Arlington County police are investigating a somewhat unusual road rage incident in Rosslyn.
It happened Tuesday afternoon near the intersection of Key Blvd and N. Nash Street. According to police, two male drivers “were stopped in their vehicles at a stop sign when they became involved in a verbal dispute.” The suspect then allegedly threw a can at the other driver, reached into his car and stole his phone, before driving off.
Online Fireworks Viewing — From the Trust for the National Mall: “Can’t make it to the most iconic fireworks show in the U.S.? Catch the iconic National Mall fireworks on Independence Day on #MonumentCam at 9:09PM on July 4th! We’re broadcasting the entire show LIVE from the top of the Washington Monument! Click here: http://nationalmall.org/monumentcam.” [Twitter]
Fourth of July Bell Ringing — “The Arlington Historical Society will celebrate the nation’s 248th birthday with a bell-ringing at the Arlington Historical Museum on Thursday, July 4 at 5 p.m. ‘We’ll be doing this alongside bells all over the state,’ said Annette Benbow, who is leading the Arlington effort to commemorate the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026.” [Gazette Leader]
New Mental Health Crisis System — “Arlington County launched a new system to better respond to individuals who may be experiencing a mental health crisis. The system is in place to tailor a more effective response to those in need when someone dials 911. The Marcus Alert System establishes coordination between the 911 call center, the regional crisis center and law enforcement to enhance services and responses for people experiencing a crisis related to mental health, substance abuse or a developmental disability.” [NBC 4]
Local Appointed to GMU Board — “Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday, June 28, announced three new appointments and one reappointment to the George Mason University Board of Visitors… [including] Marc Short of Arlington, Partner, Advance Strategies, and former Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence.” [Patch]
New D.C. Eatery Has Arlington Ties — “A popular sandwich shop with ties to the Italian Store in Arlington plans to open a second location on Barracks Row, three-and-a-half years after Compliments Only debuted from temporary space in Logan Circle. The restaurant from Pete Sitcov and Emily Cipes is tentatively slated to open by the end of the summer from a roughly 1,600-square-foot space at 526 Eighth St. SE.” [Washington Business Journal]
It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of 88, accompanied by a 6-10 mph south wind. As night falls, the weather will shift to partly cloudy skies with a low of approximately 72 and a 7-9 mph south wind. Independence Day brings a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 pm, partly sunny skies, and a high of 95. The heat index may reach up to 101 with a southwest 6 mph wind. [NWS]
Clarendon’s Lululemon store was hit by thieves twice Monday, separated by only a matter of hours, according to police.
Arlington County police responded to the store at 2847 Clarendon Blvd just after 5 p.m. after two women in their teens or 20s had entered the store, gathered up merchandise, and left without paying, a police spokeswoman said.
Arlington’s visitors spent $4.5 billion in the county last year according to a new study, eclipsing a pre-pandemic record by nearly $100 million.
The county’s 7.1 million visitors in 2023 spent record-breaking sums on transportation, food and drink, hospitality, recreation and retail, according to a study conducted by economic forecaster Tourism Economics.
County Board Meeting Moved — “Due to scheduling conflicts, the previously scheduled Saturday, July 20 meeting of the Arlington County Board is being moved to Monday, July 22. The switch was made to accommodate a retreat hosted by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which County Board Chairman Libby Garvey and Vice Chairman Takis Karantonis will attend.” [Gazette Leader]
Local NAACP Press Conference Today — “Celebrate the life of Tori Thompson and stand in unity with the family calling for police transparency regarding their failure to notify the family of his passing. Tori’s passing on July 5, 2023, has left a void in our hearts. His family, grieving and seeking answers, was denied notification, and Tori was cremated against their beliefs.” [Event]
More Guns Caught at DCA — “TSA officers found a loaded .22 caliber handgun and a switchblade among an Indiana man’s carry-on items at a security checkpoint. Later in the day, officers stopped an Aldie man with a .380 caliber handgun loaded with five bullets. In both cases, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police officers confiscated the weapons and cited the travelers.” [Patch]
Break-in Attempt Near Westover — “1200 block of N. Kensington Street. At approximately 4:21 p.m. on June 30, police were dispatched to the report of a burglary in progress. Upon arrival, it was determined the female victim was inside her residence when she heard a loud banging at her door and observed the male suspect, who is known to her, allegedly attempting to force entry into her home, causing property damage. The victim then called police.” [ACPD]
July 4 Block Party on the Pike — Sabores Tapas Bar is planning an all-day, July 4 block party on the 2400 block of Columbia Pike, with music, food and drinks. [Twitter]
Va. Now Has an Official Pollinator — “Big news today out of Virginia. The state has an official state pollinator. It is the European honeybee. State Delegate Patrick Hope worked with the Virginia State Beekeepers Association to draft the legislation.” [NPR]
New State Cat Law — From the Animal Welfare League of Arlington: “As an animal welfare organization, we are excited that starting today, July 1, it is illegal to declaw cats in the state of Virginia, except when deemed necessary for therapeutic purposes by a licensed veterinarian.” [Twitter]
Major Proposal for I-66 Entry in D.C. — “Federal planners are in the earliest stages of crafting a monumental new concept to reincorporate the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the nearby Potomac River waterfront into a greener D.C. landscape by eliminating a tangled maze of highways and ramps that inhibit the area today. The colossal vision, presented last month to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, would transform roughly 84.5 acres from Virginia Avenue to the Lincoln Memorial with a new 27-acre park, overhaul entry into the District via Interstate 66 by shifting ramps and roads underground. It would also open up space for new national monuments and other new development.” [Washington Business Journal]
Drought Conditions Continue — From the National Weather Service: “Moderate drought continues across much of the region despite some locations seeing showers & t-storms over the last 48 hours. Many locations ended up in the top 5 for the driest Junes on record.Unfortunately, dry & hot conditions look to continue well into July.” [Twitter]
It’s Tuesday — Expect sunny conditions today, reaching a high of approximately 85°F. Come Tuesday night, the sky will turn partly cloudy and temperatures will drop to around 65°F. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Jason Gooljar
County staff are seeking feedback on competing visions for a more verdant and multi-functional Gateway Park in Rosslyn.
Following an initial round of community feedback on the recreation area at 1300 Langston Blvd, which the county hopes to overhaul several years earlier than expected, a new presentation outlines three possible paths forward. All of them involve keeping popular features including Gateway Park’s lawns and dog park, while adding more greenery and new areas geared toward a variety of activities.
New Laws Take Effect — “New state laws take effect July 1. The new laws apply to speed limits, certifying election results, access to polling places, transportation safety, solar programs, emissions inspections, firearms, opioids, towing, electronic meetings and more.” [Fairfax County, Patch]
Man Convicted of Illegal Ammo Buy — “Approximately three weeks following his Maryland conviction, on May 3, 2023, Kearney traveled to Arlington and purchased ammunition from a federally licensed gun store. As a previously convicted felon, Kearney could not legally possess firearms or ammunition.” [USDOJ]
Flyover Planned Today — From AlertDC: “The U. S Military will conduct a flyover in the National Capitol Region, at the Arlington National Cemetery, on Monday, July 1, 2024, at 1:22 PM.”
Video: Tree Falls Over Glebe — From Dave Statter: “The moment a tree and wires came down on N. Glebe Rd at N. 18th Street. This was around 6:30 p.m.” on Saturday. [Twitter]
County Signs on to Gun Case — “County Board members authorized staff to become a signatory to Garland v. VanDerStok, in which a federal judge has held that the Biden Administration overreached its authority when in 2021 the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) revised definitions within the federal Gun Control Act.” [Gazette Leader]
Google Bucks for Local Startup — From a PR rep: “Trustible – out of Arlington – is one of 20 recipients nationwide of Google for Startups Founders Funds. Trustible is set to receive $150,000 in non-dilutive cash awards and $100,000 in Google Cloud credits to help grow their businesses.” [Press Release]
Space Event with Astronaut at HQ2 — “Thanks to a partnership with Kuiper Government Solutions, non-profit Higher Orbits will bring its Go For Launch! program to Arlington, VA. On July 11 and 12, students in grades 8-12 will participate in a space- inspired event held at Amazon’s Virginia-based headquarters… Interested students can register online at www.GoForLaunch.space.” [Higher Orbits]
It’s July — Expect sunny skies and a high near 80 accompanied by a north wind around 14 mph and gusts reaching up to 22 mph. For Monday night, the weather will be mostly clear, with temperatures dipping to around 63 degrees, and a north wind at 5 to 7 mph. [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.
Flickr pool photo by Cyrus Wilson
Arlington County officially added 7.5 acres of undeveloped land along N. Glebe Road to its holdings this past fall.
For now, however, there are no plans to do anything of note to the property.
A $1.2 million Lyon Village home has gone up for sale with a planned condition — it can’t be redeveloped as a multi-family residence.
“Prior to settlement, the seller will put in a covenant to restrict the property to a single family residence,” reads the Redfin posting for the four bedroom, two bathroom home built in 1954.
Arlington Dems Going to Convention — “The chair and deputy chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee are saddling up and getting ready to participate in the Democratic National Convention. Steve Baker and Paul Ruiz won Virginia-at-large national-convention seats during the recent Democratic Party of Virginia state convention.” [Gazette Leader]
Sinkhole Repair in Ballston — From Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services: “Road crew performing emergency repairs on Wilson Blvd between N Randolph St and N Stuart due to a sinkhole. Work during daytime hours and may extend through at least Sunday. Open traffic lanes will favor rush-hour directions.” [Twitter]
Trash Collection Change Extended — “Through the end of July, crews will pick up curbside trash, recycling and organics starting at 6 a.m. to take advantage of cooler morning temperatures. Residents should place carts at the curb no later than 5:30 a.m. on their scheduled collection day.” [Press Release]
Reminder: ART Bus Changes — “Starting Monday, July 1, Arlington Transit (ART) will increase fares, discontinue three routes, and add a new route in north Arlington… The ART regular fare will increase from $2 to $2.25.” [Arlington County]
Police Pride Event — “During the final days of Pride Month, Arlington County first responders spent the day talking — and celebrating — with LGBTQ+ community members. The Arlington County Police Department (ACPD) hosted the 4th annual Pride with the Police event at Freddie’s Beach Bar alongside fire, sheriffs and other emergency personnel. Among their goals at the event was to promote their LGBTQ+ Liason Team.” [DC News Now]
Arlington Company Acquired — “Arcadia, a leading data platform for healthcare, today announced the acquisition of CareJourney (based in Arlington, VA) – a top provider of clinically relevant healthcare data and AI-powered analytics and insights with data across 300M beneficiaries and 2M providers… CareJourney (now CareJourney by Arcadia) has been led by Aneesh Chopra, the first U.S. Chief Technology Officer (appointed by President Obama), and Dan Ross, Co-Founder and CEO.” [Globe Newswire]
It’s Friday — Expect a mostly sunny day with temperatures reaching around 84 degrees, accompanied by a gentle 8mph breeze coming from the northeast and shifting southeast later in the afternoon. Cloud cover will increase during the night, bringing temperatures to a low of around 71 degrees, with southeast winds ranging from 6 to 10 mph. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Emma K. Alexandra
The Pentagon City Sector Plan, which the Virginia Court of Appeals voided last month due to insufficient public notice, is heading back to the Arlington County Board for another vote.
However, county staff have indicated that they do not intend to make any substantive changes to the plan, suggesting that the construction of several controversial apartment towers at the RiverHouse property is still likely to proceed.
The UPS Store in Clarendon has closed its doors ahead of proposed changes to the building.
A series of tipsters have contacted ARLnow in recent days about the store’s closure at 3033 Wilson Blvd, next to the just-opened Láylí Mediterranean restaurant.
