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.
Arlington County is under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning as strong storms approach.
The National Weather Service issued the warning just before 8:35 p.m. It is in effect, at least initially, through 9:15 p.m.
Update at 10:45 a.m. — The body of a deceased adult male was found in the Potomac River near Daingerfield Island just before 6.30 p.m. last night, according to D.C. police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
“MPD Harbor Patrol units were dispatched to the area of Daingerfield Island on the Potomac River to assist in the search for an alleged missing person,” Sternbeck said. “Upon arrival, we were notified that an Arlington County Fire [water rescue unit] located a deceased adult male in the water. The District’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner recovered the individual and is working to correctly identify the decedent.”
Update at 5:55 p.m. — Arlington and much of the D.C. and Baltimore region is now under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of DC, MD, VA until 11 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/wRkTqvrADp
Arlington Named Fittest ‘City’ in U.S. — “Arlington has been named the fittest city in America, according to the 2018 American Fitness Index ranking from the American College of Sports Medicine. The Northern Virginia jurisdiction eeked out a win over last year’s champ, Minneapolis, by just a half point, with an overall score of 77.7. Minneapolis came in second with a score of 77.2.” [Washingtonian, USA Today]
Person Rescued from High Water — Firefighters rescued someone trapped under a bridge by high water following last night’s storms. Around 9:30 p.m., firefighters responded to the 2800 block of S. Glebe Road for a possible water rescue along Four Mile Run. The victim was removed from the high water and evaluated by paramedics. [Twitter, Twitter]
Arlington County firefighters are on scene of a kitchen fire on a residential block near Ballston.
The fire was reported shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday on the 4800 block of Fairfax Drive, in Bluemont. The blaze has since been extinguished but firefighters are still checking for hotspots and working to ventilate the structure.
Update at 7:45 p.m. — There have been reports of downed trees, branches and power lines in Arlington, but no major power outages have been reported by Dominion. Flights are Reagan National Airport are resuming.
No major flooding issues have been reported, though ARLnow.com’s office sprung a leak during the storm.
Update at 2:25 p.m. — Forecasters warn that a derecho is possible tonight. The last such wind event to hit the region caused significant damage on June 29, 2012.
Potential for a derecho…a line of severe thunderstorms producing widespread damaging winds to develop this afternoon & move through parts of the central Appalachians and northern mid Atlantic region including Washington DC metro. Stay alert for warnings and seek safe shelter. pic.twitter.com/rlkbNzJPgV
‘Indivisible Arlington’ Event Wracked By Division — “A town hall with local Virginia lawmakers dissolved into chaos Saturday and police were called after Latino activists confronted Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington) about his previous consulting work for a private company that operates detention facilities for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.” [Washington Post, Twitter]
H-B Victorious at Ultimate Tourney — The H-B Woodlawn girls ultimate frisbee team won the prestigious Amherst Ultimate Invitational over the weekend. [Twitter, Greenfield Recorder]
Update at 4:20 p.m. — Power has been restored to the mall and most other places in Pentagon City.
Earlier: A large power outage has left much of Pentagon City in the dark this afternoon.
Arlington Public Schools is shooting down rumors that the Stratford Program is going to be “dismantled” while also announcing that a new, temporary location is under consideration.
Stratford serves secondary-level special education students and is currently co-located with the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program on Vacation Lane. Both programs are set to move to a new facility in Rosslyn for the 2019-2020 school year, but Stratford will be moving to a temporary home during the next school year to facilitate the renovation of its current building into a neighborhood middle school.
Update at 6 p.m. — The disabled train has been cleared and medics have left the scene. Residual delays remain, according to Metro.
Earlier: A Silver Line train is disabled at the Clarendon Metro station at the height of the evening rush hour after a rider suffered a medical emergency.
One person was stabbed and other is in police custody after a towing dispute in Crystal City led to violence Thursday afternoon.
The incident happened around 1:30 p.m. at the Exxon station near the intersection of 23rd Street S. and Route 1.
