Ethan Rothstein | ARLnow

‘Disruptive’ Media Startup to Launch Next Month

Published March 30, 2015 at 12:00PM

Editor’s Note: Sponsored by Monday Properties and written by ARLnow.com, Startup Monday is a weekly column that profiles Arlington-based startups and their founders. The Ground Floor, Monday’s office space for young companies in Rosslyn, is now open. The Metro-accessible space features a 5,000-square-foot common area that includes a kitchen, lounge area, collaborative meeting spaces, and a stage for formal presentations.

Lucien Zeigler and co-founders William Treadway and Christian Zeigler (Lucien’s brother) founded Outl!t for just that purpose. Zeigler works for the Saudi-U.S. Trade Group and compiled a daily newsletter on U.S.-Saudi business interests. His credit card bill showed he was spending more than $100 a month, simply for access to a variety of newspapers.

Events

New ‘Daily Show’ Host Performing at Drafthouse Next Week

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 30, 2015 at 11:00AM

South African comedian Trevor Noah will succeed Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show, and next week he’s coming to Arlington.

Events

Arlington Agenda (March 30-April 5)

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 30, 2015 at 5:00AM | Updated March 30, 2015 at 10:43AM

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.

Around Town

New Tobacco and Coffee Shop Open in Crystal City

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 27, 2015 at 4:45PM

Burn & Brew, a new shop that specializes in tobacco and coffee, is open on 23rd Street S. in Crystal City.

Owner Taha Humayun opened the doors to his new shop on March 18, just a few steps away from another smoke-themed store, Smokey Shope III. He said his shop sells the cheapest cigarettes in Arlington — $5 a pack — because of deals he’s supposedly worked out with a variety of cigarette and rolling paper companies.

News

Households Earning at Least $200K Are Now Biggest Group in Arlington

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 27, 2015 at 3:05PM | Updated March 27, 2015 at 3:32PM

Median household incomes in Arlington (image via Arlington County)

(Updated at 3:30 p.m.) The proportion of Arlington households making at least $200,000 annually has tripled in the past decade.

As part of the county’s ongoing Community Facilities Study, staff from the county government and Arlington Public Schools presented data to a working group this week that will come as little surprise to anyone who follows the county’s demographic trends.

News

Bomb Threat Closes Pentagon Centre Mall

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 27, 2015 at 1:20PM | Updated March 27, 2015 at 2:39PM

Police respond to a Pentagon Centre bomb threat (photo via @WestwoodKing)

Updated at 2:40 p.m.: The Arlington County Police Department has cleared the scene. It is re-opening roads in the area, and shoppers and employees will soon be able to re-enter the mall.

Earlier: The Pentagon Centre Mall is under evacuation this afternoon as the Arlington County Police Department investigates a bomb threat.

Feature

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 27, 2015 at 1:00PM | Updated March 27, 2015 at 4:30PM

The real estate inventory in Arlington is booming, and this week’s listings include a two-bedroom condo in Virginia Square for $435,000 and a new four-bedroom townhouses near Columbia Pike for $870,000.

See our real estate section for a full listing of open houses. Here are a few highlights:

News

Arlington Startup Founder Testifies Before Congress About Patent Trolls

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 27, 2015 at 10:30AM | Updated March 27, 2015 at 10:56AM

Todd Moore, inventor of the White Noise app and founder of app development company TMSoft, testified before Congress this week (his testimony begins at 1:06:40), advocating for a bill that would curb “patent trolling.”

Around Town

Confirmed: Starbucks Plans Summer Opening on Columbia Pike

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 26, 2015 at 4:10PM

The vacant space at the corner of the Pike and S. Barton Street — where Bar TNT and Society Fair closed last fall — will be home to the coffee chain, the building’s management told residents today.

“We’re spilling the beans and we want our residents to be the first to hear the new,” said an email to the residents, which was forwarded to ARLnow.com. “Coming summer 2015, Penrose Square welcomes its newest retailer: Starbucks Coffee. Live, Work & Caffeinate at home in your very own Starbucks.”

News

Asbestos Shuts Down Columbia Pike Preschool

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 26, 2015 at 3:05PM | Updated March 27, 2015 at 4:03PM

Danger signs after Trinity Episcopal Church's preschool was found to have asbestos

A Columbia Pike church preschool has shut down indefinitely after asbestos dust was found in the floors.

Trinity Episcopal Church‘s School of Early Learning sent out a letter to parents on Tuesday, confirming the presence of asbestos dust in the air at the school. The church’s rector, Rev. Kim Coleman, also serves as the school’s headmaster and said the more than 100 students will not be allowed to enter the building for an “indeterminate amount of time.”

Around Town

Arlington Tax Assessor’s Office Used as International Model

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 26, 2015 at 10:35AM

Arlington County government offices/headquarters at 2100 Clarendon Blvd

Arlington’s Dept. of Real Estate Assessments will be giving representatives from countries like China, India, Turkey and Greece “guidance on proper property tax management, including an overview of how Arlington County values land and property, and how these processes have generated revenue, while promoting fair and equitable property tax collection methods,” according to a press release from Thomson Reuters, which organized the meeting.

Thomson Reuters’ Tax & Accounting Division helps corporations and governments improve their bookkeeping and revenue-generating practices. Arlington boasts an enviable tax revenue split of 50 percent residential and 50 percent commercial tax revenue, and the assessor’s office is responsible for determining the value of each piece of property.

News

Washington Blvd-Route 110 Bridge Construction Begins

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 25, 2015 at 5:00PM

Rendering of the future Washington Blvd bridge over Route 110

The $29.5 million endeavor will replace the existing bridge — built in 1941 and now “considered structurally deficient,” according to the Virginia Department of Transportation — with a new structure that expands the shared-use path to 14-feet wide, add an 8-foot sidewalk and is longer, wider and taller than the existing bridge.

While construction has begun, traffic impacts won’t start until May.