Author: Ethan Rothstein

Feature

Former Special Ops Innovators Launch Big Data Startup

By Ethan Rothstein

Al DiLeonardo and Abe Usher, the co-founders of HumanGeo, rarely have to worry about that. The two met in 2007 when DiLeonardo, working for the U.S. Army Special Ops Command (SOCOM) visited Google’s D.C. headquarters to try to recruit technology talent for a new data project.

Sitting in their new office conference room on the top floor of a Ballston startup, DiLeonardo shrugs and admits he might be the only person to have walked into a Google office hoping to lure people away. Most of the employees laughed it off, but Usher — a graduate of West Point and former NSA cryptologist — chased DiLeonardo down in the parking lot and accepted the job.

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Events

Road Closures for Crystal City 5K Fridays

By Ethan Rothstein

Starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight and on the evenings of April 11, 18 and 25, the race will kick off at 2121 Crystal Drive and run 3.1 miles from Crystal Drive, down to Potomac Avenue, up to 12th Street S. and back.

Registration for the races are $20 each or $60 for the series and runners can pick up their packets and bibs by the start line. The races are a USATF-approved course and use the same timing tag as most other races.

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Feature

Open Houses in Arlington This Weekend

By Ethan Rothstein

The Nationals home opener is taking place this afternoon. Need we say more about the arrival spring? If you want to take advantage of the mild temperatures and the rising number of homes on the market, there are plenty of open houses to choose from this weekend.

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

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News

Fisette on BRT on the Pike: ‘It’s Not Possible’

By Ethan Rothstein

The study, conducted by an independent consultant and funded by the county, suggested that the Columbia Pike streetcar would generate about $3 billion more for the corridor’s economy than enhanced bus service. Critics of the streetcar say a Bus Rapid Transit system would be a preferred, cheaper alternative, but Fisette reiterated yesterday that BRT is not an option for the Pike.

“Bus Rapid Transit, by definition, needs at least part of its route to have a dedicated lane,” Fisette told members of the Columbia Pike business community for the annual Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization Business and Development Luncheon. “I’d love to have a dedicated bus lane. I wish we had room, but it’s not possible.”

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Around Town

Arlington’s Cherry Blossoms Beginning to Bloom

By Ethan Rothstein

(Updated at 4:35 p.m.) It’s cherry blossom season in the D.C. area, and the more than 1,000 trees that call Arlington home are beginning to bloom.

The most famous of the local cherry trees, those along the Tidal Basin in D.C., will be in peak bloom next week, from April 8-12, according to the National Park Service. Although spring officially began on March 20, the cherry blossoms blooming in places like Clarendon and Pentagon City are one of nature’s better indicators that warm weather is here to stay.

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Around Town

Street Sweeping to Begin Next Monday

By Ethan Rothstein

Starting Monday, April 7, the county will move from neighborhood to neighborhood cleaning the streets in an effort that will continue until June. All cars parked on roads marked for street sweeping should be moved to a driveway, garage or street that won’t be swept on the days the neighborhood’s sweeping is scheduled to take place.

Here’s the schedule for the next two weeks. Sweeping will start again with the same rotation on May 5 and June 9:

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News

Vihstadt, Howze Neck-and-Neck in Fundraising

By Ethan Rothstein

The two leading candidates for the vacant seat on the Arlington County Board are essentially even in fundraising with less than a week before the April 8 special election.

Democrat Alan Howze raised $84,984 in the first quarter of 2014, which ended March 28, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks campaign financing in the state. Republican- and Green-endorsed independent candidate John Vihstadt raised $84,154. However, if the candidates want to go on a spending spree in the final week, Vihstadt has $20,379 in cash on hand, compared to Howze’s $5,170.

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News

Arlington Expanding Fiber Network to Businesses

By Ethan Rothstein

The county’s unused fiber optic capacity, or “dark fiber,” will provide not only significantly faster data speeds for businesses — the county says the speed is “unprecedented” — but also a more secure connection that can be used between contractors and federal agencies like the Pentagon.

Officials expect the program to provide an economic boost to the county.

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Around Town

DCA to Bring in New Restaurants, Retail

By Ethan Rothstein

(Updated at 6:00 p.m.) The list of new restaurants and retailers coming to Reagan National Airport continues to grow.

Taylor Gourmet, &pizza, a politically themed restaurant named Grille District and a new Starbucks location are expected to open in Terminal B and C by the end of the year, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced this week. That’s in additional to the under-construction Ben’s Chili Bowl, Legal Seafoods, American Tap Room, Vineyard Vines, Pinkberry and Lacoste, which are expected to open within the next few months.

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