News

Uncertain Future for Courthouse Building — “The Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. is looking to short sell a mostly empty office building it owns in Arlington’s Courthouse, billing it as residential or hotel redevelopment opportunity. MetLife’s building at 1320 N. Courthouse Road, a block south of the Courthouse Metro station and catty-cornered to the county courthouse and jail, is currently 18% leased to three tenants.” [WBJ]

Marine Corps Marathon Recap — “Marine Major Kyle King claimed victory with a finish time of 2:25:06, outpacing 16,556 other racers. This will be King’s second time winning the men’s MCM, after his first triumph in 2022. Arlington-native Tessa Barrett, won the women’s MCM with a finish time of 2:39:36, vanquishing 6,214 other female competitors.” [Stars and Stripes]

Another Gun Stopped at DCA — “Transportation Security Administration officers prevented an Arkansas woman from bringing a loaded gun onto a plane leaving Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday. TSA officers found the 22 caliber firearm loaded with five bullets in the traveler’s carry-on items at one of the airport’s security checkpoints.” [Patch]

Local Woman’s Long Bike Journey — “Meet Miranda Baltaxe, a recent college graduate and native of Arlington, Virginia, in the midst on an incredible journey from Maine, to Key West on the East Coast Greenway route.” [Twitter, YouTube]

Thirsty Bat Rescued — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “This handsome Eastern Red Bat was rescued this week after he was found a bit dehydrated. Thanks to one of our amazing rehabbers he’s getting some much-needed hydration and rest.” [Twitter]

Arlington ‘Tomb Raiders’ — “In late October 1976, police discovered a gruesome scene inside the Abbey Mausoleum, a once grand burial place next to Arlington National Cemetery. Vandals had tampered with a dozen caskets and 15 urns, placing a copy of Circus (a now-defunct music magazine) into one opened coffin. In the gray cremains from an overturned urn, someone had drawn a smiley face. It wouldn’t be the tomb’s only raid. ” [Arlington Magazine]

Funding for Ballston Tech Co. — “Interos Inc., an Arlington tech firm that helps companies monitor and respond to supply chain threats, has obtained $40 million in new funding to expand product capabilities following several executive leadership appointments.” [WBJ]

Funding for Another Local Startup — “Fixify, an Arlington startup automating IT help desk jobs for companies with up to 2,000 employees, has raised $25 million from investors and will use a chunk of the proceeds to beef up its sales team.” [WBJ]

More Arlington Tech News — “CoStar Group, the Arlington-based provider of online real estate marketplaces… said it will acquire New Jersey-based Visual Lease, the developer of a software platform for lease management… …Arlington-based FU Associates, a provider of analytic and technology services to government health clients, said it has rebranded as Inclined.” [Potomac Tech Wire]

No Charges for Fmr. F.C. Official — “The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington-Falls Church announced it is declining to… seek charges against former City of Falls Church Council member Caroline Lian. Because the instructions on the Virginia Economic Interest Disclosure are ambiguous and subject to interpretation, the Office has determined… that there is no good faith basis for criminal charges.” [Falls Church News-Press]

It’s Monday — Patchy frost will clear up by 9am, making way for sunny skies and a high of around 63°F. Expect a 5-7 mph southeast wind in the afternoon. Monday night will see partly cloudy conditions and a low near 44°F. [NWS]

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Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar

Ruthie’s Opening Fairfax Location — Popular Arlington eatery Ruthie’s All Day has picked Fairfax Corner for its second location. Ruthie’s will move into a space at 11951 Grand Commons Avenue, the company announced Thursday. The new restaurant, which follows the elevated comfort food spot’s well-regarded first location in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, is expected to open in fall 2025. [FFXnow]

Mail Ballot Deadline — From Arlington’s elections office: “Have you made a plan to vote yet?! The deadline to request a mail ballot is [today], 10/25 at 5pm and the last day to vote early is Saturday, 11/2! Make a plan today!” [Instagram]

Arlington’s Voting Machine History — “By the 1930s, ‘essentially all of the nation’s larger urban centers had adopted lever voting machines,’ Jones writes. Virginia, being Virginia, was a bit slower to adopt this technology. A news story in the Northern Virginia Sun in 1940 reports that Arlington County Democrats were debating whether the machines were too expensive. Arlington eventually decided they weren’t. The first use of voting machines in Virginia apparently came in Arlington on Aug. 1, 1950, in a primary election.” [Cardinal News]

Traffic Stop Drug Bust Near Clarendon — “At approximately 9:41 p.m. on October 23, a patrol officer observed a vehicle displaying an improper registration and conducted a traffic stop. During an inventory search of the vehicle prior to towing, officers recovered suspected narcotics including cocaine, amphetamine/methamphetamine and a large quantity of marijuana, drug packaging/distribution materials, and a large sum of cash.” [ACPD]

I-395 Crash on Camera — From Dave Statter: “Another left turn on I-395S at Exit 8C to Crystal City ends with a crash. It doesn’t happen as frequently thanks to @VaDOTNOVA’s fixes but lots of drivers still do squirelly things to avoid missing the exit. Early indication that there were no serious injuries.” [Twitter]

Beyer Hopeful for Lee Name Removal — Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) on Monday told the Arlington NAACP he believes legislation removing Robert E. Lee’s name from Arlington House ultimately will succeed, even if they prove unsuccessful this year. “When Kamala [Harris] wins, we’re going to pass it,” Beyer said of the effort, which has picked up 120 cosponsors (all Democrats) but will have to start from scratch when the new Congress convenes in January. —Scott McCaffrey

Warner, Kaine Want More Work Visas — “U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined U.S. Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Angus King (I-ME), and a bipartisan group of colleagues in urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL) to release the maximum number of Congressionally-authorized H-2B visas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025.” [Press Release]

‘International Showcase’ This Weekend — From a PR rep:  “This Saturday from 1 – 5 p.m., Fashion Centre at Pentagon City is slated to host its annual Mosaic International Showcase… The event will highlight representatives from Bavaria (Germany and Austria), Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mongolia and more. Families are invited to the mall’s Metro Level to experience a celebration of culture with each country providing its own traditional entertainment, music and dances and food sampling.” [Simon]

Training for the Next MCM — “Thousands of first-time racers will take to the starting line Sunday at this year’s Marine Corps Marathon in Arlington, Virginia. If you would like to take on the challenge, one day, a running coach and MCM veteran has advice on how to prepare for your first 26.2-mile race.” [WTOP]

It’s Friday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature around 68 degrees alongside light and variable winds turning southwest at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with lows near 54 degrees. [NWS]