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.

Events

Open house happening at Columbia Pike Artist Studios this weekend

By Scott McCaffrey
Columbia Pike Artist Studios members Ursula Seckel, Laura Bollettino, Joanne Mazarella and Anne Hancock (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Members of the Columbia Pike Artist Studios will open their doors to the public this weekend, with a goal of demystifying art for the broader community.

“A lot of people are intimidated” by the artistic process, Laura Bollettino, one of the 22 artists in the cooperative, told ARLnow.

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News

Hearings on Arlington’s updated transportation plan expected next month

By Scott McCaffrey
Urban city street with a bright green bike lane, cyclists riding and a bus shelter with two people seated. Modern glass buildings line the street.
A bus stop and bike lane in Crystal City (via Arlington County/Flickr)

The County Board is considering a new 104-page document on further integrating transportation planning into development in Arlington.

The Board on Nov. 14 is expected to set a Dec. 12 public hearing to consider the new Multimodal Transportation Plan. If adopted, the document will be incorporated into the county’s Comprehensive Plan.

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News

Potential bump in Metrobus fares raises concerns for County Board member

By Scott McCaffrey
A Metrobus makes its way down Columbia Pike (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A County Board member is urging caution around a possible increase in the cost of riding Metrobus.

With Metrobus ridership down across Northern Virginia and the broader region, Metro officials need to be “very, very careful about raising fares right now in the current environment,” County Board member Takis Karantonis said at a Nov. 5 meeting of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC).

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Schools

Arlington parents group wants polling places moved out of schools

By Scott McCaffrey
Person checks in at a gym desk, handing a card to a staff member seated behind a check-in table with ID sign-in materials nearby.
Arlington voter checks in to vote at Innovation Elementary School in Lyon Village (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

An advocacy organization is asking county leaders to consider ending the use of schools as polling places.

In an Oct. 29 letter to County Board members, Arlington Parents for Education (APE) said finding alternative sites would allow students to go to school on election days. Current School Board policy is generally to hold a teacher workday or close its facilities, including those not being used as polling places, for elections.

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News

Pedestrian panel wants no more ‘blockades of ice’ in crosswalks this winter

By Scott McCaffrey
Road and sidewalk conditions near Wakefield High School (courtesy Julia Itani)

Arlington’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee plans to press local leaders on keeping crosswalks free of snow this winter.

The concern centers on plows piling snow in curb cuts where sidewalks meet crosswalks. Those mounds, if not removed immediately, can linger for weeks and make neighborhoods much harder to navigate on foot.

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News

New webinar series will support healthcare access for N. Va. residents with disabilities

By Scott McCaffrey
Presentation of funding honoring The Arc of Northern Virginia (courtesy Arlington County Medical Society)

A $10,000 grant will help a local nonprofit bring new healthcare resources to Northern Virginia residents with cognitive impairments.

The Arlington County Medical Society Foundation recently presented The Arc of Northern Virginia with its 2026 KSP Donation, named in honor of Kelly and Stephen Park.

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News

Arlington Democrats celebrate wins in Congress, seek to build on momentum for 2028

By Scott McCaffrey
County Board member Matt de Ferranti with Democratic chair Paul Ruiz in background (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

County Democrats are aiming to use their 2026 success as a springboard to 2027 and the all-important 2028 presidential election.

“The work we did is still incomplete,” newly re-elected County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said at the Nov. 4 monthly meeting of the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

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News

‘Historic tsunami’ of Democratic wins in Congress raises hopes for Arlington leaders

By Scott McCaffrey and Dan Egitto
Matt de Ferranti at Democratic victory party (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A wave of Democratic victories in Congress is raising hopes for local leaders hungry for checks on the Trump administration and its impacts on Northern Virginia.

Democrats representing Arlington celebrated their party retaking the House and Senate at crowded watch parties last night and in statements today (Wednesday).

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News

Falls Church voters boost victories for Warner, Beyer and state amendments

By Scott McCaffrey
Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) speaks at Sen. Mark Warner’s election night event at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Nov. 3, 2026 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Falls Church voters reaffirmed their political allegiance to Sen. Mark Warner and Rep. Don Beyer, helping the two secure easy victories last night (Tuesday).

Warner (D-Va.) garnered 6,828 votes, or 84.8%, in the city, based on unofficial Virginia Department of Elections results. He far outpaced Republican Bert Mizusawa, who received 1,199 votes or just under 15%.

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News

Arlington leaders want a say in the future of Waymo in Virginia

By Scott McCaffrey
A Waymo in Yorktown on Tuesday, Nov. 3 (staff photo)

County officials are keeping watch as state lawmakers consider the pros and cons of allowing self-driving vehicles on Virginia’s roadways.

“As a locality in a region that likely will see notable deployment of this emerging transportation technology, we want to ensure that public safety remains at the forefront of all decision-making,” County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti told ARLnow.

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News

Two affordable housing buildings, 10 townhomes proposed at Virginia Village in Falls Church

By Scott McCaffrey
Preliminary proposal for Virginia Village redevelopment, with S. Maple Avenue at bottom and Shirley and Gibson streets interior roads (via City of Falls Church)

Two mid-rise apartment buildings with 132 committed-affordable units are paired with a set of townhomes in a new proposal for the Virginia Village site in Falls Church.

City leaders have selected Urban Atlantic as their development partner for the site, which currently includes about 80 1940s-era apartments grouped in fourplex buildings.

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News

Falls Church improves hiring for city jobs, but retention issues persist

By Scott McCaffrey
The city hall of Falls Church (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Falls Church officials say they are making process changes that are helping to reduce vacant positions in the city government, although retention challenges have persisted.

Efforts to address both issues are “moving in the right direction,” City Manager Seth Hendler-Voss said at the Oct. 28 meeting of the City Council’s government operations committee.

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