Police arrested a teenager yesterday (Monday) after he reportedly brandished a gun at two victims walking on the W&OD Trail.
The two female victims were out on the trail near Glencarlyn Park around 7:15 p.m. when they encountered the suspect. According to scanner chatter, he began yelling and making threats, then pulled out a gun and cocked it.
One of the few remaining pieces of an abandoned railroad in East Falls Church is about to receive public recognition.
The Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) on March 19 approved the design of a commemorative marker to be located adjacent to remnants of a train trestle next to Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park.
After a few months of construction, three intersections of the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Falls Church have new all-way stops.
These stops are now in place at the intersections of Little Falls Street, N. Oak Street and N. Spring Street. They were added in a collaboration with NOVA Parks to increase safety, according to an email announcement from the city.
A robbery suspect led police on a bike and then a foot chase Tuesday afternoon.
The incident started with a robbery of the Target store on N. Glebe Road in Ballston around 3:15 p.m. The suspect allegedly pushed an employee to the ground and then fled on a bicycle, with the stolen goods in tow.
The environmental nonprofit Rails to Trails will host a W&OD Trail clean-up day this weekend.
Celebrate Trails Day will take place this Saturday, April 27, along the W&OD from 8:30-11:30 a.m. Volunteers can sign up to select an area from the 45-mile trail to work on, the trail spans from Shirlington to Purcellville.
As restoration work continues at Sparrow Pond, one trail will close as another opens.
The Washington & Old Dominion Trail will be closed for six to seven weeks starting in mid-to-late February, per an Arlington County webpage.
Reconstruction of Sparrow Pond is currently underway.
Last Thursday, part of the Four Mile Run Trail closed while a new pipe from Four Mile Run up to Sparrow Pond is built. A detour is in place for the 6-7 weeks this work is expected to take place.
A $2.1 million contract to restore Sparrow Pond in Glencarlyn Park is set for Arlington County Board consideration this weekend.
The planning of the Sparrow Pond restoration project began in the spring of 2019. It will add new stormwater management facilities while restoring the sediment-laden pond.
Arlington County is looking to restore and replant a man-made pond along the Washington & Old Dominion Trail starting in 2023.
Since it was built between 2001-2002, significant sediment deposits have settled in Sparrow Pond in Glencarlyn Park, harming the wildlife habitat and the water quality. About a decade ago, the county decided to defer cleaning up the sediment and instead, redesign and restore the pond, according to a staff presentation.
Arlington Rents Continue to Rise — “Apartment rents in Arlington keep on moving upward, maintaining their position as most expensive in the D.C. area and are now well above pre-pandemic rates, according to new data. With a median rental of $2,063 for a one-bedroom unit and $2,469 for two bedrooms, Arlington’s rental rate grew a whopping 2.8 percent from May to June, the sixth highest increase among the nation’s 100 largest urban areas.” [Sun Gazette]
Local Group Donating Thousands of Socks — “The Nursing Professional Development Council at VHC Health decided to have a ‘Sock Hop’ – not a dance party but a sock collection benefiting ‘Doorways,’ an Arlington non-profit helping people out of homelessness, domestic violence and sexual assault. The goal was set at 1,940 pairs – 1940 was the year the Sock Hop started but the generous nurses and staff at VHC Health tripled that number. It’s the biggest sock donation the group has ever received.” [WJLA]
A new interpretive sign is being installed near Bluemont Junction Park to explain how Jim Crow laws impacted passengers riding the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) train line.
The sign is being installed by NOVA Parks and will be outside of the retired train caboose along what is now the W&OD trail. The historic marker is a few minutes walk from Bluemont Junction Park’s parking lot at 601 N. Manchester Street.
Free Outdoor Wi-Fi at Libraries — “During the month of January, 2022, two new free outdoor Wi-Fi hot spots were installed at the Cherrydale and Glencarlyn Libraries. Library patrons and Arlington residents have now 24×7 access to the free Arlington County Wi-Fi network ‘ArlingtonWireless’ at all library branches, both outdoor and indoor, and at various locations around the County. No ID or password is required for the free service.” [Arlington Public Library]
Four Arlington Joints on Best BBQ List — Post food critic Tim Carman’s new “best barbecue” list includes a number of Arlington favorites: Texas Jack’s (9), Smokecraft Modern Barbecue (6), Smoking Kow (5), and Sloppy Mama’s (3). [Washington Post]
