Barbara Reeder, the Jeep’s owner, says she’s very happy with the way the Murray campaign handled the incident in the hours after our story was published.
“Patrick Murray’s office was just delightful to work with,” the New Jersey resident said, in an unsolicited phone call to ARLnow.com. “I thought they were very responsive.”
The Murray campaign says the driver left a note. Alexandria Police say they’re investigating the accident as a hit and run, but also say that someone on the bus left a note.
The alleged incident happened while the bus was trying to turn from King Street onto Union Street around 7:00 last night, witness Jennifer Watkins said in a phone interview this morning. Watkins said the back of the bus loudly scraped against the side of the Jeep, briefly lifting it in the air.
Northrop Could Be Leaving Arlington — The name “Northrop Grumman” may not grace the Rosslyn skyline for much longer. Capital Business reports that landlord Monday Properties has begun to market the primo office space currently occupied by Northrop, after receiving a tip that the company would be consolidating the office into its new Falls Church corporate campus by next summer. More from the Washington Post.
Metro Hero Interviewed on CNN, CBS Early Show — We have to apologize to Virginia Square Metro Hero Dimas Pinzon. He has apparently been hounded by reporters since we posted surveillance video of him walking over two electrified rails to come to the aid of an injured man who had fallen on the track. Pinzon was just interviewed by his hometown newspaper, the Virginian-Pilot, and in the past couple of days he has appeared on the CBS and CNN morning shows. Oh, and an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show is possibly in the works. More from HamptonRoads.com.
With cameras rolling, Moran said of Murray, a retired Army officer: “What [Republicans] do is find candidates, usually stealth candidates, that haven’t been in office, haven’t served or performed in any kind of public service. My opponent is typical, frankly.”
The gaffe-prone congressman then dug the hole a bit deeper while referring to Murray’s limited government stance.
Internal Moran Poll Suggests Comfortable Lead — An poll commissioned by Rep. Jim Moran’s campaign suggests the ten-term congressman holds a 58-31 lead among likely voters. That compares to the 13-point spread cited in a poll commissioned by Republican challenger Patrick Murray’s campaign. “I’ve never lost, and I’m not going to lose to somebody who moved here a year and a half ago,” Moran told the Washington Post.
Yorktown HS Football Rolls — The Yorktown High School Patriots defense pitched another shutout Friday night, allowing the team to capture first place in the Virginia AAA National District. Yorktown’s record improves to 6-1. More from the Washington Post.
The figures were revealed in a financial disclosure filed with the Federal Election Commission this morning. Today is the deadline for quarterly financial filings from congressional candidates.
Murray has held fundraisers with a number of boldfaced GOP names recently. He has also been designated as “On the Radar” by the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Westover Market Appeals Zoning Decision — In spite of efforts by the county’s zoning enforcement office to limit its occupancy and its entertainment options, Westover Market’s Beer Garden is still a place where neighbors can gather to watch football and baseball games on a crisp fall day. The market has bought itself some time by appealing the zoning decision. In the meantime, the market’s mom and pop owners are trying to round up the $25,000-50,000 that will be needed to install new, code-compliant bathrooms. More from TBD.
Conservative Writer Says Murray Has a Chance — Conservative writer Jim Geraghty is impressed that incumbent congressman Jim Moran is “only” up 13 percent against challenger Patrick Murray. Blogging for the National Review Online, Geraghty said that in light of the numbers from the internal Murray poll, he’s picking the retired Army colonel as his “special crazy insane upset pick” in the upcoming mid-term elections. More from NRO.
The poll, conducted in mid-September, shows Moran with 45 percent of the likely vote compared to Murray’s 32 percent. Another 23 percent say they’re undecided.
In 2008, Moran defeated Republican candidate Mark Ellmore 68 percent to 30 percent.
County Launches Housing Blog — Under One Roof aims to be “a broad and accessible news portal on housing and more in Arlington County. It will feature “blog posts on a broad range of topics including affordable housing, green building, construction, neighborhoods, homeless and housing assistance.”
Fire Houses Open to Public This Weekend — To mark Fire Prevention Week, Arlington’s 10 fire stations will hold a countywide open house from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. There will be fun for the whole family, including fire stations tours and activities for kids.
Enter last month’s guilty plea by former lobbyist Paul Magliocchetti, founder of the now-defunct PMA Group. Magliocchetti pleaded guilty to illegally reimbursing family members and PMA employees for making political contributions.
PMA and its employees funneled at least $150,000 into Moran’s campaign coffers from 1998-2008, according to data compiled by political blogger Ben Tribbett. While the donations were taking place, millions of dollars in defense contracts were awarded to PMA’s clients by Moran and two other Defense Appropriations subcommittee members.
Former presidential candidate Sen. John McCain headlined a private fundraiser in Alexandria on Monday.
Next week, on Tuesday night, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) will attend a private fundraiser. Two days later, former Arlington School Board Chairman Dave Foster will be the special guest at a Murray reception at a house in Arlington.
