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

As Virginia elections loom, Youngkin and Democrats seek credit for state tax rebates

By Dan Egitto
Virginia State Capitol in Richmond (staff photo)

Both Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and Virginia’s Democrat-majority legislature are claiming credit for this year’s round of tax rebates, but they’re casting them in very different lights.

The rebates, worth up to $200 for individuals and $400 for couples who filed jointly in 2024, will go out to most households by Oct. 15. A message on the checks names both the 2025 General Assembly, which approved the budget, and Youngkin, who signed it into law.

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News

Another big wave of ‘No Kings’ protests planned next week in Arlington

By Dan Egitto
'No Kings' protesters along Langston Blvd (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

Another “No Kings” day of action will involve several Arlington demonstrations next week, including a march into D.C. and a Ballston protest led by local seniors.

Over 1,500 people have already signed up for the latest wave of anti-Trump demonstrations in Arlington, part of over 2,000 protests planned nationwide on Saturday, Oct. 18, organizers told ARLnow.

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News

JUST IN: Army Ten-Miler is still happening despite government shutdown

By Dan Egitto
Runners in the 2017 Army Ten-Miler (via John Sonderman/Flickr)

The annual Army Ten-Miler race is still taking place this weekend despite the government shutdown.

The race with over 28,000 registered participants will take place as scheduled at 8 a.m. on Sunday — beginning and ending, as usual, at the Pentagon, the U.S. Army announced in a press release today.

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News

New FAA charts further limit where helicopters can fly over Arlington

By Dan Egitto
A helicopter in the sky over Arlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

New route charts from the Federal Aviation Administration further restrict helicopter traffic around Reagan National Airport, reducing where the aircraft can fly over Arlington.

The modified charts, published last week, shrink the zones in which helicopters can fly over Northern Virginia and D.C. when operating on authorized business such as medical or law enforcement missions. A portion of the zone in Arlington, which previously extended to Fort Myer in the east, has been pushed back to west of Glebe Road.

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News

Missing Middle plaintiffs appeal lawsuit to Virginia Supreme Court

By Dan Egitto
An EHO duplex on N. Troy Street in May 2025 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

The Missing Middle lawsuit has finally arrived on the desk of the Virginia Supreme Court.

Plaintiffs in the suit against Arlington County’s contentious zoning change submitted a petition for appeal to the commonwealth’s highest court yesterday (Monday). They’re trying to reverse a recent Virginia Court of Appeals ruling that would create big obstacles for their case, if upheld.

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News

ACFD pushes message of lithium-ion battery safety to prevent fires

By Dan Egitto
Firefighters respond to an apartment fire apparently sparked by a lithium-ion battery (staff photo by Josie Sellers)

The Arlington County Fire Department is urging residents to stay vigilant and educate themselves about risks associated with lithium-ion batteries during Fire Prevention Week.

This year’s safety campaign, “Charge into Fire Safety,” focuses on the possibility of rechargeable batteries overheating, starting fires or even exploding if people treat them improperly or dispose of them the right way.

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News

What the government shutdown means for Arlington’s federal workers and federal sites

By Dan Egitto
The U.S. Air Force Memorial is closed for the government shutdown (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

As the government shutdown brings a major portion of Northern Virginia’s economy to a halt, the commonwealth’s senators are doubling down on demands to strike a deal.

After months of upheaval, thousands of Arlington’s federal workers are facing renewed uncertainty as the shutdown that began yesterday (Wednesday) forces several agencies with local headquarters to furlough employees — all while the Office of Management and Budget is threatening another round of mass firings.

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News

Enforcement issues in Montgomery County could inform gas-powered leaf blower ban in Arlington

By Dan Egitto
A person operates a leaf blower (via Callum Hill/Unsplash)

As Arlington County staff research a possible ban on gas-powered leaf blowers, they may take some lessons from a nearby jurisdiction’s struggles with a similar prohibition.

A ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in Montgomery County went into effect July 1, threatening $500 citations if someone is photographed using the noisy and environmentally unfriendly devices. Recently, however, that county’s leaders have been rethinking ways to enforce the ban while respecting people’s privacy.

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News

New ‘bike boulevard’ designs seek to help cyclists near Columbia Pike

By Dan Egitto
A bike boulevard sign at 12th Street S. and S. Quincy Street (via Arlington County)

Concept designs for improved bike routes running parallel to Columbia Pike are now available, aiming to make certain side streets safer and more inviting to bicyclists.

Arlington County is currently seeking feedback — due this Sunday, Oct. 5 — on the possible upgrades to the Columbia Pike Bike Boulevards. The proposal includes a variety of signage, intersection changes and streetscape adjustments on either side of the Pike.

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News

Arlington Community credit union plans a merger and a name change

By Dan Egitto
An Arlington Community Federal Credit Union location in Glebewood (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Arlington Community Federal Credit Union plans to merge with another mid-Atlantic credit union and take on its name.

The 74-year-old credit union — which has nearly 25,000 members in Arlington, Alexandria, Falls Church and Fairfax County — has announced plans to merge with Alexandria-based CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union.

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News

Even more spotted lanternflies expected in Arlington next year, but removing a specific plant can help

By Dan Egitto
Spotted lanternflies in Arlington (staff photo)

Arlington’s swarms of spotted lanternflies will finally go away over the winter, but residents should expect to see even more next year, experts say.

The invasive insects, which have appeared en masse in Arlington this year after sporadic sightings for the last few years, will die with the first frost, Alonso Abugattas, natural resources program manager for Arlington County, told ARLnow. This typically takes place around Oct. 25.

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Events

Road closures planned for AI event in Crystal City this week

By Dan Egitto
A bus advertises the "AI Unlocked" event in Crystal City (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A free event on the future of artificial intelligence is taking place in Crystal City this weekend, resulting in a few road closures.

Programming for “AI Unlocked” begins at 10 a.m. on Friday at the Alamo Drafthouse (1660 Crystal Drive). That morning will feature a conversation on AI policy with U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va.), followed by an afternoon discussion on “tech frontiers.”

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