Arlington’s Grade 8 English reading pass rate this year is 77 percent, compared with 71 percent for all of Virginia. However, Arlington’s 8th graders scored a 90 percent pass rate last year.
A likely explanation for the local and statewide drop in English scores is the introduction of a more rigorous exam. The VDOE’s website says:
The most notable change occurs from miles 6 through 9, where runners will now travel north on Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway to Beach Drive, then back onto the parkway on relatively flat roads. Previously, runners crossed from Arlington into Georgetown via the Key Bridge and had to turn left onto Canal Road, where they’d ascend a 150-foot grade near the Georgetown Reservoir between miles 7 and 8.
The altered route will send participants along M Street in Georgetown before heading onto the parkway, which hasn’t been done in the MCM since 2006.
The sign has been programmed to display the phrase “don’t hit the car in front of you.” The message has drawn national media attention, with the likes of Fox News and The Blaze picking up the story.
Earlier this month, @CruiseInDeCarr tweeted a photo of the sign to ARLnow.com, adding: “You wouldn’t think we’d need a sign for this.” While that may be the logical assumption, it appears drivers haven’t heeded the obvious advice, considering that intersection came in as the top area for motor vehicle accidents in Arlington during the second quarter of 2013. During that time period, police responded to 11 accidents at the site, nearly all of them rear-end collisions.
The Crystal City Business Improvement District teamed up with the Washington Wine Academy for the month-long wine and beer celebration, which kicks off with Wine in the Water Park on Friday, September 6. Wine in the Water Park runs every Friday in September from 6:00-10:00 p.m. at the Crystal City Water Park across from 1750 Crystal Drive. Visitors can take in live music while getting help with finding the perfect wine. Admission is free, and there is a $5 charge for beer and wine.
The celebration continues on Sunday, September 15 with Sip and Salsa, the Vintage Crystal signature event. Wines from Spain, Portugal and South America will take center stage, along with tapas from local restaurants. Attendees can participate in free salsa lessons and wine tasting classes. Sip and Salsa runs from 2:00-6:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 for food and wine or $10 for just food, and can be purchased online or at the event.
Metro Accident Victim Identified as GMU Student — The person struck and killed on the Metrorail Orange Line tracks between East Falls Church and Ballston early Sunday morning has been identified as 21-year-old George Mason University student Patrick Sibley. Sibley’s brother says he did not have a good sense of direction and may have become lost after leaving a bar in Clarendon and trying to make it home to Vienna. Metro is not commenting on the incident while it is under investigation. [Washington Post]
McDonnell Touts Budget Surplus — Gov. Bob McDonnell says the state ended its fiscal year on June 30 with $585 million more than projected. That’s the largest state surplus since 2005. The cumulative surplus during McDonnell’s nearly four years in office comes in at around $2 billion. [Washington Times]
Some of the ongoing construction on the Courthouse “superblock” along Wilson Blvd and Clarendon Blvd, from N. Courthouse Road to N. Rhodes Street, may begin wrapping up by the end of this year.
Barring any major setbacks or weather delays, the proposed completion date for the development at 1900 Wilson — referred to as 19Nineteen Clarendon — currently stands at December of this year. It had previously been expected to open this summer. Construction on the neighboring 2001 Clarendon — which is considered a joint project with 19Nineteen Clarendon — is expected to finish in the spring of 2014. 19Nineteen Clarendon is managed by Harkins Construction and 2001 Clarendon Blvd (sometimes called Washington View) is managed by S.E. Foster.
Audi of Alexandria and all of its employees will relocate from 1704 Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood to the Arlington land previously occupied by the Brown’s Used Car Super Center (3200 Columbia Pike), which closed in 2011.
According to an employee at the dealership, the move should happen in late September, but no firm date has been set yet. The employee indicated that both the service and sales hours would likely expand after the move, but that hasn’t been definitely determined.
An ART bus will be more colorful for the next year, thanks to the winner of the ARTists for PAL Bus Design Contest.
County Board Chair Walter Tejada and County Manager Barbara Donnellan joined in a ceremony on Thursday for the unveiling of the winning bus wrap. They recognized Annemarie Dougherty, who will be an 8th grader at St. Agnes Catholic School in the fall, for her winning design.
Fish and Wildlife Service Nears Lease Deal in Falls Church — Vornado Realty Trust is reportedly close to securing a lease deal that would move the Fish and Wildlife Service out of Ballston and into Falls Church. The deal would send the agency’s 2,100 employees to 5275 Leesburg Pike in the Skyline area. [Washington Business Journal]
Man Pleads Guilty in Pentagon City Robbery — Walter Douglas, who was arrested in June, has pleaded guilty to a string of smash and grab robberies, including the March 19 Tourneau store robbery at the Pentagon City mall. Douglas admitted he was an organizer of the group that allegedly carried out the robberies, and he pleaded guilty to a federal robbery charge and a robbery-conspiracy charge. He reports the group stole between $800,000 and $1.5 million in high end goods. Douglas will be sentenced on November 8. [Washington Post]
Ten vehicles in the Arlington View neighborhood, located along the Columbia Pike corridor, were discovered with their tires slashed yesterday. Police say all the incidents occurred between 2:45 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. A screwdriver was found nearby and police believe it may have used to destroy the tires, although there is no suspect description.
Even though this bears similarities to the incident from last month when 16 vehicles — mostly Priuses — had their tires slashed, police have not yet said there is a connection.
(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) Police and fire crews are on the scene of an overturned vehicle in Pentagon City.
According to police, shortly after noon a woman in an SUV driving northbound on S. Hayes Street attempted to make a left turn onto Army Navy Drive. She allegedly failed to yield to a vehicle coming off of I-395 onto Hayes Street. The SUV flipped onto its roof after hitting the Dodge Challenger.
The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training instructs attendees on how to respond when an emergency occurs. The skills learned can be used in a variety of situations that could occur at home — including fires and medical emergencies — as well as community situations — such as terrorist attacks, hurricanes and tornadoes.
More than 600 Arlington residents have completed the training, and they are sometimes called upon by the county to assist when emergencies occur — like during last summer’s derecho storm.
