WIXLIB

NewsArlington Connection Editor Steven Mauren703-778-9415 or arlington@connectionnewspapers.com13,500 Gallons of Mineral Oil Flow into RiverDominion Powerworking onremediation.By Shirley RuheThe Connectionhe unraveling of the oil sheenmystery on the Potomac Rivertook Federal, state and Arlington County officials, the CoastGuard, multiple lab tests and days of speculation. And although Dominion VirginiaPower has accepted responsibility, they stilldon’t know how it happened.The Coast Guard was notified Feb. 3 bythe National Response Center about an oilysheen of unknown origin or extent on thePotomac River. Lt. David Ruhlig, incidentcommander for the initial response phaseof the operation, said the Coast Guard gota cluster of reports in early February fromthe National Response Center. He said somereports were from their own Coast Guardboats on the river, others anonymous andsome attributed.“We investigate every oil spill report wereceive; my specific division alone had over300 reports last year,” he said.This was 11 days after Dominion Powerhad informed environmental officials abouta leak that had taken place on Jan. 24 whena Dominion transformer failed and the mineral oil used to cool the equipment spilledon the ground and some of the other equipment. It wasn’t until Feb. 4 that the publicgot word of the situation in a news report.“When the spill happened we notified theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA),the Virginia Department of EnvironmentalQuality (DEQ) and Arlington County laterthat same day,” said Le-Ha Anderson,spokesperson for Dominion Power. “At thesuggestion of the EPA, Dominion notifiedthe National Response Center on Jan. 25.Then we were out there every day underclose supervision with representatives of theEPA, DEQ and Arlington County while wewere doing cleanup and inspecting locationswhere oil could have gone into any waterway. There was no evidence of any oil outside the area except one manhole in frontof the station. We inspected the two outfallsthat connect to that manhole and they wereclear of any visible sign of oil. We believewe have picked up most of the oil.”She said they were still in that clean-upprocess when the National Park Service toldthem there was an oil sheen present on thePotomac.Del. Mark Levine said he first found outabout the oil sheen on Wednesday afternoonFeb. 3 when he received emails from constituents saying there appeared to be oil onthe Potomac.“They could see it, smell it. They asked ifI knew anything about it so I started calling around,” he said. The Virginia DEQ con-Twww.ConnectionNewspapers.comPhotos by Shirley Ruhe/The ConnectionGulls and ducks had returned to Roaches Run Wildlife Sanctuary onSunday, Feb. 14. This is the site where an oil sheen was first discoveredearlier in February.Dominion Power transformer station at 18th and South Fern Street inArlington was responsible for a Jan. 24 spillage of about 13,500 gallonsof mineral oil used to cool the equipment. This resulted in an oil sheenfound on the Potomac, Roaches Run and manholes nearby.Staying in the 1890sSection 62.1-44.19:6 Citizen right-toknow provisions.Current right-to-know provisions require theState Water Control Board to provide to a localnewspaper the discharge information reported tothe director of the Department of EnvironmentQuality when the Virginia Department of Healthdetermines that the discharge may be detrimentalto the public health or the board determines thatthe discharge may impair beneficial uses of statewaters.On Feb. 15 legislation was considered in theVirginia legislature to expand the reporting requirements for discharge of deleterious substanceinto state waters. HB977 was introduced by Democratic Del. Alfonso Lopez and reported fromcommittee. This bill was considered on the floor ofthe Virginia House the same day. It expanded current law to require any person who unlawfullydischarges any deleterious substance into statewaters to notify the State Water Control Board, theDepartment of Environmental Quality, or the coordinator of emergency services of the affectedlocality with 12 hours. Current law allows such aperson 24 hours to give notice. The bill also requires that written notice follow to the board, inaddition to the department, and specifies that therequired report of potentially detrimental discharges by the board or the department to localnewspapers, television stations, and radio stationsbe provided to such media outlets as soon as practicable after receiving it. This bill was defeated ona party line vote 37-56.Lopez said he introduced his legislation last summer because Virginia is the fifth worst state in thecountry for toxic dumps. “It was just a coincidencethat it was considered yesterday after the information became public about the recent oil spill on thePotomac.” He said the legislation would have takenVirginia from the 1890s to the 1950s in terms ofnotification because it expanded the requirementfrom newspapers to radio and TV. “And they didn’teven want that.”firmed there was something. The VirginiaDepartment of Emergency Managementknew nothing about it but said they wouldget tests to him by the next day. “As soon asI knew, I told the public within hours.” hesaid. “I don’t know why DEQ didn’t tell anybody. I thought the public had a right toknow.” Levine represents the citizens of Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax in Virginia’s45th district.On Feb. 10 the Coast Guard got the firsttest results from the oily sheen. Andersonsaid the Coast Guard at first thought it washome heating oil. Then on Feb. 12 she saidthe Coast Guard got more test results andlinked the sheen to the Dominion substation in Crystal City.“These results are not like a DNA test;these tests give us a margin that the type ofoil could fall in,” Anderson said.Petty Officer David Marin, spokespersonfor the Coast Guard, said that mineral oil isnot the same kind of fuel oil like jet oil orgasoline but is more in the spectrum withheating oil.“Lab results from the Unified Commandfor all of the samples from Roaches Run,the Potomac, sewer system or manholeswere the same,” he added.Anderson explained after they had readthe Coast Guard report, and done some oftheir own analysis, Dominion Power tookresponsibility. But, she said, “We don’t knowwhat could have caused this to happen. Wedon’t have any evidence from the CoastGuard that it is a match to the sheen andhow it got into Roaches Run.”David Botkins, director of media relationsand communication for Dominion Power,said, “I think we’ll know eventually whatcaused it. We always go back and do ourown forensics investigation.”The connection of the transformer spillto the oil sheen might seem obvious, butRuhlig said, “In the early stages we don’tpresume anything. We look where the factstake us. It was a dynamic event with a significant snow melt that made things morecomplicated, and we got a series of different reports.”Levine says the same thing happened amonth ago in Harrisburg, and five years agothere was a Pepco oil spill. As a result, heplans to introduce legislation in the nextsession to regulate containment of mineraloil in transformers and also to require apublic notification process. “Obviously thereisn’t one now,” he said.The next step is cleanup and remediation.Marin said that they had opened up a trustfund to pay for the response while they wereinvestigating the responsible party. Nowthat Dominion has accepted responsibility,it will be up to them to pay for all have thecleanup and remediation.Anderson says a meeting is scheduled thisweek to talk about the next steps financially,the mitigation required and the period oftime.“We are committed to do this quickly,”Anderson said.Arlington Connection February 17-23, 2016 3

NewsThe‘Helping Paws’ Entertains SeniorsA treat for the audience and treats for the performer.Photos byAmina LuqmanThe ConnectionBy Amina LuqmanThe Connectionhen Charles and PattyToftoy visit ArlingtonMill Community Center with Zoe in their arms, thesmiles and laughter begin almostthe moment they enter the door.“Hi Zoe!” says receptionist. Zoe,the 6-year-old Yorkie, wags her tailand prances from side to side. It’sshow time, and she’s ready.Upstairs, the Toftoys enter acommunity room, 12 seniors areseated in a half circle. They watchin amusement as Patty Toftoykeeps a hand on Zoe’s leash whileshe darts about and Charles Toftoysets up. The tricks begin. Zoecharms her audience as she jumpsthrough hoops, runs zigzagthrough a line of orange cones,sits, jumps and high fives on command. “Good girl,” praise Pattyand Charles Toftoy. The audiencemembers clap. Zoe knows 12tricks.The Toftoys and Zoe are “Helping Paws.” It began over 10 yearsago, out of a love for their dogsand a desire to make people happy.They have two dogs, Zoe, and anolder dog, Sasha. Both are Yorkshire Terriers. Sasha doesn’t perform much anymore. “We used togo to senior facilities and letpeople hold her. But then the dogsstarted learning tricks,” said PattyToftoy. Soon a full performancewas born. Zoe has made appearances at senior adult centers, hospitals, assisted living, nursinghomes and rehab centers throughout Arlington County and as @ArlConnectionAn independent, locally owned weeklynewspaper deliveredto homes and businesses.Published byLocal Media Connection LLC1606 King StreetAlexandria, Virginia 22314WFree digital edition delivered toyour email box. Go toconnectionnewspapers.com/subscribeNEWS n rs.comSalwa Al-Kaysi holds Zoe.Vernon rs.comJon RoetmanSports m@jonroetmanADVERTISING:For advertising 431Debbie FunkDisplay Advertising/National alentina Levchemko withZoe.Charles “Chuck” Toftoy, Patty Toftoy and Zoeaway as North Carolina. They doa show every third Wednesday atArlington Mill Center and everysecond Tuesday at Walter ReedCommunity Center.“They really enjoy being here,”said Emma Valencia, of her seniorparticipants. Valencia is the senior programs coordinator at Arlington Mill Center. She’s beenworking with the Toftoys and Zoefor years, making sure to includethem as an option in their seniorrecreational activities schedule.“They need it. Most of them livealone, ” she says.After the tricks, the couplepasses Zoe from hand to hand.Each audience member gets achance to hold Zoe and feed her atreat. Broad smiles appear onmany faces. “I like dogs verymuch,” smiles Salwa Al-kaysi asshe holds Zoe. Most can’t resist,and give Zoe a warm hug. Zoe, inher element, revels in it all, happyto accept their treats.“Helping Paws” has their nextappearance on Feb. 29 at the LeeAdult Center.Andrea SmithClassified & Employment .comDavid GriffinMarketing .comEditor & PublisherMary ve Vice PresidentJerry Vernonjvernon@connectionnewspapers.comEditor in ChiefSteven MaurenPhotography:Deb Cobb, Craig SterbutzelArt/Design:Laurence Foong, John HeinlyProduction Manager:Geovani FloresSpecial Assistant to the PublisherJeanne mannMediaOscar Coreas holds Zoe.Alex Goldstein holds Zoe.Zoe does tricks.CIRCULATION: lunteer OpportunitiesEmail announcements to arlington@connectionnewspapers.com.Shepherd’s Center of McLeanArlington-Falls Church is seekingvolunteers to give seniorstransportation to medical andtherapy appointments, the pharmacyand grocery store. The Center alsoneeds volunteers willing to visitseniors in their homes and to makephone calls from time to time to letlonely seniors know they have notbeen forgotten. Call 703-506-2199,email info@scmafc.org or visitwww.scmafc.org.Arlington Public Library is seekingteen volunteers to work on Mondays,3:30-5 p.m. with a year-long timecommitment. Responsibilities wouldinclude sorting materials, attachinglabels to books, etc. Call 703-228-4 Arlington Connection February 17-23, 20165960.ArtStream is looking for volunteers ofall ages to act as on-stage mentorsfor the 2016 Inclusive Theatreproductions in Arlington. InclusiveTheatre Companies are scriptedacting companies featuring adultswith intellectual disabilities, learningdisabilities and adults on the AutismSpectrum. The Companies aredirected by trained theatreprofessionals. Call 301-565-4567.Homework Helpers Needed.Columbia Pike Branch Library isseeking high school and collegestudents and retired teachers to workindividually with elementary andmiddle school students from 3-6 p.m.Call 703-228-5960 or visitvolunteer.truist.com/acvo/org/oppfor details.www.ConnectionNewspapers.com

PeopleCelebratingour 50thAnniversarySheet music open in frontof her, Karen Mullen on theautoharp sings, “I keep myeyes wide open all the time Because you’re mine, Iwalk the line.” Mullen saysshe has been playing withsome of this group for over20 years at the center.Photos by Shirley Ruhe/The ConnectionJust Play’n Country for FunDwayne Thompson on the guitar leads off with the wordsto “Detroit City” as Marshall Hendrickson on the banjoand his wife Peggy join in. Just Play’n Country, a group oflong-time Arlingtonians, is practicing at Lee Senior Center at their regular 1-3 p.m. Friday afternoon time. Thegroup plays together for fun but also at nursing homes,churches, elementary schools, the VFW and other localevents.Rehoboth Beach, DE, May 9–13. 659Spend 4 nights at the Atlantic Sands Hotel on the Boardwalk. Walk to Shops,Restaurants & Live Theatre. Includes Motorcoach transportation from Vienna orRockville. 1 Luncheon, porterage & taxes.IRELAND including the NORTH! May 22–June 1 . 3,199Includes non-stop air from Dulles, 9-nights hotels with full Irish Breakfast, DailySightseeing, Tea & Scones, Irish Coffee, 8 Dinners, deluxe Motorcoach inIreland. Call for detailed itinerary.Canada & New England Cruise from Baltimore June 23 to July 2 . 5709 nights cruising on RCCL’s Grandeur of the Seas. All Meals & Entertainment –call for itinerary.SHILLELAGHS TRAVEL CLUB100 East Street SE, Suite 202 Vienna, Virginia 22180703-242-22041-800-556-8646Please visit our Web site at: www.shillelaghtravelclub.comfor a listing of all our upcoming trips and socials.Chuck Vasaley has switchedfrom the harmonica to theclarinet as the pace picksup. Anne Peret, the programming supervisor atLee Senior Center, says shegot a call last week fromLeesburg asking how theycould duplicate this program. Her answer: “Get theright volunteer musicians.”“Flourishing After 55”“Flourishing After 55” from ArlingtonOffice of Senior Adult Programs for Feb.21-27.Senior Centers: Lee, 5722 LeeHwy.; Langston-Brown Senior Center,2121 N. Culpeper St.; Culpepper Garden, 4435 N. Pershing Dr.; Walter Reed,2909 S. 16th St.; Arlington Mill, 909 S.Dinwiddie St.; Aurora Hills, 735 S. 18thSt.Senior trips: Sunday, Feb. 21, U.S.Army Band 94th anniversary concert, 5;Tuesday, Feb. 23, Open rehearsal,Mariinsky Ballet, Kennedy Center, 23;Thursday, Feb. 25, Henley Park Hotel,D.C., afternoon tea, 58; Friday, Feb.26, Capital Remodel and Garden Show,Chantilly, 19; Saturday, Feb. 27, Signature Theatre, “Road Show,” 69. CallArlington, County 55 Travel, 703-2284748. Registration required.Pickleball games and instruction, Mondays, 11 a.m., Arlington Mill.Free. Register, 703-228-7369.Skating, Mondays, 8:10a.m. – 9:20a.m., Kettler Capitals Iceplex, BallstonMall, 1. Register, 703-228-4771.Madison Chess Club, Mondays,9:30 a.m. Games and strategies. Free.Details, 703-534-6232.Table tennis, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., Arlington Mill.Free. Register, 703-228-7369.Book swap, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 1p.m., Culpepper Garden Senior Center.Free. Register, 703-228-4403.Genealogy 101, Tuesday, Feb. 23,11:30 a.m., Lee. Free. Register, 703228-0555.Volleyball, Tuesdays, 1:30 p.m.,Langston-Brown. Free. Register, 703228-6300.Belly dance class, Tuesdays andFridays, 10 a.m., Lee. Free. Register,703-228-0555.OPEN SUNDAY 1 to 4 pmwww.ConnectionNewspapers.comArlington Connection February 17-23, 2016 5

EntertainmentHula Girl Brings Taste of Hawaii to ShirlingtonWhat started as a food truck has blossomedinto a full-fledged restaurant giving Hawaiians— and Hawaiian food fans — a taste of home.By Hope NelsonThe Connectionorthern Virginia is home to innumerable cuisines. Salvadoran, Korean, Vietnamese,Southern barbecue, Ethiopian the list goes on and on. But there’s beena dearth of Hawaiian cuisine in the region— until Hula Girl’s grand opening inShirlington changed that.Hula Girl is one of the newest neighborsin the Village at Shirlington, but its rootsgo much deeper than its new location alone.Beginning as a food truck during the economic downturn several years ago, the restaurant quickly filled a void in the patchwork of cuisines that knit the region together.“Lo and behold, the truck kind of just tookoff,” said owner Mikala Brennan. “Our linesgot longer and people kept finding us.”And the customer base was diverse. EastCoasters found a new outlet for culinaryadventures, and native Hawaiians got alittle taste of home.“Hawaiian food was this weird hole herethat had not been filled,” Brennan said.In 2013, Brennan determined it was timeto grow the food truck into something bigger. She initially set her sights on space inWashington, but quickly determined thatmoving across the river would meet therestaurant’s needs better.“As I kept looking in D.C., I just wasn’tfinding what I wanted. One of the big thingsfor me was to have something all on onefloor,” she said. Two floors “just didn’t appeal to me. I want it to be residential. INwant it to be a community. I want it to be aneighborhood place.”Walking through the Village at Shirlingtonone day, Brennan noticed an empty storefront with a sign in the window advertisingits availability. But to her consternation, itturned out the space had already beentaken. A month later, though, the landlordcalled to tell Brennan the deal had fallenthrough and offered her the space.“I had already looked at the space. Thekitchen was done really well; I knew wewould have to do a lot of demolition in thefront end, but I felt like OK, we’ve finallyfound it, after a year-plus of looking,”Brennan said.It didn’t take long for Brennan and hercrew to settle in and make the space theirown. While the food is always a linchpin ofany restaurant, it’s crucial not to underestimate the importance of the décor and ambience, and Brennan spent a lot of timethinking that through.“I think a lot of people can look at Ha-DetailsHula Girl4044 Campbell Ave., Arlington11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11:30a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.Hidden gem: The woodear mushroom salad. “Ithink when people do kind of find it, they’re like‘Oh my gosh, this is so great,’” says owner MikalaBrennan. “I wanted to do something that was vegan-friendly.”Point of pride: The bathroom, which is decoratedwith photos that bring meaning to Brennan’s life.“A lot of them are pictures of my mom,” Lynda “LB”Brennan, who was a Pan-American flight attendant. “If you look closely at the pictures, it’s astory.”Hula Girl’s table décor is fun – andfunctional.waiian and it can go in a lot of differentdirections,” she said. “ I wanted to bringelements in that were Hawaiian, but I didn’twant to bang people over the head with it.I wanted it to be subtle.”The final result is less tiki bar and morefriendly, comfortable beach-chic. Light-colored wood tables and walls serve as thefoundation for the space, and lively artworkdots the walls.But at the end of the day, the Hawaiianfood is the star of the show. The poke – traditional Hawaiian raw fish salad – andSpam musubi are two of Hula Girl’s top sellers, Brennan said. The musubi, a sushi snackcontaining marinated Spam, can be an acquired taste for some, but it generally winsover a number of converts, Brennan added.Don’t discount the mainland entrees.Brennan says the non-Hawaiian dishes packa punch despite their stateside roots.“We have beautiful New York steaks inhere,” she said.And vegetarians won’t be left out of thefun, either. The menu boasts several teriyakiplates, one featuring tofu as the protein ofchoice, served with rice or a salad.Also, Brennan says, the woodear mushroom salad is a bit of “a sleeper hit.” Teeming with sweet potato noodles, edamame,daikon, and of course the featured mush-The restaurant’s cocktail, wine,and beer lists are extensive. TheSpicy Hula begins with a habaneroinfused tequila and cools thetongue off with some lime andhibiscus syrup.rooms, it’s great by itself — or with grilledchicken or steak for the omnivores at thetable.The bar offers a plethora of cocktails,wines, and beers to wash down your meal.“Our mai tai is one of the best things thatwe have,” Brennan says, and the wine listsports many regional and further-flung offerings, beginning with Maryland andstretching out to the Finger Lakes region ofNew York and beyond. The beers, Brennansays, are a blend of local and Hawaiianbreweries, ranging from Adroit Theory inPurcellville to Kona Brewing Company onthe Big Island.The restaurant’s first few months of lifehave been a whirlwind of growth, butBrennan says they’re not finished yet. She’sstill aiming to get one of the D.C. area’s mostfamous Hawaiians – President Obama – infor a meal before he moves out of town.“I briefly went to the same high school ashe did and we were born in the same hospital,” Brennan said.Based on the reception Hula Girl has received from the community, he wouldn’t bedisappointed.CalendarEmail announcements to arlington@connectionnewspapers.com. Include date,time, location, description and contact forevent: phone, email and/or website. Photos and artwork welcome. Deadline isThursday at noon, at least two weeks before event.ONGOINGArt Exhibit: “The Power of Color.”Through Feb. 27, Monday-Friday 10a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-2p.m. at Gallery Underground, 2100Crystal Drive. “The Power of Color”focuses on vibrant color. Free. Visitwww.galleryunderground.org formore.Photography by Jan Bender andRichard Weiblinger. ThroughMarch 30, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. MondayThursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. FridaySaturday at The Barry Gallery–Reinsch Library at MarymountUniversity, 2807 N. Glebe Road.Photographer Jan Bender focuses onfilm, using traditional techniques,Weiblinger’s photographs and plantphotograms are hand-printed. Free.Visit www.marymount.edu/barrygallery.Sci-Fi Book Club. Third Wednesday ofeach month, 7-8:30 p.m. at JavaShack, 2507 N. Franklin Road. Free.Visit www.library.arlingtonva.us.“King of the Forest: Adventures ofBioPerversity.” Through April 3,gallery hours at Arlington ArtsCenter, 3550 Wilson Blvd. Thisexhibit features the work of 13contemporary artists from the midAtlantic region whose work exploresthe interactions between humans andnon-human species. Free. Visitwww.arlingtonartscenter.org formore.“Daydreams in theAnthropocene.” Through April 3,gallery hours at Arlington ArtsCenter, 3550 Wilson Blvd. ArtistRachel Schmidt examines the rolehumans play in the environment.Free. Visitwww.arlingtonartscenter.org formore.Instructor Select. Through April 3,gallery hours at Arlington Arts6 Arlington Connection February 17-23, 2016Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd. In theJenkin’s Community Gallery,Arlington Arts Center will presentInstructor Select 2016, featuringwork by both students andinstructors. Free. Visitwww.arlingtonartscenter.org.LGBT & Straight Friends Social.Tuesdays. Happy Hour, 3 p.m.-7p.m.; Mikey’s “Bar A” Video Wall, 7p.m.; start time at 8 p.m. IOTA Club& Cafe, 2832 Wilson Blvd. For 21years and older. Free. Visitwww.iotaclubandcafe.com for moreinformation.Food Truck Thursdays. 5:30-8:30p.m. at the corner of North IrvingStreet, and Washington Boulevard.Find a round-up of regional foodtrucks. Free to attend. Visitwww.dmvfta.org.Karaoke. 8 p.m. on the first Sundayevery month at Galaxy Hut, 2711Wilson Blvd. Visitwww.galaxyhut.com or call 703-5258646.Pub Quiz. 8 p.m. every Sunday atWhitlow’s on Wilson, 2854 WilsonBlvd. Prizes for first place. Free. Visitwww.whitlows.com or call 703-2769693.Storytime. Mondays and Fridays,10:30-11 a.m. at Kinder Haus Toys,1220 N. Fillmore St. Storytime withMs. Laura. Call 703-527-5929.Lego Club. Monthly on the firstWednesday. 4-5 p.m. GlencarlynBranch Library, 300 S. Kensington St.The lib

Feb 16, 2016 · tiful princess. Sword fights. “The Princess Bride” has everything any-one could want in a Valentine’s Day movie, which is how the classic film became an annual tradition at the