Author: ARLnow.com

Solidcore Sold — “The private equity owners of Solidcore Holdings LLC have reached a deal to sell the Arlington-based fitness chain to L Catterton, the private equity firm backed by luxury giant LVMH SE. Terms have not been disclosed, but Reuters reported the deal values Solidcore between $600 million and $700 million. Solidcore’s investors began exploring a sale of the Pilates chain in May.” [WBJ]

Chase Through Arlington — “The Alexandria Police Department said a suspect pursued by the Arlington County Police Department crashed at the intersection of N. Van Dorn Street and W. Braddock Road just off I-395 near Fort Ward. Scanner traffic indicated that the Arlington County Police Department was following up on D.C. police pursuit of a homicide suspect. The suspect drove over the 14th Street Bridge into Arlington on I-395.” [ALXnow, Twitter]

Closures for Clarendon Day — “The 2024 Clarendon Day will take place on Saturday, September 28, 2024, from approximately 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. The Arlington County Police Department will conduct the following road closures from approximately 3:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28 to accommodate the event.” [ACPD]

Governance Task Force Considered — “Is a county-government task force the way to advance the ball down the field on proposed changes to the governance structure that has been in place in Arlington for nearly a century? That’s a request being made by the Arlington County Civic Federation. Whether county officials take the group up on its proposal remains to be seen.” [GazetteLeader]

VHC Launches New Podcast — “Coming soon, VHC Health and the Washington Business Journal will launch a new podcast called Living Well with Alison Starling. Join the former ABC 7News anchor and Emmy Award winner for exclusive conversations with health care advocates and experts on today’s most timely health topics.” [WBJ]

Senior Program Keeping Staff Busy — “An increase in community needs, coupled with staffing challenges, has led the Arlington Area Agency on Aging (AAAA) to cut back slightly on walk-up services for those seeking assistance from the county’s Aging & Disability Resource Center. Walk-ins are now curtailed on Fridays, ‘primarily to give staff time to catch up with their administrative duties.'” [GazettLeader]

Beyer Statement on Crime Stats — “According to the FBI’s release of 2023 hate crimes statistics, only 16,009 agencies out of out of 18,800 agencies nationwide participated in hate crimes data collection. The 2023 hate crimes statistics illustrate the urgent need to improve hate crimes reporting across the country.” [Press Release]

Nearby: Squirrel Befriends Gas Man — “Every day at the Exxon at 4001 Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria, attendant Ghulam Rabani has fed peanut M&Ms to a squirrel. ‘I see him every day,’ Rabani told ALXnow. ‘He loves the M&Ms. He’ll take them and hide them and then come back.'” [ALXnow]

Watching Hurricane Helene — “Helene should manage to send its remnant rains our way Friday into Friday night. There’s a chance of some thunderstorms, but the higher threat of severe weather and tornadoes will probably remain to the southwest of the D.C. area… It’s still early to predict rainfall totals with much confidence, but models suggest 0.75 to 2 inches is possible through Sunday night.” [Capital Weather Gang]

It’s Thursday — Expect showers and possible thunderstorms after 11am, with cloudy skies and a high of 79°F accompanied by a south wind at 7 mph. The chance of precipitation is 30%. For Thursday night, there’s a 20% chance of showers, with otherwise cloudy conditions and a low around 69°F. [NWS]

Energy Startup Moves to Arlington — “Dandelion Energy Inc. has raised $40 million in fresh funding for the national rollout of its geothermal systems that heat and cool single-family homes and multifamily housing… It also comes following the relocation of Dandelion’s headquarters from Mount Kisco, New York, to Arlington earlier this month… By year’s end, [CEO Dan Yates, who co-founded Arlington utility management provider Opower Inc.] plans to staff about 15 people at new offices at 1515 N. Courthouse Road.” [WBJ]

Food Waste Collection Pilot — “Arlington residents have answered the call to feed the green machines deployed to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper to divert them from trash bins. To date, more than 11,000 pounds of food waste has been collected since the launch of the Solid Waste Bureau’s pilot program in early July, which seeks to expand the County’s ability to compost food scraps and prevent waste.” [Arlington County]

Open House for Long Bridge Trail — “Learn about Arlington’s Long Bridge Drive Multimodal Connection Project, which aims to improve transportation for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers. Attend the Concept Design Open House on Thursday, September 26, from 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM.” [Twitter]

Latino Festival Friday Evening — “The Arlington County government will host the 2024 Festival Latinoamericano on Friday, Sept. 27 from 5 to 9 p.m. at Arlington Mill Community Center. The free event will feature delicious food, captivating performances and a warm community atmosphere, organizers said.” [GazetteLeader]

Beyer Introduces AI Bill — ” U.S. Representatives Deborah Ross (NC-02) and Don Beyer (VA-08) introduced the bicameral Secure Artificial Intelligence Act, legislation to enhance the monitoring and management of security and safety incidents and risks related to artificial intelligence.” [Press Release]

GMU Admission Pilot Program — “Some Northern Virginia seniors will be admitted to George Mason University without having to fill out an application, as part of a pilot program that aims to address the falling number of underrepresented students applying to college… At a school board meeting last week, Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Durán said students at Wakefield and Washington-Liberty High Schools, as well as the Arlington Career Center, will have access to the program.” [WTOP]

Old Post Chapel Temporarily Closed — From Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall: “Old Post Chapel will be closed until Nov. 9 for pipe organ restoration and audio upgrades.” [Twitter]

New F.C. Library Director — “Megan Dotzler has been hired as the new Library Director for Mary Riley Styles Public Library (MRSPL) in the City of Falls Church… Dotzler joins MRSPL from the Arlington Public Library in Arlington, Virginia, where she was head of Central Library youth services and before that branch manager for Arlington’s Aurora Hills location.” [City of Falls Church]

Whooping Cough Cases Rising — “The United States is seeing a rise in the number of whooping cough cases. Nationally in 2024, cases are nearly five times higher than the previous year. In Virginia, there have been 424 cases so far in 2024, compared with 72 in 2023 — an increase of 488 percent.” [Patch]

It’s Wednesday — Expect showers and possible thunderstorms today. Patchy fog may occur before noon. The day will otherwise be cloudy with a high near 73 and a southeast wind around 9 mph. There’s a 60% chance of precipitation, with new rainfall amounts ranging from a tenth to a quarter of an inch, or higher in thunderstorms. Wednesday night, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, with cloudy conditions, a low around 68, and a south wind at 7 mph. [NWS]

APS Phone Pouch Pilot Update — “Though too early to draw any conclusions on the effort, School Board members did discuss it at a Sept. 5 meeting…The pouch pilot is slated to run all year. What happens after that, nobody can tell, but Kadera did opine that any discussion of whether to expand it countywide, or not, should occur when parents and students are engaged.” [GazetteLeader]

Flyover Scheduled Today — From AlertDC: “The U.S. Naval Air Force will conduct a military flyover in the National Capital Region over Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at 11:15AM.”

Arlington Org Helping GGW — “In January 2023, Greater Greater Washington tried to hold training sessions for newly elected Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners… We’ve partnered with the Arlington-based, libertarian-leaning Institute for Justice (IJ), who know the contours of free speech better than most, to make sure this sort of gagging of free speech doesn’t happen again.” [GGW, Twitter]

Inflation a Mixed Bag — “Some Americans do see prices as settling down. Tisha Deloney of Arlington, Virginia, said she was initially miffed when her company provided a smaller cost-of-living adjustment for this year of about 3%, down from the 8% she remembers when inflation was peaking. But when her rent rose two months ago, it ticked up by a much smaller amount than it had in previous years.” [Associated Press]

Local Renewable Energy Enthusiast — “When the power goes out in Arlington, Virginia, people often gather at Scott Sklar’s house… That’s because Sklar’s home and detached office never lose power. He generates clean energy using a mix of several technologies – solar panels, solar roof shingles, a wind turbine, and a hydrogen fuel cell. And he stores excess power in a bank of batteries.” [Yale Climate Connections]

Political ‘Speed Dating’ — “It’s the political equivalent of speed dating – called ‘candi-dating’ or ‘candidating’ (take your pick) – and the League of Women Voters of Arlington & Alexandria City is hosting a chance for Arlington residents to get to know candidates for local office without the long-term commitment of a full-blown candidate forum. The event will be held on Sunday, Oct. 6.” [GazetteLeader]

Healthy Eating on the Pike — “EvolveAll and Columbia Pike Partnership have teamed up to profile several local restaurants and ask our fitness team for recommendations on what to eat. We hope this will provide helpful guidance so that you can enjoy a night out with friends without compromising your healthy living goals.” First up: Sabores Tapas Bar. [EvolveAll]

Subscription Law Change — “In Virginia, the new law, which took effect in July, requires companies to notify consumers of their option to cancel within 30 days of the end of the trial period… About half a dozen other states have enacted similar laws this year.” [Virginia Mercury]

It’s Tuesday — Scattered showers and cloudy skies are expected with a high near 70 and an east wind of 6 to 9 mph. The chance of precipitation is 40%. Tuesday night will see scattered showers and potential thunderstorms after 2 am, a low around 65, with a 50% chance of precipitation. [NWS]