News | ARLnow.com

County Board Asks Governor to Veto Country Club Bill

Published March 27, 2018 at 3:45PM | Updated September 23, 2020 at 11:24AM

The Arlington County Board sent a letter to Gov. Ralph Northam today (March 27) requesting that he veto a bill adopted by the General Assembly that would provide big tax savings to two Arlington country clubs but cost the county millions.

The bill would mandate an open space assessment of golf course properties in the county, providing big tax breaks to Washington Golf and Country Club and Army Navy Country Club. According to a county press release, the assessment changes would result in a county revenue loss of about $1.43 million per year.

County Budget Proposal Includes New Parking Meter Rate Hikes

By Bridget Reed Morawski

Published March 27, 2018 at 1:45PM

The county manager’s proposed 2019 budget includes new parking meter rate hikes.

Short term parking, defined as less than four hours, would go up a quarter to $1.75 per hour. Long term parking, more than four hours, would also go up a quarter to $1.50 per hour.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 27, 2018 at 8:35AM

Shake Shack, Philz and More Coming to Ballston — “Ballston will beef up its fast-casual restaurant offerings by the end of this year, with Shake Shack, We the Pizza, Philz Coffee and Cava all slated to lease space in the newly dubbed Ballston Exchange project. Ballston Exchange, formerly known as Stafford Place I and II, was until 2017 home to the National Science Foundation.” [Washington Business Journal]

Outdoor Lab Squeezed by Rising Enrollment — “A growing student body at the elementary-school level may soon mean there are not enough days in the school year to send the usual cadre of students to the Arlington Outdoor Lab, located in Fauquier County.” [InsideNova]

AWLA Rescues Wild Turkey from Rosslyn Construction Site

By ARLnow.com

Published March 26, 2018 at 7:10PM

A wild turkey was found waddling around a construction site in Rosslyn, leading to a response from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.

An animal control officer was able to catch the male turkey, which was said to be “scared and very stressed.” A video posted on Facebook, below, captures the scene as the turkey was placed in a kennel before being brought back to AWLA’s shelter in Shirlington and then being released into the wild.

Arlington Agenda: March 26-April 1

By Bridget Reed Morawski

Published March 26, 2018 at 4:15PM | Updated March 27, 2018 at 8:36AM

Arlington Agenda is a listing of interesting events for the week ahead in Arlington County. If you’d like to see your event featured, fill out the event submission form.

Also, be sure to check out our event calendar.

Want to Live Comfortably in Arlington? Here’s What It Will Cost You

By Bridget Reed Morawski

Published March 26, 2018 at 10:55AM | Updated March 26, 2018 at 1:18PM

(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) It’s not cheap to live in one of the best places for millennials.

That’s according to figures from the Economic Policy Institute, which has come out with an interactive calculator to determine how much it costs individuals and families to comfortably live in Arlington and other U.S. counties.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 26, 2018 at 8:30AM

Overnight House Fire in Rock Spring — The Arlington County Fire Department battled a blaze in the basement of a home in the Rock Spring neighborhood early this morning. One occupant of the home was brought to the hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. [Twitter]

ACFD Battles Falls Church Fire — Arlington and Fairfax County firefighters battled a two-alarm house fire in Falls Church early Sunday morning. The home’s occupant was able to get out but was transported to the hospital. The house, which had “hazardous hoarding conditions” inside, it believed to be a total loss. [City of Falls Church, Falls Church News-Press]

Crowdfunding Campaign Launched for Ballston Homicide Victim

By ARLnow.com

Published March 23, 2018 at 5:55PM

John Giandoni (photo via Facebook)

The family of homicide victim John Giandoni is raising money via a crowdfunding campaign.

Giandoni, who would have turned 41 on Wednesday, was found dead in his home in Ballston last weekend. Police later determined his death to have been a homicide, though few details have been revealed about the circumstances.

Police: Drunken Man With Knife Charges at Security Guard

By ARLnow.com

Published March 23, 2018 at 2:50PM

File photo

The incident happened around 12:30 a.m. early Friday morning, on the 1700 block of Jefferson Davis Highway (Route 1).

Proposed County Budget Would Eliminate Two ART Bus Routes

By Bridget Reed Morawski

Published March 23, 2018 at 10:45AM | Updated March 23, 2018 at 11:27AM

An ART bus driving around the county (file photo)

The County Manager’s fiscal year 2019 proposed budget includes service eliminations to Arlington Transit bus routes 92 and 54.

The reductions would save the county $356,771 in 2019, according to the proposed budget. Public hearings on the budget and tax rate are scheduled for Tuesday, April 3 and Thursday, April 5, respectively.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 23, 2018 at 8:55AM

Arlington Revamps Engagement on Projects — “The County’s new ‘Six-Step Public Engagement Guide for Capital Projects’ aims to strengthen engagement and communication processes across County government – for hundreds of capital projects both large and small… The guide identifies four types of engagement that can occur with capital projects: Communicate… Consult… Involve… Collaborate.” [Arlington County]

Barre3 Opening ‘For Real’ — After construction, permitting, and inspection delays, Clarendon’s new Barre3 exercise studio has set a new opening date of March 22 — “for real.” An email to customers apologized to those who have been “waiting (and waiting and waiting)” for the studio to open in Clarendon’s Market Common shopping plaza at 2800 Clarendon Boulevard.

State Police: Bullet Fired on I-395

By ARLnow.com

Published March 22, 2018 at 11:55PM

Someone fired a bullet through the front seat windows of a car driving on northbound I-395 near the HOV entrance and the Pentagon, according to VSP.

The incident happened just before 8 p.m. No one was injured and there have thus far been no arrests.