Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

Schools

Arlington fifth graders return from trip to sister city in Germany

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington and Aachen students at welcome ceremony in Aachen's city hall (courtesy Arlington Sister City Association)

With its 2025-26 fifth-grade student exchange complete, the Arlington Sister City Association is looking for those who would like to take part in the coming school year.

Fifty Arlington families recently returned from a spring break journey to Aachen, Germany, where they were hosted by families that had visited Arlington last fall.

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News

More congressional hopefuls may address Arlington Democrats at meeting this week

By Scott McCaffrey
Elizabeth Guzman is seeking the Democratic nomination in the 7th Congressional District (via campaign website)

More candidates may kick off campaigns for Virginia’s new 7th Congressional District at this week’s Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting.

A host of aspirants already announced their candidacies at the party’s March and April meetings. But some contenders — including Dorothy McAuliffe and Elizabeth Guzman — have yet to stand in front of the party rank-and-file.

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News

Rules for clearing snow from businesses’ sidewalks could get revamp in Falls Church

By Scott McCaffrey
Ice-covered sidewalk on W. Broad Street after January 2026 storm (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

It will be the heat of summer when Falls Church leaders consider possible changes to the city’s snow-removal ordinance.

At an April 29 calendar-setting work session, City Manager Wyatt Shields told City Council members he’d like to hold a “scoping” session on July 20, focused on rules applying to commercial property after snowstorms.

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Schools

Plan to have AI read names at W-L graduation draws criticism at School Board meeting

By Scott McCaffrey
June Prakash speaks to School Board members (screenshot via Arlington Public Schools)

A plan to use artificial intelligence to read off the names of graduates at Washington-Liberty High School received pushback at last week’s School Board meeting.

June Prakash used the Board’s public-comment period to decry a partnership with a company that uses AI to correctly pronounce students’ names and read them off at a consistent rhythm during graduation ceremonies.

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Around Town

Mount Olivet holds rededication, celebrating end of renovations after 2022 fire

By Scott McCaffrey
Choir members at Mount Olivet rededication ceremony (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A rededication ceremony at Mount Olivet United Methodist Church over the weekend marked the completion of restoration work following a fire more than three years ago.

“We at Mount Olivet have been tested,” the Rev. Sara Keeling said at the service of thanksgiving. “We have come back better and stronger and more beautiful.”

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News

Arlington jobless rate decreases slightly, but so does the labor force

By Scott McCaffrey
Job seekers at a Crystal City career fair (file photo by Jay Westcott)

The number of Arlington residents counted as unemployed in February stood at the third lowest level over the past year, according to new state data.

That may be little consolation to the nearly 5,000 county residents seeking jobs, however — and it doesn’t count those who have left the labor force entirely over the last year.

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News

GOP could back an independent for County Board if recruitment drive falls short

By Scott McCaffrey
Independent County Board candidate William Bayne (via campaign website)

Local Republicans might end up endorsing an independent for County Board if the party can’t come up with its own nominee.

The Arlington County Republican Committee “has not made a decision” on a slate of candidates, party chair Matthew Hurtt said at the April 27 committee meeting.

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News

New plans call for mix of condos and apartments in 241-unit Ballston redevelopment

By Scott McCaffrey
Updated design proposal for 4420 Fairfax Drive (images by Hickok Cole via Arlington County)

A revised proposal for a 23-story Ballston redevelopment project calls for fewer total units in an unusual mix of apartments and condos.

Aria Development Group, which owns the site at 4420 Fairfax Drive, now proposes to build 59 condominium units and 182 apartments at the site of a five-story office building — down substantially from an earlier proposal to build just over 300 units.

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News

Rifts emerge as Falls Church leaders consider affordable housing options

By Scott McCaffrey
One of the Virginia Village quadplex apartment buildings owned by Falls Church (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Tensions already are appearing among Falls Church’s elected and staff leadership, even before planning for a major affordable housing plan starts to take shape.

Council members voted 5-1 on April 27 to authorize spending up to $175,000 on a consultant to help guide potential redevelopment in portions of the Virginia Village community. Even then, however, leaders disagreed over how the process should move forward and how many potential development scenarios should be considered.

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News

Why real estate taxes are going up in Arlington, but going down in Fairfax

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chair Jeff McKay (screenshot via Fairfax County)

Arlington and Fairfax officials went in two different directions in adopting their fiscal year 2027 budgets.

The Arlington County Board on April 22 approved a 2-cent increase in the real estate tax rate, to $1.053 per $100 assessed valuation, to help fund the county’s $1.7 billion budget.

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Schools

Washington-Liberty to use AI to help pronounce students’ names at graduation

By Scott McCaffrey
A student receives her Washington-Liberty diploma in 2025 (screenshot via APS)

At least one local high school will use artificial intelligence to provide clearer and faster name pronunciation during its graduation ceremony in June.

In an online letter to the school community, Washington-Liberty High School principal Alexander Duncan III said the school has partnered with Tassel to provide better announcements of graduates’ names as they cross the stage to collect diplomas.

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News

Are Arlington apartment rents rising or falling? New reports give mixed signals

By Scott McCaffrey
Valen apartment building at 2050 S. Bell Street (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Arlington’s median apartment rental rates remain modestly down year-over-year in one new national survey, while posting a slight uptick in another.

In each case, the county’s costs for renters are among the highest in the nation — fifth most expensive in one survey, seventh in the other.

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