(Updated at 4:00 p.m.) A large tree has fallen and damaged a home on the 3800 block of North Vernon Street, in the Old Glebe neighborhood.
The falling tree took utility lines down with it. Dominion Power has shut down power to the lines and has a crew on the scene.
Update at 7:50 p.m. — All lane closures except one northbound lane on Glebe Road have been lifted.
Both directions of Glebe Road have been shut down and one lane of westbound Route 50 has been blocked due to chunks of concrete falling off the overpass.
Kim Houghton, the owner of Wag More Dogs (2606 S. Oxford Street), sued Arlington County after zoning officials declared her store’s mural of dogs, bones and paw prints — which faces the Shirlington dog park — to be a form of commercial speech and in violation of the county’s sign ordinance. U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema dismissed the lawsuit today “with prejudice.”
Undeterred, Houghton vowed to keep fighting.
Update at 3:22 p.m. — The gas has been shut off the fire is out. Residents in the area can expect to be without natural gas for some time. Earlier:
A gas-fed fire is burning near the intersection of 12th Street and North Cleveland Street in Clarendon. Washington Gas has brought in heavy equipment in an effort to shut off the gas that’s fueling the flames.
Drivers have been stuck on the George Washington Parkway for 5-6 hours now, according to various reports from Twitter.
The fact that there are no traffic cameras along the parkway has made it difficult to see exactly what’s going on, but Twitter users are reporting that downed trees are blocking all northbound and southbound lanes.
Update at 10:00 p.m. — There are now more than 13,400 Dominion customers without power in Arlington.
Heavy, wet snow is continuing to fall in the area, knocking down trees and power lines and grinding traffic to a halt.
Update at 7:00 p.m. — Downed power lines and falling tree limbs are being reported throughout the area. Dominion is reporting more than 1,200 customers without power in Arlington. Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson tells WUSA 9 that it may take more time than usual to restore power due to gridlock on local streets and highways.
Update at 6:10 p.m. — Traffic is at a dead stop on westbound I-66 from the District to Spout Run.
(Updated at 3:05 p.m.) An armed robbery has been reported at the BB&T Bank in Rosslyn.
Initial reports suggest two men robbed the bank, located on the 1900 block of Fort Myer Drive, around 1:40 p.m. One of the men was armed with a gun, police were told.
VDOT started pre-treating bridges and ramps and other trouble spots on state roads and highways yesterday, according to spokeswoman Joan Morris. Spots on I-66, I-95, I-395 and I-495 were treated with liquid magnesium chloride, while parts of major roads like Route 50 and Route 1 were pre-treated with salt brine.
“Treatment trucks and plows are pre-positioning along interstates, major roads and in subdivisions throughout Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties for quick response,” VDOT said in a statement.
Keating, an attorney with the Arlington firm of Bean, Kinney & Korman, just finished his term as the 2010 chairman of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
A New Jersey native, Keating earned his B.A. from Rutgers. He received his J.D., with honors, from George Washington University.
The increase is expected to bring in an addition $30 million in tax revenue for the county, which should help to offset this year’s estimated $25 million budget gap. The county budget office was originally expecting an approximately 1 percent increase in property values.
“It certainly… makes it easier for us to balance the budget,” said Michelle Cowan, Director of the Dept. of Management and Finance, who added that stepped-up commercial lending and property sales helped to drive the increase. “We consider ourselves very fortunate.”
(Updated at 12:40 p.m.) Two workers have been injured after reportedly falling 10-15 feet at the Founders Square construction site in Ballston.
Initial reports suggested the workers were conscious and responsive, suffering from shoulder, neck and back injuries. They were transported via ambulance to a local hospital. The injuries are said to be non-life threatening.
