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.
Inauguration Day is almost here, and a new administration will soon be establishing itself in Washington’s halls of power.
How will Arlingtonians be marking the occasion? Let’s find out.
Art Thief Arrested in Arlington — Convicted art thief Marcus Sanford Paton was arrested outside the new Pentagon City Starbucks on Fern Street Sunday. He’s accused of driving a stolen car from Miami to D.C. to try to seek a presidential pardon. [Daily Mail]
Wreath-Laying Ceremony at ANC — President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Pence will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery around 3:30 p.m. this afternoon, kicking off the inaugural weekend. Afterwards, they will make an appearance at a “Make America Great Again” concert at the Lincoln Memorial. As a result of the inaugural activities, Memorial Bridge was closed at 4 a.m. this morning and will not reopen to vehicular traffic until after the inauguration. [Presidential Inaugural Committee, Newsweek]
An online petition against a proposed residential development in Ballston has gathered 175 signatures.
The petition decries what it describes as a “high rise” development; a seven-story condo building and four story townhomes are proposed for the current Grace Community Church site at the 11th and N. Vermont streets.
A new mixed-income apartment building that provides the amenities of market-rate residences, even though 40 percent of its units are committed affordable housing, has opened near Rosslyn.
The Union on Queen building is located at 1515 N. Queen Street, in the Radnor-Fort Myer Heights neighborhood, roughly equidistant to the Rosslyn and Courthouse Metro stations. It was partially funded with $6.8 million from Arlington’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund.
Local Democrats are planning a series of events, dubbed the “Weekend of Action,” to “send a bold message to the new administration on its first day in office.”
The prelude to the events will kick off Friday night with a poster making party in the basement of the Clarendon Presbyterian Church (1305 N. Jackson Street).
This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Grover, a social dog who loves playing hide-and-seek. Here is what Grover’s owner, Jenny, had to say about him:
I was bitten by a dog when I was little and spent my life skittish and terrified of them. My kids really wanted a dog and I hesitantly gave in. That was 3 years ago and very soon after, Grover bounded into our lives. Grover is an extremely tall, long-legged, trim guy. He is fun loving and kind. He has never met another dog he does not like, although occasionally other dogs don’t care for him. He does not let that stop him from openly giving his heart and if I am in a rush on a walk and I don’t take him to say hi to a canine friend, he whimpers. He also loves people and always wants to say hi. Sometimes, he gets so excited he jumps on them, but he is working on that. He mostly loves to be with his human family.
The incident happened around 10 p.m. on the 1400 block of S. George Mason Drive, south of Columbia Pike.
Police say the suspect, a white male wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, ran away after the window was opened.
Arlington Sending Officers to Inauguration — Updated at 10:55 a.m. — The Arlington County Police Department is assigning “more than a hundred” officers to help with inauguration security on Friday. Like other local departments, ACPD will sending some of its officers to D.C. to assist the Metropolitan Police Department. Others will be assigned to Metro stations or areas where large crowds are expected. [WJLA]
Local Inauguration Day Event — A number of local nonprofits, from the Arlington Food Assistance Center to activist groups like Moms Demand Action, will be participating in an “alternative” Inauguration Day event at the Barcroft Community House. The event encourages attendees to “explore how you can get involved in their important causes” and “post your thoughts about how we, as citizens of Arlington, can work to further our common good as we face new tests to our society and democracy after Inauguration Day.” [ARLnow, Facebook]
Update at 9:30 a.m. — The suspect has been found hiding under a car in the area of N. Quinn Street and 18th Street N. and has been taken into custody, according to scanner traffic.
Update on 1/19/17 — Virginia State Police have issued the following updated statement regarding the chase and the suspect’s apprehension.
The House of Delegates bill, HB 1960, was proposed by Del. Tim Hugo, a Prince William and Fairfax County Republican. It would modify Virginia’s existing towing law with a number of provisions that would only apply to Northern Virginia jurisdictions in the state’s “Planning District 8,” which includes Arlington.
Among the proposed Northern Virginia-specific changes:
The robbery was reported just after 11:30 p.m. Monday on the 4400 block of 31st Street S., which is about halfway up the hill from Shirlington to Fairlington.
A police dog was brought in but was unable to track down the suspect.
Police were called to the 3700 block of 36th Road N., in the Rivercrest community, around 9:30 p.m. for a cab fare dispute.
“Upon the officer’s arrival, he made verbal contact with the suspect,” police said in a crime report. “The suspect then lunged forward at the officer, grabbed his weapon and attempted to remove it from the holster. A struggle ensued and once additional police units arrived on scene, the suspect was taken into custody.”
