Entrepreneur Isa Seyran in front of his coffee cart in Ballston (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Safety Tool Helping APS — “A digital threat assessment form is helping Arlington, Virginia, school leaders better monitor concerning student behavior, Superintendent Francisco Durán said at a school board meeting Thursday… It launched this year, and has made reporting troubling behavior more accessible and easy to do, according to school board documents. It also gives the school system the option of monitoring concerning behavior in real time.” [WTOP]

Flyover This Morning — From AlertDC: “The US Military will conduct a flyover at the Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 @ 11:15 AM.”

New DJO Baseball Coach — “Chris Berset has been hired as the new head baseball coach at Bishop O’Connell High School, but he’s far from an unknown in the baseball circles of the metro area. Berset is co-owner of the decade-old Prime Time Baseball business in Alexandria, is the current manager/head coach of the past champion Alexandria Aces of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League.” [Gazette Leader]

Local’s Young-Onset Parkinson’s Diagnosis — “For two years, we had been seeking answers for some unusual symptoms I was having. When the doctor finally returned with a young associate in tow, the look on his face made my heart race and the blood rushed to my face. He took off his mask, revealing an unmistakable look of defeat. I braced for impact. ‘Allie, has anyone in your family ever been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?'” [Arlington Magazine]

It’s Wednesday — Showers and thunderstorms are expected after 2 pm, with increasing clouds and hot temperatures reaching a high of 98. Southwest winds will be at 7-10 mph and a 50% chance of precipitation. For Wednesday night, thunderstorms are likely before 11 pm with a low temperature around 72, and an 8 mph southwest wind. The precipitation chance is 70%, with potential rainfall amounts between half and three quarters of an inch. [NWS]


Melwood has formally submitted a site plan application for a 105-unit affordable housing project near Crystal City.

New renderings depict a five-story building with an 18,000-square-foot footprint at 750 23rd Street S., Melwood’s facility in Aurora Highlands, which it acquired after its 2017 merger with Linden Resources.


Atilla Kan, a D.C.-area restaurateur who dished out Mediterranean flavors for nearly 50 years, died June 13. He was 82.

A native of Turkey, Kan was noted locally as founder of The Perfect Pita, which he and his family established in 1994. What started as a single takeout spot led to 14 different locations in the region, as well as a wholesale business offering pita, hummus and other Mediterranean foods.


A large, aging office building in Crystal City is getting some significant upgrades.

JBG Smith announced last week that its 11-story building at 2011 Crystal Drive would be getting $40 million facelift. The “repositioning” will include exterior facade changes, communal outdoor spaces, a new meeting and conference facility with a cocktail bar, and upgrades to the ground floor.


Arlington Cinema N’ Drafthouse on Columbia Pike (Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar)

Route 1 Shooting Arrest — “The Arlington County Police Department’s Homicide/Robbery Unit is announcing an arrest in the shooting that occurred on June 19, 2024, in the 2600 block of Richmond Highway.” [ACPD]

Bridge Installation Near Shirlington — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “And there you have it. A few months and a couple finishing touches later, and [the new pedestrian bridge] be open for all your Four Mile Run journeys.” [Twitter]

App Shows Available Parking Spaces — Also from DES: “Need to find on-street parking in the Rosslyn-Ballston or Richmond Highway corridors? Use the ParkMobile app, available through the Performance Parking Pilot. The project goal is more spaces available and easier to find.” [Twitter]

New Sheriff’s Deputies — “The Arlington County Sheriff’s Department has grown by 13 new deputies following graduation ceremonies held June 17 for Session 150 of the six-month Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy.” [Gazette Leader]

Raves for Arlington Ridge Restaurant — “I’m in heaven slurping chef Seng Luangrath’s longevity noodles in garlic-butter sauce, twirled up on my fork with bits of Chinese celery, shiitake mushrooms, cured egg yolk and lump crabmeat. Sweet, rich, peppery and slightly funky from padaek—the heady Lao fish sauce after which her restaurant is named—the dish is both balanced and an escapade of luxuriance.” [Arlington Magazine]

Spain in ‘General-Election Mode’ — “It took four rounds to get there, but civic activist and former local NAACP president J.D. Spain Sr. emerged on top in the Arlington County Board Democratic primary. And he immediately pivoted to general-election mode, aiming first to win support from those who had backed the four other contenders in the Democratic race.” [Gazette Leader]

German Mayor Learns Arlington Way — “Oberbürgermeisterin Sibylle Keupen of Aachen, Germany, was part of a delegation of German local-government leaders to visit the U.S. recently. While in Arlington, she received a tutorial as county leaders spotlighted the government’s wide array of advisory bodies.” [Gazette Leader]

Proclamation for Free Clinic Anniversary — From Del. Patrick Hope: “Great to celebrate this monumental occasion of the @ArlFreeClinic providing health care services to families for 30 years.” [Twitter]

New Historical Marker Unveiled — From Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Francisco Duran: “It was an honor to speak at the unveiling of the Evelyn R. Syphax historical marker yesterday. Her legacy reminds us of the importance of teaching everyone’s history—celebrating our diversity strengthens our school system.” [Twitter]

Opening Nears for Nearby Amazon Fresh — “The final touches are being made on the future Amazon Fresh at 3801 Richmond Highway in Potomac Yard. New hires at the store in the Potomac Yard Shopping center are being directed with signs on the front door, and a large sign on the building exterior reads, ‘Delicious groceries coming soon.'” [ALXnow]

It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 91 with winds shifting from northwest, at 5 to 8 mph, to southwest as the day progresses. The night will be partly cloudy, with a low of around 75. [NWS]

Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar


Arlington plans to develop a new tool to encourage energy-efficiency upgrades among disadvantaged communities.

The Arlington County Board last week approved a $980,350 grant award from the Environmental Justice Government-to-Government Grant Program at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With the money, the county plans to build a tool to model green improvements in building types common to low-income disadvantaged communities (LIDACs).


Arlington Independent Media’s floundering finances have left a former employee with significant personal debt.

Linda Lawson, AIM’s former head of production, obtained a credit card to help cover operating funds at the struggling nonprofit in the second half of 2023, AIM Treasurer Amanda MacKaye said in an email to members last week. At the encouragement of AIM’s former executive leadership, according to the email, Lawson racked up a debt of about $15,000.


The atrium at 1100 Wilson Blvd (Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra)

Earlier Trash Collection Continues — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Extended: With intense heat lingering several more days, recycling-trash-organics collection will continue to run earlier than usual each morning through next Friday. Be sure to have carts at the curb no later than 5:30am on collection day.” [Twitter]

Arlington Company Acquired — “CAES Systems Holdings LLC, an Arlington aerospace company that manufactures radar equipment and components for the U.S. military, is being acquired by tech and defense giant Honeywell International Inc. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Honeywell announced Thursday that it is buying CAES from the Boston private equity firm Advent International for $1.9 billion in cash.” [Washington Business Journal]

County Board Exit Poll — From FairVote: “In the @ArlingtonVA County Board race, a new exit poll finds: 88% of Arlington voters say RCV is easy. 67% say they want to use it in future elections.” [Twitter]

School Lunch Debt — “At the June 20 School Board meeting, school officials acknowledged that the ‘negative balance’ for meals for the school year just gone by totaled more than $132,000, with more than $123,000 of that from graduated students. The remaining shortfall is from students deemed ‘inactive.'” [Gazette Leader]

Another Rollover Crash — From public safety watcher Matthew Young on Friday: “Rollover 1402 S George Mason Dr, Arlington ~1030hrs. 1 driver detained by @ArlingtonVaPD. 1 pedestrian transported by @ArlingtonVaFD to @VHCHealth in unknown condition. At least the 3rd rollover crash in #ArlingtonVA this week.” [Twitter]

Pentagon City Building Bought — “An aging high-rise across the street from Amazon.com Inc.’s HQ2 in Pentagon City recently changed hands for $113.5 million. An affiliate of New Rochelle, New York-based Goldfarb Properties acquired the 348-unit tower at 1201 S. Eads St. May 13, according to public records. The price works out to roughly $326,000 a unit. [Washington Business Journal]

Butterfly Garden Near HQ2 — “Butterflies and other pollinators have a new place to call home in Amazon HQ2’s 2.5-acre Met Park. To attract the winged powerhouses, professional horticulturists and volunteers spent last week planting swamp and butterfly milkweed, echinacea, coreopsis, and seven other species of native and native-adaptive plants in a 250-square-foot bed. A bench and a dozen tables and chairs are nearby for people to sit and enjoy the garden, which is free for the public to visit.” [Arlington Magazine]

Bike Lane Proposal Near Fairlington — “Alexandria’s Traffic and Parking Board will consider converting the two-way access road next to the Bradlee Shopping Center on upper King Street to a one-way roadway and adding bike lanes. City staff has outlined three alternatives for the access road between S. Taylor Street and Menokin Drive.” [ALXnow]

It’s Monday — Expect a sunny but breezy day with highs around 87 degrees and a northwest wind of 14 mph, gusting up to 24 mph. The clear skies will continue into Monday night, featuring lows near 67 degrees and a northwest wind between 7 and 11 mph. [NWS]

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Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra


Arlington Democrats have nominated JD Spain, Sr. as the party’s candidate for County Board.

A preliminary tally of votes in the ranked-choice contest, conducted Friday evening, showed Spain with an insurmountable lead prior to the counting of provisional ballots.


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