Newly proposed legislation could make it possible for Arlington to implement major county-government changes.
Del. Patrick Hope (D-1) has introduced a bill for the 2025 General Assembly session that would make it possible for Arlington voters and officials to adopt several changes.
A pair of new apartment buildings have opened in Crystal City, with plans for a boxing gym and cafe on the ground floor.
Hazel and Azure at National Landing, located at 3030 and 3130 S. Potomac Avenue, offer a total of 491 apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom homes.
A recent change to Virginia state code could delay proposed redevelopment of Crystal City’s Melwood parcel by more than a year.
That’s how much time county staff say they will need to evaluate the site’s 102-year-old Nelly Custis School building for any potential historic relevance.
Developers’ emphasis on building apartments instead of condos in Arlington is proving a challenge for efforts to expand local homeownership opportunities.
County Board member Maureen Coffey lamented the lack of new condominium stock, particularly in more affordable price ranges, during a discussion of the situation at the Jan. 16 Housing Commission meeting.
Locker Room Encounters Recounted — From Fox 5’s Shomari Stone: “Sex offender who identifies as a woman, allegedly caught exposing themselves in a women’s locker room… Spoke to women who say they saw suspect.” [Twitter]
Victims of Bridge Plunge IDed — “The tragic crash last week, where a truck plunged into the icy Potomac River, claimed the lives of twin brothers Jerel and Jerod Wert, according to their sister… the brothers, who are from Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, were on their way to a job in Washington, D.C. at the time of the accident. Jerel worked as a carpenter, and Jerod was an HVAC mechanic.” [Fox 5]
Arlington Man Arrested in Florida — “A Virginia man is facing multiple charges after allegedly assaulting a bar employee and making racially charged remarks at Norman’s Tavern in Miami Beach… When the manager intervened, Nixon allegedly knocked over a glass and made offensive comments, including, ‘Hola, English motherf*****, I live in America, you speak English.'” [WSVN]
A First for Prosecutor’s Office — “The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church’s Conviction Integrity Unit secured its first exoneration based on actual innocence. In a 2023 robbery of a Safeway, the perpetrator gave a false name and stolen identification to the police, resulting in an innocent woman being convicted.” [Arlington County]
GOP Calls for Officials to Be Prosecuted — From the Arlington GOP, in response to news that the U.S. Justice Department intends to investigate localities that get in the way of immigration enforcement: “Hey! Hey! Over here! @TakisKarantonis and @parisa4justice are front-line resisters. It’s only a short drive across the Potomac to hold them accountable.” [Twitter]
Water Main Break Near Green Valley — “For several hours, customers in Arlington were without water as emergency crews worked to repair a main break. The Arlington Department of Environmental Services told DC News Now that an 8-inch water main break was reported around 8 p.m. on Tuesday at 2459 S Glebe Road at 24th Street.” [DC News Now, Twitter]
F.C. Hardware Store Closing — “At the end of March, the oldest business in Falls Church will close its doors. Brown’s Hardware, a landmark in the City since 1883, will shutter with the April 1 sale of the property on the northwest corner of Broad and Washington Streets. The buyer and plans for the location at 100 W Broad Street have not yet been made public.” [Falls Church Pulse, Falls Church Independent]
It’s Thursday — It will be mostly sunny with a high around 32 degrees and calm winds shifting to the south at 5 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low of about 17 degrees, as calm winds turn to the northwest at 5 mph after midnight. [NWS]
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s Democratic-led Senate on Tuesday passed constitutional amendments on abortion and voting rights that were quickly lambasted by Republicans who could use the issues as the party tries to regain ground in November’s statewide elections.
A property owner in Crystal City is seeking the county’s blessing to add an outdoor beer garden to a vacant building.
Scapegoat Beer Garden, in the works at 556 22nd Street S. on Restaurant Row, hopes to gain approval from the Arlington County Board to start using two of three outdoor patios constructed — without permits — during the pandemic.
Changes to Arlington voting equipment could increase the number of candidates voters are able to rank.
Arlington voters are currently able to rank only three candidates when participating in ranked-choice voting. However, planned upgrades to voting systems would raise that number to at least five.
Plans for two new bridges over the Potomac River have moved “to the next level” with the announcement of a contractor to design and build the structures.
The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority (VPRA) last week named Long Bridge Rail Partners — a joint venture between three general contractors — as the organization responsible for finalizing designs and beginning construction on the “South Package” of the Long Bridge Project.
Construction contracts for new pickleball facilities and improvements to Central Library are on the agenda as Arlington County Board members meet on Saturday, Jan. 25.
It will be the Board’s first working meeting of the year, and follows a Jan. 7 organizational meeting at which Takis Karantonis was elected chair for 2025.
The future of ranked-choice voting in Arlington’s general elections remains undecided as officials await a report on public attitudes.
The Arlington County Board expects to receive said report at a Tuesday, Jan. 28 meeting. The results “will give us a lot to think about,” Board Chair Takis Karantonis, who has seen some of the data, said at an Arlington County Civic Federation meeting last week.
Metro Ready for Returning Feds — “Metro has the capacity to accommodate federal workers ordered back to the office by the Trump administration, one top transit leader says… NVTC member Takis Karantonis said he hoped planning efforts would help make the system ‘extra welcoming’ to those returning as commuters.” [FFXnow]
Beyer on Jan. 6 Pardons — “Trump pardoned the people who beat and tazed my constituent, Officer Michael Fanone, who gave a brain injury to my constituent Officer Jeff Smith days before he died by suicide, and who attacked and sprayed my constituent, Officer Brian Sicknick, with bear spray hours before his death from two strokes.” [Press Release]
Pepper Spray Incident at Bar — “500 block of 23rd Street S. At approximately 11:57 p.m. on January 18, police were dispatched to the report of trouble unknown. Upon arrival, it was determined the male suspect became involved in a physical altercation with the three male victims inside of a business during which he deployed pepper spray before fleeing the scene. The victims were treated on scene by medics.” [ACPD, Twitter]
Va. Bill to Protect Pedestrians — “State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) plans to introduce legislation this year that would sidestep debate over what counts as ‘careless’ or ‘distracted’ by punishing any driver who seriously injures or kills somebody who is in a crosswalk or otherwise legally on a roadway with up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.” [Washington Post, LIS]
New U.S. Attorney — “Erik S. Siebert was sworn in today as the Interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.” [Press Release]
S’mores Snafu Stymies Scouts — “A truck containing thousands of boxes of S’mores wouldn’t start this morning, holding up the annual troop pickup of cookie orders for the Girl Scouts Nations Capital at Cameron Run Regional Park (4001 Eisenhower Avenue). Not to worry — the S’mores truck officially arrived.” [ALXnow]
Beltway Closure This Weekend — “Starting on the night of Friday, Jan. 24, four of the six northbound lanes on I-495 will be shut down for one mile from the Route 7 interchange (Leesburg Pike) in Tysons to Lewinsville Road in McLean to accommodate construction.” [FFXnow]
Sports Coverage Change — Starting this week, ARLnow is shifting most of our sports coverage to Saturday. Some articles about big games will still publish during the week, however.
It’s Wednesday — Expect clouds to increase, reaching a high near 20, accompanied by wind chills as low as -3. Northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph will ease in the afternoon. As for Wednesday night, expect partly cloudy conditions with a low of around 12, accompanied by calm winds. [NWS]
