Earlier this week we reported that some residents were upset with loophole in Arlington’s parking code that allows commercial trucks to park for extended periods of time in front of schools, libraries and other county properties.
But trucks aren’t the only hulking masses taking up space on the side of local roads. Here’s what one peeved resident wrote us this morning:
What Diener was not was a likely crime victim. After all, he lived within the safe confines of Lyon Village and, if worse came to worse, he was one of the fastest runners of all his sporty friends.
Nonetheless, early in the morning on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009, Diener was beaten and stabbed to death near the intersection of 13th and Irving Streets in Arlington. The shocking crime has remained Arlington’s only unsolved murder since 2006.
Crime didn’t completely take a holiday over the weekend, but it certainly was at lower-than-usual levels.
Here are the two Grinchiest moments in Arlington, with both occurring on Christmas Eve.
Arlington Police make at least one arrest per day thanks to the cameras, which snap photos of passing license plates and compare them to a database of stolen cars and wanted subjects. According to an article that appeared in the Los Angeles Times earlier this week, the cameras can process up to 100,000 license plates per hour.
“It’s quick and efficient,” Arlington police Capt. Kevin Reardon told the Times.
The vigil is being organized in conjunction with a drive by police to gather more tips in the case. Police are planning on distributing fliers Wednesday night in the area of 13th and Irving Streets in Clarendon, where Diener was found beaten and stabbed early in the morning of Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009.
Diener, a 57-year-old retired government employee, was on his way to work at the Arlington Sport & Health Club at the time of his death. A $25,000 reward is offered for information that helps to solve the case.
Per Arlington County code, boats, boat trailers and commercial vehicles (defined by Virginia law as a vehicle over 12,000 pounds) are prohibited from parking on the side of a street next to property zoned for residential use — except when unloading/loading or performing services. Motor homes and camping trailers are prohibited from parking in a residential zone for a period of more than five consecutive days.
But as many drivers of such vehicles have figured out, the law does not apply to the sides of streets abutting property zoned as “special” — which includes schools, libraries, community centers, parks and other county-owned property. As a result, the curbs next to some county properties have become a free parking lot of sorts for big trucks.
We just wanted to take a quick moment to thank everybody who will be working over the Christmas holiday.
From emergency personnel to military service members to media workers to retail and service employees, here’s to the dedicated men and women who will be protecting, informing and serving us while much of the community is opening presents and spending time with family.
William Cockerham, accused of making a false statement on a required form, appeared in Arlington County Circuit Court today, was appointed an attorney, and was given a trial date of March 7, according to Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Andrew Parker.
Convicted felon and petition drive contractor Cheryl Simmons, who was indicted on the charge of voter fraud on Monday, did not appear in court today, Parker said. She’s expected to attend a hearing on Jan. 3, at which time a trial date will be set.
In this week’s Arlington County crime report, a female escort is robbed by a man with a gun, and a man who threatened to get his gun is Tasered by police.
ROBBERY 12/08/10, 1200 block of N. Glebe Road. On December 8 at 12:15 pm, a man brandished a handgun and robbed a female escort in a hotel room. The suspect is described as an African American male, 5’9′ with a medium build. He was wearing a white shirt, black pants and black shoes.
It was a pretty lousy start to the morning for a number of residents of the Langston-Brown neighborhood.
We’re hearing that the tires were slashed on more than 30 cars overnight. Investigators are on scene taking photos.
(Update at 2:40 p.m.) The BB&T Bank at 2947 South Glebe Road was just robbed. According to scanner traffic, a suspect passed a note implying he had a gun, but no weapon was seen.
The suspect is described as a six-foot tall black male in his 30s or 40s with scruffy facial hair. He was wearing a blue jacket, a black backpack and a beanie hat.
After all, every taxpayer in Arlington knows that our famously progressive county probably pays employees more than anyone else in the region, right?
Wrong.
