News | ARLnow.com - Part 1054

Morning Notes

Published April 17, 2015 at 9:30AM

County Board to Consider Concrete Contract — The Arlington County Board is set to consider an on-call concrete maintenance contract this weekend. The contract is intended to reduce the cost of repeatedly bidding out small contracts for road, sidewalk and curb work. The low bidder, Arthur Construction Company, is expected to bill about $3.8 million annually under the contract, according to county staff estimates. [Arlington County]

Arlington Author’s Book Makes Amazon List — “Seven Days” by Arlington author Ariel Atwell (a pen name) has Amazon.com’s “Hot New Releases in Historical Fiction” list. [Amazon]

Video: ESPN Reporter Berates Advanced Towing Employee

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 16, 2015 at 5:45PM

ESPN reporter Britt McHenry on video at Advanced Towing (image via LiveLeak)

Video of ESPN reporter and WJLA alumna Britt McHenry’s dealings with Advanced Towing after her car was towed from the Hunan One parking lot in Clarendon earlier this month has been leaked.

LiveLeak, an open-source video sharing platform, published the video today, which was promptly amplified by the sports site Deadspin. McHenry can be seen and heard berating the towing lot’s employee, insulting her education, teeth and weight. During the video, the employee warns McHenry “I’ll play your video, so be careful.”

D.C.’s 1776 Incubator Expanding Into Crystal City

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 16, 2015 at 4:15PM

Today, on the roof of 220 20th Street S., Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Arlington County Board Chair Mary Hynes, Vornado CEO Mitchell Shear, 1776 co-founders Evan Burfield and Donna Harris and former Disruption Corporation CEO, and now 1776 Managing Director, Paul Singh joined forces to make the announcement.

“We’re proud that this new partnership will be anchored in Crystal City, which is increasingly becoming a globally-recognized home for world-changing startups,” McAuliffe said. “This new, unprecedented level of regional collaboration removes the traditional regional boundaries, creating tremendous opportunity for broad-based economic growth that benefits the entire region, and offering a model for future, long-term economic growth throughout Virginia and the D.C. Metro area.”

BREAKING: House Fire Near Columbia Pike

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 16, 2015 at 12:00PM | Updated April 16, 2015 at 2:19PM

Photo via @ashfrel

(Updated at 1:00 p.m.) Arlington County Fire Department personnel are on the scene of a house fire on the 1000 block of S. Rolfe Street.

The fire was reported at about 11:45 a.m., and when firefighters arrived on scene, fire could be seen from the outside of the house, according to the ACFD union on Twitter.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published April 16, 2015 at 9:15AM

Dems Debate in Ballston — The six Democratic candidates for County Board faced off in their first debate last night, before a standing-room only crowd at the NRECA conference center in Ballston. The debate was held by Arlington Young Democrats. Though knowledgable about current issues facing Arlington, candidates were light on specifics about what should be done to address those issues. [InsideNova]

Disruption Corp. Sold to 1776 — Disruption Corp., the Crystal City-based tech investment fund and office space, has been acquired by D.C.-based tech incubator 1776. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. [Washington Post]

UPDATED: Body Found on Rocks Near Chain Bridge

By ARLnow.com

Published April 15, 2015 at 5:30PM | Updated December 29, 2015 at 2:31PM

ACFD's technical rescue team rappels down cliffs to access body found near the Potomac River

(Updated at 11:10 p.m.) One lane of Chain Bridge was blocked during tonight’s evening rush hour due to a grim discovery near the bridge.

An apparent dead body was spotted by hikers about 150 yards north of the bridge this afternoon. The body is said to be located on the rocks, close to the Potomac River.

Mosaic Park in Ballston Gets Closer to Overhaul

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 15, 2015 at 4:45PM

Mosaic Park in Ballston

Mosaic Park, the largely unused green space in Ballston along N. Quincy Street next to the Gold’s Gym parking lot, is close to taking the next step toward its planned redesign.

Arlington County is still planning on adding a public plaza, interactive water feature, multipurpose court, tree plantings and walkways. On the Arlington County Board’s agenda this Saturday is a public hearing for a rezoning, changing the park, at 544 N. Pollard Street, from a residential zoning to “public,” which allows construction to begin on the new features.

First Responders Honored for Lifesaving Efforts

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 15, 2015 at 3:30PM

ACFD Chief Jim Schwartz embraces Firefighter/EMT Chad Aldridge after presenting the Valor Award

Members of the Arlington County Police Department, the Arlington County Fire Department, the county’s emergency operations staff and the Arlington Sheriff’s Office were honored today for their efforts and sacrifices while serving the county.

The Arlington Chamber of Commerce held its 33rd annual Valor Awards at the Officer’s Club at Joint Base Myer/Henderson Hall, giving awards for careers of service as well as individual, lifesaving efforts over the past 12 months.

Two Big Recycling Events in Arlington This Month

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 15, 2015 at 10:00AM

(Updated at 10:10 a.m.) Over the next week, Arlington residents have two chances to take one more step in spring cleaning: recycling household goods and electronics.

This Saturday, Arlington is hosting its biannual E-CARE recycling event at Thomas Jefferson Middle School (125 S. Old Glebe Road), allowing residents to dropoff hazardous household goods to be disposed of responsibly.

Treasurer Pushes to Reduce Late Fees on Real Estate Taxes

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 14, 2015 at 4:45PM

Arlington Treasurer Carla de la Pava in 2014 (file photo)

The Arlington County Board is considering a recommendation by Arlington County Treasurer Carla de la Pava to reduce the fee for a real estate bill paid up to 30 days late from 10 percent to 5 percent. Tax bills paid after 30 days would continue to incur a 10 percent penalty.

“The Treasurer … has concluded that as currently implemented a 10 percent penalty for late payment of real estate taxes is unnecessarily harsh for delinquent taxpayers who pay of their own accord,” the county’s staff report reads. “Specifically, it treats those taxpayers who simply forgot about a due date the same as those who refuse to meet their tax obligation without collection action by the Treasurer.”

Washington-Lee Turf Field to be Replaced

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 14, 2015 at 3:30PM | Updated April 14, 2015 at 9:29PM

(Updated at 4:00 p.m.) The 10-year-old synthetic turf field at Washington-Lee High School is worn beyond repair and needs to be replaced, according to Arlington’s Department of Parks and Recreation.

The field has been subject to heavy, year-round use by students, recreational sports leagues and in pickup games for a decade, according to a staff report. This Saturday, the Arlington County Board will vote on a contract to replace the field for $609,000, the final piece of the $1.6 million project.

Donnellan Recommends Denying Wilson School’s Historic Designation

By Ethan Rothstein

Published April 14, 2015 at 11:30AM

The final decision will be made by the Arlington County Board at its meeting this Saturday, and if the Board follows County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s recommendation, it will reject the school’s historic district status.

The Wilson School was built in 1910, but has since been renovated. Preservations are hoping the County Board will designate it as a local historic district, which would require pieces of the building be preserved before it is bulldozed to make way for a new, 775-seat building to house the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program.