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.

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ACFD rescues TikTok-famous toucan from behind Pentagon City dishwasher

By Dan Egitto
Chester the toucan perches on an ACFD truck (courtesy of Maria Stagliano)

The Arlington County Fire Department came to the rescue of a trapped toucan this weekend after the bird got stuck behind a Pentagon City dishwasher.

Chester the toucan — a TikTok star with over 830,000 followers — has since recovered and is “back to being his normal chaotic self,” his owner, Maria Stagliano, told ARLnow.

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AIM’s entire broadcast studio goes up for auction over $70K in unpaid taxes and rent

By Dan Egitto
WERA control room in 2015 (Courtesy of Paul LeValley/AIM)

An entire professional broadcast studio is going up for auction because of about $70,000 in unpaid debt at Arlington Independent Media, an official says.

Hundreds of professional-grade items — including camcorders, cameras, MacBooks, iPads, microphones, audio mixers, audio recorders, turntables, lighting kits, TVs, desks, chairs, broadcasting equipment and a 360-degree photo booth kit — are up for bidding over the next few weeks.

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DEVELOPING: APS challenges freeze on $23M in federal funding over transgender policy

By Dan Egitto
Activists outside an Arlington School Board meeting (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Arlington Public Schools is going to court over a $23 million freeze in funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

The school system filed a 30-page complaint today (Friday) challenging the Department of Education’s decision to designate APS and four other Northern Virginia school systems as “high risk” because of a legal dispute about their policies around transgender students.

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Labor Day brings free parking, closed county offices to Arlington on Monday

By Dan Egitto
Bozman Government Center in Courthouse (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

Numerous county programs will be closed or operating on modified schedules for Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 1.

Arlington Public Library locations will be closed, and so will all community centers except for Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center, which is open from 6 a.m.-2 p.m.

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ACPD expands recruitment efforts with new social media and ad campaigns

By Dan Egitto
Police officer monitoring activity at the Pentagon City mall (courtesy ACPD)

The Arlington County Police Department has been expanding recruitment efforts with new digital advertising and outreach, although departures from the force continue to hinder staffing.

Earlier this year, ACPD launched a new recruitment website and dedicated recruitment social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram, department spokesperson Ashley Savage told ARLnow.

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Police seek alleged peeper at Aurora Hills Library restroom

By Dan Egitto
File photo

Police are seeking a suspect accused of peeping at a woman using a restroom at the Aurora Hills Library.

A male suspect in his 40s is accused of entering the restroom and looking under the woman’s stall around 11:43 a.m. on Aug. 19, according to a press release from the Arlington County Police Department.

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Viral sign at Arlington transgender rights rally puts Democrats on the defensive

By Dan Egitto
Equality Arlington Vice President Samantha Perez speaks outside an Arlington School Board meeting (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

A controversial sign at an Arlington transgender rights rally last week is prompting public condemnation from organizers and invigorating supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears.

The sign in question reads, “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom then Blacks can’t share my water fountain.” It went viral on social media following a post on X from the Arlington GOP.

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New townhouse project near Crystal City expected to break ground later this year

By Dan Egitto
A rending of the planned HIghlands Row townhouse project near Crystal City (courtesy of EYA)

A developer at a housing complex near Crystal City has closed on the land for a new 42-unit townhouse project and plans to begin construction in the next few months.

D.C.-based EYA LLC announced its plans for the forthcoming Highlands Row project at the Crystal House Apartments complex in a Friday press release.

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Activists and Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears debate APS transgender policy at School Board meeting

By Dan Egitto
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears speaks at an Arlington School Board meeting while Tony Weaver, Mary Detweiler and other activists wave trans flags (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

An Arlington School Board meeting yesterday evening (Thursday) attracted Republican governor candidate Winsome Earle-Sears and a large crowd of activists, most advocating for transgender rights.

This was the School Board members’ first meeting since they announced that they would be maintaining their current policy of letting transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity, despite the U.S. Department of Education’s threats to withhold federal funding.

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New poll finds broad support among Northern Virginians for state-level housing reforms

By Dan Egitto
An apartment building in Courthouse (courtesy George Brazier)

New polling suggests broad support among Virginians for state-level legislation to support building more housing.

A survey of about 1,300 Virginia voters found that the vast majority of respondents — about 73% — believe that the state lacks enough homes that people can afford to rent or buy.

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New speed cameras and speed humps installed in Arlington school zones

By Dan Egitto
A speed camera on Washington Blvd, east of N. Glebe Road in August 2024 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

As students head back to school on Monday, new speed cameras and speed humps are intended to improve safety in Arlington school zones.

The Arlington County Police Department has installed 10 additional cameras over the summer, bringing its total number up to 28. Additionally, the county is in the process of installing new speed humps at seven locations near schools.

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Columbia Pike roadwork nears finish line, shoots for completion by end of year

By Dan Egitto
Roadwork along Columbia Pike (via Arlington County/YouTube)

Years of construction on Columbia Pike are finally nearing a conclusion, with county staff targeting “substantial completion” by the end of this year.

Crews have finished construction on five segments of the busy corridor, and only two segments remain in “heavy construction,” county spokesperson Claudia Pors said in a recent project update. These stretches of the Pike run between S. Garfield Street and S. Quinn Street.

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