Author: Ethan Rothstein

News

Ebbin’s Paper Check Tax Refund Bill Advancing Through GA

By Ethan Rothstein
State Sen. Adam Ebbin is running unopposed so far in his 2019 bid for re-election

The legislation, introduced by Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30), passed the state Senate Jan. 20 by a unanimous 38-0 vote — the Senate is missing two votes until new Lt. Governor Ralph Northam and Attorney General’s Mark Herring’s seats are filled via special election — and is waiting to be considered by the House of Delegates Finance Committee.

As of January 2013, the state started only doling out tax rebates via direct deposit or a debit card, which comes with associated costs, like ATM and transaction fees. The Senate Finance Committee voted to abolish the debit card option altogether if the bill is signed into law.

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Events

Four-Day Fashion Show Returns to Crystal City

By Ethan Rothstein
2012 Crystal Couture fashion show

The show will be held next week from Tuesday, Feb. 4 to Saturday, Feb. 8., 6:00-10:00 p.m. on each night, at 251 18th Street S. on the 11th floor. Models will pace up and down the runway showing off some of the season’s new designs, there will be a full cash bar and sales from more than 50 designers. There will also be free, five-minute “makeup and hair makeovers.”

Those interested in attending can choose which day they want to go to the show based on which designers will be on display, and for sale, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday or Saturday. Guest hosts include Philippa Hughes of Pinkline Project (Tuesday), 94.7 Fresh FM’s Tommy McFly (Friday) and WPGC’s Guy Lambert and former Miss D.C. “K Street” Kate Michael (Saturday).

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Around Town

Heavy Seas Targeting Mid-February Opening in Rosslyn

By Ethan Rothstein
Heavy Seas Alehouse in Rosslyn

“We are aiming for somewhere around the week of Feb. 17,” The Alehouse said last week. “No official date yet, though.”

The alehouse, affiliated with the Baltimore brewery of the same name, was originally targeting a December opening date. In recent months, it has been hiring staff and, last Friday, announced its Chef de Cuisine would be Marc Kennedy, former executive chef at McCormick & Schmick’s in Crystal City.

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News

County Towing Fee Could Increase to $135

By Ethan Rothstein

Tomorrow, the Arlington County Board is expected to authorize a public hearing on a proposal to raise the trespass towing fee from $125 to $135, which is the maximum allowed under state law after the General Assembly raised the limit last year. The fee is charged by local towing companies that are contracted to tow vehicles from private parking lots.

The county raised the towing fee from $115 to $125 in 2011 by a 3-2 vote, with Walter Tejada and Chris Zimmerman — who will be voting tomorrow in his final meeting as a Board member — opposing the increase. Tejada said at the time the increase was “a very significant hit” for those on fixed incomes. Current Board Chair and Vice Chair Jay Fisette and Mary Hynes voted in favor of the increase along with now-state Sen. Barbara Favola.

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Feature

Google Alum Building Student Counseling Platform

By Ethan Rothstein

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.

That may sound like a fall from grace, but Bhargava’s startup, Mytonomy, is flourishing. The negotiator just inked a deal last month with the College Foundation of North Carolina, which is a national standard-bearer for preparing high school students for college, to provide services to every high school student in the state.

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News

County Board Approves ‘Blue Goose’ Redevelopment

By Ethan Rothstein
Rendering of the upcoming development on "Blue Goose" site

The Board unanimously voted to redevelop the 1963 building, allowing the developer The Shooshan Company, in partnership with Marymount University, to build a nine-story office building and a 15-story, 267-unit residential building with 11 dedicated units of affordable housing.

The entire site will sit on three levels of underground parking, with 317 office spaces and 264 residential spaces. There will also be 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.

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Around Town

Arlington Named ’10th Unhappiest Place to Work’

By Ethan Rothstein

Washington, D.C., comparatively, was named the second-happiest city to work in the country. Each city was evaluated by 10 factors, including “one’s relationship with the boss and co-workers, work environment, job resources, compensation, growth opportunities, company culture, company reputation, daily tasks, and control over the work done does on a daily basis,” according to Forbes.

Each factor was rated on a five-point scale by a survey of more than 20,000 employees. Washington D.C.’s 10 factors averaged to a score of 3.925, behind only San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif., which came in with a score of 3.93.

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News

Woman Pleads Guilty to Death of Infant Son

By Ethan Rothstein

Zoraida Magal Conde Hernandez, 32, submitted an Alford plea, meaning she accepts the verdict without technically admitting guilt in the case. Hernandez and Commonwealth’s Attorney Theo Stamos agreed to two years and six months of probation, and, barring a violation, a dismissal of charges after that.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Molly Newton said Hernandez, after dropping two other children off at their summer activities in Alexandria, forgot that her 8-month-old son was strapped in his car seat when she drove to her job at the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and locked her car in the parking lot.

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Feature

Your Beermonger: From the Great White North

By Ethan Rothstein

Editor’s Note: This sponsored column is written by Nick Anderson, beermonger at Arrowine (4508 Lee Highway).

By now most of us are familiar with many of the more boutique Canadian craft brewers; Quebec-based outfits like Unibroue and Dieu du Ciel whose more esoteric offerings are usually Belgian in style or inspiration. But when we think of Canadian beer, it’s usually of big Lager houses like Molson or Moosehead (or Elsinore for the Strange Brew fans out there). But there’s a full spectrum of Canadian craft brews out there, some of which a new importer is bringing to our area.

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News

Snow Removal: A Tale of Two Arlingtons

By Ethan Rothstein

It’s a source of frustration for many residents, who have emailed and tweeted ARLnow.com about slippery back roads. It’s also a stark contrast for those who have lived in northern cities with more practiced snow-removal operations.

Why is Arlington, arguably the wealthiest county in America and a self-styled paragon of good government, seemingly overwhelmed by a few inches of snow when small workaday suburbs to the north can clear all of their streets with ease?

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