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Morning Notes

Published December 27, 2016 at 8:50AM

Man Found Dead in Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse — A middle-aged man was found dead in the bathroom at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Crystal City Monday afternoon. The restaurant was closed and the man was found by a cleaning crew. Arlington County police say the death is not considered suspicious. [WTOP, Fox 5]

Same-Sex Marriage Rate Falls — So far in 2016, only 1.9 percent of the more than 3,600 marriage licenses issued by the Arlington Circuit Court were issued to same-sex couples. That compares to 5.3 percent from June to December 2015, after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationally. The first same-sex marriage in Arlington took place in Oct. 2014. [InsideNova]

ARLnow Holiday Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published December 23, 2016 at 12:00PM | Updated December 27, 2016 at 8:58AM

The team behind ARLnow.com wishes you and yours a very merry Christmas and a happy Hanukkah this weekend.

Barring major breaking news, we will be taking a brief holiday hiatus until Tuesday morning. In the meantime, you’re welcome to discuss the holiday or any other topic of local interest in the comments.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 23, 2016 at 9:00AM

Sun Gazette Moving HQ to Falls Church — The Sun Gazette newspaper is moving its headquarters from McLean to the city of Falls Church. The paper, which has an Arlington edition and a McLean/Great Falls/Vienna/Oakton edition, has previously, under its current editor, had its headquarters in Dunn Loring, Alexandria and Springfield. [InsideNova]

Review of Synetic’s ‘Sleeping Beauty’ — Crystal City-based physical theater company Synetic is performing its unique take on “Sleeping Beauty” through Jan. 8. It has received a laudatory review from Broadway World. “Every mimed motion, from a butterfly alighting on a hand to that fated spinning wheel wound, is flawlessly executed and transports audiences to a place beyond imagination,” the publication wrote. [Broadway World]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 22, 2016 at 8:30AM

Morning departure from Reagan National Airport DCA (Flickr pool photo by Wolfkann)

Two Arrested for McD’s Beating — Arlington County Police have arrested two men for the beating of a 17-year-old boy at a McDonald’s on Lee Highway last week. The victim’s mother said she “believes the attack is payback for her son reporting a crime against him months ago.” [Fox 5]

Ray’s Files for Bankruptcy — The parent company of Ray’s The Steaks has filed for bankruptcy for the second time in two years. Owner Michael Landrum says Ray’s is in no danger of closing, however. [Washington Business Journal]

Arlington Woman Gets Jail Time for Handbag Scheme

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2016 at 4:05PM

Federal prosecutors say 41-year-old Praepitcha Smatsorabudh would buy luxury handbags online, then return high-quality knockoff handbags to the store while selling the real bag online, netting big profits in the process

She was sentenced today to 30 months in prison and more than $800,000 in forfeiture and restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Crime Report: Criminals Take a Holiday

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2016 at 2:30PM | Updated February 27, 2020 at 4:44PM

Granted, the crime report does not include an attempted child abduction in Pentagon City, on which we reported yesterday, nor a police warning about a fake jewelry scam.

Playing a role in the slow crime week: very cold weather last week (crime reports are for the period from Thursday to Wednesday) and, potentially, the approaching holiday.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 21, 2016 at 9:10AM

Hunt Loses Mansion Legal Battle — Rodney P. Hunt, once one of the D.C. area’s wealthiest businessmen, has lost a legal battle to keep his $24 million Chain Bridge Road mansion. Hunt, who represented himself in court, asserted that the entity that bought the mansion at a foreclosure auction this summer was not its real owner. While Hunt was living there, the 20,000 square foot property hosted large “#RHPMansion” parties, one of which led to a drive-by shooting in McLean. [Washington Post]

‘Loss of Historic Architecture’ — The historic George Washington Carver Cooperative Apartments in the Arlington View neighborhood were torn down in February. The apartments’ 70-year history as a centerpiece of the working-class African American community there was, however, preserved via oral histories and historic markets. The property is now the Carver Place townhomes, which start at $689,000. So far, 38 of 73 have sold. [Falls Church News-Press]

ACPD Warns of ‘Fake Gold’ Scam

By ARLnow.com

Published December 20, 2016 at 3:45PM

Arlington police car (file photo)

According to police, the scammers pose as motorists having car trouble. When someone stops to help, they say they need money and provide jewelry in return. The jewelry, however, is fake.

“With the holidays upon us, many are in the giving spirit,” police said in a press release. “For everyone’s safety and the guaranteed benefit of those in need, police recommend contributing to familiar organizations and charities in the community.”

Police: Man Tried to Lure Girl Into Van With Promise of Candy, Dogs

By ARLnow.com

Published December 20, 2016 at 2:00PM

File photo

The incident happened Monday around 4 p.m., near the Costco and Best Buy parking lot. Police say a 10-year-old girl was approached by a man after being dropped off by her school bus.

“The victim described the suspect as speaking with a British accent as he offered her candy and reported to have dogs inside his van,” police said in a press release. “When the victim refused, the suspect grabbed her backpack and jacket before the victim was able to escape. The suspect fled the area by vehicle.”

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 20, 2016 at 9:00AM

Earlier School Closing Decisions — Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Patrick Murphy says the school system will try to make school closing decisions earlier this year, preferably the night before a snow or ice event. [InsideNova]

Remy Has Role in New Netflix Series — “Arlington Rap” guy Remy Munasifi has a prominent role in the new Netflix comedy series Brown Nation. [IMDB, Mashable]

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 19, 2016 at 11:45AM

Icy Saturday Morning — Several crashes were reported around Arlington Saturday as freezing rain turned roads and sidewalks into sheets of ice. The slippery conditions lasted for most of the morning, before a warm-up started melting the ice around lunchtime. [Storify]

Wreaths Laid at ANC — Despite the icy weather, tens of thousands of volunteers helped to lay 245,000 wreaths on grave sites at Arlington National Cemetery Saturday morning. Arlington County Police assisted with crowd control for the annual Christmastime event. [WTOP, The Blaze, Twitter]

ACPD to Conduct Extra DUI Patrols During the Holidays

By ARLnow.com

Published December 19, 2016 at 9:15AM | Updated December 19, 2016 at 9:57AM

File photo

The DUI enforcement campaign started Sunday and will run through Jan. 3. It coincides, in part, with the SoberRide free taxi service that’s currently in effect.

From an ACPD press release: