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

Falls Church homeless shelter will reopen for the winter next month

By Scott McCaffrey
Nighttime urban sidewalk with a group of volunteers in high-visibility vests walking along a row of storefronts; snow along the edge of the path.
Volunteers during recent Point in Time regional homelessness count (Montgomery County via COG)

Falls Church leaders have ratified the city’s contract supporting homeless shelter operations during the winter months.

The City Council approved the agreement with Friends of the Falls Church Homeless Shelter as part of the consent agenda on Tuesday night, with no comment by members.

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News

How Rosslyn’s ‘Dead Man’s Hollow’ earned a reputation for tragedy and gruesome crime

By Scott McCaffrey
Narrow rocky creek winding through a dense green forest, with branches overhanging the water.
Dead Man's Hollow today (via Arlington Historical Society)

A wooded inlet known as “Dead Man’s Hollow” once carried a reputation for gruesome and bizarre occurrences near present-day Rosslyn.

Local historian Michael Schaffner shared his research on the notorious place, located northwest of what is now Gateway Park, at a recent Arlington Historical Society event. He delved into available records to see if it lived up to its reputation as sometimes being the site of a murder a month or even more frequently.

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News

Average sales price of Arlington single-family homes drops 15% year over year

By Scott McCaffrey
Real estate for sale sign (photo illustration by ARLnow)

Fewer sales and lower prices resulted in a nearly 16% year-over-year decline in the total value of home transactions across Arlington in September, according to new data.

A total of 175 properties went to closing during the month, down 5% from 184 in September 2025, based on figures reported Oct. 12 by MarketStats by ShowingTime.

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Schools

Federal scorecard lists 11 APS schools as ‘approaching expectations’ or below

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Public Schools buses (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

New federal data has knocked down the quality ratings of a number of Arlington’s schools, but county school leaders say the reductions are no cause for alarm.

“We’re very proud of what we see” in newly released Virginia Department of Education accountability rankings, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members on Oct. 8. “We also recognize the support that’s needed for students who may not be performing at the level they potentially could be.”

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News

Youth theater troupe to move operations into church near Ballston

By Scott McCaffrey
First Presbyterian Church (file photo)

Encore Stage & Studio is moving its operations to the Ballston area.

The nonprofit theater troupe for young performers has announced plans to move into a new 4,000-square-foot administration and rehearsal space to be co-located with First Presbyterian Church of Arlington.

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News

Sidewalk, intersection improvements in Douglas Park and Clarendon set for approval

By Scott McCaffrey
Residential street with a large tree overhanging a narrow road; speed humps ahead sign visible on the right.
18th Street S. and S. Pollard Street in Douglas Park (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Three street projects and two community signs valued at a combined $4.26 million are set for approval in the latest round of Arlington Neighborhoods Program funding.

County Board members are slated to vote on the slate of nominees by the program’s advisory commission at their meeting on Saturday, Oct. 17.

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Schools

Special ed PTA speaks out against plan to end APS preschool program

By Scott McCaffrey
A speaker wearing a gray blazer and glasses stands at a podium with papers, addressing an audience.
Erin Turner voices concerns to School Board members (screenshot via APS)

A local parent-teacher association is continuing to push back against school leaders’ plans to end the Integration Station program for preschool-age youth with disabilities.

The result has been “a growing gap in the trust between Arlington Public Schools, the School Board and the families they serve,” said Alaina Clark, president of the Arlington Special Education Parent-Teacher Association (SEPTA).

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News

Charging an electric vehicle could soon cost 72% more at Arlington County stations

By Scott McCaffrey
Electric-vehicle charging (via Marek Studzinski/Unsplash)

The cost of charging an electric vehicle at an Arlington County station could increase in a few weeks.

County Board members are considering a proposal to increase rates from the current 17.46 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity provided to 30 cents per kilowatt-hour. The roughly 72% increase would cover higher energy costs and help recoup capital costs.

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News

Civic Federation may press local leaders on change-of-governance legislation

By Scott McCaffrey
The Bozman Government Center at 2100 Clarendon Blvd on Sept. 6, 2024 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Arlington County Civic Federation may renew its push for General Assembly legislation giving the county powers to change its 95-year-old governance structure.

A draft resolution is set to be presented next week and voted on in November, calling for action from the county’s legislative delegation. Desired legislation could grant Arlington the power to modify the size of the County Board and School Board; change the election schedule; allow for a move to district representation; and separately elect a Board chair.

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Schools

APS cuts staff positions due to lower-than-expected student enrollment

By Scott McCaffrey
Superintendent Francisco Durán (screenshot via Arlington Public Schools)

Almost two dozen positions have been removed from the Arlington Public Schools budget after the school system’s enrollment hit its lowest point since 2021.

APS school enrollment is more than 600 students below a projection made just last spring, school leaders reported on Oct. 8. As a result, the school system has cut 23.5 full-time-equivalent positions from its fiscal 2027 budget, Superintendent Francisco Durán said.

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News

Arlington Democrats expand get-out-the-vote efforts to Iowa race

By Scott McCaffrey
Group of seniors gathered around a table, sorting and filling out papers at a community event in a large hall.
Arlington Democrats stuff envelopes at a past event (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington Democrats are now targeting a third state in their “Beyond Arlington” get-out-the-vote effort.

Local Democrats yesterday (Sunday) spent three hours writing postcards to Iowa voters, encouraging them to vote for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek over Republican Ashley Hinson.

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News

Decades before JFK, Taft was first president buried at Arlington National Cemetery

By Scott McCaffrey
Grassy cemetery with rows of white headstones and a tall carved obelisk monument under trees.
William Howard Taft grave marker (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

This reporting was supported by the ARLnow Press Club. Join to support in-depth local journalism — and get an exclusive early morning email with a preview of that day’s planned news coverage.

Thirty-three years before John F. Kennedy received his final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery, another, lesser-known presidential interment took place on the grounds.

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