An Arlington woman has died after a double stabbing in Pentagon City the night of Dec. 14.
Iman Gaye, 26, died at the hospital early this morning, according to Arlington County police. A young child who was also stabbed and seriously injured that night, near an entrance to the Target store, was released from the hospital on Dec. 23, according to ACPD.
Two largely vacant office buildings in Crystal City are set to become a hotel and an apartment building.
Property owner JBG Smith announced today that it has filed an application under a new Arlington County “adaptive reuse” policy that would re-purpose 550,000 square feet of empty office space.
Some Falls Church officials are hoping 2025 will be a year of moving from conversation to concrete decisions in addressing affordable-housing goals.
“It’s the action side of things that has always been the problem — not the aspirational nature of what we want,” City Council member Erin Flynn said during a discussion of how city leaders will move forward on housing issues in the new year.
Users of a future trail to connect the Arlington View neighborhood across I-395 to Crystal City may find themselves huffing and puffing unless they take it easy.
The route will require pedestrians and bicyclists to go “over the mountain range” to get from one end to the other, noted David Patton, a transportation planner for the Department of Environmental Services, during a Dec. 16 presentation to the county’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
Could a boardwalk for visitors one day encircle the Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary adjacent to Gravelly Point?
And could there be better accessibility to the site, which today is effectively restricted to vehicular traffic?
Va. Reactions to Carter’s Passing — From Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.): “Jimmy Carter lived a life of kindness, compassion, and decency. He never forgot his roots as a Navy veteran and peanut farmer, never stopped fighting racism and oppression, and never stopped helping others or working to make the world a better place. A great human being.” [Twitter, Twitter, Twitter]
Carter’s Arlington Electoral History — “Former President Jimmy Carter… compiled a 1-for-2 record with the Arlington electorate. The former Georgia governor in his successful 1976 bid for the White House defeated Republican Gerald Ford in the county tally, 32,536 to 30,872, according to data from the county government’s elections office.” [ARLnow]
Station Presses Prosecutor — “7News will continue to press the Arlington Commonwealth’s Attorney for answers on whether she plans to hold shoplifters accountable amid a massive surge in shoplifting reports in the county. The Arlington County Police told 7News the department will conduct a review and determine the full impact of their holiday theft detail, but so far, ACPD believes their detail has been a success.” [WJLA]
Women Arrested for Slashing — “On December 23, police were dispatched to the report of a fight. Upon arrival, it was determined the female suspect and Victim One, who are known to each other, were outside when they became involved in a verbal dispute that escalated to a physical altercation during which the suspect brandished a knife. The suspect attempted to assault Victim One with the knife when Victim Two, intervened and was struck by the knife, causing a laceration.” [ACPD]
Ex-Soldier’s Restorative Justice — “Michelle Logan and Jenna Burnett said they sat in chairs set up in a circle inside the Arlington Mill Community Center in late September and began explaining to Matthew Henshaw how hurtful it was for them to see their Pride flag forcibly removed after they finally came out and moved in together. They said they told him that his actions made them feel unsafe in their own home — and that they wanted him to understand why.” [Washington Post]
Ballston Area Building Bought — “A Florida-based commercial real estate investor continues to make a splash in Greater Washington, acquiring a Class A office in Ballston less than a year after buying a downtown Bethesda office tower. In-Rel Properties is the new owner of 3865 Wilson Blvd., a 145,672-square-foot office known as Ballston Gateway that is currently 71% leased to the likes of Founders Bank, ECS Federal and General Dynamics Applied Physical Services Corp.” [WBJ]
F.C. Firm’s SPAC Struggles — “Falls Church telecommunications satellite firm Lynk Global Inc. is once again getting more time to complete its merger with Slam Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) founded by former professional baseball star Alex Rodriguez. The extension comes a month after Lynk made its second CEO appointment in the past two months.” [WBJ]
Bloodmobile Today in Courthouse — “This holiday season blood product supplies are at a critical shortage with Inova Blood Donor Services asking for donors to please give ‘the gift of life’ … An Inova Blood Donor Services Bloodmobile will be parked in front of Fire Works, near Clarendon Boulevard and North Adams Street, this upcoming Monday, December 30, 2024, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.” [Press Release]
Va. AG Supports TikTok Ban — “Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares today filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court supporting a federal statute addressing the national security and data privacy threats posed by TikTok. The Court is scheduled to hear arguments on the case on January 10, 2025.” [Press Release]
It’s Monday — Expect a mostly cloudy morning followed by gradual clearing and a high around 57°F. There will be west winds blowing at 8 to 11 mph, gusting up to 21 mph. As for Monday night, the sky will be mostly clear with temperatures dipping to around 38°F. A southwest wind of around 5 mph will become calm in the evening. [NWS]
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Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar
Two initiatives to meet the needs of at-risk Arlington seniors are facing troubled times.
An end to Covid-era funding is hitting operations of the nonprofit Meals on Wheels program hard, while there remains a backlogged waiting list for those wanting to be a part of the Arlington Department of Human Services’ Adult Day program.
The organization most vigorously pressing for Arlington governance changes has affirmed its desire to see the General Assembly bestow blessings on the efforts.
The Arlington County Civic Federation earlier this month approved its 2025 legislative-priorities package, which includes requests to support measures related to changes in the county government’s governance structure.
Arlington County police are looking for suspects in a pair of robberies that happened just before the Christmas holiday.
The first happened in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood around 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 23, and involved two teens — one reportedly armed with a gun — who robbed another teen in the “shared common area of a residential building.”
Ballston Building Sold — “4040 Wilson, located in Arlington’s Ballston submarket, was sold for $190.5 million ($95.25 million for Brandywine’s 50% share). The property has 405,000 square feet of office, retail, and residential space, as well as 494 parking spaces. 4040 Wilson was 96% leased (residential) and 94% leased (commercial) at the time of sale.” [Brandywine Realty Trust]
Menorah Lighting This Weekend — “Clarendon Menorah Lighting and Community Celebration. Experience the festival of lights!! *Lighting of a giant 9-foot Menorah *Enjoy delicious hot Potato Latkes *Hot Cocoa, Donuts, Chocolate Gelt and Dreidels for all *Lively Chanukah music **FREE ADMISSION – REGISTRATION REQUIRED.” [Event Calendar]
Free Lyft Rides for New Year’s — “The 2024 Holiday SoberRide® program – which has run nightly this month since December 13th — will be in operation beginning at 10:00 pm on New Year’s Eve (Tuesday, December 31, 2024) and operate until 4:00 am on New Year’s Day (Wednesday, January 1, 2025) as a way to keep local roads safe from impaired drivers.” [Press Release]
Local Game Studio Strikes Deal — “Loric Games, an Arlington video game studio, has obtained its first publishing deal to bring its inaugural title, Echoes of Elysium, to market next year, a significant milestone for the startup as it looks to establish itself in the highly competitive gaming landscape.” [WBJ]
Amazon Is a Top Local Employer — “Amazon employs more than 61,000 across Virginia, Maryland and D.C. The e-commerce and cloud computing giant… is Arlington County’s top private employer, having previously overtaken Deloitte and Accenture, according to Arlington’s recently released annual comprehensive financial report for fiscal year 2024, which ended June 30.” [WBJ]
Juice Shop Continues Expansion — “Greenheart Juice Shop is ramping up its growth plans roughly two years after restaurateur Reese Gardner acquired the once-struggling business from founder Alicia Swanstrom. The company just added its sixth location, in Reston… It had just a trio of shops when Gardner, whose Arlington-based Wooden Nickel Bar Co. also owns Copperwood Tavern and Quinn’s on the Corner, stepped into the picture.” [WBJ]
Rainy Weekend on Tap — From Washington Weather Geeks: “Some much-needed rain will arrive this weekend across the region (Most remain in a moderate to severe drought). The heaviest rain will fall on Sunday as a cold front works its way through and could also drag some storms with it. The flooding risk remains low, but we can’t rule some out in common trouble spots.” [Twitter]
It’s Friday — Expect partly sunny skies today, with temperatures reaching a high of around 43 degrees and calm winds shifting to southeast at 5 mph in the afternoon. Friday night sees increasing chances of rain, mainly after 1 am, accompanied by patchy fog and overcast conditions, with lows around 38 degrees. There’s a 70% chance of precipitation, with rainfall accumulating between a tenth and a quarter of an inch. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar
It was not love at first sight, art-wise, for members of the Falls Church City Council.
As a result, city staff will return early in the new year with refinements to a proposed “LOVE” sculpture that will adorn the west side of the City Hall campus.
Arlington officials are moving forward on promised efforts to address Clarendon’s nightlife issues on a real-time basis.
The county government has authorized overtime so members of the code-enforcement staff and fire marshal’s office can join police in nighttime and weekend coverage addressing issues related to bars and restaurants in the corridor.
