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

Columbia Pike leaders celebrate years of roadwork coming to an end

By Dan Egitto
Leaders and staff celebrate a ribbon cutting for Columbia Pike infrastructure improvements (courtesy of Arlington County)

Columbia Pike leaders hosted a formal ribbon cutting yesterday (Wednesday) on street and sidewalk improvements that had snarled the busy corridor for years.

Local business leaders, numerous staff from the Department of Environmental Services (DES) and all five members of the Arlington County Board attended the event, which marked “substantial completion” of a project intended to improve the experience of bus riders, pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists alike.

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News

Some Arlington apartments go without AC despite soaring temperatures

By Dan Egitto
The sun and clouds on a hot day (staff photo by James Jarvis)

As this week’s out-of-season heatwave sends temperatures soaring, some Arlington tenants have been left sweating over when their landlord will turn on the air conditioning.

“Consider your fellow community [members] who are elderly, have temperature sensitive pets, or other chronic health conditions,” read a tenant petition posted at Crystal Plaza apartments, where the AC was still off earlier this week. “Many of us have already lost sleep or experienced health incidents due to the heat.”

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Events

Free art festival returns to Clarendon next week with over 125 artists

By Dan Egitto
Scene from the Arlington Festival of the Arts in Clarendon (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Arlington Festival of the Arts is returning later this month in Clarendon, bringing over 125 exhibitors in a variety of mediums.

The outdoor art festival will be back for its 12th year on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at 1051 N. Highland Street, near the Clarendon Metro station. From 10 a.m.-5 p.m., local and national artists will showcase original pieces in an all-ages, pet-friendly art walk.

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News

Masked teen reportedly brandished gun at two pedestrians on trail

By Dan Egitto
Arlington police car (file photo)

Police arrested a teenager yesterday (Monday) after he reportedly brandished a gun at two victims walking on the W&OD Trail.

The two female victims were out on the trail near Glencarlyn Park around 7:15 p.m. when they encountered the suspect. According to scanner chatter, he began yelling and making threats, then pulled out a gun and cocked it.

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News

Langston Blvd townhouse project gets Planning Commission’s support, despite staff opposition

By Dan Egitto
Renderings of proposed townhouses at 2134 N. Taylor Street (via Arlington County)

The Arlington Planning Commission has given its nod to a 47-unit townhouse development, despite staff concerns that the proposal doesn’t match the Langston Boulevard Area Plan.

Commissioners supported developer BCN Homes’ plan for 2134 N. Taylor Street in a split 5-2 vote, with Commissioner Peter Robertson and Chair Denyse “Nia” Bagley voting against. The vote follows support from the Transportation Commission, the Waverly Hills and Cherrydale civic associations, the Langston Boulevard Alliance and the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, although county staff recommended against the project.

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News

New ‘peacetech’ accelerator coming to National Landing, seeking to reduce violent conflict

By Dan Egitto
The Pentagon and National Landing, as seen from a departing flight (courtesy photo)

A new accelerator for startups promoting peace is launching in National Landing, helping founders raise capital and gain traction in the shadow of the Pentagon.

While the United States, Israel and Iran forge ahead with a two-week ceasefire after weeks of airstrikes and talk of dramatic escalation, the PeaceTech Accelerator — a 12-week program for organizations building software and AI that focuses on peacemaking — is still seeking applications as it plans to launch next month.

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News

Virginia Supreme Court hears Missing Middle arguments as projects advance

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

Oral arguments in the lawsuit over Arlington County’s “Missing Middle” zoning changes are taking place in the Virginia Supreme Court this morning (Wednesday).

Justices are scheduled to hear a roughly 10-minute argument on plaintiffs’ attempt to reverse a Court of Appeals decision, which effectively put Missing Middle back on the books in Arlington last summer for procedural reasons. This moves the court one step closer to deciding whether to accept the case for full review.

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News

New ‘microtransit’ program launches in northwest Arlington next week

By Dan Egitto
An example of a Via microtransit vehicle (via Via)

Arlington’s new “microtransit” pilot program is launching next week, providing on-demand rides in portions of the county with limited transit options.

The program launches next Monday, April 13. It will be available in two service zones: one in Westover Village and the other in a large swath of northwestern Arlington, including all or some of the neighborhoods of Rock Spring, Yorktown, East Falls Church, Williamsburg, Leeway Overlee, Hall’s Hill and Old Dominion.

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News

Proposed 300-unit building on Langston Blvd gets thumbs up from Planning Commission

By Dan Egitto
A proposed redevelopment project at 3130 Langston Blvd (via Arlington County)

The Arlington Planning Commission has given its nod to a proposed 300-unit residential building on Langston Blvd despite concerns about the safety of a nearby intersection.

Planning commissioners voted 9-0, with one recusal, in support of developer Rooney Properties’ proposal at 3130 Langston Blvd, the site of a shuttered Walgreens near the I-66 off-ramp in the Lyon Village area. However, they also recommended that the County Board move up a study on reconfiguring the surrounding streetscape to match the Langston Boulevard Area Plan’s goals.

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Schools

Panel on AI ethics and classroom instruction coming to APS next week

By Dan Egitto
Students at computer (via Anastassia Anufrieva/Unsplash)

A panel discussion on AI in the classroom and beyond is coming to Arlington Public Schools, supporting efforts to keep pace with the developing technology.

Superintendent Francisco Durán will moderate the community conversation next Tuesday, April 7. Educators, students and leaders in higher education and the workplace will “talk candidly about what AI means for teaching and learning right now,” Chief Academic Officer Gerald Mann said in an email to teachers.

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News

Misleading anti-redistricting mailers prompt outcry from AG Jones, Virginia NAACP

By Dan Egitto
An anti-redistricting mailer sent to Arlington households (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A public messaging brawl over Virginia’s upcoming redistricting referendum has gotten even messier with new mailers prominently displaying out-of-context quotes from former President Barack Obama.

The front of the mailers, which some Arlington households received last week, urges residents to vote against redistricting and quotes Obama as saying, “Let voters decide, not politicians.” Obama actually supports redistricting, and his quote is taken from a pro-redistricting ad released a few weeks ago.

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News

Amazon’s HQ2 workforce increases slightly, despite company-wide layoffs

By Dan Egitto
The grand opening of HQ2 in 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Total employment at HQ2 has increased slightly since 2024, despite multiple rounds of corporate layoffs at Amazon in recent months.

Around 8,500 employees currently work out of Amazon’s headquarters in Pentagon City, the company announced in a blog post this afternoon. That’s a modest increase from 8,330 employees reported at the end of 2024.

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