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Morning Notes

Published December 12, 2016 at 9:05AM | Updated December 12, 2016 at 10:45AM

Rainy night (Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf)

High School Boundary Change Petition — Matthew Herrity, the Washington-Lee student who penned a widely-shared open letter to the School Board regarding its recent high school boundary change decision, has now started an online petition. The petition, which calls for increasing diversity at Arlington’s high schools, has more than 1,000 signatures. [Change.org]

Community Center, Gymnastics Contracts Approved — At its meeting on Saturday the Arlington County Board approved a $3.9 million contract to plan and design a new four-story Lubber Run Community Center, with a gymnasium, playgrounds, offices and underground parking. In response to heavy program demand, the Board also approved a $1.7 million addition of a second gymnastics area at the Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center. [Arlington County]

Mechanical Problems Force Military Helicopter to Land at Yorktown HS

By ARLnow.com

Published December 10, 2016 at 12:15AM

Military helicopter that landed at Yorktown High in 2016 (photo courtesy ACPD)

A military helicopter experiencing mechanical problems landed on Yorktown High School’s football field Friday night.

The landing was first reported around 9 p.m. There was no report of injuries.

Major Stratford Park Upgrades Set for 2017

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2016 at 1:45PM | Updated December 9, 2016 at 3:00PM

Planned changes to Stratford Park (image via Arlington County)

(Updated at 3 p.m.) Arlington County is moving forward with construction plans for Stratford Park.

The 3.8 acre park, at 4321 Old Dominion Drive, is located next to the H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program building, which will later become a 1,000 seat middle school when H-B moves to Rosslyn in 2019.

Shawafel Has Closed Near Courthouse

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2016 at 11:25AM

Shawafel, a fast-casual restaurant near Courthouse, quietly closed earlier this fall after about a year in business.

The eatery opened at 1910 Wilson Blvd in September 2015, offering “an ‘Americanized’ twist to traditional Lebanese cuisine.”

BREAKING: Teen Struck By SUV Near Washington-Lee High School

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2016 at 10:20AM | Updated May 1, 2018 at 9:42PM

Photo by Katie Pyzyk

(Updated at 12:45 p.m.) A 17-year-old girl was struck by an SUV on Washington Blvd in front of Washington-Lee High School this morning.

The incident was first reported to 911 around 9:30 a.m. as a pedestrian lying in the middle of the street, mid-block, near the intersection of Washington Blvd and N. Stafford Street. It was soon learned that the girl had been struck by a vehicle while crossing the street.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 9, 2016 at 9:15AM | Updated December 9, 2016 at 9:40AM

Fmr. Arlington Resident John Glenn Dies — John Glenn, the first American to orbit the earth, has died at the age of 95. In an article first published in 2012, the Arlington Public Library blog recounted the five years that Glenn and his family lived on N. Harrison Street in Arlington. [Arlington Public Library]

Soon: Central Place Apartments, Restaurants — Residents are expected to start moving into the new Central Place apartment tower in Rosslyn at some point during the first three months of 2017. Restaurants coming to the ground floor of the building include Sweetgreen, Little Beet, Nando’s Peri-peri and McDonald’s, while Cava Grill and Compass Coffee has signed leases for the Central Place office tower. [Washington Business Journal]

Tractor Trailer Brings Down Power Lines in Ballston, Driver Trapped

By Samantha Moore

Published December 8, 2016 at 5:35PM | Updated July 11, 2017 at 4:24PM

A FedEx tractor trailer pulled down some low-hanging power lines in the Ballston area Thursday evening, trapping the driver in the cab of the truck.

The accident happened just before 3:30 p.m., near the intersection of 13th Street N. and N. Stuart Street.

Arlington GOP Opposes Proposed Airbnb Regulations

By ARLnow.com

Published December 8, 2016 at 4:15PM

The regulations proposed by county staff include limits on the number of short-term renters who can stay in a given residence, depending on the number of bedrooms; it requires that the owner of a rental property use it as his or her primary residence, residing there at least 185 days of the year; and includes other provisions designed to strike a balance between those who want to generate supplemental revenue from their homes and those who don’t want to live next to a de facto hotel.

Arlington Republicans, in a press release today, said they are opposed to the regulations, which the county hustled to enact before the state legislature considers prohibiting such regulations during its January session.

ACFD Responds to Smoke Incident at Outback Steakhouse

By ARLnow.com

Published December 8, 2016 at 3:50PM

The restaurant at 4821 1st Road N., near Route 50, was initially reported to be filling with smoke due to a problem with its HVAC system. Firefighters arriving on scene said there was no active fire and that a haze inside was beginning to dissipate.

The smoke came from an overheated motor in the rooftop HVAC system, according to scanner traffic. No word yet on whether the incident will prevent Blooming Onion fans from getting their fix at dinner tonight.

Police: Two Arrested After Failed Jewelry Store Armed Robbery

By ARLnow.com

Published December 8, 2016 at 1:55PM | Updated December 23, 2021 at 4:12PM

(Updated at 4:10 p.m. on 12/23/21) Two men armed with guns tried to rob a jewelry store in Lyon Park last night, according to police, but wound up empty-handed and in jail.

Police say Jorgito [Redacted], 37, of Alexandria and Alexander [Redacted], 21, of Puerto Rico tried to rob Sacramento Jewelers on the 2700 block of Washington Blvd just before 5:45 pm.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published December 8, 2016 at 10:20AM

W-L Student Pens Open Letter on Boundary Changes — The boundary changes approved by the School Board on Dec. 1 will decrease socio-economic diversity at Arlington’s high schools, despite diversity being a stated “core value” at Arlington Public Schools. That’s the argument made by a Washington-Lee student in an open letter to the School Board, published by the Crossed Sabres student newspaper. The article has been widely shared online and, we’re told, has broken traffic records on the newspaper’s website. [Crossed Sabres]

Rollover Crash Last Night — A crash involving an SUV that flipped on its roof was reported near the intersection of Little Falls Road and N. Glebe Road just before 8 p.m. last night. Another crash, involving a person potentially trapped in a vehicle, was reported on Old Dominion Drive just over the border in McLean, around 6 p.m. [Twitter, Twitter]

Domino’s Planning First Dine-In Location in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published December 8, 2016 at 9:15AM

As detailed in an item on the County Board’s Saturday agenda, Domino’s is planning to move its current pizzeria at 2923 S. Glebe Road, in the Arlington Ridge Shopping Center, to the ground floor of the Camden Potomac Yard Apartments.

That’s the same location, at 3535 S. Ball Street, as a former Jerry’s Subs and Pizza restaurant. The new location will include 18 dine-in seats, a first for a Domino’s in Arlington County.