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.

News

County Board to decide whether to make increased parking prices permanent

By Scott McCaffrey
Parking meter in a performance parking zone in Ballston (staff photo)

The future of increased parking rates along Arlington’s commercial corridors is expected to go before the County Board later this month.

The Board is on track to decide whether to eliminate the “performance parking” pilot project or make the rate changes for about 4,500 parking spaces permanent.

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News

Arlington syphilis infections are on the rise, nearly 50% over statewide average

By Scott McCaffrey
A stock photo of prescription medicine (via Christine Sandu/Unsplash)

A rising number of syphilis infections in Arlington is driving a push to do better at testing and treating the sexually transmitted infection.

In the most recent data, from 2024, Arlington’s rate of syphilis infection — 31.2 cases per 100,000 population — was nearly 50% higher than the Virginia rate of 21.4 cases per 100,000, and was more than double that of Northern Virginia as a whole (14.3 cases per 100,000).

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News

Falls Church leaders plan potential large-scale redevelopment of townhome community

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

Falls Church city officials have started talking with potential partners about what could be one of the largest housing projects in the city’s history.

In discussing possibilities with four nonprofit or governmental housing organizations, the city has “laid out a road map” for what could happen to the Virginia Village community, including the construction of a substantial amount of affordable housing, City Manager Wyatt Shields told City Council members at a Jan. 27 meeting.

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News

County staff seek clarity on how often sports leagues use the fields they reserve

By Scott McCaffrey
Baseball in Barcroft Park (via Arlington County)

Arlington County parks officials plan to renew efforts to determine how often sports leagues actually end up using the fields that they reserve in advance.

The initiative has been ongoing for nearly two years but remains “a work in progress,” said Ignacio Rodriguez, manager of sports leagues and athletic-field management for the Department of Parks and Recreation.

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Events

History festival in May to anchor Arlington’s 250th anniversary celebration

By Scott McCaffrey
Peter Vaselopulos provides Karen Darner information on the Arlington Historical Museum (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington is gearing up to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday with a history festival and, potentially, a bell-ringing, outdoor movies and more.

“It’s a great opportunity” to bring history to the people, said Peter Vaselopulos, president of the Arlington Historical Society.

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News

Arlington apartment rents continued slight decline in January

By Scott McCaffrey
Looking down Fairfax Drive toward Virginia Square after a past snowfall (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The cost of rent in Arlington appeared to continue a slight decline in January after decreasing in 2025.

The median price of a two-bedroom apartment, $3,120, was down 0.6% month-over-month and 4.9% year-over-year in data reported Jan. 27 by Zumper. The median cost of a one-bedroom apartment, $2,330, was flat month-over-month but down 4.1% from this time last year.

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News

Falls Church Council to consider $460M plan to increase Metro funding region-wide

By Scott McCaffrey
A westbound Metro train and light traffic in the snow (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Falls Church City Council is preparing to vote on a region-wide proposal to increase annual spending for Metro by $460 million every year.

On Monday, Feb. 2, Council members are slated to discuss a request from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA) to formally support the DMV Moves funding proposal to augment Metro service.

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News

Scapegoat Beer Garden granted more time to plan opening in Crystal City

By Scott McCaffrey
Outdoor patios at 556 22nd Street S. in January 2025 (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

A planned beer garden and Korean street food restaurant in Crystal City has received more time to address code and permitting issues as it continues working toward opening.

County Board members have extended the existing use permit for Scapegoat Beer Garden for six months before it returns to staff for further review.

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Schools

Amid controversy, School Board delays programming decisions at new Career Center space

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Tech Robotics club adviser Steve Nystrom, works with students on projects (staff photo by Savannah Taffe)

School Board members are giving themselves extra time before making final decisions on rearranging the locations of some non-traditional secondary programs.

Rather than being taken up the first week of February, as would be the typical cycle following its Jan. 22 presentation as an information item, final discussion and vote will be taken two weeks later.

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News

Arlington’s measles vaccination rate is above average, but health director urges vigilance

By Scott McCaffrey
A vaccine shot (via Arlington County/YouTube)

Arlington is well-positioned to withstand any national upticks in measles cases, but it can’t become complacent, the county’s public health director says.

Arlington students have a 97.5% vaccination rate against the highly contagious disease, compared to 93.9% statewide and 92.5% nationally, according to data presented to County Board members on Tuesday.

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Around Town

New summer camp database by Arlington parent helps navigate options in D.C. area

By Scott McCaffrey
Toasting marshmallows (via Josh Campbell/Unsplash)

Mid-winter is a good time for Arlington families to start thinking about summer camps, and a new guide aims to ease the decision-making process this year.

CampARL.com launched last fall, and founder Anne Lyons Knapp has been tweaking it as parents begin thinking about camp opportunities during spring break, teacher workdays and the summer season.

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News

Plans for 296-unit residential building on Langston Blvd advance toward Planning Commission

By Scott McCaffrey
Development proposal for 3130 Langston Blvd (via Arlington County)

A proposal to redevelop a Walgreens on Langston Blvd as a 12-story residential building is moving toward consideration by the Planning Commission and County Board.

County Board members authorized the advertisement of future public hearings on plans for 3130 Langston Blvd at a meeting last night (Tuesday).

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