The Ethiopian Community Development Council is looking for a French speaker to communicate with recent immigrants about health issues. Specifically, the volunteer would help French-speaking African immigrants — mostly women — obtain screening for breast and colorectal cancer.
The organization, based near Columbia Pike, says the volunteer position would be ideal for a student or anyone else with a flexible schedule.
Lost Chaplin Film Re-Debuts at Slapsticon — The Slapsticon film festival, held in Rosslyn over the weekend, debuted a silent film with a short cameo by a then-obscure comedian: Charlie Chaplin. The 1914 film was thought to have been lost to history, but was recently discovered at an antiques sale in Michigan. ABC News reported on the film’s re-debut on Sunday.
We Love DC Profile Columbia Pike — In case you missed it on Friday, We Love DC gave Columbia Pike some love in the latest installment of its periodic “Where We Live” feature.
From Arlington Alert: Westbound Columbia Pike at S. Dinwidde to S. Frederick St shut down to water main break. Detours set up for traffic in area.
The library needs an assistant to help put books and AV items back on the shelves, while sorting by call number and genre.
If you’re interested in helping out, contact library volunteer coordinator Barbara Dean at 703-228-7688.
Virginia Won’t Cut Off Money to Metro — Virginia Transportation Secretary Sean Connaughton says the $50 million per year the state pledges to Metro will not be cut off, after all. Connaughton had threatened to stop the annual payment unless the state were granted two seats on Metro’s Board of Directors. But after an outcry from local leaders, and a letter from Metro board members Chris Zimmerman (who’s also on the Arlington County board) and Catherine Hudgins, Connaughton and the McDonnell administration apparently had a change of heart. More from the Washington Post.
Career Center Wins State Accolade — The Arlington Career Center’s Automotive Technology Program has won the 2010 Virginia Governor’s Career and Technical Education Exemplary Standards Award. The program will receive $5,000 cash and a banner to display on the school.
Despite reports to the contrary, Matuba Japanese Restaurant on Columbia Pike never actually closed. It did, however, change its name about three weeks ago.
The 30-year-old sushi restaurant is now known as Maruko Japanese Restaurant. The name changed when a new owner took over. Everything else remained the same, including the employees, the decor, the menu and even the prices.
A large swath of South Arlington was without power tonight after strong storms swept through the area and damaged a power substation in Alexandria.
Throughout Shirlington and all along Columbia Pike, homes, apartment buildings and traffic lights went dark. Police, swamped with calls, were largely unable to direct traffic, even at busy intersections.
The Columbia Pike Blues Festival drew quite a crowd Saturday afternoon. The festival, which is part blues concert and part street fair, featured acclaimed musicians, acclaimed barbecue, and a wide variety of art and craft vendors.
Here are some photos from the event.
A tire-sized sinkhole has formed on the exit ramp from southbound Washington Boulevard to Columbia Pike.
The sinkhole, located in the right turning lane, appeared to have been partially filled in by a public works crew shortly after these photos were taken, but as of Saturday afternoon it remains a hazard to drivers.
County Manager Michael Brown has withdrawn a controversial proposal to move the Columbia Pike library from the Arlington Career Center to the future Arlington Mill Community Center. Brown told the county board today:
I am withdrawing the proposal to relocate the Columbia Pike Branch Library. The library will continue to offer services at this branch, at its current location, with no change in scope or format.
County leaders got an earful about the proposed relocation of the Columbia Pike Branch Library at a town hall meeting last night.
“An angry standing room crowd” holding “signs and banners” loudly engaged library and county officials at the Arlington Career Center, a resident who attended the meeting tells us.
Columbia Pike Blues Festival Nine Days Away — The annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival is just over a week away, but now’s the time to get excited. We Love DC has come out with their top five reasons to check out the festivities. Number 4: the performance by 16-year-old jazz wunderkind Matt Wigler, dubbed “the blues version of Stephen Strasburg.”
Bike Sharing System Named, Minor Controversy Ensues — It’s like the 2000 election all over again. After asking the public to vote on a new name for the recently-announced Arlington-D.C. bike sharing system, Arlington County and DDOT decided to ignore the name that got the most first place votes — “George” — and go with the name that got the most first, second and third place votes — “Capital Bikeshare.” Some blog commenters have been bemoaning the choice of a generic, non-interesting name, but hey, at least officials took the time to explain why Capital Bikeshare is a better name than George, right?
