The March 2021 death of Antuon Townsend from colon cancer at age 39 hit many in Arlington hard.
Townsend was known by young and old across the county through a wide array of community involvement. He was a popular personal trainer, instructor and coach of basketball and sports camps in Arlington for youth of all ages.
George Mason University’s new Arlington-based innovation hub, Fuse at Mason Square, is officially open.
But students will have to wait a little longer to use it.
A clinic for Arlington and Falls Church residents seeking to get criminal charges expunged is taking place this weekend.
The clinic is for people who have been arrested and charged with a crime, but never convicted. It will take place at Arlington Presbyterian Church (918 S. Lincoln Street) from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 7).
Dems Pick Primary for County Board Race — Arlington Democrats on Wednesday opted to use a state-run primary rather than party-run caucus to select their 2025 County Board nominee. The primary will take place in June if it is needed. Incumbent Board member Takis Karantonis has informally indicated he will seek re-election, but no other candidates have yet stepped forward. –Scott McCaffrey
Gas Leak on the Pike — Traffic restrictions are in effect at the intersection of Columbia Pike and S. Barton Street following the discovery of a gas leak. Crews from Washington Gas discovered the leak on Wednesday while switching service from the existing pipe to a new pipe. No evacuation is needed, but only one travel lane will be open at S. Barton Street between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. today. –Dan Egitto
Crashes Caught on Camera — From Dave Statter: “Two crashes, same intersection: The intersection of Langston, Kirkwood, and Spout Run this afternoon.” [Twitter]
Arlington Company Eyes Expansion — “An Arlington-based company backed by funding from the United Arab Emirates hopes to become a dominant player in the growing padel sports craze sweeping the country. Epic Padel is focused both nationally and in Greater Washington, where it has identified a pair of Northern Virginia sites for new venues featuring the fast-growing racket sport, considered a cross between tennis and squash. And zooming out, it aims to have courts in 50 metro areas by 2030.” [WBJ]
Axios HQ Makes Acquisition — “[Clarendon-based] Axios HQ, the leading internal comms solution powered by Smart Brevity® and AI, has acquired Mixing Board, a community of the nation’s top comms, brand, and marketing leaders focused on advancing their industries.” [BusinessWire, WBJ]
New CEO for Rosslyn-Based Nestle — “Nestle USA, the Rosslyn-based U.S. division of Swiss global food and pet care giant Nestle SA, has tapped Marty Thompson to be its new CEO and U.S. market head. He will start in his new role in January, according to Thursday’s announcement. Thompson will assume Nestle USA’s top spot after serving as the president of Nestle Coffee Partners.” [WBJ]
F.C. Facing Budget Gap — “While a lot of variables and as-yet-unknown factors prevail for now, the Falls Church City Council and School Board got together for their annual early-December launch of a new annual budget cycle at City Hall Monday, and learned that, at least for now, to meet current projections will require about a 4 cent increase in the real estate tax rate next year.” [FCNP]
Nearby: Amazon Fresh Opening Soon — “Amazon Fresh is coming to Bailey’s Crossroads. The e-commerce giant announced today that the newest location of its grocery store chain will open in the Crossroads Center shopping center next Thursday, Dec. 12. Located at 5811 Crossroads Center Way, the 40,000-square-foot store will feature Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ shopping.” [FFXnow]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and temperatures reaching a high of 37 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 11 to 14 mph and gusts as high as 23 mph. During Friday night, the skies will be mostly clear, and temperatures will drop to a low of around 24 degrees. A west wind of 6 to 8 mph will also be present. [NWS]
Arlington property owners next year likely will have a number of new ways to claim rebates against the government’s new stormwater fees.
County staff have proposed two additions to existing opportunities to lessen the annual stormwater fee, which is based on a property’s impermeable surface and for residential properties averaged $258 this year.
Who will you be listening to the next time it snows in Arlington — Saline Dion or Taylor Drift?
The results of Arlington’s snowplow naming contest are in, with puns aplenty.
Shoplifting cases in Arlington are up nearly 60% over all of 2023, even with almost four weeks left in the year.
That’s prompted a Christmastime crackdown by Arlington County police, which says it is “deploying additional police resources to keep shoppers and retail employees safe.”
Improvements to the Rosslyn Tunnel carrying I-66 under the neighborhood are expected to wrap up next year.
The rehabilitation project by the Virginia Department of Transportation, which began construction in fall 2022, is bringing the following upgrades.
A man accused of robbing a postal carrier in Arlington before embarking on a series of mail thefts across the D.C. area has been arrested and is facing multiple charges.
Federal prosecutors believe that Ibrahim Emmanuel De La Cruz, 25, stole a universal key during the robbery and used it to improperly access nearly a dozen mailboxes across Virginia, D.C. and Maryland.
Ensuring access to affordable, high-quality daycare and early-childhood education has landed near the top of the Arlington County Board’s 2025 legislative wish list.
The cost of child care in Northern Virginia is “more expensive than college,” Board member Takis Karantonis said at the body’s Tuesday (Dec. 3) work session with members of the county’s delegation to the General Assembly.
Potential Driving Hazards — From VDOT: “Multiple commuting hazards pose a threat [today] including AM rush rain & snow showers, and gusty winds much of the day. Allow plenty of time out the door and take it slow. Pls report downed trees, branches, or debris in the roads to 800-FOR-ROAD.” [Twitter]
Another HQ Coming to Arlington — “French aerospace manufacturing giant Safran has established a new U.S. subsidiary supporting the defense sector and has chosen Arlington as the location for the unit’s headquarters. The new division, Safran Defense & Space Inc., has signed a lease for about 12,000 square feet at 4510 N. Fairfax Drive in Ballston and expects to open the new office in January… The Boeing Co., RTX Corp. and AeroVironment Inc. all relocated their headquarters to Arlington in recent years and earlier this year, Auterion Ltd., which makes software for drones and other autonomous systems, moved its headquarters from the Los Angeles area to Clarendon.” [WBJ]
Apartment Rents Decline Slightly — Arlington’s median monthly apartment-rental cost of $2,552 in November saw a seasonal 1.5% decline from the month before, but remained the fifth highest of 100 urban areas surveyed. The national median apartment cost of $1,382 was down 0.8% month over month. [Apartment List]
It’s Thursday — Rain and snow showers are likely before 7am, followed by mostly cloudy skies that will clear up gradually and a high around 37 degrees. Expect breezy conditions with west winds between 18 to 24 mph and gusts up to 46 mph. A Wind Advisory is in effect today. Precipitation chances stand at 30%. Thursday night will be mostly clear with a low near 29 degrees, accompanied by a breezy west wind between 16 to 21 mph and gusts as high as 38 mph. [NWS]
A man who tried unsuccessfully to shoplift from the Ballston area Harris Teeter later flashed a gun, prompting a large police response.
The alleged incident happened just after 11 p.m. last night (Tuesday) at the grocery store on the 600 block of N. Glebe Road.
