News | ARLnow.com - Part 1100

Morning Notes

Published September 12, 2014 at 9:30AM

USS Arlington Remembers 9/11 — The crew of the USS Arlington marked the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks while at sea in the Atlantic Ocean yesterday. The sailors and Marines aboard the ship, named in remembrance of the attack on the Pentagon, participated in a solemn ceremony to honor the 184 people who died in that attack. [DVIDS]

Travel Tips for Crystal City Wine Fest — Arlington County has car-free travel tips for those who will be attending Sunday’s Vintage Crystal Sip and Salsa festival in Crystal City. There are numerous rail lines, bus stops and Capital Bikeshare stations near the food and wine tasting event, which is taking place from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the parking lot behind 220 20th Street S. [Car-Free Diet]

Woman Attacked Near Columbia Pike

By ARLnow.com

Published September 11, 2014 at 4:15PM

File photo

The incident, described by police as an “attempted abduction,” took place at 10:35 p.m. on the 3800 block of 12th Street S. Two men allegedly ran up to and grabbed an 18-year-old woman as she was getting into her car.

The woman fought off the attackers, who took off on foot when they spotted a police car nearby, according to the Arlington County Police Department.

9/11-Themed Discount Lands Bikram Yoga Studio in Hot Water

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 11, 2014 at 1:50PM | Updated September 11, 2014 at 2:38PM

(Updated at 2:05 p.m.) A Ballston hot yoga studio sparked outrage Thursday by promoting a Sept. 11-themed sale and referencing conspiracy theories.

“9+11 = 20% OFF! PATRIOT DAY SALE on Bikram Yoga,” Bikram Arlington, located four miles from the Pentagon at 4509 5th Road N., tweeted Thursday morning.

Making Tech Ed ‘Sexy’ Can Boost Economy, Kaine Says

By Andrea Swalec

Published September 11, 2014 at 12:00PM

Young people can get better-paying jobs if the perception of high school job-skills courses is changed from an option for failing students to a smart choice, Kaine said. The discussion was held by the national education coalition Advocates for Literacy and the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus, of which Kaine is co-chair.

“This big-picture goal which our caucus is related to is de-stigmatizing [career and technical education] and making it really hot, sexy and cool,” he said. “Technical education is coming back strong and it’s something we can celebrate.”

Vihstadt Calls for Stronger County Gov’t Gifts Policy

By ARLnow.com

Published September 11, 2014 at 10:30AM | Updated September 11, 2014 at 11:21AM

The county’s current Code of Ethics says that county workers should “ensure that no favors, gifts, gratuities or benefits are received for actions taken.”

Additionally, conflict-of-interest rules state that county employees “may not accept personal gifts, gratuities, or loans from organizations, businesses, or individuals with whom the employee conducts or will conduct official County business.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 11, 2014 at 10:00AM | Updated September 11, 2014 at 10:46AM

APS To Use ‘Big Data’ to Prevent Dropouts — Arlington Public Schools held a contest this summer for “big data” companies to analyze its student performance data, and plans to use the newly-released results to predict which students are at risk of dropping out of school. The winning company, Deep Learning Analytics, found that APS should refine its data collecting techniques. In addition, it found that, along with attendance, behavior and coursework, socioeconomic standing is a predictive indicator for school dropouts. [Arlington Public Schools]

Military Jet to Land at DCA — The Scorpion, a new military fighter jet, will land at Reagan National Airport on Saturday. The jet — manufactured by Textron AirLand LLC — will stay in a DCA hangar for a week, for marketing purposes. [InsideNova]

Secretary of the Interior to Help Clean Up Roaches Run Thursday

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 10, 2014 at 5:30PM

The Department of the Interior oversees the National Park Service, which is in the middle of a process of environmental and access enhancements to the sanctuary and to Gravelly Point Park, across the George Washington Parkway from the sanctuary. To help out with that project, Jewell and volunteers from AmeriCorps and the Student Conservation Association will plant “native wetland species,” remove invasive plants and clean up trash from the sanctuary’s shoreline.

The program will start at 11:30 a.m. and the cleanup efforts will go until 4:00 p.m. The cleanup is meant to not only help with the ecosystem of Roaches Run, but also to commemorate the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, as part of the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance.

SWAT Team Captures Barricaded Knifepoint Robbery Suspect

By ARLnow.com

Published September 10, 2014 at 12:30PM | Updated September 12, 2014 at 3:39PM

Photo courtesy @annddayy

(Updated on 9/12/14) A man suspected of a knifepoint robbery on Columbia Pike was taken into custody early this morning (Wednesday) after police say he evaded arrest and barricaded himself in his girlfriend’s apartment.

~~Rattana~~ Mora Long, a ~~29-year-old Ashburn~~ 26-year-old Sterling resident, was captured by SWAT team members and charged with assault on a police officer. Robbery charges are pending.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published September 10, 2014 at 9:00AM

Sen. Gillibrand Apologizes to Arlington — “Sorry, Arlington, didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D) said via Twitter last night, following ARLnow.com’s scoop that she called the county a “soulless suburb” in her new book. County Board member Walter Tejada, meanwhile, couldn’t quite understand why Gillibrand didn’t like living here. “I’m not sure what she was referring to,” he told the Washington Post. “Maybe somebody got in front of her at the supermarket or something like that.” [Washington Post]

Back to U. Va. for Sullivan Campaign Manager — Washington-Lee High School alumnus Jarrod Nagurka is heading back to the University of Virginia, having spent the summer running the successful election campaign of Delegate-elect Rip Sullivan. Nagurka, 20, also served as political director for Del. Patrick Hope’s unsuccessful bid for Congress. “I learned and matured more during that experience than I ever would have in a semester at school,” he said of the campaign. [InsideNova]

Local News Now Announces New Hires, Site Design

By ARLnow.com

Published September 9, 2014 at 5:30PM

LNN has hired Andrea Swalec, previously a reporter and editor at the local news website DNAinfo New York, to be the company’s new editorial director. Andrea will help support and oversee LNN’s three current sites — ARLnow.com, BethesdaNow.com and RestonNow.com — and will take the lead in launching the company’s new Capitol Hill site, HillNow.com. A tentative launch date of Oct. 20 has been set for Hill Now.

Andrea previously worked at NBC Local Integrated Media and contributed to The Current Newspapers — including Voice of the Hill, formerly a weekly newspaper covering Capitol Hill — and the New York Times blog The Local.

Accessible Cab Company Hopes to Launch In Arlington

By Ethan Rothstein

Published September 9, 2014 at 3:30PM | Updated September 9, 2014 at 6:25PM

All Access Taxi has submitted applications for 60 taxi licenses with Arlington County, which allows companies to request additional taxi licenses for two months every other year, according to county Dept. of Environmental Services spokeswoman Shannon Whalen McDaniel.

All Access Taxi COO Rick Vogel told ARLnow.com that his company would be the first in the region to offer 100 percent of its fleet as wheelchair accessible. The former Envirocab executive claimed that the standard wait for a wheelchair-accessible cab in the D.C. area is about three hours.

Police: Naked Man Goes Bonkers in Bluemont

By ARLnow.com

Published September 9, 2014 at 11:55AM | Updated November 30, 2021 at 9:20AM

A naked man caused a scare for a driver and a bystander in the Bluemont neighborhood early Saturday morning.

The incident happened around 12:55 a.m., on the 5000 and 5100 blocks of Wilson Blvd. Police say a man, who was “under the influence of narcotics” and not wearing clothing, jumped in front of a car traveling eastbound in the area of 7-Eleven and Pupatella restaurant.