News | ARLnow.com - Part 1009

Morning Notes

Published November 23, 2015 at 9:00AM

Huge Apartment Building Proposed for Ballston — A Bethesda-based developer is proposing a huge new apartment building on the western side of the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Glebe Road in Ballston. The building would feature 483 apartments, 760 underground parking spaces and 68,000 square feet of retail including a grocery store. The nearby Bluemont Civic Association has expressed concern about the proposal, including the potential impact of traffic from the grocery store. [Washington Business Journal]

Mall Worker Accused of Stealing Dozens of Shoes — A maintenance worker at the Pentagon City mall has been arrested and accused of stealing at least 77 pairs of shoes and boots and 9 purses. Police say surveillance footage shows Michael Meza-Guevara unsuccessfully trying to disable surveillance cameras. [NBC Washington]

VDOT Plans I-395 HOT Lanes as Arlington Endorses I-66 Tolling Plan

By ARLnow.com

Published November 20, 2015 at 6:15PM

The news comes nearly five years after the state scrapped plans to build HOT lanes on I-395, following a legal battle with Arlington County. In a lawsuit, the county argued that HOT lanes, as then planned, would exacerbate pollution from and congestion on I-395, negatively impacting Arlington residents.

Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Lane told the Post that the new plan comes with guaranteed funding for carpooling and transit from private partner Transurban. Construction could start as soon as 2017 and would involve adding a third lanes to the existing HOV lanes while keeping the highway’s overall footprint mostly the same, the Post reports.

Crime Report: Would-Be Theft Victim Fights Back

By ARLnow.com

Published November 20, 2015 at 3:45PM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:14PM

The incident happened just after 8 p.m. on the 2900 block of S. Glebe Road, near the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center. Police say the pair approached the man from behind and tried to take the case, but fled after the man sprayed one of the suspects with pepper spray.

From this week’s Arlington County crime report.

Jennifer Lawson Memorial 5K This Weekend

By ARLnow.com

Published November 20, 2015 at 11:45AM

The Jennifer Bush-Lawson Memorial 5K Race will take place on Saturday, at 8 a.m. There will also be a children’s fun run featuring two of the Washington Nationals racing presidents, starting at 9:30 a.m.

A Family Fun Day will be held in conjunction with the races, at the Knight of Columbus (5115 Little Falls Road), from 8 a.m. to noon. The event will include “activities like face painting, air brush tattoos, balloon animals, photo booth, moon bounce, obstacle course, rock climbing wall, local food trucks, and even a beer garden.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 20, 2015 at 10:30AM | Updated November 20, 2015 at 11:28AM

Board Debates Leftover Funds — County Board members John Vihstadt and Libby Garvey unsuccessfully tried to push for changes to the Board’s practice of spending money left over from the previous fiscal year budget with little public discussion. At its meeting last night, a split Board eventually approved the allocation of $21.8 million in “carryover” funds to various priorities. The Board also directed the county manager to develop a balanced budget with no tax rate increase. [Washington Post, Arlington County]

Georgetown Petitions FAA on Aircraft Noise — Earlier this year, the flight path of planes arriving at Reagan National Airport from the north was reportedly shifted from over parts of Arlington to over the Potomac River. That has sparked complaints from Georgetown residents and students, along with residents of other D.C. neighborhoods, who say that aircraft noise has increased and is disrupting their lives. [Georgetown Voice]

Pro-Immigration Protest Marching Through Arlington This Morning

By ARLnow.com

Published November 20, 2015 at 9:30AM

About 20-30 protesters are on the march from Courthouse to Georgetown to the White House this morning.

The “March for Immigrant Families and an End to Deportations” started outside the Arlington County government building in Courthouse and as of 9:30 a.m. was at Lynn Street and Wilson Blvd in the center of Rosslyn.

County Board Struggles Over Antibiotics Resolution

By Jennifer Currier

Published November 19, 2015 at 4:45PM

The primary goal of the resolution is to “establish a tiebreaker preference in County procurement policies for the purchase of meat and poultry that has been raised according to responsible antibiotic use policies.”

The resolution also calls for working with Arlington Public Schools on a similar antibiotic policy, which would — other things being equal — prefer the purchase of responsibly produced meats for school lunch programs.

DEVELOPING: Armed Robbery at Gas Station on Lee Highway

By Jennifer Currier

Published November 19, 2015 at 12:15PM

The robbery occurred around 11:30 a.m. at the Shell station at 5630 Lee Highway, near the intersection of N. Kensington Street.

According to scanner traffic, the suspect is a white male wearing gray pants and a gray sweater, described as approximately six feet tall and in his 40s.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 19, 2015 at 9:55AM | Updated November 19, 2015 at 10:55AM

Coast Guard Drill Today — The U.S Coast Guard is scheduled to conduct a drill in the Potomac between the 14th Street Bridge and the Memorial Bridge today, from noon to 2:30 p.m. Drill participants “will be using orange Coast Guard boats with flashing blue lights, simulating a fixed security zone around a simulated high value asset. There will be no live fire or blanks used during this training; this is only a tactics and maneuvering drill.”

Metro PD Looking for Suspicious Men — Metro Transit PD and other local police agencies are on the lookout for four men seen walking and acting suspiciously around the Pentagon Metro Station and the Pentagon reservation on Sunday. Investigators would like to determine the identity of the individuals in question. Update: police say the men have been found and are not suspected of criminal activity. [Twitter]

House Fire Prompts Closure of Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Published November 19, 2015 at 8:45AM

All lanes of Columbia Pike were closed during a portion of this morning’s rush hour due to a house fire.

The smoky fire was reported around 8:15 a.m., in a house fire on S. Monroe Street. As of 8:35 a.m., firefighters on the scene confirmed that they had extinguished the fire.

County Board Unanimously Approves Ballston Mall Project

By Jennifer Currier

Published November 18, 2015 at 11:15AM

The Arlington County Board unanimously approved the redevelopment of Ballston Common Mall at its meeting last night.

In its approval of the project — which is now referred to as Ballston Quarter — the Board also entered a Letter of Intent to pursue a public-private partnership with Forest City Enterprises, the company that currently owns and operates the mall and is spearheading the redevelopment effort.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 18, 2015 at 9:15AM | Updated November 18, 2015 at 12:53PM

County Creates Veterans Committee — Arlington County is creating a Military and Veterans Affairs Committee, to “identify, prioritize and implement programs and initiatives to recognize and support our active duty military population, our veterans, and their families.” The committee will also serve as the county’s liaison to the Vietnam War 50th anniversary commemoration. [Arlington County]

Pot Legalization Advocates Meeting in Arlington — The 2015 International Drug Policy Reform Conference is being held in Crystal City today through Saturday. The group holding the conference is planning to lobby Congress for laws that would make it easier for states to legalize marijuana and decrease penalties for non-violent drug offenders. [Associated Press, Drugpolicy.org]