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County Board Chair Gets ‘Yarn Bombed’

Published October 23, 2012 at 3:40PM

Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes had her chair “yarn bombed” at this afternoon’s Board meeting.

A group called the “Guerilla Stitch Brigade” created a colorful, monogrammed yarn cover for Hynes’ chair and presented it to her at the meeting. Hynes, whose gavel was also covered in yarn, seemed delighted.

News

Arlington Resident, Fmr. CIA Officer Pleads Guilty to Covert Disclosure

By ARLnow.com

Published October 23, 2012 at 2:30PM | Updated October 23, 2012 at 3:48PM

A former CIA officer who lives in Arlington has pleaded guilty to revealing the name of a covert CIA officer to a journalist.

John Kiriakou, 48, agreed to a 30 month prison sentence for disclosing the covert officer’s name. The crime was detailed in a statement of facts entered in the case.

News

Navy Annex, Parking Lot Demolition to Start Soon

By ARLnow.com

Published October 23, 2012 at 12:40PM | Updated October 23, 2012 at 2:03PM

The long-awaited process of demolishing the Navy Annex and its surrounding parking lots is scheduled to begin within the next month or two, officials tell ARLnow.com.

The 1 million square foot military office complex, first built in 1941 and located on the eastern end of Columbia Pike, will be torn down to make way for an expansion of Arlington National Cemetery. The entire 42-acre Navy Annex site, which includes a large surface parking lot on the other side of Columbia Pike, will be turned into a grass field in advance of an official transfer from the Department of the Army to Arlington National Cemetery in late 2013.

News

Next Year’s Vehicle Decal to Feature USS Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published October 23, 2012 at 11:15AM

All designs for the 2013-2014 decal must feature an image of the USS Arlington, a new Navy ship named after the county in commemoration of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. The ship will be commissioned in Hampton Roads, Va. this coming spring.

The design contest is open to all high school students residing or attending school in Arlington. Entries are due by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 21. Rules and entry instructions can be found online.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Tax Rebates for Arlington Property Owners?

By ARLnow.com

Published October 23, 2012 at 9:55AM

Republican County Board candidate Matt Wavro has an idea for the millions of dollars of unspent tax revenue typically left over at the end of the county’s fiscal year.

Instead of simply finding a way to spend the money or putting the money in reserve, as Arlington County does now, Wavro wants to see the “close-out funds” returned to county residential and commercial property holders in the form of a tax rebate. As the Sun Gazette reports, Wavro presented the idea at the County Board meeting on Saturday, saying that the county should provide tax relief after years of tax rate increases.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published October 23, 2012 at 8:45AM | Updated October 23, 2012 at 9:20AM

Mental Evaluation for Fire Bomb Suspect — Lawyers for Leon Traille, Jr., the man accused of trying to fire bomb the Ballston Common Mall food court last week, have asked the federal judge in the case to grant a mental health evaluation. Traille is charged with arson and faces 5 to 20 years in prison if convicted. [Washington Post]

Disturbance at Arlington Screening of ‘Hating Breitbart’ — A liberal activist is accused of disrupting the Friday night showing of the documentary Hating Breitbart at the Regal theater at Ballston Common Mall. Moviegoers say the activist, Ryan Clayton, shouted at the screen and laughed loudly at inappropriate times during the film about the late conservative media icon. [The Hollywood Reporter]

News

Concern Over Narrowed Street, New Sidewalk in Penrose

By ARLnow.com

Published October 22, 2012 at 3:45PM

The sidewalk is being built along the north side of a five block stretch of 8th Street S., between S. Cleveland Street and S. Courthouse Road. Before the project, only two of the blocks had sidewalks, and those sidewalks were narrower than Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

Now, the street is getting a five foot wide, ADA-compliant sidewalk, plus water main upgrades, curb and gutter improvements, new landscaping and a repaved roadway. But while the sidewalk was requested by the Penrose Civic Association, not everybody who lives in the area has been happy with the project.

Events

Marymount to Hold Talk on ‘Role of Media in 2012 Campaign’

By ARLnow.com

Published October 22, 2012 at 2:45PM | Updated October 22, 2012 at 3:47PM

The speaker will be former New York Times correspondent, political analyst and best-selling author Steven V. Roberts, husband of ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts.

His lecture, which is free and open to the public, is entitled “From The Times to Twitter: The Role of Media in the 2012 Campaign.” The event is being held on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Reinsch Library Auditorium on Marymount’s main campus (2807 N. Glebe Road).

News

ACPD to Hold Paintball SWAT Exercise in Neighborhood

By ARLnow.com

Published October 22, 2012 at 1:45PM

The exercise is expected to involve officers using paintball guns and flash grenades. Residents in the area should expect some loud noises and the presence of numerous police vehicles.

From an ACPD press release:

Events

Grand Opening Planned for Henry Wright Park

By ARLnow.com

Published October 22, 2012 at 12:15PM

A grand opening is planned for one of Arlington’s newest public parks.

Henry Wright Park, located at 4350 4th Street N. in the Buckingham neighborhood, is holding a grand opening celebration from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24. The free event will feature a ribbon cutting ceremony and a moon bounce and face painting for the kids.

News

Murray Responds to Moran Sequestration Letter

By ARLnow.com

Published October 22, 2012 at 11:15AM

Republican congressional candidate Patrick Murray is responding to a letter incumbent Rep. Jim Moran (D) sent to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) on the topic of sequestration.

Moran asked McDonnell use his position in the Republican party to pressure GOP congressional leaders to support a “balanced approach to deficit reduction” that could avoid sequestration. Murray has responded with a statement criticizing Moran’s leadership on the issue.

Events

Audition Tapes Sought for ‘Arlington’s Got Talent’

By ARLnow.com

Published October 22, 2012 at 10:15AM

The Young Professionals Program of Leadership Arlington is currently accepting audition videos for “Arlington’s Got Talent,” a talent show scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 27.

The event will showcase Arlingtonians who can sing, dance, play a musical instrument, do stand-up comedy or show off any other type of entertaining, family-friendly talent. Links to audition videos can be sent to [email protected] or mailed to the address listed on this Facebook page. The submission deadline is Friday, Nov. 2. Participants must be at least 21 years old.