More than 100 demonstrators marched through the busy streets of Virginia Square, Clarendon and Courthouse last night in support of immigrant rights and against deportations.
The protesters, assisted by a police escort, marched from George Mason University’s Arlington campus to the Arlington County jail. Holding signs and chanting slogans in English and Spanish, the protesters made their message loud and clear for scores of bewildered bystanders and outdoor diners in Clarendon.
Protesters will march from George Mason University Founder’s Hall, at 3351 N. Fairfax Drive in Virginia Square, to the Arlington County jail, at 1435 N. Courthouse Road in Courthouse, where they will hold a rally against the federal ‘Secure Communities’ immigration enforcement program.
The march is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. Organizers expect the rally outside the jail to start at 7:15 p.m.
(Updated at 2:25 p.m.) Power has been restored after a widespread outage in Arlington, Dominion says.
Power was restored just after 1:50 p.m., according to Dominion spokeswoman Le-Ha Anderson. She said the outage, which lasted 38 minutes, was caused by a malfunctioning piece of equipment at the company’s Clarendon power substation.
The Washington Post’s Tim Carman reports that the restaurant is planning a soft opening for Wednesday and a grand opening for Monday, May 2. The owners have invested more than a half million dollars into the restaurant.
In addition to sit-down, fondue-style dining, the restaurant will offer pre-made “quick” hot pots to go, Carman reported.
The small District-based burger chain is in the midst of renovating a two-story red-brick house at the corner of Wilson Boulevard and N. Kenmore Street, according to county records.
Reached by phone, Z-Burger owner Mohammad Esfahani said that he is hoping to have the restaurant open by this summer. This will be Z-Burger’s fourth location and its first Virginia outpost. The restaurant serves burgers, hot dogs, cheesesteaks, fries, onion rings and 75 flavors of shakes and malts.
According to the restaurant’s web site, Sichuan hot pot is a 1,000 year old cuisine that consists of “a colorful array of meats, seafood, vegetables, bean curd and noodles that each diner chooses from and dips in a communal pot of simmering liquid.” The pot can be served in mild or spicy varieties.
No word on when Mala Tang will open — it just applied for a liquor license today and nobody is answering the phone — but the restaurant already has a Twitter and a Facebook presence. They’re in the process of hiring restaurant staff, according to a recent Craigslist ad.
Developer Wants to Build Pedestrian Bridge in Virginia Square — The Dittmar Company told the Ashton Heights Civic Association that it wants to build an enclosed, elevated pedestrian bridge between the two buildings of its massive proposed “Virginia Square Towers” development. An underground connection is not possible, the company says, because it plans to build one large, continuous parking lot under the two buildings. [TBD]
Arlington Elementary Schools Receive Top State Education Award — Arlington Science Focus, Arlington Traditional and Nottingham Elementary have all received the 2011 Governor’s Award of Educational Excellence, the state’s highest honor under its Virginia Index of Performance awards program. Seven other Arlington elementary schools have been recognized by the Virginia Board of Education for making “significant progress” in student achievement. [Arlington Public Schools]
Rhodeside Grill Owners Eying Restaurant on the Pike — The owners of Rhodeside Grill and Ragtime are close to signing a deal to open a restaurant on the ground floor of the Sienna Park apartment building, across from Bob and Edith’s Diner, reports the new Pike Wire blog. [Pike Wire]
Most Board Member Assessments Stay the Same — All Arlington County board members are homeowners. But most bucked the upward trend in residential assessments this year. Of the five county board members, one saw his assessment fall, three saw their assessment stay the same, and one saw her assessment rise dramatically. [Sun Gazette]
New Development Planned in Virginia Square — The Dittmar Company has submitted plans for a two-tower, 500-unit apartment complex two blocks east of the Virginia Square Metro station. [TBD]
Meade Street Bridge Study Underway — Residents gathered at Arlington Temple United Methodist Church last night to discuss possible improvements to the Meade Street Bridge and adjacent intersections. County planners are looking at ways to make the bridge safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. They’re also seeking ways to improve the aesthetics of the bridge, which connects Rosslyn and North Lynn Street with the Fort Myer Heights neighborhood across Route 50. [Ode Street Tribune]
What is a Spiedie, you ask? It’s an upstate New York delicacy — a sandwich made with marinated meats cooked over an open flame.
While the truck’s name doesn’t exactly convey an aura of culinary sophistication, the man behind Bada Bing is Nicholas Terzella, a trained chef whose resume includes fine dining restaurants in Napa Valley and Palm Beach.
A tipster tells us that houses, cars, a fence and a park were all vandalized in a neighborhood in the northern part of Virginia Square.
The vandal used blue paint to deface property in the area late Tuesday night.
Dimas Pinzon was dubbed (by us) the Virginia Square Metro Hero after he jumped to the track and stepped over two electrified rails to come to the aid of a man who had fallen in the path of an incoming Metro train.
What Mr. Pinzon did was certainly well-intentioned and brave. But was his act of heroism also incredibly ill-advised?
