News

Extended Mall Hours for Black Friday — Arlington’s two biggest shopping malls will be open earlier than usual for the traditional post-Thanksgiving shop-a-thon known as Black Friday. Ballston Common Mall will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., while Pentagon City mall will be open from 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Eminent Domain Change Proposed — A proposed amendment to the Virginia Constitution would make it harder for localities to seize private property under eminent domain laws. The amendment, which has the support of some General Assembly Republicans, is being proposed at a time when Arlington is threatening to use eminent domain to purchase an office building in Courthouse. [Washington Times]


News

Board Approves $4.5 Million Water Main Project — On Saturday the County Board approved a $4.5 million contract to install a 36-inch water main under Glebe Road and Williamsburg Boulevard. Part of the project will connect the county’s Fort Ethan Allen Pump Station wit the Minor Hill Reservoir, the county’s main water storage facility. “The new main will support future growth and provide back-up for the water supply system during critical repairs,” Arlington County said in a press release. [Arlington County]

Post Blasts Arlington Classroom Visit Policy — Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews is critical of the “knee-jerk restrictions” that prevent parents of prospective Arlington Traditional School students from arranging hour-long personalized classroom visits for themselves. The school system says ATS holds a parent orientation — which includes a 10 minute visit in a kindergarten class — eight times a year, and cannot accommodate the “added disruption” of “customized, one-on-one meetings” for each family that wants to sit in on a class for an hour. [Washington Post]


Schools

Apparently the anti-drinking video made by Yorktown High School students last month didn’t quite get the point across to everybody.

A letter sent to parents and students last week reveals that a number of students were caught under the influence of alcohol at the Yorktown/Washington-Lee football game on Friday, Nov. 4.


News

Arlington’s Historic Strip Malls — Arlington County is trying to convince owners of garden apartment buildings, one-story shopping centers and other properties deemed ‘historic’ to agree to be a part of new county-created historic districts. But some people are questioning whether the ‘historic’ properties identified by the county are really historic and worth the effort of preserving. [WAMU]

Another Candidate Joins County Board Fray — Arlington County Planning Commission member Peter Fallon has announced his candidacy for the County Board. Fallon, a 25-year Arlington resident, says he has “the experience necessary for the challenges ahead.” He joins fellow Democrats Melissa Bondi and Terron Sims on the official list of candidates hoping to replace to replace state Senator-elect Barbara Favola in an upcoming special election.


News

Kapinos, 27, played for the Steelers last year after starting punter Daniel Sepulveda was injured. He finished the season with a loss in the Super Bowl. Kapinos was released from the team during the preseason to make room for Sepulveda on the roster. But Sepulveda re-injured his right leg during practice last week, and Kapinos was brought back to replace him.

Kapinos punted three times last night for an average of 33.3 yards per kick and a long of 41 yards. Kapinos’ last kick pinned the Ravens back at their own 8 yard line with only 2:34 left in the game. The Ravens, however, were able to drive down the field and score a game-winning touchdown with seconds to go on the clock.


News

Yorktown High School beat cross-county rival Washington-Lee 55-33 on Friday to complete a perfect 10-0 season — the first undefeated regular season in school history.

The Patriots football squad dominated the scoreboard and the clock for much of the game, racking up a total of 343 rushing yards. Though Washington-Lee tied the game up at 33 down the stretch, Yorktown ultimately came back and emerged victorious. After handshakes were exchanged, students mobbed the field and celebrated the victory with the triumphant players.


Schools

We’re continuing to follow the Yorktown High School varsity football team’s undefeated season.

The Patriots are now 8-0, having defeated the Falls Church Jaguars 55-6 on Friday night. The blowout is just the latest triumph for the team, which is hoping to close out a perfect regular season after going on the road at Mount Vernon (Oct. 28) and hosting the cross-town rival Washington-Lee Generals (Nov. 4).


News

Furniture Store Opens in Shirlington — Furniture store Hardwood Artisans opened in Shirlington Village on Saturday with a “first ever log cutting ceremony.” [Shirlington Village Blog]

Couple Goes (Nearly) Car-Free in Shirlington — The Post profiles a couple who recently moved to Shirlington and discovered that they now rarely use their car. “We sometimes wonder if we need it,” said Tina Chovanec, one half of the couple. [Washington Post]


Around Town

In his four years in the NFL, Kapinos has punted for four different teams. An All-American at Penn State, Kapinos was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted rookie in 2007 and has been an NFL nomad ever since. He played for the Green Bay Packers from 2008-2010, with the Indianapolis Colts for one game in 2010, and for the Pittsburgh Steelers from December 2010 through this summer, when he was released after the preseason. Now, Kapinos is cooling his heels in Arlington while waiting for an injury or poor play to put another punter out of commission.

Though Kapinos maintains a home base in Arlington, while he’s signed he will move into an apartment in whatever city he’s playing for. It’s an experience not unlike Kapinos’ childhood. Born an Army brat in West Point, N.Y., Kapinos moved from city to city before his family settled down in Springfield, Va. By the time Kapinos became an All-Met punter for West Springfield High School, he had already attended 8 or 9 different schools.


Around Town

The Yorktown Patriots are now 4-0 after defeating National District football rival Hayfield before a home crowd Friday night.

Despite a slow start on offense, the Yorktown defense held up and led the team to a 21-0 victory. The Patriots will try to improve to 5-0 this week when the team faces J.E.B. Stuart on the road.