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.
The weekend is here and not a moment too soon for us here at ARLnow.com.
After all, it’s been a busy week. The top five most-read recent news stories this week were:
If you’re in the market for a new place to live, Arlington has several options to consider this weekend.
Check out our real estate section for a full listing of open houses this weekend. Here are a few highlights:
A history teacher at Yorktown High School, has been charged with indecent exposure by Fairfax County Police after an incident in Tysons Corner Thursday night.
Police say Thomas Lenihan, 38, exposed himself to two teens in the locker room of the Sport & Health Club on Greensboro Drive. He was arrested on two counts of indecent exposure shortly thereafter.
A pedestrian tunnel connecting the Pentagon City Metro station to the northeast corner of the intersection of S. Hayes Street and 12th Street S. is close to finally opening.
The tunnel was slated to open in 2015 after $1.3 million worth of repairs and upgrades but remained closed. It was initially built by a developer in 1984 but was never opened to the public due to “reasons related to safety, operational and legal issues,” according to Arlington County.
First Board Meeting With New Rule — Saturday will be the Arlington County Board’s first meeting with a new public participation rule. Whereas members of the public could previously request that any “consent agenda” item be pulled and discussed individually at the next Board meeting, the new rule requires at least one Board member to concur with the action. [InsideNova]
A Note on InsideNova Links — The desktop version of InsideNova’s website features popup ads and multiple autoplay videos with the audio on. It is not recommended for users in quiet environments or with older computers that may slow down or crash as a result of the videos and ads.
Commuters heading westbound on Lee Highway and southbound on the Spout Run Parkway should expect significant delays due to a tree that fell on a car near the Lyon Village Shopping Center.
The tree fell on the car just past 6 p.m., at the height of the evening rush hour. A police officer arrived on scene shortly thereafter and reported that no one had been injured.
A local developer is proposing to build a 325-foot Space Needle-like tourist destination, dubbed the Spirit of America Tower, in Rosslyn.
The tower would be built on VDOT land alongside Route 110, near the junction with I-66, and would be designed to be a first stop for visitors to the nation’s capital, according to developer James H. Burch.
Arlington County is under a Wind Advisory until 7 p.m. tonight.
The National Weather Service cautions that gusty winds could down trees, tree limbs and power lines. From NWS:
The website SmartAsset ranked localities by factors like hours spent in traffic per year, rate of motor vehicle theft, number of parking garages per driver and “the non-driving options a resident has for getting around.”
At the top of the list — the alleged worst city to own a car — was Newark, New Jersey, followed by San Francisco and D.C.
Gov. Announces New Jobs for Arlington — Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) has announced that Vorsight, a “sales effectiveness” tech firm in Rosslyn, will be expanding its corporate headquarters, creating 112 new jobs in Arlington. [Governor of Virginia]
New Apartments in Crystal City/Pentagon City — More than 1,100 new apartments opened in the Crystal City and Pentagon City area in 2016. More than 3,000 additional apartments are in the development pipeline. [Bisnow]
Police say the woman was in Rosslyn, arguing with someone she knew, but became “aggressive and hostile” after officers intervened.
From this week’s ACPD crime report:
This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Zelda, a corgi who loves the Shirlington dog park. Here is what her owner, Eva, had to say about her:
Zelda is an 11 month old corgi we adopted from a family in Stanley, VA. Her previous home raised French and English bulldogs, but Zelda wasn’t a good match for the pack of bulldogs (she kept trying to play and herd them in the summer heat!) so we ended up adopting her in October. She is an absolute delight and has quickly learned life as a city dog in Arlington, VA.
