Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Pollen, Blacktop, Graffiti, oh my!
I am on sabbatical now, so I’ll be adding to the blog more than I have recently. My time is more my own, so I hope to blog more when activities occur, or when I get the details of a story together. I’ll probably wait until I have a couple pieces to post so as not to overwhelm your email boxes. With luck, the stuff will be interesting and worth your wile.
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Pollen: WMD.
If President Bush really wants to go to war again (and you know he does), I’ve got a
target: Mother Nature. What other than a biological weapon of mass destruction would you call the pollen counts this year? I had it in mind to write a poem about being on sabbatical and the happiness that brings, but my head just wants to explode.
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An Ocean of Blacktop in Buckingham
If you’re a developer in Arlington looking for space, the sea of blacktop outside the Cathedral of St. Thomas More at first glance would have to look appealing. It must be half an acre of blacktop and yellow striping. There’s already a tall building just to the north and commercial property along Glebe Road to the east. A ten-minute walk from the metro, on the corner of the Glebe Road and Arlington Boulevard arteries, I’d think it’s a developer’s dream, especially one that would be willing to put up affordable units to fit with Catholic’s charitable side.
I, apparently, was not the first to think of this.
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Spray Can Vandals "Tag" Harris Teeter
The graffiti is washed off the side of the Harris Teeter at 600 N. Glebe Rd., but a tagger nailed it before my last post. I wanted to write about it then, but ran out of time.
“It appears to be the work of a ‘tagger’ as opposed to gang-related graffiti,” wrote Det. Steve Gomez in an email after seeing the pictures I forwarded to him. He did not recognize the artist by the work, he said.
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Buckingham Classifieds:
AF Yard Sale SATURDAY: It’s big and it’s a bargain! It’s the Arlington Forest Community Yard Sale, Saturday May 19, 2007 from 8 to 5. Shop more than 50 individual yard sales conveniently located throughout the Arlington Forest neighborhood centered at Arlington Boulevard and Park Avenue intersection. Just follow the signs and check the map of all the sales posted at each yard sale site.
(Want to post an announcement? Email: heraldtrib@gmail.com.)
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Police Notes for Buckingham
May 9: Stolen Motorcycle License Tag, 4300 block of N. 2nd Rd.
Tag number: VA 476715
May 7: Stolen Auto License Tags, 500 Block N. Piedmont Street.
Tag number: VA JYX1984
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
UUCA Affordable Housing; Gangs; Wood Frogs
An unreported but rather surprising remark at the February County Board meeting stated that the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, just across Arlington Boulevard from Buckingham, is considering building affordable housing on their property.
The remark was made by Dave Voorhees, a long-time member of the church, a citizen of the Barcroft neighborhood, and an Arlington activist. He was supporting the First Baptist Church of Clarendon and their pursuit of a housing complex that would include affordable units on the church's property. Mr. Voorhees said by approving FBCC’s project the county board would open the opportunities for other churches, such as the UUCA.
“That’s totally premature,” said Louise Van Horn, a member of the Unitarian church who is involved in the discussions. “It isn’t appropriate to say that.”
She said that developing affordable housing at 4444 Arlington Blvd. was only an idea that was talked about in discussions of what to do over the next 10 years. “We haven’t gone to the [church] board yet,” she said. They haven’t brought it before the congregation.
In an email, Rev. Michael McGhee the minister of the church wrote: “Our church is interested in exploring the possibility of developing affordable housing on our property, but financing is a major roadblock for us at this time. We do plan to keep that open as an option and would appreciate any information, help, and assistance that can be provided.”
The county board in February approved FBCC’s project, over vocal protests from Lyon Village residents.
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South Side Locos Tag Street Sign
The South Side Locos, a regional gang, tagged a small sign on N. Thomas Street in front of Whitefield Commons. A black spray painted “SSL” mars the sign, and Det. Steve Gomez of the Arlington County police said it is up to the property owner to clean the markings.
Det. Gomez said that the gang is not necessarily from South Arlington, as the name implies, but that the name is an odd translation of a Spanish word, having to do with “surenos,” or “southerners.”
Det. Rick Rodriguez, who is an expert on gangs in Arlington, said, “It’s just coincidental that they are in South Arlington.” The name comes from whether or not a gang originates, or was active, south of Bakersfield, Calif. It is showing respect or a connection to the Mexican Mafia, he said.
After a 2003 homicide at a quincinera party, a sort of “Sweet 15” party, at the Econolodge on South Glebe Road, the SSL gang was largely hampered because seven of the gang’s leaders pled or were found guilty and are spending time in jail, Det. Gomez said.
"Buckingham has always had a gang in the area called the NPs,” Det. Rodriguez said. “Nueva [New] Pershing” replaced an older gang along Pershing Drive in the neighborhood.
"The economics have forced these folks out of the area,” Det. Rodriguez said. “They’re no longer able to afford living in Arlington County.” For this reason the gang problem is growing in Prince William and other outlying counties.
Still, the gang members used to live in Arlington and still have jobs or other connections here, so they come back. The tag on the sign in front of Whitefield Commons probably does not mean more activity, but a guy with time on his hands.
“If you think about it all you need is a spray can and a couple seconds,” Det. Rodriguez said.
The police ask that people watch for and report illegal or unusual behavior.
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Wood Frogs Are Noisy; Wood Ducks Are Pretty
I shot a video with my phone yesterday at Gulf Branch Nature Center. Below, you can hear, but can’t see (sorry, but the video is shot with a cell phone), the racket that desperate male wood frogs create to attract a mate.
Denise Chauvette at the center said that the frogs have a couple different croaks: a “Come hither” croak of a frog ready to get busy; and a “Hey, get off me, I’m a BOY frog” croak. They’ll continue this, and are most noisy in the evening, for a short time. The frogs will lay and fertilize eggs in the vernal (springtime) pond there. The center plans to transfer a batch of eggs to one of their aquariums for the public to see the metamorphosis of the amphibians, said Ms. Chauvette the director of the center.
She said, she knew they’d keep croaking for days, but she couldn’t guarantee a time of day. When I saw them, mid-day, a few dozen at least were visible, and then I went inside. By the time I got back out to the pond after speaking with Ms. Chauvette (maybe 15 minutes), they’d all quieted and disappeared.
By the way, I had gone to the center to ask about their bees since
In other news of Eco-Arlington, three sets of wood ducks have set up house-keeping, apparently, in Sparrow Pond on the W&OD Trail near Long Branch Nature Center; the birds are beautiful, almost decoy-looking in their flawlessness. My friend Liz reports hearing some woodpecker activity recently in the neighborhood.
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Get Connectioned…
It often slips my mind to remind my blog readers to read my column in the Arlington Connection—the most recent two: my reaction to the First Baptist Church of Clarendon’s affordable housing project, and a little after-session fun with state rep Robert Marshall and his idea to lay track down the W&OD trail.
Remember: if you live in the 22203 zip code, call the Arlington Connection and get a FREE subscription to the paper: 703-917-6465. Right now we don’t have enough Buckinghamsters subscribing so the bulk mail takes forever—Sign Up Now!
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March 7: Robbery by Force, 4300 block of N. 2nd Rd. At approximately 11:40 p.m., a man walking down the street was grabbed from behind by a masked man. A second suspect approached and hit the victim in the face. The victim was pushed to the ground and his wallet was taken by one of the suspects. The suspects fled in a white car. Both suspects are described as white Hispanic males wearing black jackets or hooded sweatshirts, dark pants, and bandannas covering their faces.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
HeraldTrib Today April 23, 2008
Scroll down, and you’ll find a story about the final year of Barrett’s NASA Exploratory School status. I took a look at professional development, especially grant funding for conferences and the like.
One thing I did not mention, and perhaps should have, was a paragraph in the letter of transmittal Superintendent Robert Smith sent with the the fiscal year 2009 Arlington Public Schools’ budget (approved April 17). The letter summarizes a new initiative for professional development:
“We propose an Elementary Professional Development and Testing Initiative that would assign to each elementary school a full-time assistant principal. This strategy will strengthen the instructional leadership team in each school and will provide instructional coaching support for all teachers, especially in mathematics and reading. The assistant principal will also support principals in providing testing coordination and data analysis, very important functions if we expect to benefit from the extraordinary investment in assessing student progress that is a prominent feature of education today.”
Barrett currently has a half-time principal. In the budget that is raised to full-time.
Also below, I posted a few pictures from last Friday’s garden redevelopment at Barrett.
The county and the State Department will continue to maintain together some property near the National Foreign Affairs Training Center just south of Buckingham along S. George Mason Drive after the county board voted Saturday to update a 14-year-old Memorandum of Understanding between the two bodies. The county can use the property as parkland, but they will continue to maintain it.
County Manager Ron Carlee’s report to the board said there were “minor amendments,” and “There are no issues identified with the requested amendments.”
The report went on, “the County will have continued temporary joint recreational use of the parcel of the federal property known as the ‘West Parcel’ (a portion of the National Foreign Affairs Training Center west of George Mason Drive), and a portion of the parcel of federal property known as the ‘East Parcel’ (the main portion of the NFATC site located east of George Mason Drive)…for a period of ten years from the date the Amended MOU is executed. The County Manager would be authorized extend the term of the MOU for additional five (5) periods, on the same terms specified in the Amended MOU.”
The parcels contain soccer fields and playground on the “West Parcel” and a walking path on the “East Parcel.”
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington, just south of Buckingham, on S. George Mason Drive celebrated 60 years earlier this month. The story was carried in the Sun Gazette—I just plain missed it. Rather than write my own, I’ll just point you that way. Click here.
I think it was the writer Flannery O'Connor, a Catholic who found Southern Baptists a bit funny,who put together a book of photos of marquis (marquises?) that graced churchyards and businesses throughout The South. The best that I remember was one that talked about the second coming of Christ and a dirt-cheap oil change. I think of that during my morning dog walks the few times I have passed this marquis on S. Taylor Street:
It is not nearly so crass as the Second Coming Oil Change, but it is fun to read. Just around the corner on S. 9th Street, you’ll find this sign:
Actually, there is a house on the property that I believe the sign goes with. But one tends to notice the sign and the entryway and the open space where a house should be before one actually notices the house! Today's Headlines: Headlines from Earlier in the Week: Labels: Barrett, NFATC, Unitarian, UUCA
The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
HeraldTrib Today: April 16, 2008
I am working on a couple bigger stories, including one about grants funding at K.W. Barrett Elementary School. I am hoping to post that one tomorrow.
K.W. Barrett Elementary School PTA held its second annual auction Friday. Organizers have called it a huge success. The official tally has not been counted, but those in know (including PTA President Melanie Wilhelm) put it at over $20,000! That is not a bad haul. A huge shout-out should go to auction chair Karen Hildebrand, who is being treated to a week’s worth of home-cooked dinners for all her work.
With that money, Principal Terry Bratt said that Barrett can buy about seven “smartboards,” interactive projector screens that allow users to operate a connected computer by touching the screen. If you have not seen them, they are cool (I am a tad jealous; we do not have those at Montgomery College as far as I know). I thought the night was a lot of fun. My daughter Hazel gets to have a lunch date with her teacher Julie Schneider, and she’s looking forward to that. I cannot get two things off my mind, however, and I go back and forth over them. I am one of those people who wonders about the fairness of PTA fundraising in general. I mean if we really need the smartboards, we should pay for them through taxes, right? Basically, we are taxing ourselves to pay for something we want. But is that fair? The money should go into a larger pool so that the schools and communities that need the most, get the most. Or, to switch it around, should the people in “really north” Arlington (not us in “just-barely-north” Arlington) who probably make much more than we do in auctions be forced to help us pay for our smartboards? As well, we all have to admit that the auction was a night of English speaking, which is not altogether Barrett. I know the argument there, too, that the purpose of an auction is not for parity in the winning, but to make the most money for the school. That money is then used to help everyone, including children in families who cannot afford to be there, or cannot afford to win a prize. Still, there must be some way to make the auction more inclusive. When my children went to Arlington Unitarian Cooperative Preschool, my wife and I worked on the auction there, so I know what a huge burden this event is, and Ms. Hildebrand did a stand-up job. My comments are not meant to pick at it, and I know my comments have been discussed by people more in-the-know than I. Comments like those, though, should come with a “put-up or shut-up” clause. So I’ll put up. I’ll help work on the auction for next year, and someone else could nitpik.
The opera guild of Northern Virginia has arranged a public discussion of arts in the schools.
Their release says: “Is there an arts education crisis in our own public schools? So far, Guild research has not been able to find one. Is the news all good, or should parents be concerned? What is the County’s vision? Can parents and community members help fill in any gaps? Four speakers will discuss some of the many issues involved.”
Those four speakers include: K.W. Barrett Elementary School music teacher, Ms. Mary Hanna Klontz;.Arlington Public Schools Superintendent Robert Smith; Ms. Carol Erion, APS’s supervisor of arts education; Ms. Cecelia Espenoza, CCPTA in APS.
The event is free, but the Opera Guild is asking that you bring cookies for the intermission, if you can. Contact: Contact Miriam Miller, OGNV, 703-536-7557, mcdm1@verizon.net.
REVIEW
My wife, Cathy, and I took in A View from the Bridge at Arena Stage’s “Crystal Forum.” The venue is a basement office space in Crystal City converted into a temporary theatre while Arena Stage builds a new space over the Potomac (it is set to open 2010).
The space was nice enough, and I doubt there is a really bad seat in the house. This is part of Arena’s Arthur Miller Festival. The play, which had its American debut at Arena back in 1955 according to the playbill, is in rotation with Death of a Salesman through May 18.
Really the worst part of the acting was in the accents. David Agranov as Rodolpho sounded Russian at times. Noble Shropshire (Alfieri) sounded more like a German Jew than the Italian-American lawyer he was playing. I had never read nor seen the play before and thought, until he said he was Italian, that the play was going to have some racial or ethnic strife between the Italian Catholics and the German Jews.
Turns out the play does have ethnic (or cultural) strife, but not because the Catholic Italians were going to the Jewish lawyer. All the ethnic strife revolves around settled Italian-Americans and the influence of Italian illegal immigrants.
Other than some bad accents, the acting was fine.
Delaney Williams does a nice job as Eddie, a man whose care for his niece Catherine (Virginia Kull) borders on, or teeters into, obsessive. Ms. Kull did an excellent job as a girl-turning-woman. Her girlish bopping around the apartment slowly matures into sexual tension that she does not even realize at first. Naomi Jacobson as Eddie’s wife Beatrice does an excellent job as the woman caught in the middle, who orders Catherine to empower herself and “act like a woman” even though Bea has a hard time with her own empowerment.
Before we entered the theatre one of the ushers said that the play would cover contemporary topics, especially of illegal immigration. But what my wife, who knows these things, noticed was the structure of conflict.
Brothers Rodolopho and Marco (Louis Cancelmi), the illegal immigrants who move into Eddie’s small apartment, help show how the petty wants of individuals can become part of international conflicts. The play looks at how conflict boils up between newcomers that “don’t act right” in an established society.
It’s worth the view.
The Week’s Headlines…
As always, you can scroll down to see all the recent stories, or simply click the links below (if the link doesn't work, scroll down to find the story, and email to tell me what's busted: heraldtrib@gmail.com --Steve Thurston).
Today's Headlines:
Headlines from Earlier in the Week:
Labels: art, arthur miller, auction, Barrett, review
Thursday, June 07, 2007
O'Leary, Concerts, Burglar Video
Bob James is running for the wrong political office. He is running for Treasurer of Arlington, a constitutional office in the county, against long-time incumbent Frank O’Leary. The primary is this Tuesday (June 12) for the Democrats, and though James and O’Leary are on the same ballot (both Democrats, both running for Treasurer) I get the feeling that Mr. James should not be there.
His answers during a Democrat-sponsored debate last night, statements on his web site and quotes in various local papers all point to a man who wants to change the Treasurer’s office into something it is not. I do not see the need for the change.
The treasurer’s main function, Mr. James admitted last night in the debate, has three parts: collect the taxes and fees; invest the county’s money with a priority on safety, liquidity and yield; and spend the money in accordance with county board.
Raising the visibility of the office is not one of the priorities, but it is one of Mr. James’ priorities. Last night he mentioned that he wanted people to know that there was a Treasurer of the county, that he wanted to hold forums on personal finance, and that he wanted to raise financial literacy in the county. Those are laudable goals, but I’m not sure it’s really the job of the Treasurer.
The county board, the school board and other social agencies in the county should take on the job of raising financial literacy if Arlington residents think it’s a priority.
[I teach at Montgomery College in Rockville, and I can tell you I have seen first hand the troubles financial illiteracy has caused my students. Education in that area would be good for all of us.]
Mr. James’s ideas regarding an elimination of the vehicle decals on the windows sound OK, but again, it’s not really the Treasurer’s job to decide that (though hefty lobbying by the Treasurer, as Mr. James promised wouldn’t hurt).
Mr. James—and I primarily know him only from last night’s debate—strikes me as a passionate man, maybe a little too polished or ambitious for my tastes. Still, I could see him doing a great job on the county board or, potentially, the school board.
Frank O’Leary has had a strong record as Treasurer for 20-odd years. I don’t see any reason to get rid of him, and Mr. James has not given me a reason to feel differently.
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“Steve Songs” ROCKED LUBBER RUN AMPHITHEATRE.
Steve Songs ROCKED THE HOUSE at Lubber Run Amphitheater last Saturday. The singer/songwriter played some of his greatest hits including “Gravity,” “On a Flying Guitar,” and his version of “She’ll Be Comin’ ‘Round the Mountain.” The mosh pit was a swirling dervish of sweating bodies under the trees that evening as Steve played “Spinning.”
Ticket sales benefited the Arlington Unitarian Cooperative Preschool, with many of the school’s members and alumni (including my children) in attendance. Some of the families spent dinner on the grassy hill above the amphitheatre before filling the bleachers.
For Lubber Run’s summer performance schedule,
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“Swamp Romp” Lived Up to Its Name Sunday
Beautiful thing about concerts like the “Lousiana Swamp Romp” at Wolf Trap last Sunday is the way people, often fueled by not a little alcohol, become instant friends, sharing food and beers.
I have a rather long history of participation in the Newport Jazz Fest at Saratoga Performing Arts Center in New York (that jazz fest is sponsored by the cigarettes, not the place). I’ve gone at least a dozen times to that fest as part of the Sullivan’s Lakeside Villa crew, two of those trips were weekenders from Wichita, Kan. to Saratoga (27 hours at 75 mph, one way). For about 40 bucks that my friend Damian collected from everyone, you got tickets to both days of the fest, all the beer and good food you wanted. Damian is a good cook.
Pete's in the Red shirt, I'm waving with my beer in green.
So it was with that background that I and my family were the guests of Pete and Jean Eisen at the a concert Sunday that was as much swamp as romp with the rain at times pouring down on us. Pete, a chef and pre-school teacher, did not disappoint. His smoked brisket and sausages, along with a choice of craft brews and wines, ‘bout made me swoon. He concocted a horseradish dip, sweet and tempting.
We were already soaked on the lawn when Dave, on the next tarp over, traded some of his jambalaya for some of Pete’s brisket. Probably not the best jambalaya, but very nice.
The music was good, but not enough of it. I could go for about six or eight hours, instead of the four. Still, Geno Delaphose and French Rockin’ Boogie opened the show and set the tone. Excellent music. Two of the players were nice enough to pose for a photo, though I cannot find their names anywhere. They told me, but the combination of beer and loud music confounded the problem. (I can barely hear myself on my voice mail where I left their names so that I could report them here. I can’t find them on the web site. If you know who they are, please tell me.). 
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Police Release Video of Pawn Shop Bandits
Arlington County Police released a video surveillance tape of two men who broke through the roof of First Cash Pawn Shop at 89 N. Glebe Rd. on Sunday.
They are asking anyone with information to contact Lisa Roosa at (703) 228-4169 of the police department or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).
Scroll down to yesterday’s post for the full story.
Labels: Swamp Romp O'Leary Burglar Steve's Songs
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Butterflys, Blogs and Guns
The photo is blurry (too close for the cell phone’s focus, sorry), but my son and I found this Cecropia Moth
in the parking lot of the Unitarian Universalist Church, on N. George Mason Drive just over Arlington Boulevard from Buckingham. They’re nocturnal and the largest moth in North America and only live as moths about two weeks—the link above says the adults can’t eat (which I’m guessing makes it tough to live more than two weeks). They live as moths just to mate.
This one was easily five inches across and bright orange-red on its striped body. We got the bug onto a stick and over to the base of a nearby tree. We had no idea what else to do with a moth that looked stumble-drunk, and we didn’t want it to get squished by a car.
“The Butterfly Website” said the moths are “widely distributed in forests, arable land, and gardens, from southern Canada through the USA to Mexico.”
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Bloggers Up to My Ears!
And ain’t it grand? The post story has put me in touch with some great blogs and bloggers from around the country (and I’m happy to report that Google tells me a few people in Europe have even touched down at the Herald Trib a time or two).
Some new-to-me-blogs you might want to see:
- Nashville: http://thecharlotteparker.com/
- WashingtonPost Outlyer: http://robcurley.com/
- Shenandoah: http://www.breezysac.com/
- DC’s trash scene: http://www.treeboxvodka.com/
- Of course, the blogs from the story:
- Maryland: http://justupthepike.blogspot.com/
- Laurel Md.: http://conexshuns.blogspot.com/
- DC, Ward 5: http://stopblogandroll.blogspot.com/
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K-9 Unit Searches for Gun in B-ham.
A missing gun brought a K-9 unit out to the corner of N. Henderson Road and N. Thomas Street in Buckingham early Sunday morning, June 3 [Alas, I left my cell phone home—ST].
In the wee-hours of the day, police say, Leon Lewis Nelson, Jr., of the 4200 block of N. Henderson Rd., brandished the firearm at a tow truck driver.
The tow truck driver was walking along N. Henderson Road looking for illegally parked vehicles at about 2:46 a.m., according to the police report.
He walks to look for the vehicles first in order not to draw attention to himself, said Det. Steve Gomez of the Arlington County Police Department. Mr. Nelson, according to the police report, came out of an apartment, drew the gun from his illegally parked car, which forced the truck driver to flee. Mr. Nelson drove off and was apprehended nearby, the report said.
The gun was not found on Mr. Nelson or in his car. Police received a search warrant for the apartment and did not find the gun there, either, Det. Gomez said. Mr. Nelson is being held on $3,000 bond.
Labels: Butterflys Nature Police Gun Buckingham
