News | ARLnow.com

Morning Notes

Published August 11, 2021 at 7:30AM | Updated August 11, 2021 at 9:51AM

Amazon Makes $1 Million Donation — “Amazon today announced it will continue its commitment to the Right Now Needs Fund in Northern Virginia for the upcoming academic year with an additional $1 million investment to support students attending Arlington Public Schools, Alexandria City Public Schools, and Fairfax County Public Schools. The Fund, in partnership with Communities In Schools NOVA, helps remove barriers to learning and works to meet the basic needs of thousands of schoolchildren from underserved communities.” [BusinessWire]

New Portion of DCA Has WeWork Vibes — “There’s a cool WeWork feel to @Reagan_Airport’s new section of Terminal C. Prefer these or old school airport seating? Smart marketing on bottom of departure screens, too.” [Twitter]

Craigslist Car Sale Leads to Armed Carjacking

By ARLnow.com

Published August 10, 2021 at 2:15PM | Updated August 10, 2021 at 5:13PM

File photo

(Updated at 5:15 p.m.) A person trying to sell their car online — reportedly via Craigslist — instead became the victim of a carjacking.

Police say they were called to the 2400 block of S. Glebe Road, near the I-395 ramps, just before 4 p.m. yesterday.

Arlington Car Dealerships Plagued by Effects of National Chip Shortage

By Anuj Khemka

Published August 10, 2021 at 11:35AM

Mercedes-Benz of Arlington in Ballston (via Google Maps)

Many Arlington car dealerships are struggling to stock cars amid a nationwide shortage of computer chips.

At Mercedes-Benz of Arlington in Ballston, formerly known as American Service Center, a lot once stocked with around 130 used cars available for sale has emptied out to 63 vehicles, according to Ron Moghisi, who manages pre-owned sales. He said many of the cars were purchased at nearly 30% over the normal list price.

Police Investigating Possible Abduction Attempt in Cherrydale

By ARLnow.com

Published August 10, 2021 at 10:45AM

Arlington police car (file photo)

A boy was walking his dog in Cherrydale when a stranger tried to engage him in conversation and then started following him around.

That’s according to Arlington County police, who describe the Saturday afternoon incident near the intersection of N. Monroe Street and 18th Street N. as an attempted abduction.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 10, 2021 at 7:30AM

Langston Blvd Plan Meets Resistance — “Following this May’s release of area planning maps and a presentation on density from consultant AECOM, a furious screed was published by Lyon Village Civic Association president John Carten. Though the process is still in the community engagement phase that precedes concrete recommendations, the hint of possible changes in the General Land Use Plan prompted the Lyon Village group to predict a parade of horribles.” [Falls Church News-Press]

New Clarendon Apartment Building Sold — “Trammell Crow Residential has sold the Alexan Earl, a 333-unit multifamily building at 1122 N. Hudson St., to Lincoln Property Co. for $192 million… The Earl represents the first phase of the long-planned Red Top Cab redevelopment… Shooshan continues to plan for the second phase, a roughly 250-unit building fronting Washington Boulevard at the intersection with 13th Street North. It expects to start demolition this fall.” [Washington Business Journal]

Two Pedestrian Bridges Damaged by 2019 Floods Set to be Replaced

By Jo DeVoe

Published August 9, 2021 at 3:55PM | Updated August 9, 2021 at 4:25PM

The bridge over Four Mile Run near Glencarlyn Park is closed (via Gillian Burgess/Twitter)

(Updated at 4:25 p.m.) Two years ago, torrential rain caused massive flash flooding in Arlington that washed away six pedestrian bridges.

Fast forward to today and two of the bridges that suffered the worst damage in the July 2019 storm — at Glencarlyn and Lubber Run parks — are set be replaced over the next year, and should be ready by the summer and fall of 2022, respectively.

Coronavirus Cases Still Rising in Arlington, But Hospitalizations Remain Low

By ARLnow.com

Published August 9, 2021 at 2:00PM

The bad news is that the rate of new coronavirus cases in Arlington continues to rise. The good news is that few people are getting seriously ill from the disease.

The trailing seven-day average of new Covid cases in the county is now up to 32, the highest point since mid-April, when getting vaccinated still required proof of eligibility. On Friday, 42 new cases were reported, the highest one-day total since April 9.

New Aquatics Center Expected to Open This Month

By ARLnow.com

Published August 9, 2021 at 10:35AM

The Long Bridge Park Aquatics and Fitness Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The new Long Bridge Aquatics & Fitness Center “should open later in this month,” a county spokeswoman tells ARLnow.

The long-planned, $60 million center near Crystal City is preparing to make its debut as a destination for lap swimmers, casual pool users and fitness buffs alike. A formal announcement of its impending opening is imminent, we’re told.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 9, 2021 at 5:00AM

Fallen Pentagon Officer Remembered — “George Gonzalez was a proud New Yorker, ever loyal to his home turf of Brooklyn and the New York Yankees. He was also a proud Army veteran, having served a ferocious tour at the height of the Iraq War, always mindful of his comrades who didn’t come home. And he was a proud police officer, like his older brother, having served as an airport security agent, a federal jail guard and finally a Pentagon police officer.” [Washington Post]

DCA Passenger Traffic Still Down — “The airport’s passenger count in July was down 35.2 percent from the same month in 2019… The biggest challenge facing Reagan National will be an ongoing dearth of business travel. While some airline executives are expecting to see some rebound this fall, the U.S. Travel Association predicts that business-travel spending will not be back to pre-pandemic levels until 2024.” [Sun Gazette]

JUST IN: Man Shot in Crystal City Hotel

By ARLnow.com

Published August 7, 2021 at 7:00PM

File photo

A man was shot at a hotel in Crystal City early Saturday morning.

The shooting happened shortly after 1:30 a.m. Police say they initially responded to a hotel on the 1300 block of S. Eads Street for a report of gunshots heard, then found a man with a gunshot wound in the parking lot and evidence of shots being fired in a hotel hallway.

Most-Read Arlington Stories of the Week: August 6, 2021

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2021 at 5:00PM

Photos from a homecoming greeting at Glebe Elementary School for Arlingtonian and Olympic silver medalist Torri Huske (via ACFD/Twitter)

A half-decent weekend is on tap before another stretch of hot and humid weather next week.

We’re approaching the time of the year when it seems like everybody is on vacation. That will include some ARLnow staff next week — expect a reduced publishing schedule Thursday and Friday as a result.

Firefighters Douse Flaming Garbage in Front of Gunston Middle School

By ARLnow.com

Published August 6, 2021 at 3:30PM | Updated August 6, 2021 at 4:26PM

(Updated 4:25 p.m.) Local firefighters handle all sorts of hazards. Today, one such hazard was a flaming pile of garbage.

The rubish’s rapid oxidation happened around noon today in front of Gunston Middle School, near Arlington Ridge. The blazing bags of refuse were reportedly dumped by a trash truck after the driver noticed smoke and flames coming from the back.