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Power Restoration Nearly Complete in Arlington

Published July 6, 2012 at 2:30PM

As of 2:00 this (Friday) afternoon, 48 Dominion customers were without power. The company says that it expects all known power outages in the area to be restored by later tonight. According to Arlington officials, all county traffic signals are now functioning. Some 96 traffic signals were knocked out by Friday’s storms, largely due to power outages.

In a press release, the county noted that one of Arlington’s most historic trees was a victim of the storms. The Revolutionary War-era Post Oak (pictured), in the Westover area, is set to be cut down due to wind damage.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published June 13, 2012 at 9:12AM

Old Arlington Remembered — Long-time Arlington resident Judy Downs Tinelli recalls the Arlington of her childhood: Sycamore Street was a stream, her neighbor had a herd of cows, and those in the District considered her dad’s 20 minute commute (from what is now East Falls Church) excessive. [WAMU]

Moran Styrofoam Amendment Fails — A measure proposed by Rep. Jim Moran (D), which would have amended a legislative branch appropriations bill to ban polystyrene foam food and beverage containers from congressional cafeterias, failed in the House on Friday. Moran’s general election opponent, Republican Patrick Murray, issued a statement about Moran’s amendment. “Seriously, Jim?,” Murray asked. “Are you really willing to spend all of your time on Styrofoam instead of creating jobs?” [The Hill]

Around Town

Then and Now: Hot Shoppes

By Katie Pyzyk

Published June 6, 2012 at 1:45PM | Updated June 6, 2012 at 5:58PM

Hot Shoppes restaurant on Langston Blvd, circa 1930s

The photo on the left shows the Hot Shoppes location at 1325 Lee Highway in Rosslyn, during the 1930s. It was part of the chain started locally by J. Willard Marriott in 1927.

Marriott and his wife, Alice, moved to the D.C. area from Utah. He launched a restaurant based on his affinity for American Southwest foods such as spicy BBQ, chili and tamales. The name came from his desire for a restaurant that would provide hot food to warm the D.C. residents during the wet chill of an Eastern winter.

Around Town

Library’s New Online Collection Features Old Postcards

By Katie Pyzyk

Published June 4, 2012 at 1:30PM

The Arlington Public Library has launched a new online collection featuring vintage postcards from one-time Arlington landmarks and historic moments.

The library’s Virginia Room put together the collection of 55 postcards from its holdings and from donated materials. The postcards feature historic images from around Arlington, including Orville Wright’s plane flying over Ft. Myer, a ticket counter at Washington National Airport and Gunston Junior High School.

Around Town

Civil War Monument Dedication at Arlington Church

By ARLnow.com

Published May 25, 2012 at 2:30PM

Hynes will be the featured speaker when the monument is dedicated at the historic Mount Olivet United Methodist Church cemetery (1500 N. Glebe Road) at noon on Sunday, May 27.

The dedication is taking place as the state and the county continue to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The 150+ year old church, it turns out, played an important role in the aftermath of the war’s first major land battle.

Around Town

Clarendon War Memorial Shows More than Just War History

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 23, 2012 at 2:50PM | Updated May 23, 2012 at 4:33PM

World War I plaque at war memorial in Clarendon

(Updated at 4:30 p.m.) In preparation for Memorial Day, there’s a place in Arlington that might be worth a look — and it’s not Arlington National Cemetery.

Thousands pass by it daily, but many don’t realize that the large, stone structure flanked by cannons across from Clarendon Ballroom (and near the Clarendon Metro station) is actually a war memorial. It was put up by the American Legion and honors Arlington citizens who died in combat, up through Vietnam.

Around Town

Then and Now: Rosslyn Circle

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 22, 2012 at 1:15PM | Updated June 6, 2012 at 12:00AM

The picture on the left is the area formerly known as Rosslyn Circle, taken around 1925. Records indicate the businesses shown were on Agnew Avenue, which is now Lynn Street. They stood at the base of the newly finished Key Bridge, which replaced the Aqueduct Bridge in 1923.

Rosslyn, and this section in particular, used to be considered a rough area. After the Civil War ended, many soldiers stayed behind. They drove out the farmers who previously owned the land in Rosslyn, and set up saloons, gambling houses and houses of prostitution. Thievery and murder were a regular occurrence, and locals knew not to walk there at night, if at all.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published May 16, 2012 at 9:05AM

New GOP County Board Candidate — Crystal City resident and Republican activist Matt Wavro has stepped up to run on the GOP ticket for Arlington County Board in the fall. [Sun Gazette]

Arlington Cops Recognized — Five Arlington cops have been recognized by Virginia State Police for their exceptional work in deterring auto theft. The Law Enforcement Office Award competition — which recognizes efforts to combat car theft — is judged by partnering law enforcement agencies, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, and insurance industry representatives. [Arlington County]

Events

Arlington Cemetery to Hold Historic Taps Event

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 15, 2012 at 2:45PM

The anniversary of the National Song of Remembrance will be marked with a ceremony on Saturday, May 19, in the cemetery’s Old Amphitheater. There will be participants from TAPS 150, an organization devised to commemorate the anniversary, along with Bugles Across America, an organization to recruit volunteers for playing Taps at veterans’ funerals.

Hundreds of buglers from around the country will take part in the ceremony, which starts at 10:00 a.m. There will be speakers, special music and a playing of Taps at the event. After that, the buglers will move to sites throughout the cemetery to simultaneously play Taps following the noon chimes.

News

Former ACPD Officer Featured in Rockwell Painting Dies

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 10, 2012 at 11:15AM | Updated May 12, 2012 at 3:12PM

Richard Clemens was born in New York City and spent much of his career as a Massachusetts state trooper. Rockwell, who was Clemens’ neighbor, asked the trooper to pose for the 1958 painting with an 8-year-old boy. It shows an officer counseling a young boy who wants to leave home, and was featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post. It’s a well known painting in the law enforcement community, and can often be found in police stations across the country.

Before moving to Massachusetts, Clemens was a police officer in Arlington from July 1952 through August 1953. Records show his address as having been in the Long Branch Creek neighborhood.

Around Town

Then and Now: Tops Drive Inn on Glebe Road

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 9, 2012 at 1:15PM

The photo on the left is of Tops Drive Inn at 40 N. Glebe Road, circa 1955. In 1953, James J. Mathews opened this restaurant, the first of what would become an 18 restaurant chain in the D.C. metro area. Tops touted itself as “Home of the Sir Loiner,” which was a double decker hamburger similar to today’s Big Mac.

The original Tops was a 15 seat facility, but really became popular for its “Teletrays” — the drive-in restaurant feature that allowed visitors to order food without leaving the car.

Around Town

Then and Now: The Hicks Store on Lee Highway

By Katie Pyzyk

Published May 3, 2012 at 12:00PM

The photo on the left is of the Hicks Store on Lee Highway at N. Culpeper Street, taken in 1960. The store was in an area known as Hall’s Hill — now often called High View Park — which became a predominantly black community when freed slaves settled there shortly after the Civil War. Many family run stores owned by black residents opened in the area during the early 1900s. Hicks store was one of several businesses owned by the Hicks family.

Near the store, the Hicks cemetery is where family members were buried, until the land was condemned in 1959, to accommodate for the widening of Lee Highway west of Glebe Road. The remains were moved to a cemetery in Herndon.