Author: Ryan Cole

Ryan Cole is a reporting fellow at ARLnow and an Arlington native. He’s a 2022 Yorktown High School graduate and a 2026 graduate of Northwestern University, where he studied journalism and covered sports for campus publications.

Around Town

‘National Night Out’ festivities with ACPD coming to Arlington next week

By Ryan Cole
Arlington woman with police motorcycle (photo by David Moss Photography, courtesy of ACPD)

Live music, cookouts and other festivities are coming to neighborhoods around Arlington next week in an annual partnership with the Arlington County Police Department.

National Night Out, an event where police officers attend outdoor, community-building events in neighborhoods around their jurisdiction, is next Tuesday.

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Around Town

New Arlington startup helps troubleshoot tech issues and increase technical literacy

By Ryan Cole
ReliableIT founder Mahoba "Maya" Akhtarzadah (courtesy of Mahoba Akhtarzadah)

An Arlington-based IT specialist is launching a new tech support company seeking to troubleshoot problems and help people build technical competence.

Mahboba “Maya” Akhtarzadah is the founder and CEO of ReliableIT, which provides support for issues with computers, phones, TVs, printers, Wi-Fi routers and more. In addition to solving customers’ tech troubles, Akhtarzadah will host one-on-one training sessions to help people develop greater comfort with technology.

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News

Key Bridge Marriott redevelopment plan expires as demolition continues in Rosslyn

By Ryan Cole and Dan Egitto
The Key Bridge Marriott demolition site at 1401 Langston Blvd (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

The site plan to redevelop Rosslyn’s former Key Bridge Marriott has expired, raising even more questions for the future of the Langston Blvd property.

Plans for a renovated hotel and two 16-story residential buildings at 1401 Langston Blvd expired on July 1, county spokesperson Rachel LaPiana told ARLnow.

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Sports

Phillies draft Yorktown High School graduate known for strike outs and fastballs

By Ryan Cole
James Tallon at Duke (via Duke Baseball/X)

The Philadelphia Phillies selected a Yorktown High School graduate in the sixth round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft this week.

James Tallon, a 2022 Yorktown graduate, was an ace starting pitcher for the Patriots in high school. He then spent three years at Duke University, where he continued his pitching career as a reliever — coming into games in the late innings instead of starting them.

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Around Town

Alshami Restaurant opens in Bluemont, promising ‘real Syrian food’

By Ryan Cole
Alshami Restaurant at 5216 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

A new Syrian restaurant has opened for business in Bluemont, serving traditional cuisine straight from the kitchen of a Damascus native.

Alshami Restaurant offers a wide array of appetizers, salads, sandwiches, platters and flatbreads at 5216 Wilson Blvd. It takes the place of Ya Hala Bistro, a Middle Eastern restaurant that closed last year.

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Around Town

‘Capital Doner’ opens in Rosslyn, serving Turkish gyros and shawarma

By Ryan Cole
Capital Doner in Rosslyn (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

A new restaurant serving Turkish sandwiches, wraps and pita dishes has opened in Rosslyn.

D.C.-based Capital Doner opened its second location last month at 1731 Wilson Blvd, across the street from H-B Woodlawn. The restaurant serves halal gyros and shawarma, plus falafel wraps and traditional Turkish desserts.

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Around Town

Arlington woman seeks to transport abused stray dog from Albania to U.S.

By Ryan Cole
Buddy the dog (courtesy of Silvi Pomeroy)

An Arlington woman originally from Albania is raising money through GoFundMe to bring a stray dog from her home country to the United States.

Silvi Pomeroy, a resident physician at George Washington University Hospital, met “Buddy” on a trip to show her husband Albania and visit family. Her aunt had been feeding Buddy for a couple weeks leading up to their visit, and he followed the family around on walks.

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Around Town

Fleet of laser-equipped robots begins survey of Arlington sidewalks

By Ryan Cole
Arlington robots assessing sidewalk conditions (via Arlington DES/Flickr)

A fleet of robots has begun wandering the sidewalks between Ballston and Rosslyn, searching for any defects to report back to the county’s Department of Environmental Services.

The bots, which went live at the start of this month, use a combination of laser scanners, mobile mapping, AI and machine learning to look for defects like cracks, weeds or gaps of at least half an inch.

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Around Town

Local high schooler creates assistive app for people with motor disabilities

By Ryan Cole
Dhanvin Ganeshkumar presents Swype AI at SXSW EDU's Student Impact Challenge (courtesy of Dhanvin Ganeshkumar)

A Thomas Jefferson High School junior is launching an assistive technology start-up to help people with motor disabilities use computers more easily.

Dhanvin Ganeshkumar’s Swype AI will allow people to control their computer using a free mobile app on their smartphone in conjunction with gestures or vocal commands.

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Around Town

Arlington entrepreneurs debut new party boat with catering from District Taco

By Ryan Cole
The new "Cantina Cruises" by Sea Suite Cruises (via Sea Suite Cruises/Instagram)

A pair of Arlington entrepreneurs have partnered with a local taqueria to debut a new cantina-themed booze cruise on the Potomac River.

Sea Suite Cruises’ new “Cantina Cruises” party boat, which debuted on the Fourth of July, comes with a full-service bar plus chips and salsa courtesy of District Taco. Private parties can also get catering from the regional taco chain.

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Around Town

Rep. Beyer is spelling bee champ in annual contest between politicians and press

By Ryan Cole
Congressman Don Beyer holds spelling bee trophy (via National Press Club/X)

Arlington’s congressman took home the title at the latest annual spelling competition between politicians and members of the media.

Rep. Don Beyer (D) won the National Press Club’s annual “Press & Politicians Spelling Bee” on June 25. His winning word was “stygian,” meaning “of or relating to the river Styx” or “extremely dark, gloomy or forbidding.”

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News

Beyer announces reelection bid, pledging to wield influence to keep fighting Trump

By Ryan Cole
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) speaks on the House floor, April 2024 (via Rep. Don Beyer/Twitter)

Rep. Don Beyer is pursuing another term in office, promising to keep fighting “abuses of power” while his party plots strategies to take back Congress.

The Democrat representing Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, which includes all of Arlington, acknowledged to ARLnow that his party has struggled to resist dramatic policy changes under President Donald Trump while Republicans control the legislature.

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