The National Science Foundation building at 4201 Wilson Boulevard in Ballston was evacuated after an apparent lightning strike caused an electrical fire.
At least one witness reported hearing a popping sound as power went out. Rancid-smelling smoke spilled out of the building’s parking garage as a large fire department response surrounded the building.
The store features a decent selection of pizza by the slice, sandwiches, salad and gelato.
Pizza Autentica also serves beer and wine. Prices are about what you’d expect for a cafeteria-style pizza joint — not too expensive but not too cheap — with the exception of pitchers of beer, which are an impressively low $8.99.
Northrop Could Be Leaving Arlington — The name “Northrop Grumman” may not grace the Rosslyn skyline for much longer. Capital Business reports that landlord Monday Properties has begun to market the primo office space currently occupied by Northrop, after receiving a tip that the company would be consolidating the office into its new Falls Church corporate campus by next summer. More from the Washington Post.
Metro Hero Interviewed on CNN, CBS Early Show — We have to apologize to Virginia Square Metro Hero Dimas Pinzon. He has apparently been hounded by reporters since we posted surveillance video of him walking over two electrified rails to come to the aid of an injured man who had fallen on the track. Pinzon was just interviewed by his hometown newspaper, the Virginian-Pilot, and in the past couple of days he has appeared on the CBS and CNN morning shows. Oh, and an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show is possibly in the works. More from HamptonRoads.com.
With about 200 indoor seats and 100 outdoor seats (which will stay in storage until next year), Rustico is trying to become the premiere lunch, dinner, happy hour and sophisticated night spot in Ballston.
It will certainly have the largest beer selection in Ballston, if not in all of Northern Virginia: 400 bottles, 40 drafts and 3 cask ales (the casks will be installed next week). By comparison, the original Rustico, in Alexandria, has 300 bottles, 30 drafts and 2 cask ales.
The environmentally-friendly salad and frozen yogurt store is expected to open in the second week of November, the company said today. An exact opening date has not been chosen.
The store will be located at 4075 Wilson Boulevard, next to Rustico, which is expected to open for business tomorrow. The store will be Sweetgreen’s second in Virginia, following the opening of a location in Reston Town Center last month.
The traffic lights at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and North Stafford Drive are dark due to a small power outage in the area.
About 100 Dominion customers are affected by the outage. The company expects to get the power back on by 4:00 this afternoon.
The following item from this week’s Arlington County crime report might make you think twice before honking the horn, even if the other guy is clearly in the wrong. This happened less than a block from the Ballston Metro station.
BRANDISHING 10/16/10, 4200 block of Fairfax Drive. On October 16 at 6:30 pm, a man honked his vehicle horn at three males crossing against a traffic light. One of the subjects lifted his shirt and displayed a handgun. The suspect is described as an African American man in his 20’s wearing a red jacket and a skullcap.
Police are reporting a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Fairfax Drive and Glebe Road in Ballston. At least one person — an occupant of one of the cars — was reported to be in need of medical assistance. The emergency response may be causing some traffic issues.
The intersection and its approaches have been the scene of two serious pedestrian accidents this month. One happened in a slip lane at the intersection. Another happened before the intersection on Fairfax Drive.
Westover Market Appeals Zoning Decision — In spite of efforts by the county’s zoning enforcement office to limit its occupancy and its entertainment options, Westover Market’s Beer Garden is still a place where neighbors can gather to watch football and baseball games on a crisp fall day. The market has bought itself some time by appealing the zoning decision. In the meantime, the market’s mom and pop owners are trying to round up the $25,000-50,000 that will be needed to install new, code-compliant bathrooms. More from TBD.
Conservative Writer Says Murray Has a Chance — Conservative writer Jim Geraghty is impressed that incumbent congressman Jim Moran is “only” up 13 percent against challenger Patrick Murray. Blogging for the National Review Online, Geraghty said that in light of the numbers from the internal Murray poll, he’s picking the retired Army colonel as his “special crazy insane upset pick” in the upcoming mid-term elections. More from NRO.
A serious pedestrian accident has shut down all lanes of Glebe Road between North Carlin Springs Road and North Henderson Road, near Ballston Common Mall.
A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle on Glebe Road and was taken to a local trauma center, according to Arlington police spokesperson Det. Crystal Nosal.
Update on 10/20 — Rustico will open for lunch and dinner starting on Oct. 26, according to spokesperson Amber Pfau.
A tentative opening date for Rustico’s new Ballston location has been set.
(Updated at 2:15 p.m.) A pedestrian was struck by a car at the intersection of North Glebe Road and Fairfax Drive just after 1:00 this afternoon.
Bystanders who witnessed the aftermath of the accident say the victim was an older man. He was bleeding from the face when police arrived on scene, but was conscious and was able to sit up before being loaded onto an ambulance, they said.
