Arlington County is collecting feedback on a pilot program meant to improve pedestrian safety by causing turning vehicles to slow down.
Respondents have until Wednesday to submit their thoughts on the impacts of the centerline hardening project, which installed raised speed humps and flexible delineator posts at five busy intersections.
A candidate in the 2025 Virginia governor’s race is slated to visit Arlington this week for a conference on issues impacting women.
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) is scheduled to serve as the keynote speaker at Rep. Don Beyer’s eighth annual women’s conference, titled “The Time is Now.”
A four-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel helped stop a fire in a Fairlington townhouse from spreading last week.
Shravani Bobde was awakened around 2 a.m. on Thursday to one of her dogs, Archie, incessantly licking her arm. Smelling smoke, she got up and began searching her bathroom, home office and other rooms for its source.
A woman was seriously injured when a car was driven into a Pentagon City salon over the weekend.
The crash happened around 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Posh Salon, on the ground floor of the Lenox Club apartment building at 401 12th Street S.
Parking Pricing Changes — “Arlington County announced that the prices to park along the Rosslyn-Ballston and Richmond Highway Corridors will be adjusted starting on Sept. 23. This new adjustment marks the third price change related to the project… The new round of changes includes: Increases at approximately 51% of metered parking spaces in the project area. Decreases at approximately 11% of spaces.” [DC News Now]
Car Crime in Crystal City — “1500 block of Richmond Highway… between approximately 2:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. on September 18, the suspect(s) entered a parking garage and stole one vehicle, attempted to steal another vehicle and tampered with approximately 14 vehicles some of which had a window smashed. Clothing items were reported stolen from the vehicles.” [ACPD]
Ballston Building Sold at Discount — “A Brookfield joint venture recently sold a Ballston office building for less than $28 million, representing a two-thirds loss of value since the property last changed hands just before the Covid-19 pandemic — but a great deal for the bargain-seizing new owner. The nine-story building sits at 4075 Wilson Blvd, a couple blocks from the Ballston-MU Metro station… Sweetgreen on the ground-floor recently renewed its lease for 12 years and ‘will welcome a very cool neighbor soon.'” [Washington Business Journal]
Public Safety Award Ceremony — “Arlington County first responders were honored for their bravery and service to the community on Friday night. 7News Anchor Victoria Sanchez emceed the Public Safety Awards which acknowledged the superior action taken during the barricade situation and subsequent explosion in Arlington in December 2023.” [WJLA]
Beyer Statement on Middle East — From Rep. Don Beyer: “Further escalation and retaliatory strikes in Lebanon and Israel, or a protracted and deadly ground war is not the path to safety for the Israeli, Palestinian or Lebanese people. A deal to release hostages and secure a ceasefire, and a broad diplomatic settlement is the best way to ensure security and stability in the region, which should be the overriding interest of both Israel and the United States.” [Twitter]
Arlington on WSJ Front Page — “My daughter and I are on the front page of the Wall Street Journal from when I voted on Friday!” [Twitter]
Early Voting in Arlington — “More than 2,000 Arlington voters cast ballots Friday [9/20], the first day of early voting in Virginia. Most (1,576) did so at the Ellen Bozman Government Center in Courthouse, with an additional 470 at the satellite center at Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center, according to Arlington election officials. As of Sept. 1, Arlington had 158,972 active voters.” [Gazette Leader]
Early Voting in F.C. — From the Falls Church News-Press: “Over 3 percent of eligible voters — nearly 3 percent of all registered voters — turned out on the first day of early voting in the City of Falls Church.” [Twitter]
It’s Monday — Expect drizzle starting around 11am, with mostly cloudy skies and a high near 72 accompanied by a southeast wind at 7 mph. The drizzle will continue into Monday night, while skies remain cloudy and the temperature drops to around 62. [NWS]
Today’s Morning Notes are brought to you by Industrious. ARLnow has been in an Industrious office for years and we love the convenience — you get to focus on your work rather than worrying about brewing your own coffee or keeping the copy machine stocked. Industrious has several Metro-accessible coworking locations in Arlington.
Arlington’s top prosecutor is stepping up measures “to ensure safe and fair elections” in November.
The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington and Falls Church announced today (Friday) that it has established a task force “to rapidly respond to and investigate any reports of voter intimidation, interference, or fraud.”
A new analysis of incidents where people were nearly hit with a vehicle finds that “failure to yield” is the No. 1 risk factor in Arlington.
The study by Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets, a pedestrian safety advocacy group, found that roughly 70% of responses listed this issue as the top cause of “near misses,” followed by speeding and obstructed bike lanes.
A member of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors has landed a spot on a USA Network competition show.
Bismah Ahmed, a lobbyist who also serves as vice chair of advocacy at the Chamber, is a contestant on “The Anonymous” — a reality show of strategy and deception in which players compete for a prize of up to $100,000.
Senate Dems Introduce Phone Bill — “Senate Democrats aim to give elected school boards the ability to craft the best cell phone policies for their districts consistent with state and federal law and existing educational governance process which is not governed by Executive Orders. In contrast to the Governor’s policy, this legislation… prioritizes SPED students, IEP, or 504 plans and includes protections for students who use their devices for accommodations for which cell phone usage is necessary.” [Press Release]
Commission Considers Rent Stabilization — “Members of the Arlington County government’s Housing Commission have opted to hold off and await political developments at the state level before considering proposals that Virginia localities be empowered to impose rent-control measures on landlords. Well, technically not ‘rent control,’ but ‘rent stabilization’ – a slightly more watered-down incarnation that gives local governments the power to regulate the amount of rent increases but not set absolute caps on what landlords can charge.” [GazetteLeader]
Monday Is Car-Free Day — “Area residents are showing their love for the planet and their neighbors today by pledging to go car-free or car-lite for Car Free Day 2024. Thousands of people across the region will telework or travel by carpooling, pedaling, walking, taking public transit. Local businesses are supporting the effort to decongest the streets by offering raffle prizes for a free drawing for those who participate.” [Press Release]
Record-Breaking Summer for DCA — “With more than 14 million passengers moving through in June, July and August, the summer season will have proved to be a record-breaker for Ronald Reagan Washington National and Washington Dulles International airports.” [GazetteLeader]
Most Influential in N. Va. List — “They’re leaders in business, development, education, entertainment, government, health care, philanthropy, sports, and technology who are making a difference in Northern Virginia — and giving back to their community. Meet the people who made our list of The 50 Most Influential of 2024, including our Top 10.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]
F.C. Restaurant Boom — “A veritable explosion of 19 new eateries squeezing into the 2.2 square miles of the City of Falls Church is continuing, the City’s Economic Development Authority was told at its monthly City Hall meeting Tuesday night. All slated to be opening soon, and there are still more are on the way.” [Falls Church News-Press]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies today as temperatures reach a high near 84. A north wind of around 6 mph will shift east during the morning. Tonight, the weather will be partly cloudy and cool, with lows around 63, and a southeast wind blowing at 3 to 6 mph. [NWS]
Arlington County is considering ways to make it easier to turn office buildings into apartment buildings.
A request to advertise public hearings on a new county policy and zoning changes related to office-to-residential conversions received unanimous approval from the Arlington County Board on Saturday.
A 29-year-old man is behind bars after allegedly fighting police inside a Metro station.
The incident started around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday with a report of a shoplifter — described as a man with tattoos on his face — threatening employees at the CVS at 3141 Wilson Blvd in Clarendon.
Though Arlington has been taking steps to streamline its permitting process, evidence of continued inefficiencies and delays can be seen at organizations around the county.
Just last month, two business owners — one aiming to open a new restaurant and nightclub in Clarendon and another opening a retro sports bar in Shirlington — told ARLnow that a lack of county permits was hindering their progress.
