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Morning Notes

Published April 5, 2021 at 5:00AM | Updated April 5, 2021 at 8:46AM

Manager: Say No to Rouse Historic Designation — “With much of the physical infrastructure on the site now a pile of rubble, Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz wants County Board members to throw in the towel on designating parts of the Rouse estate parcel as a local historic district… While recommending that the County Board reject the historic designation, Schwartz also proposes that staff be directed to come back by October with a report on potential ways the site could be incorporated into Arlington’s historic-preservation and/or affordable-housing efforts.” [Sun Gazette]

Police Looking for Missing Man — Updated at 8:45 a.m. — The Fairfax County Police helicopter assisted with the search for a missing Arlington man Sunday afternoon. Early his morning, ACPD announced: “[The missing man] has been safely located. Thank you to everyone who assisted by sharing this information.” [Twitter, NBC 4]

Opinion

ARLnow Holiday Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published April 2, 2021 at 3:00PM | Updated April 2, 2021 at 3:51PM

Bicyclists on the Mt. Vernon Trail while a boat on the Potomac passes by (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Warming temperatures should make for a sunny and pleasant holiday weekend, weather-wise.

Happy Easter and end of Passover to our readers who observe either faith. Due to the holidays, we’re getting started on today’s weekend discussion a bit early.

Around Town

Punch Bowl Social Hiring Ahead of Expected Reopening

By ARLnow.com

Published April 2, 2021 at 9:00AM

Punch Bowl Social in Ballston in October 2020 (staff photo)

It looks like Punch Bowl Social in Ballston will be reopening, after all.

The Arlington location of the national “eatertainment” chain recently posted hiring announcements on Facebook and on its front door, though it remains temporarily closed for now.

News

JUST IN: Fire at Falls Church Apartment Building

By ARLnow.com

Published April 1, 2021 at 5:00PM | Updated April 2, 2021 at 10:57AM

Fire at Falls Green apartments in Falls Church (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 11 a.m.) Arlington firefighters battled an electrical fire at the Falls Green apartments in Falls Church early Thursday evening.

The blaze sent flames shooting out of a sewer drain adjacent to a pair of parked cars and one of the apartment towers, on the 500 block of Roosevelt Blvd near the Eden Center, as seen in photos subsequently posted by the fire department.

Around Town

New Virginia ABC Store in Pentagon City Set to Open Next Week

By ARLnow.com

Published April 1, 2021 at 1:40PM

New Virginia ABC store in Pentagon City (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Those who work at HQ2 have a new ABC store from which to procure their booze.

The new Virginia ABC store at 1301 S. Joyce Street is set to open next Tuesday, April 6, the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority announced today. The space previously housed a Mike Bloomberg for President campaign office.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Are You Planning Any April Fool’s Pranks?

By ARLnow.com

Published April 1, 2021 at 9:45AM

It’s April Fool’s Day, which in the Before Times might mean elaborate workplace pranks.

Alas, there’s still a pandemic going on, and those working from home while their kids go to remote school might not have the same pranking energy as in the days of yore.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 1, 2021 at 7:30AM | Updated April 1, 2021 at 5:13PM

Real Estate Expected to Get Pricier — “Home prices and, for the most part, sales, have continued to rise in the Northern Virginia market in the last year, even despite the pandemic, but the unanswered question is: what will happen in the future? A consensus forecast report from the Center for Regional Analysis and George Mason University and the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors aims to answer that question and, in short, the upward trends will continue.” [WTOP]

Clement Focuses on Taxes — “Frequent Arlington political contender Audrey Clement’s hat is in the ring for 2021, and she’s focusing, at least initially, on ever-spiraling higher tax burdens on county homeowners. ‘I’m running again because Arlington taxes are slated to go up again even as other Northern Virginia jurisdictions’ tax rates are going down,’ Clement said in an e-mail to supporters, formalizing her bid for Arlington County Board.” [Sun Gazette]

News

Convicted Carjacker Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Prison

By ARLnow.com

Published March 31, 2021 at 10:45AM

A South Carolina man who forcibly stole a woman’s car and then fled from police has received a nearly four year prison sentence.

On the evening of June 22, 2020, police say Verdell Floyd carjacked a woman in a gas station near Shirlington. According to police, Floyd approached the woman while she was pumping gas “and demanded the vehicle.”

Opinion

Morning Poll: Legal Weed in Virginia This Summer?

By ARLnow.com

Published March 31, 2021 at 9:45AM

Gov. Ralph Northam announced this morning a proposal to move up the legalization of marijuana in Virginia to this summer.

A legalization bill championed by state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D), who represents part of Arlington, passed the General Assembly earlier this year. But it called for legalization of recreational marijuana possession and cultivation on Jan. 1, 2024.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 31, 2021 at 7:30AM

Va. ‘Seals Deal’ for Rail Expansion — “Virginia finalized agreements Tuesday with CSX, Amtrak and Virginia Railway Express as part of the state’s $3.7 billion passenger rail expansion program that seeks to relieve a rail bottleneck and get more commuters onto trains. The signing of agreements advances a pledge Gov. Ralph Northam (D) made in December 2019 to significantly grow passenger rail service this decade by building a new rail bridge over the Potomac River, adding new track in the Washington-Richmond corridor and buying hundreds of miles of passenger right of way from CSX.” [Washington Post, Twitter]

Affordable Housing CEO Retiring — “Longtime CEO of the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing Nina Janopaul will retire June 30, 2021, after a remarkable 14-year career at the helm of the organization, leading APAH through a period of transition and rapid expansion. The APAH Board has appointed Executive Vice President Carmen Romero to lead APAH into its ambitious next phase of growth and service.” [Press Release, Twitter]

Around Town

Vote Now for the Spring 2021 Arlies

By ARLnow.com

Published March 30, 2021 at 2:30PM

Voting for the spring 2021 Arlies is now live!

The Arlies are ARLnow’s community awards, highlighting Arlington’s favorite local places, people and organizations — as chosen by you.

News

Arlington County to Use Drones to Count Deer

By ARLnow.com

Published March 30, 2021 at 9:30AM

A fleet of drones will take to the skies above Arlington next month in an effort to figure out how many deer call the county home.

The drones will be piloted by a firm contracted by the county and overseen by Arlington County police. Normally, drone flights this close to D.C. are strictly prohibited, but Arlington is being granted special permission by the Federal Aviation Administration and other federal agencies. The county is also coordinating with Reagan National Airport.