News | ARLnow.com - Part 1073

Working Group Can’t Agree on Elementary School Plan for TJ Middle School

Published January 20, 2015 at 2:45PM | Updated January 20, 2015 at 5:56PM

(Updated at 5:55 p.m.) The working group charged by the county to help decide the fate of the green space next to Thomas Jefferson Middle School says it was unable reach a final consensus.

Arlington Public Schools is eyeing land surrounding the middle school as the site for a new $50 million, 725-seat elementary school for south Arlington. Those funds were adopted by the School Board as part of the 2015-2024 Capital Improvement Plan last June, and approved as part of the schools bond referendum by Arlington voters in November.

New Cafe Coming to Arlington Mill Center

By ARLnow.com

Published January 20, 2015 at 12:15PM | Updated January 20, 2015 at 12:47PM

The Board is scheduled to vote on the lease at its Saturday meeting. The lease calls for rent of the 1,875 square foot restaurant space inside the community center to start at $43,200 annually, or $23.04 per square foot. That will rise to more than $30 per square foot by the end of the lease.

The tenant is Alami Abderrahim, a former manager at Lebanese Taverna and owner of the now-closed Moroccan restaurant Souk on H Street NE in D.C.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 20, 2015 at 10:05AM | Updated January 20, 2015 at 10:29AM

Target Eyes Rosslyn — A vacant storefront at 1500 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn may become home to the D.C. region’s first TargetExpress, a smaller, grocery-oriented version of the big box retailer’s stores. So far, Target has not confirmed the news. The storefront has previously hosted Rosslyn BID-sponsored pop-up market events. [Washington Business Journal]

Key Bridge Rehab Planned — The D.C. Department of Transportation is planning to begin a two-year rehabilitation project on the Key Bridge this spring. Most of the work will focus on the bridge’s substructure so traffic impacts will be limited. Other planned work includes new LED streetlights, stronger barriers between the road and the sidewalk, and a new paint job for the bridge’s fence. [Georgetown Dish]

AWLA Investigating Possible Dog Poisonings

By ARLnow.com

Published January 19, 2015 at 4:45PM

The reports have been making their way around neighborhood listservs, the popular Mothers of North Arlington listserv, local pet-related mailing lists and social media. Numerous emails have been forwarded to ARLnow.com.

According to various reports, at least two dogs have gotten sick since Sunday after eating “raw sausages” stuffed with pills, which had been left along sidewalks in the area around N. Columbus Street, north of Lee Highway. It’s not known what exactly was in the sausages, nor who’s leaving them on the ground.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published January 19, 2015 at 11:00AM

State Loan for Potomac Yard Metro — Virginia is providing a $50 million low-interest loan to Alexandria for construction of the future Potomac Yard Metro station. Previously, the Commonwealth offered Arlington up to $65 million for the now-cancelled Columbia Pike streetcar project. [Washington Post]

Hope Wants to Link Child Support, Gun Permits — Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington) has proposed legislation that would revoke concealed handgun permits for Virginia residents who fall more than 90 days or $5,000 behind on child support payments. [InsideNova]

Pot Advocates Lobby for Ebbin’s Decriminalization Bill

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 16, 2015 at 3:45PM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:34PM

Ebbin’s bill, SB 686, has been referred to the 15-member Courts of Justice Committee, and if it’s approved would need to be approved by the full Senate before going through the same process in the House of Delegates.

Both houses are controlled by Republicans, which has traditionally been the party opposing marijuana legalization efforts nationwide. For that reason, Ebbin and NORML are targeting decriminalization, instead of NORML’s preferred policy, recreational legalization.

UPDATED: Arlington Man Admits to Child Porn, Sex Crimes

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 16, 2015 at 2:45PM | Updated January 16, 2015 at 4:03PM

Gavel (Flickr photo by Joe Gratz)

Patrick Joseph Friedel, 29, will serve a minimum of 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to possession and production of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia announced today.

Friedel admitted to meeting five underage girls over the internet and, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office, exchanged sexually explicit images with them, using “persuasion, including sending depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and coercion, including threats to post images online and tell parents.”

Favola Introduces Bills to Regulate In-Home Child Care

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 16, 2015 at 12:45PM | Updated January 16, 2018 at 2:34PM

Her bills — SB 780, SB 818 and SB 898 — would require everyone who receives compensation for child care in their home to be licensed with the Department of Social Services, undergo background checks and include their own children in official counts of how many children are under their care.

Currently, only homes caring for six or more children must be licensed by the state as a child care provider. If Favola’s bills pass in the Republican-controlled General Assembly, all employees who are alone with children would also have to receive first-aid training and ensure the home is clear of fire hazards.

JUST IN: Residential Assessments Rise 5 Percent, Office Values Fall

By ARLnow.com

Published January 16, 2015 at 11:40AM

Assessments county-wide rose 3.4 percent over 2014 values. The 4.9 percent rise in residential values (including condos, townhouses and single-family homes) was paired with a 4.7 percent rise in the assessments of existing apartment buildings.

Dragging down both was a 4.5 percent decline in existing office property assessments. Arlington County has been struggling with an office vacancy rate north of 20 percent.

DEVELOPING: ACFD Responds to Smoke Reported in Metro Tunnel

By ARLnow.com

Published January 16, 2015 at 10:10AM | Updated June 29, 2018 at 2:46PM

(Updated at 10:40 a.m.) A large fire department response has been dispatched to the Ballston Metro station for a report of smoke in a Metro tunnel.

Metro called the fire department, reporting smoke in one of the tunnels between the Ballston and Virginia Square stations. Power has been cut to the track as firefighters investigate.

Crime Report: Purple Van Stolen

By ARLnow.com

Published January 16, 2015 at 9:20AM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:07PM

Other than a notable bar fight in Ballston, this past week has been a rather slow one in Arlington crime-wise, at least according to the weekly county crime report.

One standout is a reported stolen vehicle. For some reason, someone stole an old purple van a couple of blocks from Campbell Elementary.

Beyer to Serve on House Natural Resources Committee

By Ethan Rothstein

Published January 15, 2015 at 5:00PM

Beyer is one of the newest representatives of the 47-member House Committee on Natural Resources, chaired by Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah). During his campaign last year, Beyer made the environment a chief platform, and he told ARLnow.com this afternoon that he asked to be placed on the natural resources committee.

“This is a great platform for continuing the discussion on climate change,” Beyer said. “Every day we seem to discover some new climate change fact that should inform the legislation we pass.”