News

Total Party Leaving Arlington — “Total Party, one of the last remaining businesses being displaced from the Crystal City Underground, is readying to relocate to larger space in D.C. after a run of nine years in the subterranean space at 1750 Crystal Drive. The shop’s slated to close at 6 p.m. Dec. 31, and plans to reopen March 1 from the former Dress Barn space at L’Enfant Plaza in Southwest D.C., per owner Lorenzo Caltagirone. … He wanted to stay in Arlington County, if not specifically in Crystal City, but couldn’t find suitable space.” [WBJ]

Planting Trees at Schools — “Arlington County students are about to breathe easier as 100 new trees are planted on school grounds will ensure they have plenty of fresh air for all their outdoor shenanigans The county’s Department of Parks and Recreation’s Urban Forestry Office is working with Arlington Public Schools to get the trees planted on school grounds. The project is funded by the Virginia Trees for Clean Water Grant Program.” [WUSA 9]

Columbia Pike Apartments Acquired — “Shoreham Capital recently acquired a two-building apartment community in Arlington for $51 million, its second acquisition in Northern Virginia, both this year. An affiliate of the West Palm Beach, Florida-based privately held real estate firm bought the 227-unit Infinity Apartments, at 955 S. Columbus St. and 4990 Columbia Pike, on Sept. 26.” [WBJ]

Robbery in Ballston — “4200 block of Fairfax Drive. At approximately 6:10 p.m. on October 9, police were dispatched to the report of a robbery by force. Upon arrival, it was determined Suspect One entered the business, collected merchandise and exited without payment. An employee confronted the suspect outside the store and attempted to recover the stolen items during which Suspect One struck them before fleeing the scene on foot with Suspect Two, who waiting outside the business.” [ACPD]

Harris Supporter Event in F.C. — “Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi was on hand to greet an assembly of prominent Falls Church area Vietnamese-American community leaders at the City’s elegant new restaurant, Nu, in its still unfolding Founder’s Row 1 center yesterday morning for a roundtable conference focused on the economy. The event was organized to ‘highlight Vice President Kamala Harris’ New Way Forward.'” [Falls Church News-Press]

It’s Friday — Expect sunshine and a high of around 68 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind between 5 and 8 mph. In the evening, the sky will remain clear with temperatures dropping to approximately 48 degrees. [NWS]

‘Love Is Blind’ Filmed in Arlington — “In a move that’s sure to get some fiery comments on an eventual Washingtonian Problems meme, the show’s chyron lists the apartment building’s location as ‘Washington, D.C.’ But in reality, it’s in … Arlington.
It seems the group lives and loves in a building called The Rixey in Ballston, based on exterior shots from the show.” [Axios]

Dump Truck Takes Out Traffic Lights — From Dave Statter: “Another dump truck bed up took traffic signals down in Pentagon City. Just after 1 pm a driver had the bed raised as he went through Army Navy & S. Fern. The driver stopped for about 90 seconds and then left. But the truck did return about ten minutes later. Crews are still working to restore the signals.” [Twitter]

Boeing Strike Continues — “Boeing has withdrawn a contract offer that would have given striking workers 30% raises over four years after talks broke down. The manufacturer said that it had boosted its offer for union workers for take-home pay and retirement benefits during two days of negotiations.” [Associated Press]

Free Bus Pros and Cons — “Alexandria’s experience shows both the benefits and drawbacks. Two-and-a-half years after making local buses free, the city reported that ridership has gone up dramatically… But there has been a cost for both bus riders and drivers. ‘Incidents involving unruly, intoxicated, or disruptive passengers’ went up, and bus operators report feeling less safe.” [Washington Post]

Recognition for Local Startup — “Congrats to @LivingMaka of Arlington Virginia, named a winner of the @Pepperdine @GraziadioSchool 2024 Most Fundable Companies competition! Living MaKa makes MAKA, an award-winning ready-to-drink (RTD) energized wheatgrass beverage in many flavors.” [Twitter]

New County Committee — “Equality Arlington, an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit, applauds Arlington County Manager, Mark Schwartz, for forming an LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee to provide information and guidance to county leadership on the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.” [Press Release]

Aachen Singers Coming to Arlington — “The Aachen Cathedral Choir, Germany’s oldest boys’ choir founded in 781, will perform at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington (UUCA) on Oct. 15, 2024, at 7 p.m. This special event celebrates over 30 years of the Sister City partnership between Arlington and Aachen, and is free and open to the public.” [Arlington County]

Va. Election Results Expectations — “There are no strict rules dictating how counties should release results. But in past elections, early returns favored Republicans until the big cities and large northern Virginia suburbs reported their results, which took hours.” [Associated Press]

F.C. Paper Asks for Help — “Today we are asking members of the community to commit to a small monthly contribution, long-term.  Our hope is that community support will not only provide the shot in the arm the News-Press requires to survive the year, but provide the ongoing support needed to insure our operation into the future.” [Falls Church News-Press]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunny conditions and a high temperature near 63 degrees, accompanied by a north wind blowing at 6 to 10 mph. The evening will remain clear with temperatures dropping to around 42 degrees. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar