News

A dozen hardy souls braved the threat of thunderstorms and hordes of gnats on May 24 to learn more about the history of a local burial ground.

The 90-minute tour covered nearly 250 years of history at Oakwood Cemetery, located in Falls Church. It was the first of what will be monthly tours, part of the city’s celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday.


News

Republicans have their candidate in place for the 8th District U.S. House of Representatives race.

Tony Sabio, a national-security professional and self-described Reagan conservative, was the lone Republican to file for the party’s nomination by the May 26 at 5 p.m. deadline.


News

Costs for the Arlington 55+ Travel program aren’t going up as much as first proposed, but they’re still rising and future increases are likely.

As part of the fiscal 2027 budget process, County Board members approved a 25% increase in fees charged by the 55+ Travel program, operated by the Department of Parks and Recreation.


Schools

Three years after dropping Kaiser Permanente and Cigna as health-insurance providers, Arlington Public Schools is bringing them back.

Superintendent Francisco Durán said at the May 28 School Board meeting that the two firms had been selected to provide health-insurance coverage for a three-year period beginning at the start of 2027. They will replace CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, which has held the contract since January 2024.


News

Falls Church’s Urban Forestry Commission is considering ideas to increase the city’s tree canopy without breaking the bank.

With several years of difficult budget years on the horizon, it may be hard to find funding for some previous proposals, such as creating a city urban-forestry management plan and a comprehensive tree inventory, said Erin Flynn, the Council’s liaison to the commission.


Schools

School leaders are about to formally ink a deal to relocate Arlington Community High School to Amazon’s HQ2 campus.

Eight months after celebrating the upcoming move, Arlington Public Schools leaders plan to sign a 30-year lease with Amazon for more than 30,000 square feet of space at 1450 S. Eads Street in the Metropolitan Park complex in Pentagon City.


Around Town

A recent ceremony honored the 95th anniversary of the Clarendon War Memorial, as well as the 40th anniversary of the move to its current location.

The memorial provides “a sacred reminder” of the sacrifice of U.S. military personnel, County Board member Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., said at the annual Memorial Day commemoration, held at the memorial located above the Clarendon Metro station.


News

Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) has come close to achieving a clean sweep of re-election endorsements from Arlington’s local elected officials.

Among those formally supporting his bid for a seventh two-year term, according to a release from the Beyer campaign:


News

New restroom facilities at Gunston Park are expected to cost around $1 million — a grand total arising from the price of materials, installation and associated costs.

County officials present the cost as a financial win for taxpayers, even if not everyone sees it that way.


News

A potential ban on gas-powered leaf blowers in Arlington is moving forward, with county staff preparing draft regulations for community and County Board consideration.

Board action as early as this summer could start the clock ticking on a multi-year phaseout period.


News

Budget cuts at Arlington’s historic preservation office could keep services relatively bare-bones, county officials acknowledge.

“We will need to be doing some adjustments — see what other options we have,” said Lorin Faris, the county government’s historic preservation supervisor, at the May 20 meeting of the county’s Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB).


News

As she mulls over her own political future, Arlington’s senior state senator is seeking to help Democrats pick up seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Despite the Democratic redistricting map being overturned by the Virginia Supreme Court, Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40) believes her party has a chance in November to flip several of the five Virginia congressional seats currently held by Republicans.


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