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.
Good morning, Arlington. Jo here. It’s Thursday, September 16: National Guacamole Day and Nick Jonas’ 29th birthday.
Morning Notes
(Updated at 5 p.m.) A rescue operation is underway after reports of a worker dangling from scaffolding in Rosslyn.
The incident is happening at an office building near the Safeway store on the 1500 block of Wilson Blvd.
(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) Around 3,400 homes and businesses are in the dark in Arlington as a result of a widespread power outage.
Portions of Courthouse, Clarendon and Virginia Square are without power, while a Dominion outage map previously showed a big swath of the residential neighborhoods to the north — extending into McLean — also affected. At the outage’s peak, nearly 5,500 homes and businesses were without power.
Meet Abbie, the latest Pet of the Week. This shy Silken Windhound is 26 pounds of cuddles and fun.
Here’s what her mom had to say about Abbie’s life here in Arlington.
(Updated at 10:20 a.m.) The new Dunkin’ store at 3300 Wilson Blvd, near Clarendon, is now open.
The standalone Dunkin’, which features its own parking lot and a drive-thru window, officially opened on Tuesday, a company spokesman said. The coffee and donut purveyor was open this morning, serving a trickle of customers who notice the “now open” sign.
It’s the End of Summers — The former Summers restaurant in Courthouse was torn down yesterday, making way for a new apartment development. Video of the demolition shows water being sprayed to control dust as the building was razed. [Twitter]
Staffing Concerns At 911 Dispatch Center — “The head of Arlington, Virginia’s Emergency Communications Center is addressing concerns that its current setup is problematic and even potentially dangerous. ‘We are like every other 911 center in the country, which has traditionally struggled with staffing,’ center administrator Dave Mulholland told WTOP. ‘We’re going to be very honest in acknowledging not every shift has optimal staffing.’ However, Mulholland maintains that crucial positions have always remained filled, and that more people are being trained to fill needed roles.” [WTOP]
Good morning, Arlington. Dana here. It’s Wednesday, September 15: National Double Cheeseburger Day and Prince Harry’s 37th birthday.
Morning Notes
The Arlies are back this week with two new categories to vote on, but first, the results from last week’s voting.
Arlington’s favorite sushi spot is Sushi-Zen, followed by Sushi Rock and a tie between Endo Sushi and Yume Sushi.
(Updated at 4:45 p.m.) Firefighters from Arlington and surrounding areas battled a house fire today in the Boulevard Manor neighborhood, near Bluemont Park.
Smoke could be seen coming from the top of a home on the 5900 block of 3rd Street N. as first responders arrived on the scene shortly before 12:30 p.m., according to scanner traffic. It took at least 30 minutes to extinguish the bulk of the fire, which reportedly started in the attic.
Before Six Flags and Busch Gardens, Luna Park, on what is now the Arlington-Alexandria border, was the go-to amusement park for D.C. area residents.
Opening a few years after the turn of the 20th century, the local Luna Park — it was part of a chain of dozens of parks — featured everything from roller coasters to circus performances. In one famous incident, reminiscent of the recent zebra escape in Maryland, a pack of elephants broke loose from the park during a storm and terrorized unsuspecting local residents for more than a week.
Another week, another high point for Covid cases in Arlington since the winter peak reached earlier this year.
The trailing seven-day average of new daily cases in Arlington is now 48, an increase of nearly 50% since the start of the month. Thirty-two new cases were reported this morning by the Virginia Dept. of Health, bringing the local pandemic case total to 17,207.
A minor typo along Route 50 in the Rosslyn area has been fixed, to the relief of local pedants.
A directional sign along westbound Route 50 (Arlington Blvd), as one travels through the Rosslyn and Courthouse areas, has long read “14Th Street.” Just days after the error was pointed out to VDOT on social media, the erroneous capital-T was finally replaced late last week.
