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Morning Notes

Published April 2, 2014 at 9:00AM | Updated April 2, 2014 at 9:19AM

Torrez Murder Trial Begins — The murder trial of Jorge Torrez, the ex-Marine accused of killing Navy petty officer Amanda Jean Snell on Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, has gotten underway. Torrez is already serving multiple life sentences after being convicted in Arlington of rape and numerous other charges. [Washington Post]

Anti-Streetcar Group Blasts County Study — The group Arlingtonians for Sensible Transit has released a list of the “top 15 reasons” a county-funded study on the costs and benefits of a streetcar system is “another waste of taxpayers’ money.” AST says the study is biased and lacking in original research. [Arlingtonians for Sensible Transit]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 25, 2014 at 9:00AM

Arlington Crews Prepared for Snow — Arlington County pretreated primary and secondary roads in advance of today’s snowfall. The county says that with less than two inches of accumulation expected, crews will treat roads “where sticking occurs.” [Twitter]

TechAmerica Moves to Rosslyn — The technology trade group TechAmerica has quietly moved from the District to Rosslyn. TechAmerica originally moved from Rosslyn to the District in 2009. [Washington Business Journal]

News

Arlington Appoints Business Ombudsman

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 19, 2014 at 12:30PM | Updated March 19, 2014 at 1:24PM

Yesterday, County Manager Barbara Donnellan announced the appointment of Assistant County Manager Shannon Flanagan-Watson as the county’s new business ombudsman, responsible for working with the business community to identify improvements to the county’s business processes.

Flanagan-Watson served as the director of business development for the International City/County Management Association before coming to Arlington, according to her biography on the county’s website.

Around Town

World of Beer Touts Itself as Business Venue

By ARLnow.com

Published March 18, 2014 at 10:20AM

The tavern, which carries more than 500 types of beer, has been touting itself as a location for lunch meetings, corporate training and teleconferencing.

“We are a great place for off-site meetings,” said owner Evan Matz, in a press release. “With little notice, CEOs and managers can reserve a separate room equipped with our IP-based video and wall monitor systems. It’s a perfect place to hold working lunches.”

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 14, 2014 at 9:25AM | Updated March 14, 2014 at 12:01PM

So Far So Good for Ben’s — The day after the new Ben’s Chili Bowl opened at 1725 Wilson Blvd in Rosslyn, the line stretched to the back of the restaurant throughout the afternoon. But, the Washington City Paper asks, does the new restaurant capture the authenticity of the U Street original? [Washington City Paper]

Board Candidates on Affordable Housing — The Alliance for Housing Solutions has released the answers to an affordable housing questionnaire sent to the four candidates for Arlington County Board. Each candidate calls affordable housing a “top” or “very high” priority except independent Stephen W.C. Holbrook, who writes “government must stay out of the affordable housing.” [Alliance for Housing Solutions]

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published March 10, 2014 at 9:00AM | Updated March 10, 2014 at 10:12AM

Wakefield Falls in Semifinals — The Wakefield High School boys basketball team lost in the 5A state tournament semifinals Saturday. Wakefield lost to Henrico 63-55, ending their season. [Sun Gazette]

Contract Loss Could Cost 165 Jobs in Arlington — Some 165 Lockheed Martin employees in Arlington are set to lose their jobs after the company lost a contract with the U.S. Army for information technology work. The contract was instead awarded to General Dynamics. [Washington Business Journal]

Around Town

Delivery Startups Expand to Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published March 6, 2014 at 3:40PM

The company announced the expansion earlier this week, adding Arlington and Bethesda and additional neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. Arlington neighborhoods now served by Postmates include Rosslyn, Courthouse, Clarendon, Lyon Village and North Highlands.

Postmates bills itself as a service that’s “transforming the way local goods move around a city by enabling anyone to get any product delivered in under one hour.”

Around Town

Retail Experts Say R-B Corridor Set for Future Success

By Ethan Rothstein

Published March 6, 2014 at 2:30PM | Updated March 6, 2014 at 3:58PM

Those in and around the retail industry say the recent trends toward mixed-use, urbanized development and the growth of “milennials” among consumers in the post-recession years add up nicely for Arlington.

Bruce Leonard, a managing principal at Streetsense, a real estate, retail and marketing firm, gave a lecture at George Mason University’s Arlington campus last month called “the changing face of retail.” He contended that the retail market is catching up to the real estate market in seeking urban, walkable centers.

News

County to Review Big Assessment Increases

By ARLnow.com

Published March 3, 2014 at 1:30PM

The county said Friday evening that it will take a look at “all commercial real property assessments with a 50% or greater increase from calendar year 2013.”

There are nearly 90 such properties, including Rien Tong restaurant (3131 Wilson Blvd), which saw its assessment increase 197 percent, and Spider Kelly’s (3171 Wilson Blvd), which saw its property valuation increase 83 percent.

News

Assessments for Clarendon Restaurants Skyrocket

By ARLnow.com

Published February 26, 2014 at 10:25AM | Updated February 26, 2014 at 1:20PM

Long-time businesses, which have not been renovated or sold recently, saw their assessments increase by double digit or even triple digit percentages. The rise in assessments could mean the owners will be forced to pay tens of thousands in additional county taxes this year, barring a successful appeal.

The biggest increase spotted by ARLnow.com was that of Rien Tong Restaurant (3131 Wilson Blvd). The Asian eatery, located across from the Clarendon Metro station, saw its assessment jump from $559,900 to $1,667,600, a nearly 200 percent increase that would result in an extra $12,528 in taxes.

Around Town

E-Cigarette Store Brings ‘Vaping’ to Arlington

By Ethan Rothstein

Published February 25, 2014 at 3:30PM | Updated February 25, 2014 at 11:35PM

My Vapez owner Jonathan Elias

In the lower level of the Garden City Shopping Center at the corner of Lee Highway and N. George Mason Drive, Jonathan Elias, Chris Bienlein and their friends can be found amidst a haze of vapor, puffing away on electronic metal tubes.

Elias, 30, owns My Vapez, a store at 5183 Lee Highway that sells vaporizers, a form of e-cigarette. Bienlein is his friend and partner in the fledgling enterprise, but it has become increasingly clear to them that, even though e-cigarettes are a new phenomenon, the market is booming.

Around Town

Locals See Continued Growth in Arlington’s Future

By Ethan Rothstein

Published February 13, 2014 at 11:30AM

At Tuesday’s ARLive event, ARLnow.com asked several members of the Arlington community, from residents to business leaders to politicians, what they thought the future would hold. No one believes Arlington will take any steps back from its recent growth — despite a commercial vacancy rate of about 20 percent — and no one mentioned controversial projects like the Columbia Pike streetcar or the planned Long Bridge Park aquatics center.

County Board candidates John Vihstadt, a Republican- and Green-endorsed independent, and Democrat Alan Howze, were in attendance and professed their optimism for the county they hope to lead.