News | ARLnow.com - Part 1047

Morning Notes

Published May 22, 2015 at 9:15AM

Memorial Day Closures — Arlington County government offices, courts, schools, and community centers will be closed on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. Arlington’s public indoor pools will be open, trash and recycling will be collected and ART buses will operate on a holiday schedule. [Arlington County]

Flags In at Arlington National Cemetery — More than 1,000 soldiers from the Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, also known as the Old Guard, placed small American flags in front some 275,000 headstones at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday. The annual ceremony, known as “Flags In,” has been taking place before Memorial Day for more than 60 years. [U.S. Army]

New House Bill Takes Aim at Predatory Towing

By Tim Regan

Published May 21, 2015 at 4:30PM

Congressmen Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) today reintroduced The State and Local Predatory Towing Enforcement Act, a bill they say would solidify state and local governments’ ability to end predatory towing practices.

As federal law currently stands, state and local governments are prohibited from regulating local towing industries. Though a 2002 U.S. Supreme Court decision is considered to have given local governments the ability to regulate those industries, the reintroduced bill would codify it and reduce some legal uncertainties.

Duck Donuts to Open Fairfax and Arlington Locations

By Tim Regan

Published May 21, 2015 at 11:00AM

Beloved donut chain Duck Donuts is slated to open new locations in Arlington and Fairfax this summer.

The Fairfax branch will open in the “first or second week of June” in the Boulevard Shopping Center at 10694 Fairfax Boulevard, said a Duck Donuts employee today by phone.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 21, 2015 at 9:05AM

Traffic Switch on Columbia Pike — VDOT crews will open a new ramp from Washington Blvd to Columbia Pike tonight. Crews will also activate a new traffic signal on the Pike and remove an old one. The Pike/Washington Blvd bridge replacement project is expected to wrap up this summer. [VDOT]

Rep. Beyer’s First Bill Passes — Rep. Don Beyer’s (D-Va.) Science Prize Competition Act has passed with bipartisan support. The bill “will encourage federal agencies to use prize competitions to incentivize innovative scientific research and development.” It’s Beyer’s first bill to pass the House of Representatives after replacing the retired Rep. Jim Moran. [Twitter, U.S. House of Representatives]

Teen Struck By Car, Seriously Hurt Near TJ Middle School

By ARLnow.com

Published May 20, 2015 at 11:00AM

The collision happened just after 7:30 at the intersection of 2nd Street S. and S. Jackson Street, a busy route for students walking to and from school.

The boy suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital, according to Arlington County Fire Department spokeswoman Lt. Sarah Marchegiani.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 20, 2015 at 9:00AM

Survey Says: Resident Satisfaction High — Resident satisfaction with Arlington County is high, according to Arlington County. The county’s fourth Resident Satisfaction Survey, conducted by an outside research firm, suggested an 89 percent overall satisfaction rate with the quality of county services. “Just two percent of residents were dissatisfied with the overall quality of County services,” said a press release. One notable area for improvement: maintenance of county streets, with a satisfaction level of only 42 percent. [Arlington County]

Peak Memorial Day Traffic Expected Thursday — Contrary to conventional wisdom, the worst Memorial Day holiday traffic in the D.C. area will be Thursday evening, not Friday. According to an analysis of average travel speeds, drivers hoping to escape local holiday traffic should leave at night, around lunchtime Wednesday or Thursday, or Friday morning. [Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments]

County Board Adopts Resolution Calling on Redskins to Change Name

By ARLnow.com

Published May 19, 2015 at 5:55PM

The resolution was introduced by County Board member Walter Tejada, who said using the name Redskins as a reference to Native Americans is “objectionable to many Americans, Virginians and Arlingtonians.”

In introducing the resolution, Tejada noted that the team is in talks to move from its current home at FedEx Field, perhaps to Virginia. He also said that the issue is “personal for me” as a native of El Salvador with Mayan roots.

BREAKING: Officer-Involved Shooting in Buckingham

By ARLnow.com

Published May 19, 2015 at 11:05AM | Updated May 19, 2015 at 4:57PM

May 19, 2015

(Updated at 4:55 p.m.) A man is dead after being shot by Arlington County Police in the Buckingham neighborhood.

Police say officers responded to the 4200 block of 2nd Road N., at the Gates of Ballston apartment complex, just before 11:00 a.m. for an anonymous report of a domestic dispute. Officers arriving on scene heard screaming inside an apartment and entered it.

Board to Consider Selling Reeves Farmhouse

By ARLnow.com

Published May 19, 2015 at 10:00AM

County Manager Barbara Donnellan is recommending that the Board approve putting the house and a portion of the surrounding property, adjacent to Bluemont Park, on the market for sale to a private buyer. The proposal was added to today’s County Board agenda on Monday.

Even after being sold to a private party, the house — which dates back to 1899 — would remain a local historic district and would be protected from changes that would hurt its historical integrity.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 19, 2015 at 9:00AM

Taste of Arlington Winners — The judges at Sunday’s Taste of Arlington event in Ballston selected four winners among the dozens of restaurants that participated. Il Forno won for Best Appetizers, Liberty Tavern won for Best Fast Casual, Water and Wall won for Best Fine Dining and Northside Social won for Best Dessert.

Real Estate Prices Rise — Real estate prices in Arlington continue to rise. The median home sale in Arlington between January and April was $545,000. That’s up 9 percent year-over-year. [InsideNova]

Motorcyclist Hurt in Crash Near Lee-Harrison Shopping Center

By ARLnow.com

Published May 18, 2015 at 5:30PM

Photo courtesy Anne Coia

A motorcyclist was seriously injured in a crash in front of the Lee-Harrison Shopping Center over the weekend.

The incident happened just before 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, on Harrison Street. There’s no official word yet on the exact circumstances of the crash, but police say a blue SUV was involved.

Young Republicans to Host Death Penalty Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published May 18, 2015 at 3:35PM

The discussion will be held at the AFCYR’s monthly meeting, starting at 7:30 p.m. at Hard Time Cafe in Clarendon (3028 Washington Blvd).

The group Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty will tell young Republicans why they’re “questioning the alignment of capital punishment with their principles.” The organization notes that 152 individuals, to date, have been released from death row after it was determined that they were wrongfully convicted.