Want to help plan and design the future of Columbia Pike? A series of charrettes — fast-paced, wide-ranging planning sessions — are being held on the Pike over the next week.
The primary public charrette will be held Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Sheraton National Hotel (900 S. Orme Street), and everybody is invited to participate and help guide the Pike’s continuing development. A light lunch will be provided.
You know the Fourth of July is almost here when fireworks sellers start popping up around the area.
A fireworks booth is now up and running at the corner of Columbia Pike and Glebe Road, offering all manner of sparklers and (legal) pyrotechnics.
Cash registers are ringing at the long-awaited Penrose Square Giant on Columbia Pike.
The store opened its doors to customers tonight in advance of its official opening Friday morning. Shoppers enjoyed free wine and food samples and the music of a live mariachi band.
Pentagon Suspect Suspected in Shootings — The man whose arrest prompted authorities to shut down Washington Boulevard during the Friday morning rush hour is now being investigated for a possible connection to a mysterious series of incidents of shots fired at the Pentagon and various Northern Virginia sites linked to the Marine Corps. Yonathan Melaku, a 22-year-old Marine reservist, is currently being held at a Loudoun County jail. [Inside Nova]
Arlington Cabbies Stage Sit-In — Arlington taxi drivers surprised county officials by packing into a Arlington County office yesterday in protest of regulations that they say give the owners of taxi companies too much control over drivers. [Washington Examiner]
Delivery trucks are making a regular habit of blocking one lane of Columbia Pike in front of the new-ish Siena Park apartment building (2301 Columbia Pike).
The design of the building and the surrounding block seems to discourage delivery truck drivers from parking anywhere but right out front. Other than a tiny, often-full set of parking spaces cut into the sidewalk in front of the building, however, the only place for trucks to sit is right smack in the right-hand westbound lane of the Pike.
The grocery store will be offering wine tastings, tapas samplings and prizes to customers from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Prizes include free bags of Giant brand products and free groceries for a month.
The 60,000 square foot store, located at the corner of Columbia Pike and S. Adams Street, will open its doors at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, June 24.
The Columbia Pike Blues Festival was held on Saturday.
Featuring live music from acts like Tinsley Ellis and The Curbfeelers, plus nearly 50 market, craft and food vendors, the annual event drew a large crowd to the two-block stretch of Walter Reed Drive just north of the Pike.
Contractor Says ART Drivers Weren’t Fired — The contractor that operates the Arlington Transit bus service says 23 striking drivers were suspended pending an investigation, not fired, as the drivers claim. ART reports that it is operating this morning with minimal delays on most bus lines. [Washington Post, Arlington Transit]
No Republicans Stepping Up for Board Race — County Board incumbents Mary Hynes and Walter Tejada are still without a Republican challenger. Today is the local GOP’s self-imposed deadline to find a candidate for the race. [Washington Examiner]
You might get the summertime blues on the Pike this weekend.
The 16th annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival kicks off at 1:00 p.m. Saturday on South Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike. The free event runs through 8:00 p.m. and features acclaimed acts like southern blues rocker Tinsley Ellis, along with Columbia Pike’s own blues and soul band, The Curbfeelers.
An off-duty Arlington County Detention Center guard was assaulted by a former inmate outside a 7-Eleven on the 3000 block of Columbia Pike this afternoon, authorities tell ARLnow.com.
The guard, an Arlington sheriff’s deputy, was treated at a hospital after the attack, according to Maj. Mike Pinson of the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office. The injured deputy was spotted talking to police officers after the attack while wearing a small head bandage and an arm sling, but Pinson was unable to confirm the exact nature of his injuries.
Update at 10:45 a.m. — The scene has reportedly been cleared and the closure lifted.
South Joyce Street has been closed between Army Navy Drive and Columbia Pike due to police activity.
Update at 9:30 a.m. — The accident has been cleared and Columbia Pike has reopened.
Westbound Columbia Pike has been shut down in front of the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse due to a truck fire.
