Falls Church officials used the recent unveiling of “Saigon Blvd” signage to reaffirm support of the city’s immigrant and second-generation communities.
News
More robust efforts to eradicate invasive plant species are in the works at Arlington Public Schools.
Core to the effort is collaboration with the county and community volunteers.
Falls Church’s ongoing redevelopment spurt could next focus on 15 acres of mostly industrial land in the community’s West End.
City leaders have invited a contingent from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to Falls Church for a look at what the city calls its Gordon Road Triangle.
A delivery driver is behind bars after police say he accosted a woman and masturbated in front of her while on the job.
The incident happened around 3 p.m. Thursday along Columbia Pike in the Arlington Mill neighborhood.
A lack of commercial properties in Arlington’s development pipeline is having a negative impact on the community’s tree canopy.
The Arlington County government’s Tree Canopy Fund last spring had “essentially run out of money” and was being kept alive by a one-time, $250,000 appropriation from County Board members.
Overnight Water Main Break — From Arlington Alert: “I-66 Tunnel Near N Nash St… I-66 EB lanes are closed to traffic. Follow signage and seek alternate routes…. Closure – Midnight to 4 A.M. [Twitter]
Prosecutor Blasts GOP Tweet — From Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti: “It is reckless and irresponsible for the Arlington Republican Party to ask the federal government to target Arlington democratic officials for criminal prosecution. As prosecutors, my staff and I are often subjected to threats of violence. It’s not a laughing matter.” [Bluesky]
GOP Reports Phone Harassment — From the Arlington GOP: “We just received a 2nd harassing phone call. The area code was Indiana-based. We found that those who call to harass us often ‘spoof’ other phone numbers, meaning it is difficult to track who is actually making the calls. No mind. We will continue to defend women and girls.” [Twitter]
Video: Driver Strikes Cyclist — From Dave Statter: “Another crosswalk collision. Traffic-camera shows a bicyclist being struck at S. 15th and S. Fern in Pentagon City yesterday. Injuries reported as non-life threatening.” [Twitter]
Bakeshop Opening in Vienna — “Bakeshop, which got its start 15 years ago in Arlington, is taking over the storefront at 421 Maple Avenue that was vacated last summer by Skorpios Maggio’s Greek Family Restaurant.” [FFXnow]
ART Ridership Levels Rising — Arlington Transit (ART) bus ridership was up 8.1% year-over-year for the first five months of the county government’s fiscal year. The passenger count was 1,076,198 for the July-through-November period in 2024, up from 995,894 during the same period in 2023 and from 857,847 in 2022. Figures were presented Jan. 14 to the county government’s Transit Advisory Committee. –Scott McCaffrey
It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with a high of around 33 and northwest winds at 5 to 9 mph. Friday night will be mostly clear with lows around 15 degrees. Northwest winds at 5 mph will become calm after midnight. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by ksrjghkegkdhgkk
A set of 25 new license plate cameras are scheduled to go live in Arlington in coming weeks.
The cameras, from the surveillance company Flock Safety, provide more information than the county’s existing license plate readers, which have been in use since 2012.
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]