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.
This week’s Arlington Pets of the Week are Gus and Lola, cats who love watching animals out of the front and back doors.
Here’s what Gus and Lola’s owner, Kristy, had to say about them:
The incident happened Saturday afternoon at a used car lot on Lee Highway, near Lyon Village.
Police say the customer eventually pulled a knife on the employee and “stole the keys to the vehicles on the lot.”
Arlington County is in the process of installing a new, protected bike lane on Wilson Blvd through part of Rosslyn.
The bike lane will help cyclists safely traverse a busy, challenging stretch of Wilson Blvd, between N. Oak and N. Quinn streets. County officials say that stretch was being repaved, presenting an opportunity to reconfigure the bike lane.
Arcing Insulator at Rosslyn Metro — An electrical issue on the Metrorail tracks outside of the Rosslyn station caused delays on the Blue, Orange and Silver lines during this morning’s rush hour. The arcing insulator prompted single-tracking and a large fire department response. [WJLA]
Beyer to Shadow DCA Worker — Today, from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is expected to “accompany contracted wheelchair agents to learn first-hand their role helping passengers with disabilities at Reagan National Airport.” The workers and their union, 32BJ SEIU, are fighting for a $15 per hour wage. Currently, they receive as little as $6 per hour plus “unreliable tips.”
The break-ins were reported earlier today (Tuesday).
“Approximately 25 vehicles were entered and items of value stolen,” ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage told ARLnow.com. “Officers remain on scene investigating and are canvassing the area to determine if there are any additional victims.”
Initial construction permits have been issued for a new residential development on Columbia Pike.
The sheeting and shoring and demolition permits were issued last month. There’s no word yet on when exactly work will begin but county officials say the project is moving forward.
The County Board tonight (Tuesday) is expected to discuss what to do with the extra cash as part of its annual budget close-out process, which has previously been criticized for a lack of public input.
The public will have a month to weigh in on the draft recommendations before a final vote in November.
Arlington Featured on MTP — Arlington County was featured in a Meet the Press segment on Sunday, comparing the level of support for Hillary Clinton here to support for Donald Trump in a rural Ohio county. The show interviewed residents in the Clarendon area. [NBC News]
Surge in Registration, Absentee Voting — Officials are anticipating about 43,000 absentee ballots in Arlington this year, up 50 percent compared to the last presidential election in 2012. Throughout the region and the state, absentee voting is on the rise, which is generally good news for Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, a surge in last-minute voter registrations yesterday and a statewide software slowdown has the county advising that it could take several days to process all of the applications. [Washington Post, WTOP, WTOP]
Govs. Terry McAuliffe (D-Va.) and John Kasich (R-Ohio) helped to dedicate the newly-named Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University’s Arlington campus Monday afternoon.
The school is now named after Dwight C. Schar, founder of homebuilder NVR, Inc., who donated $10 million to GMU.
Around 1 p.m., an Arlington County police officer working a traffic detail was flagged down by a 7-Eleven employee, who said that two men in the store were concealing items with the intent of stealing them.
“When confronted by an employee, the subjects threw items at the store employees as they attempted to flee,” said ACPD spokeswoman Ashley Savage. “One subject fled the area on foot. The officer attempted to detain the other subject in order to conduct the investigation but the subject refused to follow the officer’s lawful commands and resisted arrest.”
(Updated at 4:05 p.m.) Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.
Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.
Luna Grill and Diner (4024 Campbell Ave) in Shirlington has been closed since last week, but there are no signs or announcements explaining the closure.
The restaurant remained closed during lunchtime today. Chairs were still placed atop tables and nothing looked amiss, save the fact that it wasn’t open as usual.
