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 Transit workers reach tentative contract deal, allaying fears of a strike

By Dan Egitto
An Arlington Transit (ART) bus outside the Ballston Metro station (staff photo)

Arlington Transit workers have reached a tentative deal with their employer, diminishing the threat of possible disruption to ART bus service.

If ratified, the agreement would put an end to several months of increasingly tense negotiations between ART workers and the county-contracted transportation company Transdev.

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News

MoCo leaders take a tour of Arlington missing middle housing

By Dan Egitto
Axumite Village townhomes at 1100 S. Highland Street (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Elected leaders and other stakeholders from Montgomery County, Md. were in Arlington last week to tour examples of “missing middle” housing.

The tour did not include any construction projects started under Arlington’s Expanded Housing Options, which a judge overturned last month, putting the completion of such projects in doubt. Instead, it focused on the look, feel and impact of two other examples of housing densification in South Arlington.

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News

How Arlington and Falls Church topped the latest AARP Livability Index rankings

By Dan Egitto
Aerial view of Long Bridge Park, Crystal City and Pentagon City (staff photo)

Arlington and Falls Church have once again ranked as some of the most livable communities in the nation.

The ratings in the new AARP Livability Index, both good and bad, largely track with the findings of an ongoing Arlington County study into what residents value.

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News

Two Arlington zip codes rank among the region’s highest home value increases

By Dan Egitto
Aerial view of Clarendon, Virginia Square, Ballston, Bluemont and other western Arlington neighborhoods (staff photo)

Two Arlington zip codes saw some of Northern Virginia’s highest increases in home values over the past year, by one metric.

The new rankings, compiled by UrbanTurf, come as property values are continuing to rise both in Arlington and across the region. However, small data sets and variance in the types of properties sold may limit how much it’s possible to read into the numbers.

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Around Town

Why did the chicken cross the road (to the airport)?

By Dan Egitto
The stray chicken spotted at Reagan National Airport (via AWLA/X)

It’s anyone’s guess how a stray chicken ended up at Reagan National Airport this past weekend.

The fowl was spotted on the departures level around 8 a.m. on Sunday, according to a social media post that has received over half a million views on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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News

New real-time parking pricing signs appear in Courthouse

By Dan Egitto
A sign in Courthouse indicating parking rates in October (via Arlington County/X)

New signs have appeared in Courthouse indicating changes in how much it costs to park.

The signs stand at the intersections of N. Courthouse Road with 13th Street N. and Clarendon Blvd with N. Barton Street, indicating both the number and price of available parking spots in real time.

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News

ACFD staffing shortages prompt Ballston area fire engine to go out of service

By Dan Egitto
An Arlington County Fire Dept. engine in 2020 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A fire engine in the Ballston area was out of service last night due to understaffing at the Arlington County Fire Department.

Engine 102 was ACFD’s busiest fire engine last year, responding to over 3,400 calls. As the department continues to grapple with high vacancy rates, however, the equipment was temporarily “browned out” — impacting firefighters’ ability to respond to medical calls as well as fires.

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Events

Event spotlighting startups and tech happening in Crystal City tomorrow

By Dan Egitto
D.C. Startup Week 2022 (courtesy of D.C. Startup and Tech Week)

One day of D.C. Startup and Tech Week is taking place in Crystal City tomorrow (Tuesday).

Kicking off at 10 a.m. at the National Landing Experience Center at 241 18th Street S., the full day of programming will cover topics including AI and business, Web3 and blockchain, and climate and sustainability.

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News

Bluemont residents trying to rebuild after house explosion seek zoning variance

By Dan Egitto
The empty lot at 846 N. Burlington Street after it was cleared (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The owners of one half of a Bluemont duplex that was destroyed in a December house explosion are attempting to rebuild.

The previous occupants of the currently empty lot on N. Burlington Street went before the Arlington Board of Zoning Appeals yesterday (Wednesday) with a proposal to construct a single-family detached house there.

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News

NEW: Extra DCA flights tentatively approved for these five cities

By Dan Egitto
An airplane touches down at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Five airlines have received tentative approval to run new long-haul flights out of Reagan National Airport.

The U.S. Department of Transportation yesterday (Wednesday) announced plans to approve flights to the following locations, granting each airline one extra round-trip flight per day.

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News

Arlington pipes declared lead-free, ahead of new EPA rule

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

While communities across the country are preparing to replace all lead pipes within the next decade, new regulations have little effect on Arlington.

The Environmental Protection Agency last week issued a final rule on lead pipes that is estimated to affect up to nine million homes — a multibillion-dollar project meant to substantially improve health outcomes, especially in children.

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News

Long Bridge project breaks ground, promising smoother rail commutes over Potomac

By Dan Egitto
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (left), Rep. Gerry Connolly, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Mark Warner and Sen. Tim Kaine break ground on Long Bridge VPRA project (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A groundbreaking ceremony for a new two-track railroad bridge over the Potomac River took place yesterday (Tuesday) with several federal officials in attendance.

Attending the formal construction kickoff for the Long Bridge Project — part of a $729 million effort to reduce bottlenecks and improve reliability for commuters — were U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and other Northern Virginia congressional representatives.

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