It’s the ARLnow Five and Five, where nonprofit Washington Consumers’ Checkbook provides five top-rated local businesses and five tips for getting great service and prices. ARLnow readers can access all of Checkbook’s ratings of auto body shops until May 5 at Checkbook.org/ARLnow/auto-body.
These Arlington-area auto-body shops received Washington Consumers’ Checkbook’s top rating for quality (as reported by their customers in Checkbook’s surveys).
Bailey’s Crossroads Auto Body
5710 Center Ln
Falls Church, VA 22041
703-671-0810
Best Auto Body
5635 S Van Dorn St
Alexandria, VA 22310
703-922-0777
Falls Church Auto Body
101 W Jefferson St
Falls Church, VA 22046
703-237-8166
Fleming’s 1st Choice Autobody
525 S 31st St
Arlington, VA 22202
703-836-6920
NT Auto Body
3945 Wheeler Ave
Alexandria, VA 22304
703-370-4242
Checkbook’s Top Five Tips for Auto Body Work Success
- If there is even a possibility of serious damage to your car, take it to a shop that rates high for quality, and have the insurer send its estimator there. That shop will provide a better evaluation of the damage than an insurance company drive-in appraisal center.
- The best body shops not only do great work but employ staff who can explain and justify exactly what needs to be done. If you will be dealing with an insurance company, an articulate representative at the body shop will be the key to getting necessary repairs performed and paid for.
- Since most repairs are paid for by insurance companies, most customers consider price less important than quality. The consumer is usually concerned only that the prices are acceptable to the insurer. If the customer is paying for the work, however, price is an important consideration—and Checkbook finds big shop-to-shop price differences.
- Check your car thoroughly before taking it home from the shop. Look and feel whether repaired surfaces are smooth and paint has the proper gloss and color. Take a test drive if the damage was substantial. The car should function as it did before the accident.
- Ask your body shop for a written guarantee. You are likely to get a minimum of 30 days’ guarantee against defects in parts, materials, and workmanship, and most high-quality shops offer guarantees of six months or longer; the length of some guarantees varies by type of job.
Washington Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. We are supported by consumers and take no money from the service providers we evaluate.
Starting next month, weekday drivers and pedestrians like should plan for sporadic closures near the Shirlington Road bridge.
Kicking off in April and lasting through the summer, the sidewalk and westbound lane on S. Arlington Mill Drive will see intermittent closures on weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., due to the construction of a new $1.6 million pedestrian bridge.
The 15-foot-wide prefabricated steel bridge will run parallel to the main vehicular bridge, connecting Shirlington and S. Arlington Mill Drive to Jennie Dean Park and the Green Valley neighborhood. It will also serve local users of the heavily used Four Mile Run and W&OD trails nearby.
Construction on the Shirlington Road bridge concluded in the summer of 2022, and the pedestrian bridge began off-site construction last year. The new bridge is expected to be in place by the summer or early fall of this year, according to the county website.
For nearly two decades, county staff and the public have discussed the need for pedestrian enhancements along Shirlington Road.
The comprehensive project includes the pedestrian bridge and new street lighting at both bridge ends, improvements to medians and sidewalks, and crosswalk upgrades narby. A Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon will be installed in the road median for added pedestrian safety.
Much of the design was driven by public input after many residents shared safety concerns.
The count awarded the construction contract for the pedestrian bridge to D.C.-based Milani Construction last year the amount of $1.38 million, with an additional $277,000 set aside for any additional costs.
Spring is in the air which means it’s time to garden! The annual Wakefield HS Plant Sale is accepting pre-sale orders through March 31st! Check out the catalog (http://www.wakefieldPTSA.org/plantsale) and order between now and March 31st. Plan to pick up your plants and shop on-site on April 20th.
This is the Wakefield PTSA’s largest fundraiser of the year. All proceeds go directly to Wakefield faculty, staff and students. This effort funds 80% of the PTSA budget so please consider placing an order today so that we may continue to provide our students and faculty with support and enriching opportunities each year!
Planning for New DCA Projects — “It passed below the radar screens of the traveling public, but the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority on March 20 moved a major step forward in embarking on a new $9.4 billion capital-spending plan. The authority’s board has given CEO Jack Potter permission to negotiate with the airlines a new 15-year use agreement.” [Gazette Leader]
Only One APS Grad Going to Harvard — “Below is a breakdown of Arlington Public Schools (APS) applications and acceptances at Ivy League schools from 2019 to 2023. The data were drawn from Arlington Magazine’s annual College Admissions snapshot, which highlights where graduating seniors applied and were accepted.” [Arlington Magazine]
Arlington GOP Still Building — “He can’t do it alone, and Arlington County Republican Committee chairman Matthew Hurtt is putting out a call for those willing to fill leadership positions in the party… At the same time, he promised efforts wouldn’t splinter into factionalism, rendering the moot.” [Gazette Leader]
Local Troupe Staging Musical — “High school proms are still a few months away in May, but grab that corsage and boutonniere early! The Arlington Players stage the hit Broadway musical ‘The Prom’ now through Sunday, April 7 at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington, Virginia.” [WTOP]
It’s Friday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 60 degrees, accompanied by breezy conditions as the northwest wind starts at 11-16 mph and later increases to 18-23 mph in the afternoon with gusts up to 32 mph. Friday night will be mostly clear, with temperatures dropping to around 41 degrees. The northwest nighttime wind will blow from 5-14 mph, gusting up to 18 mph. [NWS]
Flickr pool photo by Brian Gannon
Portofino Italian Wine Dinner, April 6, 6:30pm
Four course Italian dinner, paired with 2 wines each. The wines will be served “blind” and notes on each wine will be discussed. The event is coordinated with Elite Wine Importers and The Portofino Restaurant. The dinner is on Saturday, April 6, 6:30pm. The cost is $110 per person, plus tax & gratuity.
Good Thursday evening, Arlington. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
🕗 News recap
The following articles were published earlier today — Mar 28, 2024.
- 9:45 am: Morning Poll: Any regrets about Arlington passing up an MLB stadium? | 🗣️ Comments
- 10:45 am: New food hall with focus on local restaurants and fresh tech seeks to ‘restart Rosslyn’ | 🗣️ Comments
- 11:45 am: Arlington might be getting a Sky Zone trampoline and indoor entertainment park | 🗣️ Comments
- 1:45 pm: Trees need TLC? These companies are rated as Arlington-area best bets | 🗣️ Comments
- 3:30 pm: Why an effort to expand the Arlington police auditor’s access to records unraveled | 🗣️ Comments
📅 Upcoming events
Here is what’s going on Friday in Arlington, from our event calendar.
- 5:30 pm: Zumba Power Hour
☀️ Friday’s forecast
Expect sunny skies with a high near 60, accompanied by breezy conditions as northwest winds of 11-16 mph increase to 17-22 mph in the afternoon, potentially gusting up to 31 mph. The night will be mostly clear with a low of around 41, as the northwest wind ranges from 6 to 16 mph, gusting up to 23 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
💡 Quote of the Day
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
– Nelson Mandela
🌅 Tonight’s sunset
Thanks for reading! Feel free to discuss the day’s happenings in the comments.
This reporting was supported by the ARLnow Press Club. Join today to support in-depth local journalism — and get an exclusive morning preview of each day’s planned coverage.
Last year, an attempt to broaden the Arlington police auditor’s access to police records quietly fizzled before reaching the public for discussion.
The auditor currently can access police records for publicly filed misconduct complaints and review summaries of the Arlington County Police Department’s internal investigations, which ACPD has about a month and a half to generate and anonymize.
The fizzling ensures that, for the near term, the auditor continues to have fewer powers than the state code allows, than what auditors in Alexandria and Fairfax County enjoy, and than what the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement says is essential to effective oversight.
In June, then-County Board Chair Christian Dorsey and member Matt de Ferranti introduced draft changes that would have granted auditor Mummi Ibrahim full access to all ACPD records deemed necessary to do her job, including complaints against officers going back five years, and “unrestricted and unfettered access” to software storing those records.
By December, with Dorsey leaving, time was running out for a Board vote. Before the Board met on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Board members, county officials, ACPD leadership and the Independent Policing Auditor (IPA) exchanged a flurry of emails about the nature of the changes and whether to approve them. ARLnow reviewed these emails, which were obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request and shared with us.
Ultimately, the revision attempt fizzled for multiple reasons, according to interviews and emails in the 444-page FOIA. Not all Board members deemed the broader powers necessary, and there were concerns the changes would reopen the county’s collective bargaining agreement with the police union. The county did not have support from ACPD leadership, while Dorsey and interim member Tannia Talento were leaving their posts in two weeks.
After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, a swath of Arlington residents agitated for police accountability in their community. A Police Practices Work Group recommended some 100 reforms, including creating a Community Oversight Board (COB) and an office of the policing auditor to review police misconduct complaints.
Establishing an independent auditor, however, got off to an inauspicious start in Arlington after Gov. Glenn Youngkin in March 2022 blocked a local charter bill that would have given the Board the same power to hire an auditor that other Virginia boards have. This dismayed elected officials, who said the auditor has less independence if she reports to Arlington County’s chief executive, County Manager Mark Schwartz.
The events of last year reveal county leadership is divided when it comes to implementing these reforms. When asked about that split, Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey said Board members “generally support the powers and access that the IPA currently has under our ordinance.”
“We know that effective civilian oversight is not one size fits all and we anticipate continuing to learn and refine our approach to best meet Arlington County’s needs over time,” she said.
“We are confident that the auditor and COB are enabled and capable of conducting and completing independent investigations with the information available to them,” she continued. “If the Auditor or the COB deems additional types of information to be necessary for them to fulfill their duties under the ordinance, the recourse of a direct request to the County Board for an ordinance change is available to them.”
The COB and Ibrahim, meanwhile, contend that it is harder to do their jobs without greater records access.
The aggregated summaries of internal investigations ACPD provides “do not facilitate the full transparency needed for effective civilian oversight,” COB Chair Julie Evans said in a statement to ARLnow. “Access to internal investigations will allow the IPA and COB to monitor for and help ACPD to address any systematic issues that may arise. These issues, if unaddressed, could otherwise jeopardize both public and officer safety as well as community trust in law enforcement.”
George Mason University’s new Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington, is poised to become a 345,000-square-foot collaborative and digital innovation space in the heart of the Rosslyn-Ballston Corridor.
“As Mason expands in Arlington, Fairfax, and Prince William counties, Fuse is a groundbreaking project that is redefining the modern university’s role in catalyzing business and talent growth in the region,” says Liza Wilson Durant, Mason’s associate provost for strategic initiatives and community. “With it, we are one step closer to having a destination to collaborate with partners on development of new technologies.”
Tenant occupancy is scheduled to begin in August 2024. Once open, Fuse at Mason Square will transform the innovation landscape in the region, with opportunities for students, researchers, and commercial partners to be part of an immersive atmosphere of ideation and innovation.
The opening of the building aligns with Mason’s mission of propelling Northern Virginia’s transition into a global technology hub. Fuse will also expand research opportunities at Mason, which is already classified as a top research institution by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
“Fuse will hit the mark on so many levels,” Wilson Durant says. “It will be at the nexus of all Mason does in digital innovation.”
It’s the ARLnow Five and Five, where nonprofit Washington Consumers’ Checkbook provides five top-rated local businesses and five tips for getting great service and prices. ARLnow readers can access all of Checkbook’s ratings of local tree care services until May 5 at Checkbook.org/ARLnow/tree-care.
These tree care companies serve Arlington County and received Washington Consumers’ Checkbook’s top rating for quality (as reported by their customers in Checkbook’s surveys).
Arlington Tree Care
325 N Edison St
Arlington, VA 22203
703-524-0888
Bonilla Tree Service
2905 Summerfield Rd
Falls Church, VA 22042
703-533-0667
Dad’s Tree Service
Springfield, VA 22152
703-799-5844
Ports Professional Tree Surgery
5242 Port Royal Rd #1611
Springfield, VA 22151
703-323-7061
Strictly Stumps
39 Hermitage Dr
Stafford, VA 22556
703-978-8662
Checkbook’s Top Five Tips for Getting Great Tree Care for Less Green
- Before hiring any company, obtain competitive bids from several. For tree removal jobs, Checkbook’s undercover shoppers found big price differences for the same work. For one specific job, prices ranged from $1,500 to $2,350 and from $2,440 to $3,250 for another. Typically, you don’t have to be home when bidders are looking at the job.
- No-shows are a common complaint about tree care services. Invite more companies for estimates than you actually need; once you have enough bids, cancel remaining visits.
- Check whether a company’s liability insurance and worker’s compensation insurance are current. Ask to see certificates of insurance, and call to verify coverage.
- When you’ve selected a company, request a contract including a thorough description of the work. Be sure to include who cleans up afterward, hauls away debris and wood, and removes the stump.
- You may be able to get a better price for pruning or removing trees if you can schedule work during the winter, when companies are less busy and there is less debris to haul away.
Washington Consumers’ Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help consumers get the best service and lowest prices. We are supported by consumers and take no money from the service providers we evaluate.
This sponsored column is by Law Office of James Montana PLLC. All questions about it should be directed to James Montana, Esq., Doran Shemin, Esq., Janice Chen, Esq., and Austen Soare, Esq., practicing attorneys at The Law Office of James Montana PLLC, an immigration-focused law firm located in Falls Church, Virginia. The legal information given here is general in nature. If you want legal advice, contact us for an appointment.
USCIS’s fees for most applications are increasing on Monday, April 1st.
This article is a PSA on how not to pay more for the same service. Green card application fees are increasing from $1,760, for an ordinary marriage-based case, to $3,005! We addressed this in additional detail in February, but today, we’re here to talk mechanics.
1. Don’t file if you aren’t eligible…
If you file for a benefit, and you don’t qualify, you’ll eventually find yourself in immigration court facing deportation. That will cost you many, many thousands of dollars, and several years of sleepless nights. So, if you aren’t sure that you’re eligible, don’t file!
2. If you are eligible, file at the right address…
It isn’t obvious where to file these things! If you’re filing a green card application, start here, and work your way through the options to find the correct address for you.
3. Enclose a check or money order…
Make your check or money order out to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” Don’t make it out to “DHS” or “USCIS” or anything else. (Here are detailed instructions on how to make out your check)
Can you pay by credit card instead? Yes, using Form G-1450. We don’t generally recommend that.
4. In the correct amount…
The correct amount depends on the application. The current fee schedule (valid through March 31st) is eleven pages long. The new fee schedule, valid from April 1, 2024 on, is forty-five pages long.
5. And get a postmark!
USCIS says: “We will use the postmark date of a filing to determine which form version and fees are correct, but will use the received date for purposes of any regulatory or statutory filing deadlines.” Okay! Go to a U.S. post office, as late as Saturday morning, and ask for a physical postmark. Pay for a service, like Ground Advantage or Priority Mail, which allows for tracking of your package.
As always, we welcome your comments and will do our best to respond.
Local mental health nonprofit, Rock Recovery, is starting its next teen body image therapy group on Wednesday, April 10th. This is a 75-minute therapy group designed for teens who struggle with disordered eating and self image. Led by a therapist, the group will help your teen navigate recovery, body acceptance, identity development, and more in a supportive peer setting. This group meets at Rock Recovery’s office in Arlington, VA (Rosslyn) and will run weekly on Wednesdays from April 10th – May 29th (open to high school students ages 14-18). Schedule a free, 20 minute consultation at rockrecoveryed.org to see if this group could be a good fit for your teen!
When: Wednesdays, April 10th-May 29th from 4:15 – 5:30 PM
Where: Rock Recovery Office (Arlington, VA – Rosslyn)
Cost: $75/session or $525 for the full eight weeks, if paid up front (Rock Recovery accepts CareFirst BCBS insurance and offers financial support for those who need it)