Republican presidential candidate and former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain drew throngs of supporters and a sizable national media contingent to the Costco in Pentagon City today.
Cain was at the store signing his new memoir, This Is Herman Cain! The front-running candidate warmly greeted supporters, who had waited in a long line to meet Cain and get his signature on their copy — or, in most cases, copies — of his book.
Tens of thousands of runners will be hitting the streets for the 27th Annual Army Ten-Miler race.
The race begins at 8 a.m. on Route 110 and ends in the Pentagon South Parking Lot, but some roads will be shut down as early as 5 a.m. They should all be reopened by noon.
The former Godfather’s Pizza CEO will sign copies of his new memoir, This Is Herman Cain!, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on Friday at the Pentagon City Costco (1200 S. Fern Street), according to the Costco web site. Following the book signing, Cain is scheduled to attend the Value Voters Summit in D.C.
The Pentagon City Costco is no stranger to book signings by high profile political figures. Condoleezza Rice and Laura Bush both held signings at the store last year.
Arlington County Police, Virginia State Police and the Pentagon Force Protection Agency will be closing numerous routes near the Pentagon at the request of the U.S. Secret Service.
“Motorists are encouraged to make alternate travel arrangements to avoid the area around the Pentagon,” Arlington police said in a statement. “As conditions change it is possible these road closures will be broadened. Those traveling through this area should expect significant delays for the majority of the day and are strongly encouraged to avoid the area.”
A fire broke out on the fourth floor of the Pentagon Row apartments just before 6:00 tonight, sending residents into the street as firefighters battled the flames.
The blaze reportedly started and was mostly contained to one apartment on the east side of the building. However, water and smoke damage were possible in floors above and below the apartment. At least one family was displaced.
As a reminder, several major highways in Virginia will be shut down this afternoon to accommodate more than 1,800 motorcyclists participating in the America’s 9/11 Foundation Memorial Ride.
Among the highways expected to be shut down in Arlington during the ride this afternoon are eastbound I-66 and Route 110. The bikers’ ultimate destination is the Double Tree Hotel in Pentagon City, where they will be holding a street fair with a performance by country music artist Aaron Tippin from 6:30 to 9:30 tonight.
According to an email from Arlington Alerts, police are planning on shutting down eastbound I-66 from the Beltway to Route 110, from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
“The [police] escort is being provided to ensure the safety of all motorists along the path of travel,” the email said. “It is recommended that anyone who travels along this route take alternate routes to their destination during this period. It is anticipated I-66 will be reopened by 4:00 pm at the beltway to minimize the impact on rush hour traffic.”
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, there were a couple of instances of food and food utensils being used as a weapon.
Last Thursday, in the Pentagon City area, a woman threw a piece of fruit at the clerk.
The annual race will be held on Sept. 10 this year. Registration is $25 today, $30 from Aug. 5 to Sept. 9 and $35 on race day. Teams (including firefighter, law enforcement and military teams) need to be registered by Sept. 1.
The race will kick off at 6:00 p.m. from the DoubleTree Hotel in Pentagon City (300 Army Navy Drive). Runners will follow a course that will take them past parts of the Pentagon. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attack on the World Trader Center and the Pentagon.
(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) A lunchtime power outage hit parts of Pentagon City this afternoon.
Power went out at Pentagon City mall and at the Pentagon Centre shopping plaza, which houses Costco and a number of other retailers. The traffic lights at Army Navy Drive and S. Hayes Street, S. Hayes Street and 12th Street and S. Fern Street and 12th Street were also dark. Traffic is moving slowly through the area.
The “PenPlace” site, as it’s called, is a 12-acre parcel owned by Vornado/Charles E. Smith. Its only inhabitants over the past decade have been a Marriott Residence Inn, Nell’s Carryout and the occasional traveling circus. Once considered as a possible location for the new Nationals stadium or an “Arlington County Conference Center,” the site has laid fallow for years.
Last month the LRPC considered a number of possible uses for the site (all of which preserve the existing Marriott hotel and add new streets to break up the large “superblock”):
Pentagon City’s new post office opened on S. Fern Street today.
The post office, complete with woodgrain accents and plenty of light thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, replaces an old, dingy post office at 1720 S. Eads Street. With today’s opening, the Eads Street post office is now closed to customers.
