Author: Dan Egitto

Dan Egitto is an editor and reporter at ARLnow. Originally from Central Florida, he graduated from Duke University and previously reported at the Palatka Daily News in Florida and the Vallejo Times-Herald in California. Dan joined ARLnow in January 2024.

News

Arlington tap water may taste chlorinated during cleaning starting next week

By Dan Egitto
Tap water in a kitchen sink (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Tap water in Arlington may have a distinct taste and smell of chlorine for a while as an annual cleaning of the county’s pipe network begins next week.

Starting Monday, Arlington will swap out its year-round disinfectant, chloramine, for chlorine — resulting in “a slight change in taste or scent when using the tap.”

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Around Town

ACPD officer steps in with pizza after APS charter bus gets stuck in mud

By Dan Egitto
A charter bus stuck in the mud next to Arlington Blvd (via ACPD/X)

A busload of middle schoolers had a rollercoaster of a morning earlier this week after a charter bus took a wrong turn onto a bike path next to Arlington Blvd.

The students from Kenmore Middle School and Thomas Jefferson Middle School were on their way to a music assessment on Tuesday morning when their bus driver, who was trying to follow GPS directions, ended up turning onto a paved pathway that runs alongside Arlington Blvd, police spokesperson Kiyah Daniell told ARLnow.

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News

Restoration work begins on memorials and masonry near Arlington National Cemetery

By Dan Egitto
The eagles on GW Parkway, looking toward Arlington National Cemetery (courtesy of NPS)

Historic preservation work began today (Thursday) on several structures and memorials near Arlington National Cemetery, resulting in lane closures on Washington Blvd and GW Parkway.

Through mid to late May, the National Park Service will be cleaning the Boundary Channel Bridge, repairing deteriorating mortar and conducting restoration work on the Seabees Memorial, the United Spanish War Veterans Memorial and the structural bases of the nearby eagle statues.

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News

County withholding nearly $1M from trash contractor due to missed collections

By Dan Egitto
A Bates trash truck on 26th Street N. in January (courtesy Anne Wilson)

Problems with missed collections appear to have persisted in the months since Arlington changed its trash contractor last summer, resulting in almost $1 million in withheld payments.

The county withheld more than $855,000 from its invoices to Bates Trucking and Trash Removal between August and January, Katie O’Brien, spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Services, told ARLnow.

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News

Public comment sought on GW Parkway’s ‘long-term’ tree removal strategy

By Dan Egitto
Past construction and lane closures along the GW Parkway (via National Park Service)

The National Park Service (NPS) is seeking public input on big-picture plans for GW Parkway’s vistas and foliage — a topic that has previously sparked significant controversy.

A virtual public meeting on “long-term care of historic scenic views,” featuring a presentation and an opportunity for questions, is scheduled for 6 p.m. tomorrow (Wednesday). Respondents can also comment online through Saturday, April 11.

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Events

Easter Bunny hops into Pentagon City mall next week

By Dan Egitto
The Easter Bunny (courtesy of the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City)

As the first spring flowers bloom and warmer weather gradually returns, Pentagon City is welcoming back the Easter Bunny beginning next week.

Photos with the beloved rabbit begin at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City on Thursday, March 19 and continue through Easter Sunday on April 5. He will be in Nordstrom Court on the mall’s first level.

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Around Town

Four Courts Four Miler brings road closures to Courthouse this weekend

By Dan Egitto
Ireland's Four Courts (via Ireland's Four Courts/Facebook)

A pre-St. Patrick’s Day race centered around Ireland’s Four Courts in Courthouse will result in some road closures on Saturday.

The Arlington County Police Department plans to close the following roads from 8-11 a.m. for the Four Courts Four Miler, which begins and ends on the hill at 2051 Wilson Blvd.

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News

Demolition begins at office building near Columbia Pike, making way for townhomes

By Dan Egitto
Demolition at 2300 9th Street S. (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Demolition has begun at the site of an eight-story former office building off of Columbia Pike, making way for a 16-home townhouse redevelopment.

Crews got to work last week tearing down a garage structure at 2300 9th Street S., preparing to demolish the 1970s-era office building beginning next week. That teardown is expected to take four to six weeks, according to a notice shared with nearby residents.

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Around Town

Falls Church leads the pack in Virginia’s most ‘dog-loving’ cities

By Dan Egitto
English bulldog Turbo at a local park in April 2025 (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Falls Church is top dog in Virginia when it comes to devotion to adopting canines and showering them with purchases, according to one metric.

The Little City was crowned the No. 1 most “dog-loving” city in the commonwealth and No. 5 in the nation in a new ranking from PetSmart.

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News

Launch event for VHC Health’s proposed South Arlington facility happening next week

By Dan Egitto
Renderings of the proposed VHC Health facility at 601 S. Carlin Springs Road (courtesy VHC Health)

A community launch event for VHC Health’s proposed behavioral health facility in Glencarlyn is taking place next week.

The meeting, the first in a series of community engagement efforts for the proposed 146-bed rehabilitation and mental health center at 601 S. Carlin Springs Road, will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. next Monday at the Kenmore Middle School auditorium (200 S. Carlin Springs Road).

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News

Arlingtonians can use digital IDs at the airport or the Ballston ABC, but not with ACPD

By Dan Egitto
A person using a cellphone (via Jonas Leupe/Unsplash)

As increasing numbers of Virginians download the Mobile ID app, options for using digital identification around Arlington remain somewhat limited.

The app that launched in November has already surpassed 100,000 users, the Virginia DMV announced last Friday. In Arlington, it’s useful at a handful of locations.

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News

Kids, civic associations join fight to stop Cherrydale Library from closing

By Scott McCaffrey and Dan Egitto
Cherrydale Library (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

They have done it before, and supporters of the Cherrydale branch library say they will again fend off efforts to close the branch.

The advocacy group Citizens for Cherrydale Library is once again mobilizing to save the facility, this time from County Manager Mark Schwartz’s proposal to shutter the branch in order to save about $450,000 in the coming fiscal year.

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