Arlington County Police this week launched the 2019 version of the regional spring “Street Smart” safety campaign.
The campaign “aims to reduce the number of traffic related crashes and injuries on our roadways by identifying and changing unsafe behavior patterns among travelers.”
The proposed redevelopment for the Harris Teeter site on N. Glebe Road is moving ahead with changes to the number of apartment units and parking spaces.
Developers are now proposing to build 732 multi-family units on the Ballston Harris Teeter and Mercedes Benz dealership lot — an increase from the earlier estimate of 700 units.
The groundwater level in Arlington is rising, officials say, which could cause more flooded homes and mosquito-filled backyards.
Arlington’s Dept. of Environmental Services says current groundwater levels are an average of 5 feet higher than they were during the past two years. Officials say one reason is last year’s 60-inch rainfall, which broke the 1889 record for the region’s rainiest year ever recorded.
(Updated at 9:15 a.m.) A fire at a construction site across from the Clarendon Whole Foods prompted a large fire department response this morning.
Firefighters responded around 8:45 a.m. for multiple reports of a fire with flames and smoke visible from the street. They arrived to find construction workers trying to extinguish a fire outside of an under-construction building on the 2700 block of Wilson Blvd.
Tree Falls in Aurora Highlands — A large tree fell across 23rd Street S. in Aurora Highland, near Crystal City, yesterday evening around 5:15 p.m. It happened near the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church, between S. Ives and Hayes streets, amid gusty winds that felled other trees and branches around Arlington. The tree reportedly fell on a passing car, but those inside the vehicle were not injured. [Twitter]
Challenger Presses Favola — “Affordable housing and ethical issues took center stage as Democratic contenders for the 31st state Senate seat last week squared off for the first time leading up to the June 11 primary. Facing an uphill battle to knock off a two-term incumbent, challenger Nicole Merlene pressed the case that state Sen. Barbara Favola is too beholden to special interests to effectively represent the district.” [InsideNova]
Medics from the Arlington County Fire Department are on scene of a reported suicide in Arlington National Cemetery.
Initial reports suggest a woman killed herself near the Confederate Memorial on the western side of the cemetery.
Capital Bikeshare is currently removing electric bikes after concerns about the brakes.
The bikeshare provider announced on Sunday it had “received a small number of reports from riders who experienced stronger than expected braking force on the front wheel” and decided to remove the black bikes from its fleets “out of an abundance of caution.”
The Arlington County Board is wasting no time in exercising its newfound ability to push for a new name for the portion of Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1) within county limits.
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring issued an opinion last month that gives Arlington the ability to request the change from the Commonwealth Transportation Board, rather than relying on the state legislature to make the change — something that was unlikely to happen with Republicans in power.
A portion of the Crystal City neighborhood is without power this morning, leading to dark traffic signals and dark office buildings.
As of 9 a.m., more than 1,300 Dominion customers were without electricity, all south of 23rd Street S., according to the power company’s website. However, traffic signals were reported dark as far north as 20th Street S. and S. Eads Street.
Questions About Arlington Woman’s Death — “A search warrant filed in the case supports the theory it was an assisted suicide, according to a friend of [philanthropist Penny Holloway] who was there at the time. He said a doctor also was present. That doctor died three days after Holloway. Her friends said police questioned him before his death.” [NBC Washington]
Apartment Fire On S. Glebe Road — A first floor apartment caught fire Friday night at the newly-renovated Dominion Apartments on S. Glebe Road. [Twitter]
Arlington and much of the D.C. area is under a Tornado Watch tonight, as severe weather approaches the region.
More from the National Weather Service:
Arlington County Police say the death of an elderly woman this past fall, originally believed to be of natural causes, was actually a homicide.
The police department announced the medical examiner’s determination Friday morning and asked for the public’s help in the case. The finding that the woman was smothered and drugged to death bumps up Arlington’s 2018 homicide count to four.
