Wakefield High School held its annual Prom Promise anti-drunk-driving event today, but it was a bit different than years past.
Instead of a large indoor assembly with PowerPoint slides, a speaker and staged demonstrations, the police department decided to take things outside. Groups of students lined up to try their hand at driving golf carts around a cone course while wearing “drunk goggles.”
A Toyota Camry somehow hopped a curb, smashed a small stone wall and hit the side of a house in the Claremont neighborhood this afternoon.
The crash happened near the traffic circle at the intersection of S. Chesterfield Road and S. Dinwiddie Street, across the street from Wakefield High School. Only one vehicle was involved and there were no reported injuries. No word on whether any charges will be filed against the driver.
Tax Rate Hearing Sparsely Attended — Compared to the three-hour, 75-speaker bonanza that was the March 22 budget hearing, last night’s County Board tax rate hearing was an intimate, low-key affair. The board heard a half hour of testimony from two polar opposite sides: those who want the tax rate lowered and those who want to see the tax rate raised. [Sun Gazette]
DCA Controller Suspended — An air traffic controller suspected of snoozing on the job while two planes landed has been suspended by the Federal Aviation Administration. While some are calling the incident a major safety failure, one retired pilot says the air safety system worked as intended when a regional air traffic controller stepped in to guide the planes. [Christian Science Monitor]
New Bar Coming to Columbia Pike — William Jeffrey’s Tavern will be a 6,500 square foot bar and restaurant on the ground floor of the Siena Park apartment complex, across the street from Bob & Edith’s Diner. The tavern, owned by the team behind Ragtime and Rhodeside Grill, is expected to open this fall. [Pike Wire]
Arlington Funds Slugging Web Site — Each year, Arlington allots $10,000 out of its $8 million commuter services budget to fund Slug-Lines.com, a privately-run internet resource for the area’s unique, grassroots carpooling system. [Miller-McCune Magazine]
Arlington’s Highway Bottlenecks — An annual report on traffic congestion is out and Arlington has claimed two of the three worst traffic bottlenecks in the region. Westbound I-66 in Arlington, northbound I-395 in Arlington ranked and eastbound I-66 in Fairfax County rounded out the top three spots. [Washington Post]
Colony House Sells to Developer — The Colony House furniture store on Lee Highway has been sold to Bethesda-based developer B.F. Saul for $5.6 million. The company, which developed the Clarendon Center project, says it hasn’t decided what to do with the site yet. In January, we reported that Colony House’s owner is hoping to find a new Arlington location for the store. [Washington Business Journal]
(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) President Obama, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Education Secretary Arne Duncan visited Wakefield High School today.
Obama and Gillard “discussed differences and similarities between their countries, [including] football and foods,” according to CBS White House Correspondent Mark Knoller.
Fraley learned of the honor today when APS superintendent Dr. Pat Murphy and Wakefield principal Dr. Christian Willmore made a surprise visit during her fourth period U.S. Government class. She was presented with flowers, a letter from Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and a congratulatory certificate from the Department of Education.
Fraley, who has been with Arlington Public Schools for 10 years, will now be considered for the title of Virginia Teacher of the Year, which will be awarded at a banquet on Oct. 15 in Glen Allen, Va.
More than three dozen teams, in age divisions from 12 and under to 18 and under, will begin competing tomorrow night. Tournament play will continue through Sunday.
Games will be held at the Barcroft Sports Complex, Jennie Dean Fields (near Shirlington) and the Wakefield High School softball fields.
At 6:30 this morning, school buses were streaming out of a county facility near Shirlington, on their way to pick up students for the first day of school. It’s the start of a ritual that will continue every school day until the start of next summer.
In all, about 120 buses will pick up about 10,000 students county-wide this morning. Another 11,000 will walk or be driven to one of Arlington’s 34 public schools.
The board will vote on an initial framework for the East Falls Church development plan, which has attracted quite a bit of controversy. The plan could pave the way for the construction of apartment buildings, retail spaces and other dense, pedestrian-friendly development in what is now a much more single-family-home-oriented area.
Another item under consideration would result in the construction of a new entrance to the Rosslyn Metro station . The $32-35 million dollar project was originally meant to take place concurrent to the construction of the Rosslyn Central Place development, but the development has stalled due to financial complications.
Be sure to check out the annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival this weekend, featuring acclaimed blues guitarist Debbie Davies, 16-year-old jazz prodigy Matt Wigler and plenty of other great performers.
While you’re there, you won’t want to miss the barbecue being provided by Pike resident “Big Daddy” Isaac Brown, who has been grilling mouthwatering Texas-style BBQ for more than 50 years.
In a flurry of activity last night, the Arlington County Board approved a major development plan, adopted a $1.2 billion Capital Improvement Plan, and heard plenty of citizen input on the controversial East Falls Church redevelopment plan.
“This building fits into our vision of transforming the Courthouse-Rosslyn area into another great Arlington urban village,” Board Chairman Jay Fisette said in a statement. “1900 Wilson Boulevard is a well-designed building that will enliven that block with its combination of homes with street-level stores and great places to eat.”
