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What Are You Thankful for, Arlington?

Published November 27, 2014 at 11:45AM

ARLnow.com is taking a day off for the holiday, but we wanted to wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks in part to the status of “Black Friday” as the most prominent shopping day of the year, Thanksgiving seems to be getting ever more commercialized. At its heart, however the holiday is about recognizing and giving thanks for the blessings of our lives.

Arlington Pet of the Week: Coco Abrams

Published November 26, 2014 at 11:00AM

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Coco Abrams, a rescue cat that’s a champion eater, although she frequent wins eating contests “unopposed.”

Here’s what owner Hannah and mother Tamar had to say about Coco:

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 26, 2014 at 10:00AM

New Tot Playground Opens — An upgraded tot playground with “education-themed amenities” has opened at Chestnut Hills Park, at 2807 N. Harrison Street. [InsideNova]

H-B Woodlawn Student Scores School Musical — Calista Garcia, an 8th grade student at H-B Woodlawn, produced the score for the school’s fall musical, “Lizzy Strata.” Garcia is also the lead singer and guitarist for an all-girl rock band, the Diamond Dolls. [Washington Post]

Traffic

VDOT Preps for Snowy Pre-Thanksgiving Travel

By ARLnow.com

Published November 26, 2014 at 6:20AM

The timing of the storm, on one of the busiest travel day of the year, could create major problems on local highways and byways.

VDOT urges drivers to “use extra caution, particularly on bridges, overpasses, curves, hills and ramps, which become slippery first,” as the snow starts falling later today. Crews are not pre-treating roads since the rain would just wash the treatment away.

Traffic

Arlington Ridge Water Main Break Snarls Traffic

By ARLnow.com

Published November 25, 2014 at 5:45PM

Arlington Ridge Road is closed between I-395 and 20th Street S. tonight due to a water main break.

Crews are currently digging up a portion of the road near the Hume School in an effort to repair the water main. The closure is expected to remain in effect through the evening rush hour.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Has the Storm Changed Your Travel Plans?

By ARLnow.com

Published November 25, 2014 at 10:00AM

Forecasters say above-freezing temperatures should preclude more than an inch or so of accumulation locally. Still, the storm has the potential to have a major impact on Thanksgiving travel from Washington to Boston on Wednesday.

If you’re planning to travel for the holiday, is the storm affecting your travel plans?

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 25, 2014 at 9:15AM

Bond Chairs: Listen to Concerns — The co-chairs of the 2014 school bond committee warned Arlington School Board members that they should not take continued voter support for granted, despite the approval of a $105.8 million school bond earlier this month. The co-chairs told the Board that they should listen to voter concerns, including concerns about the cost of new school facilities. [InsideNova]

Post Tries ‘Divide’ Storyline Again — The Washington Post has published another article blaming a class and a racial divide between north and south Arlington on the cancellation of the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar system. A letter to the editor writer, in response, asks if the divide is worth the ink. “Where is the problem… is anyone’s goal to make South Arlington as expensive as North Arlington so that only rich people can live there?” [Washington Post]

News

Ebbin Proposes Marijuana Decriminalization in Virginia

By ARLnow.com

Published November 24, 2014 at 4:30PM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:35PM

Ebbin’s bill, SB686, is similar to the marijuana decriminalization statute that went into effect in the District earlier this year. (D.C. has since voted to legalize marijuana.) SB686 changes simple marijuana possession from a crime punishable by a $500 fine, and/or up to 30 days in jail, to a civil infraction — a ticket — with a maximum $100 penalty, payable to the state’s Literary Fund.

The distribution of marijuana would remain a crime, but would be reduced to a lesser misdemeanor for all marijuana quantities less than a pound. Growing up to up to six marijuana plants would be considered personal use and not an intent to distribute.

Around Town

Santa, Sledgehammers Kick Off Pentagon City Mall Renovation Preview

By ARLnow.com

Published November 24, 2014 at 11:30AM | Updated November 24, 2014 at 11:50AM

Officials from Simon Property Group on Thursday previewed the big changes coming to the company’s Fashion Centre at Pentagon City mall.

The holiday-themed event featured Santa Claus, taking a break from photos with children to read a renovation “wish list,” and a tile-smashing photo opportunity dubbed “wreck the halls,” complete with candy cane-wrapped sledgehammers.

Around Town

American Tap Room Permit Renewed Amid Sale Rumors

By ARLnow.com

Published November 24, 2014 at 10:15AM | Updated November 24, 2014 at 10:42AM

The former American Tap Room in Clarendon (file photo)

ATR’s permit renewal request was pulled from the Board’s “consent agenda” for non-controversial items by County Board member Mary Hynes. It was instead heard individually on Tuesday, giving Hynes, a nearby resident, a chance to inquire about a couple of noise complaints she had received from her Lyon Village neighbors.

The Board was assured by an ATR manager that the bar has addressed the noise issue and that it in fact doesn’t host any live entertainment anymore — instead it’s seeking to hang on to the permit “just in case.” That was enough assurance for Board, which took little additional time to approve the routine renewal request.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 24, 2014 at 9:30AM

Pizza makers at Pupatella in Bluemont (Flickr pool photo by Chris)

Route 50 Trail Proposed — The Washington Area Bicyclist Association has proposed connecting existing trail infrastructure along Route 50 to create a contiguous trail between the National Mall and Fairfax City. The potential project faces a number of challenges, including its estimated $40 million price tag. [Greater Greater Washington]

‘Arlington Archive’ to Be Studied — Arlington County will assemble a task force that will spend all of 2015 trying to figure out a plan for the county to preserve its history with a digital “Arlington Archive.” [Arlington County]

Opinion

Letter to the Editor: The Streetcar Is Dead, What Comes Next?

By ARLnow.com

Published November 22, 2014 at 12:30PM

The following letter to the editor was submitted by Columbia Pike resident Nicholas Evans.

I’m not a pro-streetcar zealot. However, living a few blocks from Columbia Pike, I was generally supportive of the streetcar as the best available option to spur growth and alleviate congestion. There was also an element of needing to keep a promise that had been made to developers and local business owners. Nevertheless, I heard and understood the passionate arguments made by many friends of mine in opposition. There are no perfect answers.

Author: ARLnow.com

What Are You Thankful for, Arlington?

Sponsored

Arlington Pet of the Week: Coco Abrams

Morning Notes

VDOT Preps for Snowy Pre-Thanksgiving Travel

Arlington Ridge Water Main Break Snarls Traffic

Morning Poll: Has the Storm Changed Your Travel Plans?

Morning Notes

Ebbin Proposes Marijuana Decriminalization in Virginia

Santa, Sledgehammers Kick Off Pentagon City Mall Renovation Preview

American Tap Room Permit Renewed Amid Sale Rumors

Morning Notes

Letter to the Editor: The Streetcar Is Dead, What Comes Next?