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Morning Notes

Published April 8, 2019 at 7:30AM

Riding Amazon’s Coattails — “As Amazon.com Inc. builds and staffs up HQ2, other tech companies who orbit the online retailer could follow, according to a JBG Smith Properties investor presentation released Tuesday. ‘Amazon isn’t just 38,000 jobs,’ the JBG Smith documents say. ‘It’s a catalyst for significant growth.'” [Washington Business Journal]

Amazon Effect on Real Estate — “While the average sales price in Northern Virginia stayed steady at $565,000 in January, according to the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors, the number of homes under contract rose by 70 percent compared with January 2018, and the number of homes for sale fell by 20 percent year-over-year. Limited availability of homes drives prices higher.” [Washington Post]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 5, 2019 at 8:00AM | Updated April 5, 2019 at 8:44AM

First Debate in Prosecutor Race — “In a contentious series of exchanges that marked their first debate, candidates for Arlington commonwealth’s attorney left no doubt they have decidedly different views on the role of prosecutor – and aren’t particularly fond of one another, either.” [InsideNova]

Road Closures Tonight in Crystal City — “The Crystal City 5K Fridays races will take place each Friday evening in April (5th, 12th, 19th, and 26th). The Arlington County Police Department will close the following roadways each race day from approximately 6:15 p.m. until 8:15 p.m. to accommodate these events…” [Arlington County]

Traffic

TRAFFIC ALERT: Beltway Crash May Again Cause Spillover Traffic in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published April 4, 2019 at 3:45PM | Updated April 4, 2019 at 5:00PM

Truck crash and fire on the Beltway

Update at 5 p.m. — All lanes of the Beltway have reopened, though residual delays remain.

Earlier: A crash has closed most lanes of the Beltway near S. Van Dorn Street in Fairfax County, creating yet another traffic mess in Northern Virginia.

News

Crime Report: Convenience Store Robbed Near Rosslyn

By ARLnow.com

Published April 4, 2019 at 10:00AM | Updated February 28, 2020 at 10:48AM

File photo

The robbery happened on the 1200 block of Fort Myer Drive, near Rosslyn, around 2 p.m. That block is home to the popular Quarterdeck restaurant and the Fort Myer Market, a convenience store.

Police say two men hopped the counter and struggled with one of the people inside the store, before grabbing cash from the register and running off.

Traffic

Construction Underway on Next Stage of Crystal Drive Two-Way Project

By ARLnow.com

Published April 4, 2019 at 9:00AM

An ongoing project to convert nearly the entire stretch of Crystal Drive to a two-way road has entered another phase of construction.

Work is underway on Phase 3 of the project, which is converting one-way portions of Crystal City’s main street to more transit-and-bike-friendly two-lane configurations.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 4, 2019 at 7:30AM

Family of Detained Arlington Man Seeks Answers — “Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met privately with the families of Americans detained abroad Tuesday and urged them not to abandon hope. The State Department declined to share the names of those present but they included… the daughter of Majd Kamalmaz, a 61-year-old psychotherapist from Arlington, Virginia, who has been missing in Syria since 2017.” [NBC News]

Jury Duty Changes — “The verdict is in, and at least from the standpoint of Arlington officials, a two-year-long revamp of how local jurors are selected appears to be a success. ‘We have received positive feedback,’ said Clerk of the Circuit Court Paul Ferguson.” [InsideNova]

News

UPDATE: Missing Teen Found, Police Say

By ARLnow.com

Published April 3, 2019 at 5:40PM | Updated April 4, 2019 at 10:35AM

Update at 10:30 a.m. — Hubbard has been found safely, police said last night.

Earlier: Arlington County Police are asking for the public’s help in finding a missing Williamsburg Middle School student.

Feature

Arlington Pet of the Week: Bitey

By ARLnow.com

Published April 3, 2019 at 12:45PM | Updated July 18, 2019 at 11:41AM

Arlington’s new Pet of the Week is Bitey, a one-year-old dog mysteriously born from a Bernese mountain mother and miniature poodle father.

Here is what Bitey’s owner, Dan, had to say:

News

BREAKING: JBG Smith Inks Agreements with Amazon

By ARLnow.com

Published April 3, 2019 at 9:10AM | Updated April 3, 2019 at 9:30AM

(Updated at 9:30 a.m.) JBG Smith has made it official with Amazon, announcing this morning the signing of lease and development agreements with the tech and retail giant.

The announcement should put to rest any speculation that Amazon could pull out of its HQ2 plans in Arlington, as it did in New York City.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 3, 2019 at 7:30AM | Updated April 3, 2019 at 10:32AM

Red Flag Warning Today — Updated at 8:45 a.m. — The D.C. region is under a Red Flag Warning this afternoon for strong winds and low humidity, which can lead to wildfires. In Arlington, fire weather like this typically results in small brush and mulch fires that are quickly extinguished. [Weather.gov]

Report on Old Dominion Site Coming Soon — “With a task force prepping its final report on uses for the government parcel at 26th Street North and Old Dominion Drive, what will happen next to the recommendations? For both procedural and financial reasons, don’t expect the county government to jump into development of the 7.6-acre site immediately.” [InsideNova]

News

Clarendon Gym Owner Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Attempted Cocaine Purchase

By ARLnow.com

Published April 2, 2019 at 4:15PM

The owner of a Clarendon gym who pleaded guilty to trying to buy large quantities of cocaine from undercover police officers has been sentenced.

A federal judge sentenced Pascal Laporte to four years in prison today, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia announced this afternoon.

Around Town

Mister Rogers Exhibit Comes to Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published April 2, 2019 at 10:10AM

Mister Rogers exhibit (photo courtesy Wayne Brezinka)

A free exhibit entitled Mister Rogers: Just the Way You Are is currently on display in Crystal City.

The exhibit is open to the public at the Crystal City Shops entrance to the PBS building (2100 Crystal Drive) through May 31. Created by Nashville-based artist Wayne Brezinka, the exhibit is described as “a unique and interactive mixed media portrait experience incorporating both two and three-dimensional elements.”