Willemssen led the Knights to five state championships
Suzy Willemssen’s highly-successful tenure as the head girls softball coach at Bishop O’Connell High School has ended after six seasons.
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News
Renovations are in the works at the Costco in Pentagon City, possibly including a multimillion-dollar overhaul of the food court.
At a minimum, a store representative told ARLnow, the wholesale retailer is expanding its bakery. A permit application at 1200 S. Fern Street refers to new bakery equipment, as well as a “revised sushi layout” and possible plans for a new deli, new rotisserie, new coolers for meat and produce and “an expansion to the existing electrical mezzanine.”
Italian Air Force Flyover — From Hillary Howard: “The Italian Airforce streaks the sky over DC + Arlington with its colors. The show finished as the jets turned near the @USairforce Memorial.” [Twitter, Twitter]
Pushback on Towing Changes — “Proposed changes to the Arlington government’s ordinance on private-property towing, giving more power to staff and the county manager to suspend and potentially revoke operating licenses for towing companies, seems to be running into headwinds.” [Gazette Leader]
Frustration Over Ongoing Pike Project — “A major road project in Arlington has picked up in intensity and has a lot of people asking when it’s going to be finished. Transportation Reporter Adam Tuss reports the Columbia Pike Forward project has narrowed roads and closed sidewalks for quite a while.” [NBC 4]
Pile-Driving for Cemetery Project — “That thump-thump-thump you may be hearing in the vicinity of Arlington National Cemetery is expected to continue until later in the month. Crews have begun a pile-driving initiative at the southern area of the cemetery’s expansion zone, located at the eastern end of Columbia Pike.” [Gazette Leader]
Arlington Actor at DNC — From Del. Alfonso Lopez: “Fun encounter at the @DemConvention – Iain Armitage from ‘Young Sheldon’ (who lives in Arlington, Virginia!!) joined the Virginia Delegation last night. We sat together for the speeches from Michelle Obama and President Obama. Incredibly nice young man.” [Twitter]
Special DCA College Football Flights — “United Airlines will be offering special nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to see some of the biggest football games this college season.
This means University of Virginia fans can travel directly to South Bend, Indiana to see the Hoos take on the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.” [Patch]
More Diving Honors for WGCC — “Add yet another league championship to the long list, making the total now 26 straight Country Club Swimming and Diving Association titles won by the Washington Golf & Country Club summer dive squad. All have come under head coach Amy Kress, who has led the team for 29 seasons.” [Gazette Leader]
It’s Thursday — Expect abundant sunshine and a high around 79°F with a northwest wind at 5 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, reaching a low of approximately 58°F with calm winds. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by ksrjghkegkdhgkk
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An assisted living facility with up to 130 units could be coming to Langston Blvd.
Kensington Senior Living — which operates senior living facilities in Falls Church, Reston and several other sites around the country — filed an application earlier this year to redevelop 4500 Langston Blvd as a seven-story residential building with 114 parking spaces in a parking garage.
A 67-year-old Arlington man was arrested after a spat with a driver allegedly turned destructive.
The incident happened just before 7 p.m. on along the 3800 block of Fairfax Drive, near Oakland Park in Virginia Square.
Falls Church is attempting to move forward with a project to improve pedestrian and bicyclist access along W. Broad Street.
The multimodal improvement project calls for widening sidewalks, redesigning intersections and adding a new pedestrian crosswalk, with changes planned at the intersections of W. Broad Street and Virginia Avenue, Lee Street, Oak Street, Spring Street and West Street.
Spotted: Rosslyn at DNC — A photo of Rosslyn’s skyline was used as a backdrop at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, as pointed out on social media by the Arlington County Democratic Committee. [Twitter]
Flyover Planned Today — From AlertDC: “MPD reports there will be an Italian Air Force flyover in the NCR, over Washington, DC, on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at 4:30 PM. The units will deploy red, white, and green smoke during its flight route.”
W&OD Trail Narrowed — “Be alert for a narrowing trail and trail striping work at Sparrow Pond in Arlington, as the restoration project there nears completion.” [Twitter]
Time Capsule Found in Cathedral — “When the construction crew began renovations at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, they expected to find nothing more than dust and rubble behind the cathedral’s walls. Instead, they discovered a time capsule. Four months later, on the 50th anniversary of the Arlington diocese’s establishment, it was restored, with new items added Aug. 13 for a new generation to ponder.” [Arlington Catholic Herald]
Interview with Ellie Bird Chef — “If watching #TheBearFX left you curious about the inner workings of an award-winning family restaurant, read our interview with local chef Yuan Tang, who co-owns #EllieBird in Falls Church with his wife, Carey. Here’s how he keeps his menu fresh and fun.” [Arlington Magazine, Twitter]
Free Coffee in Rosslyn — “Grab a free coffee at #UpsideOnMoore’s Lightning Coffee as part of #NationalCoffeeMonth! Show the barista that you’re following Upside on Moore on Instagram to redeem your cup through August (Limit one per person, Monday-Friday from 7AM-5PM)” [Twitter]
A Look at Housing at N. Va. — “On just over 70% of the developable land in Northern Virginia, there’s only one thing you can build: a single-family detached house. That’s the lead finding of research into the region’s zoning restrictions from a group of scholars at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.” [WAMU]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny conditions with a high near 76 degrees and a northwest wind blowing at 7 to 11 mph. As for Wednesday night, it will be mostly clear with a low around 57 degrees and a gentle north wind at 3 to 5 mph. [NWS]
Arlington is collecting feedback on proposed renovations at Douglas Park, a month after the County Board approved a 0.31-acre expansion of the recreation area.
Renovation plans at the five-acre park — in the neighborhood of the same name — call for replacing a wooden pedestrian bridge, a picnic shelter and site furnishings including picnic tables, park benches and waste bins. The project also aims to upgrade walking paths, improve stormwater management and remove invasive plants.
August has been a busy month for police responding to vehicle thefts at rental car lots in the Crystal City area.
Another such incident — at least the third this month and the fourth this summer — was reported over the weekend. It happened at the same Avis and Budget lot on the 2600 block of Richmond Highway as an armed carjacking on Aug. 1.
New plans for a 276-unit apartment building are the latest and largest of three Langston Blvd proposals to enter the pipeline in recent months.
A site plan application filed last week would replace the longstanding Walgreens at 3130 Langston Blvd with a 12-story tower containing some 353,000 square feet of retail and residential space. This follows two other proposals along the corridor, including a 94-unit building at 1501 Langston Blvd.
DOJ Ends APS Scrutiny — “Five years after the U.S. Department of Justice cited Arlington Public Schools for purported violations of federal law when it came to educating English-language learners, the matter is now over. Superintendent Francisco Durán at the Aug. 15 School Board meeting said federal officials had closed the book on the matter.” [Gazette Leader]
Crash Sends Car onto Sidewalk — From Alan Henney yesterday evening: “Traffic Collision… At the intersection of N Lynn St. and Langston Blvd. only the left hand lane on Langston Blvd. is open.” [Twitter]
FCPD Awards Arlington Officer — “@FairfaxCountyPD recently presented Corporal Naessens with a Community Service Appreciation Certificate… On July 14, he was off-duty driving through Seven Corners when he observed two FCPD officers struggling with a non-compliant suspect. He exited his vehicle, identified himself as an off-duty officer and assisted in controlling the suspect.” [Twitter]
Chaplains Meet in Arlington — “The U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps marked a significant milestone as it celebrated its 75th anniversary during its annual summit held in Arlington Aug. 6 – 8. The summit brought together Chaplain Corps leaders and religious support teams from across the globe to reflect on the corps’ history and a way ahead for the future.” [U.S. Air Force]
Pet Death Investigation Update — “The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria has concluded its investigation of PetSmart at Potomac Yard and found that while the facility has problems, there is insufficient evidence to charge the pet care facility or its staff with any crime. The AWLA reported that a necropsy of Clark, one of the dogs that died… likely contracted his illness before his stay at PetSmart.” [ALXnow]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunshine and a high of approximately 77°F, accompanied by a northwest wind at 10 mph and gusts reaching up to 18 mph. Tuesday night will bring mostly clear skies and a low of about 56°F, with north winds at 7 mph. [NWS]
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All-Stars eliminated by champions in quarterfinals
The busy and long summer playoff baseball season ended for the Arlington Babe Ruth Storm Black 10-under All-Stars with a 4-2 record at the World Series in Crown Point, Ind.