Dan Egitto | ARLnow

Columbia Pike businesses old and new feel the pinch as roadwork drags on

Published February 27, 2025 at 3:45PM

Columbia Pike looking westbound in October 2024 (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Despite leaders’ hopes for a brighter future on Columbia Pike, both new and established businesses continue to face difficulties as roadwork drags on.

At this month’s “State of the Pike” forum, speakers highlighted a “light at the end of the tunnel” for establishments that have endured years of nearby utility work and road and sidewalk reconstruction.

News

Bar Bao closes early after reported fight in latest rowdy incident

By Dan Egitto and Katie Taranto

Published February 27, 2025 at 2:30PM

Bar Bao in November 2020 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

A Clarendon bar shut down early and crowd control was needed last weekend following a reported fight — a relatively common occurrence at the establishment.

Police were once again dispatched to Bar Bao — the site of almost 1,000 police calls for service between 2022 and 2024 — following a report of a quarrel around 8:53 p.m. on Sunday.

News

Federal workers pack Arlington town hall as county braces for impacts of DOGE

By Dan Egitto and Scott McCaffrey

Published February 26, 2025 at 3:45PM

A town hall for federal workers and contractors at Central Library in February (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Over 200 people packed a standing-room-only town hall yesterday (Tuesday) to discuss how federal workforce cuts are personally impacting Arlington residents.

The event for federal employees and contractors came as Arlington County is considering an $11.5 million increase to its budget stabilization reserve in response to ongoing federal shake-ups.

News

New food truck court, better signage planned in Courthouse ‘mobility hub’ revamp

By Dan Egitto

Published February 25, 2025 at 2:45PM

Court House Metro station entrance along Wilson Blvd in Courthouse (via Google Maps)

Plans for more public seating, real-time transit displays and a new food truck court are included in a proposed changes to a highly trafficked area in Courthouse.

Respondents have until Sunday, March 2 to provide feedback on a new concept design for the “mobility hub” near the Court House Metro station. This area includes the Arlington County government headquarters at Courthouse Plaza, Strayer University, The Commodore Apartments and the county’s large surface parking lot.

News

GMU’s Scalia law school removes DEI pages, prompting student petition

By Dan Egitto

Published February 25, 2025 at 9:45AM

Antonin Scalia Law School in 2016 (file photo)

George Mason University’s law school has removed webpages related to diversity, equity and inclusion, sparking student criticism and casting doubt on the future of related programs.

Pages related to Antonin Scalia Law School’s DEI Task Force, DEI Advisory Board and overall approach to diversity have vanished following a Feb. 14 letter from the U.S. Department of Education taking aim at such programs.

News

Facing federal uncertainty, Arlington seeks more tech companies

By Dan Egitto

Published February 24, 2025 at 2:30PM

Amazon HQ2 in Pentagon City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Facing job cuts and wide-ranging uncertainty at the federal level, Arlington Economic Development has launched a new program to attract more tech companies.

Arlington Tech Launchpad formally kicked off on Jan. 29, the day after President Donald Trump’s “deferred resignation” emails cast federal workplaces around the country into turmoil.

Schools

APS stops posting on X, heads to Bluesky

By Dan Egitto

Published February 21, 2025 at 8:15AM

The Arlington Public Schools page on X (via APS/X)

Arlington Public Schools is abandoning X for Bluesky.

The school system announced Wednesday that it will no longer post updates on X — formerly Twitter — although its account will “remain open.”

News

Feedback sought on Rosslyn, Ballston and Shirlington projects with over 1,200 units proposed

By Dan Egitto

Published February 20, 2025 at 9:00AM

Illustrative concepts of the Ballston One project at 4601 N. Fairfax Drive (via Arlington County)

Arlington County is currently seeking feedback on three development projects with a total of 1,255 proposed units.

Online engagement periods for all three proposals, located in Rosslyn, Ballston and Shirlington, are wrapping up soon. A list of the projects and their locations is below.

Schools

LGBTQ+ group urges more support for APS transgender students amid federal investigation

By Dan Egitto

Published February 19, 2025 at 3:30PM

LBGTQ+ advocates at an Arlington County Board meeting on Jan. 27, 2025 (courtesy of Kellen MacBeth)

An LGBTQ+ advocacy group is calling for Arlington Public Schools to take a more aggressive stance in support of transgender students.

Equality Arlington released a letter this week urging the school system to “stand up for the rights of transgender athletes and oppose all discriminatory policies from whatever source they come.”

News

Driver in fatal Ballston crash remains hospitalized, police say

By Jared Serre and Dan Egitto

Published February 19, 2025 at 9:00AM | Updated February 19, 2025 at 9:55AM

A crash at the intersection of Wilson Blvd and N. Glebe Road in Ballston (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

The driver of a pickup truck involved in a fatal crash in Ballston last month is still hospitalized, local officials told ARLnow.

A criminal investigation into the incident, which killed a 32-year-old doctoral candidate and snarled traffic in Ballston for hours, is still underway, Commonwealth’s Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti told ARLnow.

News

Federal workforce cuts drive bleak economic outlook in Arlington

By Dan Egitto

Published February 18, 2025 at 3:45PM | Updated February 19, 2025 at 9:30AM

Storm clouds, as seen from Rosslyn in 2023 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Mass resignations, layoffs and turmoil within the federal workforce present sweeping and potentially unprecedented challenges for Arlington’s economy, experts say.

As President Donald Trump’s plans to dramatically shrink the federal government have begun to take shape in recent weeks, so have projections for wide-ranging economic fallout throughout the D.C. area.

News

DEVELOPING: Dept. of Education announces investigation of APS transgender policies

By Dan Egitto

Published February 14, 2025 at 2:01PM | Updated February 14, 2025 at 3:09PM

The Arlington School Board at a meeting earlier this year (via APS)

The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into Arlington Public Schools’ policies around transgender students.

The federal department announced this week that it is investigating five Northern Virginia school districts, including APS, following a complaint from America First Legal.