Launched in January 2010, ARLnow.com is the place for the latest news, views and things to do around Arlington, Virginia. The ARLnow staff byline is used for the Morning Notes and reporting done by an editor or other member of our full-time staff.
It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Dabney Miller Wharton, aged 76 years, of Arlington, Virginia. He is survived by his wife, Kim, daughters, Andrea & Kristyn, and his niece, Peggy Duggin, whom he loved dearly.
Dabney was born in Montross, Virginia, on June 20, 1948, to Lillie Mae White and Joseph Harvey Wharton. After his mother’s passing at the age of 11, his half-brother Joseph “U.B.” Wharton took guardianship of Dabney and brought him up to Arlington, Virginia, where he called ‘home’ the remainder of his life.
People out at Gravelly Point on a warm early spring day (Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar)
Arlington Public Schools and other local school systems are on spring break this week. Have you noticed?
Between schools being off and holidays like Easter and Passover, it’s a popular time for travel. Does it seem like there are fewer people on the roads, at local restaurants and stores, and elsewhere, as a result?
During spring break last year 70% of poll respondents said they were aware Arlington students were on break. This year, meanwhile, the parking lot at National Airport is currently near capacity. And things are slower digitally — ARLnow’s readership is about 60-65% of normal to start the week.
Does all that translate to real world observations around Arlington? Let’s find out.
Police on scene at the Pentagon City mall in 2023 (file photo by Jay Westcott)
A teen girl is facing charges after police say she threw food at an officer in Pentagon City.
The incident happened this past Friday around 5:15 p.m. at the Pentagon City Metro station. The girl started throwing food at an officer who stopped her male companion for fare evasion, according to an Arlington County Police Department crime report.
Dining al fresco on a warm spring day (courtesy George Brazier)
Primary Two Months Away — “The upcoming election on June 17 will be a Dual Party Primary! Mark your calendars with these important dates. Sample ballots will be available on our website soon.” Early voting starts Friday, May 2. [Arlington Elections/X]
Local CEO Sentenced for Fraud — “An Arlington-based mergers and acquisitions firm executive, who admitted to defrauding a total of $2,002,750 from eight companies, was sentenced in federal court earlier this month. Kiel Brendan Brandt, 34, the founder and owner of Epsilon Acquisition Services, was convicted of wire fraud in December and faced a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Instead, was sentenced on April 3 to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release, according to court documents.” Note: Patch updated its reporting on April 17. [Patch]
Video: Crash on I-395 — “A lot of questions about this video: It sure looks like the middle vehicle was playing bumper cars on I-395S near the Pentagon just before 6 p.m. yesterday. Also, my video shows the car on the left side of the screen kept going.” [Dave Statter/X]
It’s Tuesday — Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible after 2pm. Otherwise, expect a breezy and partly sunny day, reaching highs near 65°F. West winds start at 10-15 mph, later increasing to 21-26 mph and potentially gusting up to 41 mph. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation. Tuesday night brings mostly clear skies with lows around 44°F, and west winds at 11-16 mph, gusting up to 24 mph. [NWS]
Scattered showers and possible thunderstorms after 2pm accompany a partly sunny day reaching highs near 65°F. West winds start at 10-15 mph, later increasing to 21-26 mph and potentially gusting up to 41 mph. There’s a 30% chance of precipitation. During Tuesday night, expect mostly clear skies with lows around 44°F, and west winds at 11-16 mph, gusting up to 24 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” – Albert Einstein
A paper calendar (Photo by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash)
Looking to attract more people to your upcoming local gathering?
Submit it to ARLnow’s event calendar and connect with locals searching for things to do in our community. Thousands of Arlington residents turn to our calendar when planning their activities. Free basic listings help spread the word about your event, while paid promotional options give you premium visibility with featured placement on the site, in our email newsletter, and on social media.
Reach over 500,000 monthly ARLnow readers with just a few clicks. Our engaged local audience actively seeks community experiences and new things to do right here in Arlington.
Fill more seats at your next gathering! Use the link above or the button below to submit an event today.
Donut in the parking lot of Glencarlyn Park pavillion (Flickr pool photo by ksrjghkegkdhgkk)
County Unemployment Rate Up — Arlington’s jobless rate was 2.7% in February, according to new Virginia Employment Commission data. That’s up from 2.5% in January and 2.1% a year before. In February, Arlington had 150,037 employed in the civilian workforce. The number looking for jobs was 4,189, an increase from 3,814 a month before and 3,413 a year ago. –Scott McCaffrey
Violent Bike Theft Near Rosslyn — “The juvenile male victim was outside on his bike when he was assaulted by four known juvenile suspects. Following the assault, two suspects stole the victim’s bike and subsequently fled the scene. The victim sustained serious, non-life threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital and subsequently released following medical treatment. During the course of the investigation, officers identified the four juvenile male suspects in their teens and obtained petitions.” [ACPD]
Another Rainy I-395 Crash — “It happened again: When it rains, watch out for I-395S near the Arlington Ridge Rd overpass. The latest crash at this spot was around 11:45. There have been so many crashes there on wet roads I am convinced there’s standing water or something else going on with the left side of the road at that point.” [Dave Statter/X]
It’s Monday — Expect a mostly cloudy day with temperatures reaching near 69°F, and a calm wind turning south at 5-7 mph in the morning. Monday night will likely bring showers and possibly a thunderstorm, with a low temperature around 58°F. There is a 60% chance of precipitation at night. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Expect cloudy skies with a 50% chance of showers and a high near 49, accompanied by a north wind at 11 mph and gusts up to 20 mph. Saturday night, there’s a 20% chance of showers before 2am, with mostly cloudy conditions and a low of 42, as the north wind decreases to 7 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” – John Wooden
We hope you have a great weekend, Arlington! Feel free to discuss the most-read stories of the week, the upcoming weekend events or anything else of local interest in the comments. 👋
Address:825 N. Jefferson Street Neighborhood: Bluemont Type: 5 BR, 4 BA single-family detached – 3122 sq. ft. Listed: $1,795,000
Noteworthy: Appealing home with high end renovations on 11,000 sf level lot
Renovated and expanded between 2018 and 2023 with great attention to detail. Built-ins grace the dining room, primary, second and third bedrooms, rec room, and storage area. Kitchen has creamy cupboards stone tops, Miele dishwasher, Dacor cooktop and Electrolux wall ovens. Just off the kitchen is a large laundry and pantry with Miele washer and dryer. The family room opens to a large deck with stairs to an expansive stone patio and the yard which has water and gas lines prepped for a pool.
The main level bedroom is ideal for an in-law or home office. The renovated main level bath has a walk in shower and trough sink for a stylish touch.Upstairs, the primary bath features heated floor, double vanity and soaking tub, Rejuvenation fixtures and Tabarka Studio Lorca Marble tile.The second upstairs bathroom has another walk in shower and vanity. Heated limestone floor in the lower level extends into the rec room, kitchenette and storage area.
The kitchen has a circular island, Miele dishwasher and refrigerator and a tall wine and beverage fridge along with cabinets accented by Devol UK hardware. Custom cabinets line the storage area and provide deep shelves and drawers for accessible organization. The renovated bathroom has Tabarka studio and Zellige tiles in the shower and a charming sink. The fifth bedroom can be used as a gym and has an atrium door to the back yard. For those who value space and the details that make a house a home.
It’s recommended that homeowners clean their gutters at least twice a year. Now is as great a time as ever to get that done, and there’s plenty of local companies who can do the job for you.
Here are the nominees for “Top Gutter Cleaning or Installation in Arlington” as part of our ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards.
Did we miss your go-to service provider? Write them in!
Voting will close in two weeks.
Voting for Best Playground in Arlington is still taking place. Be sure to cast your vote before voting closes next Friday at 9 a.m.
Two weeks ago, we voted on the Best Landscaper in Arlington. The results are now official:
Rainy April day in Ballston bringing out the umbrellas (staff photo by Jay Westcott)
Another DCA Aircraft Incident — “More than half a dozen members of Congress from the New York metro area were ushered off a flight Thursday after another plane clipped its wing while taxiing at Washington Reagan National Airport.” [Axios, NBC 4]
Home Sales Flat in March — Arlington home sales in March totaled 171, down from 176 a year before, according to new data from Bright MLS. Average sales prices were $1,481,119 for single-family homes (up 9.3%), $559,030 for townhouses (down 11.4%) and $491,149 for condominiums (down 17.3%). –Scott McCaffrey
Booze Burgled in Shirlington — “On April 9, police were dispatched to the late report of a larceny. It was reported during the early morning hours of March 28 and March 30, two suspects made entry into the closed business, stole bottles of alcohol and subsequently fled the scene.” [ACPD]
Sheriff’s Office Taps Medical Director — The Arlington County Sheriff’s Office has named Dr. Richard Malish, M.D., as its first chief medical director. Malish earned his medical degree degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science, and served 30 years in the U.S. Army, retiring as a colonel. [ACSO]
Arcades in Arlington — “Looking for fun and games, and maybe a good dose of nostalgia? Gather some friends or pack up the kids and visit these area restaurants, bars and game parlors for old-school pinball, vintage video games, ping pong, billiards, Skee-Ball and more.” [Arlington Magazine]
Regional Cooperation Sought — “Regional leaders seem to agree that they must cooperate and coordinate in an effort to blunt impacts of Trump administration’s gutting of the federal workforce. But that may not be so simple in a region where jurisdictions across the D.C. metropolitan area typically have competed, rather than collaborated, to achieve economic development goals.” [FFXnow]
It’s Friday — Expect showers with a high near 54, a northeast wind of 8 to 10 mph, and a 90% chance of precipitation bringing three quarters to one inch of rain. Friday night will also have showers, a low around 44, a north wind of 11 mph with gusts up to 21 mph, and a 100% chance of precipitation with half to three quarters of an inch of rain possible. [NWS]
Expect showers with a high near 54, a northeast wind of 8 to 10 mph, and a 90% chance of precipitation bringing three quarters to one inch of rain. Friday night will also have showers, a low around 44, a north wind of 11 mph with gusts up to 21 mph, and a 100% chance of precipitation with half to three quarters of an inch of rain possible. See more from Weather.gov.
