The restaurant will give away the food in celebration of National Cheeseburger Day. The location in Virginia Square (3325 Wilson Blvd) is one of the three Z-Burger restaurants chosen to give away the cheeseburgers from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. and 5:00-7:00 p.m.
“The employees are excited,” said Z-Burger spokesman Kenny Fried. “Hopefully we’ll have new customers coming in that never experienced Z-Burger before and this is the chance to show what great food and what a great place we have.”
According to police, two subjects walked into the store shortly before it closed on Sunday night, around 8:40 p.m. A suspect with a gun forced one of the two store employees to the floor. The other suspect remained with that employee while the armed suspect led a second employee to the back to get money from the safe.
After taking money from the safe, police say the suspects grabbed money from cash registers in the front of the store. They demanded both employees to lie on the floor, then fled the scene. Neither store employee was injured.
(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) A space that sat vacant for years near the Ballston Metro station is about to get a new tenant.
According to permits filed with the county, Bank of America plans to open a branch in the former Ruby Tuesday space. The new bank will occupy one of the first floor commercial spaces in the building at 901 N. Stuart Street, just feet away from an existing Presidential Bank.
Plans for the new school have been in the works for some time, and the Arlington School Board unanimously approved a conceptual design in February. Although a number of concerns from the community have arisen during the planning process, county staff recommends Board approval for the use permit.
One issue that previously prompted a meeting is the traffic impact a new school would have on the surrounding area. A study indicates traffic impacts only occur during a 15 to 20 minute “peak” period during school arrival and departure times. It is therefore suggested that the two schools stagger their start/end times to reduce this traffic impact, with Williamsburg having an earlier start time than the new school. Staff believes the new school’s parking lot has been adequately designed to prevent long lines of waiting cars from spilling into the neighboring streets during drop off and pick up times.
Arlington resident Melissa Jurgens, a lawyer, will compete on the popular quiz show. The segment was previously taped and airs tonight.
Although it’s a big secret whether or not Jurgens will advance, we are told she was able to meet and take photos with host Alex Trebek.
Ben’s Chili Bowl Coming to DCA — Just a week after announcing the opening of a new location in Rosslyn, the owners of the iconic Ben’s Chili Bowl in D.C. say they’ll open a location at Reagan National Airport next year. It’s part of an effort by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority to revamp the concessions offerings at local airports. Legal Sea Foods and Pinkberry will join Ben’s, along with a Spanx outlet. [Washington Post]
Panhandler Helps Solve Missing Dog Mystery — A long-time Arlington panhandler has helped a local woman solve the mystery of her missing dog. Laurie Nakamoto had searched for her missing dog, Ms. Winter, since July and it led her to Glen Hilbrand, who has staked out a median near the East Falls Church Metro for about 18 years. Hilbrand had seen Nakamoto’s deceased dog in the road, and removed it so cars wouldn’t continue to run over it. Nakamoto says it gave her a sense of closure to hear from Hilbrand what happened to her pet. Hilbrand attended the memorial service Nakamoto held for her dog. [Washington Post]
Blue line trains will operate at regular weekend intervals (every 12 minutes during daytime hours, and every 15-20 minutes at other times) in two segments: between Largo Town Center and Pentagon City, and between Franconia-Springfield and Braddock Road. Yellow Line trains will also operate at normal weekend intervals in two segments: between Mt. Vernon Sauare and Pentagon City, and between Huntington and Braddock Road.
Customers on the Blue and Yellow lines will need to take free shuttle buses between Pentagon City and Braddock Road while the two stations are closed. Express buses will operate non-stop between Braddock Road and Pentagon City. Customers should add up to 15 minutes of travel time. Local buses will operate between Braddock Road and Pentagon City, making intermediate stops at Reagan National Airport and Crystal City stations. Customers should add up to 20 minutes of travel time.
Scam artists have been calling Arlington residents, claiming to be utility bill collectors, according to police. They often become aggressive on the phone and demand payment for outstanding bills. The scammers have also threatened to cut off service altogether if immediate payment is not provided over the phone. They ask the victim to set up a pre-paid debit card so funds can be loaded onto it and accessed over the phone.
In the past, many utility scams police came across involved minority or elderly residents. This one, however, appears to target small businesses. Since the beginning of the year, police have investigated 21 instances of this scam in Arlington, nine of which occurred just in the past month.
A spinoff of the recently opened Kapnos will occupy a space at 4000 Wilson Blvd in Ballston, which is the Liberty Center South development. That’s the development where Taylor Gourmet will go in as well, as announced earlier this summer.
Kapnos Taverna will feature the same types of Northern Greek inspired fare found at Kapnos. Unlike the D.C. location, the Ballston restaurant will offer weekday lunch, weekend brunch and a happy hour menu.
The department targeted that particular area with an electronic message due to the high number of crashes there. It was the county’s top area for accidents during the second quarter of 2013. After the sign went up, however, the department saw a change.
“It appears the sign worked because there was a sharp decrease in accidents from July to August,” said ACPD spokesman Dustin Sternbeck.
Deputy Accused of Murder Again Denied Bond — Arlington County Sheriff’s Deputy Craig Patterson, who is accused of murdering Julian Dawkins, has been denied bond for a third time. Patterson’s defense attorney argued that Dawkins may have been using and dealing drugs, and Dawkins’ previous dealings with police caused his confrontational nature the night of the incident. Patterson’s trial starts on December 9. [WUSA]
Home Sales, Prices Rise — The combination of higher sales and increasing average sales prices boosted Arlington’s total sales volume for August by 29.4 percent, to $173 million, compared to last year. The average price of all residential properties rose 8.1 percent to $594,479. Homes sold last month spent an average of 29 days on the market between listing and contract, compared with 50 days a year ago. [Sun Gazette]
There are a number of new volunteer opportunities available throughout Arlington, including several positions with an organization whose mission bring opera to the masses.
Opera NOVA, an all-volunteer non-profit organization, aims to make opera affordable and accessible to all residents of Northern Virginia. The group is currently seeking a Schools Coordinator for Children’s Opera. The volunteer will introduce Opera NOVA’s programs to schools, plan school outreach strategies and assist in creating marketing materials for schools and families. Those interested can apply or request more information online.
