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.
The person or people who lit flags on fire outside of at least three Arlington homes remains at large.
(Updated at 10 a.m.) We’re one year and nine months into the pandemic and it’s probably safe to say that most people just want things to be largely back to normal.
And, aside from wearing masks and working remotely, in many ways it is.
Slight Dip in Apartment Rents — “The average rental rate for an Arlington unit over the past month was down 0.4 percent compared to the month before, according to figures reported Nov. 1 by Apartment List. Arlington’s rental rates averaged $2,032 for one-bedroom units and $2,460 for two-bedroom units. Arlington was one of 22 of the nation’s 100 largest urban areas to see pullbacks in rental rates over the month.” [Sun Gazette]
Federal Funds for Local Bridge? — From reporter Michael Lee Pope: “@RepDonBeyer #VA08 infrastructure projects requested: $9 million for renovating the bridge connecting Mount Vernon Avenue in #AlexandriaVA to Arlington Ridge Road in #ArlingtonVA” [Twitter]
Time has expired for Spanish tapas restaurant and soccer-watching venue Copa Kitchen & Bar in Ballston.
The establishment at Ballston Quarter mall served its final brunches over the weekend after apparently failing to score with local diners. Of course, stiff opposition — in the form of the pandemic and a labor shortage — probably didn’t help.
Despite the Republican sweep of statewide offices in Virginia, last week Arlington remained deep blue.
All of the Democratic or Democrat-endorsed candidates for local office and the state legislature won their races by comfortable margins. That includes County Board member Takis Karantonis, who was reelected with 60.1% of the vote.
Vacuum Leaf Collection Starts Today — “The county’s first pass is scheduled to kick off on Monday, Nov. 8 and will likely run through late November. The second pass will likely run through Friday, Dec. 17, according to a new fall leaf collection brochure.” [ARLnow]
Metro Woes Continue — “Metro’s limited train service will continue for the rest of November, officials said Friday, as the transit agency begins tests that it hopes will allow for the reinstatement of more than half of its fleet… Metro is pulling all of its available cars out of storage to help shorten waits, including 32 recently pulled from its Shady Grove yard. Waits between trains are about 15 minutes on the Red Line, 20 minutes on the Green Line and 30 minutes on the Orange, Blue and Silver lines, Metro said.” [Washington Post]
(Updated at 5:45 p.m.) Expect heavy traffic on the southbound GW Parkway just after Spout Run due to a crash following a police pursuit.
Initial reports suggest that Virginia State Police troopers chased a fleeing suspect in a Dodge up the Spout Run Parkway and then back down onto the southbound lanes of the Parkway, when the suspect crashed.
Autumn is now in full force in Arlington, with chilly temperatures and trees finally turning their fall colors.
A seasonally cool but otherwise nice weekend is now on tap. Just don’t forget to turn those clocks back an hour before you go to bed on Saturday.
It’s been a chilly week and looks to be a chilly weekend ahead as well. If you’re looking to move and stay warm this weekend, check out a few of the open houses across Arlington.
According to Homesnap, there are currently 655 homes for sale, 408 are condos, 195 are detached homes and 52 are townhomes. The median list price is $649,900 with a median sales price of $688,000.
Get ready for it to get darker even earlier.
Daylight Saving Time ends early Sunday morning, and along with the clocks being turned back by an hour will come 5 p.m. sunsets and extra traffic enforcement in the D.C. area.
New AG Targets N. Va. Prosecutors — “Virginia Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares said that he and Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin will pursue legislation to enable the state’s attorney general to circumvent ‘social justice’ commonwealth’s attorneys who refuse to vigorously prosecute crimes. At a news conference on Thursday, Miyares laid out ‘one of our major legislative initiatives’ which Youngkin ‘has already indicated that he would sign… into law.'” [Fox News]
Department Bans ‘Kill’ from Feedback — From Arlington Transportation Commission Chair Chris Slatt: “Today I learned it’s against our ‘Community Guidelines’ to tell DES that their designs are going to get someone killed.” [Twitter]
The first freeze of the season is expected to happen tonight in Arlington.
With overnight temperatures expected to dip as low as 30 degrees, now is the time to protect sensitive plants and to turn off the valves leading to outdoor water pipes and hose bibbs, allowing them to drain.
