind of service journalism more since coming to ARLnow. Whether it’s the impact of peculiar zoning codes or parking permit system problems, I’ve learned that there’s value in local news outlets examining the systems that their readers interact with regularly to find the pain points and identify potential solutions. And local news outlets, with their narrower coverage areas and rapport with readers, are particularly suited to this kind of service journalism.