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Man’s Plan to Confront Phone Thieves Backfires

Published January 22, 2020 at 2:15PM | Updated January 22, 2020 at 2:36PM

File photo

The second time was not the charm for a robbery victim who was trying to get his stolen property back.

Police say they were called to the area of Penrose Square, along Columbia Pike, around 3:15 p.m. this past Friday for a report of a theft. The victim told officers that he tried for confront two men who previously stole his phone, but during the confrontation the pair stole his iPad.

News

Dates Set for Democratic School Board Caucus

By ARLnow.com

Published January 22, 2020 at 1:30PM

A caucus will be held in May to determine the Democratic endorsees for Arlington School Board.

The Arlington County Democratic Committee announced the caucus dates and format last week. It will be split between two separate days and at two locations, though caucus goers will only need to show up once:

Feature

Arlington Pet of the Week: Heidi

By ARLnow.com

Published January 22, 2020 at 12:00PM

Arlington Pet of the Week Heidi (photo courtesy of Alyssa)

Meet Arlington’s newest Pet of the Week Heidi, an 8 year old Mastiff who loves getting her nails painted.

Here what Heidi’s owner had to say about her life here in Arlington:

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 22, 2020 at 7:30AM | Updated January 22, 2020 at 9:36AM

W-L Alumni File Suit Over Name Change — “A local alumni group is filing suit in federal court over their high school’s name change. The Washington-Lee High School Alumni Association claims the public did not get the chance to weigh-in on the school board’s decision to change its name to Washington-Liberty High.” [WTOP, DCist]

Wrong-Way Driver Nearly Strikes Officer — “As officers approached the vehicle to investigate, they observed a handgun with extended magazine in plain view. The suspect disobeyed the lawful commands of the officers, placed the vehicle into drive and allegedly accelerated towards an officer. The officer quickly moved out of the way to avoid being struck and the vehicle fled the scene at a high rate of speed.” [Arlington County]

News

County Board to Consider $4.5 Million Water Main Project Along N. Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2020 at 4:55PM

The 36-inch transmission main — the same size as the large pipe that burst and shut down N. Glebe Road near Chain Bridge in November — was placed out of service in 2013 due to concerns about a catastrophic failure. A transmission line was built parallel to it after a major water main break on N. Old Glebe Road in 2009 and is currently providing service to the area.

County officials say rehabbing the old main, which was built in 1972, will help provide redundancy in the county’s water system. Arlington’s water comes from the Washington Aqueduct in D.C., by way of pipes that cross the Potomac River at Chain Bridge then branch out to various parts of the county.

News

BREAKING: Man’s Death in Ballston Ruled a Homicide

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2020 at 3:55PM

Arlington County Police cars (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 4 p.m.) A young man found dead inside a Ballston apartment building was the victim of a homicide, Arlington County Police said Tuesday afternoon.

In a brief statement, ACPD said Scott Ratigan, 24, died as a result of “trauma to the upper body.” It is Arlington’s first homicide of 2020.

Around Town

PETA To Protest at Clarendon Starbucks Tomorrow

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2020 at 2:45PM

Animal rights activists are planning a protest at the Clarendon Starbucks tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says demonstrators will “occupy” the cafe at 2690 Clarendon Blvd — as well as other Starbucks location in the U.S. and Canada — to pressure the coffee chain to offer dairy-free milk free of charge. The protest is scheduled to take place from noon-1 p.m.

Around Town

Papyrus Closing All Stores, Including at Pentagon City Mall

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2020 at 1:45PM | Updated January 21, 2020 at 2:32PM

Papyrus store closing at Pentagon City mall (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) Greeting card and stationery store Papyrus is expected to close soon at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, the latest victim of a brutal business environment for bricks-and-mortar retailers.

The parent company of Papyrus is closing all of its more than 250 stores, news outlets reported last week, and a liquidation firm has been hired to help the chain sell off its remaining merchandise. It’s unclear when exactly the stores will close.

News

Sewage Leak Prompts Another Call to Avoid Four Mile Run

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2020 at 10:30AM

You’re probably not taking Fido to play in the creek in sub-freezing weather, but you’ll want to nix any such plans at the Shirlington dog park for the next couple of days.

Arlington County crews braved freezing weather on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to repair an 8-inch sewer line that failed and sent sewage spewing into Four Mile Run, near the Barcroft neighborhood, for the second week in a row.

Traffic

TRAFFIC ALERT: Multi-Vehicle Crash on Glebe Road

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2020 at 10:00AM | Updated January 21, 2020 at 10:59AM

A crash involving some 3-4 vehicles is currently blocking lanes on S. Glebe Road.

The multi-vehicle wreck was reported around 9:45 on S. Glebe Road near the Maserati dealership and the I-395 ramps. At least one lefthand lane is blocked in both directions at 26th Road S.

News

Property Values, and Thus Property Taxes, Are Rising

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2020 at 9:30AM

Parking along 13th Street S. in Pentagon City near Amazon's second headquarters in 2019 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The rise in property values in Arlington is accelerating post-HQ2.

Late last week Arlington County announced that its assessments for 2020 had risen 4.6% on average — 4.9% for commercial properties and 4.3% for residential properties. That compares to an average property assessment increase of 3.5% last year.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 21, 2020 at 6:00AM

Never Ending Bike Rack Construction at EFC Metro — “Metro has been building a Bike & Ride facility at the East Falls Church Metro Station for nearly five years, and the project still is not finished. The covered bike shelter was supposed to open in December 2015, but Metro says due to ‘Numerous construction quality issues, including damage caused by a contractor repeatedly drilling into an underground duct bank, led to lengthy delays.'” [WJLA]

Another Sewage Release in Four Mile Run — “Avoid all contact with Four Mile Run south of 7th Street until further notice due to a sanitary sewage release. @ArlingtonDES crews are on scene investigating pipe’s condition.” [Twitter]