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

Sens. Warner and Kaine promise bill to reduce flights at Reagan National

By Scott McCaffrey
Boats and the U.S. Park Police helicopter search the Potomac River the morning after the mid-air collision and crash (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Virginia’s two U.S. senators say they will try again to reduce air traffic and take other steps to address safety concerns at Reagan National Airport.

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine are throwing their support behind the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) final report into the January 2025 midair collision near the airport

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Arlington has issued 15 citations for failing to clear snow after winter storm

By Scott McCaffrey
Large chunks of dirty snow around a sidewalk bench in Rosslyn (courtesy George Brazier)

The county government has issued 15 citations for failure to clear snow and ice after last month’s storm and responded to hundreds of complaints.

Nearly 630 complaints about violations were recorded by county officials in the days and weeks after the winter storm, county spokesman Ryan Hudson told ARLnow.

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Arlington legislators’ bills on oversight, affordable housing and more enter home stretch

By Scott McCaffrey
Dels. Alfonso Lopez, Patrick Hope and Adele McClure (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington’s five-member legislative delegation heads into the General Assembly’s home stretch with a large number of its bills still alive.

Among the most successful was Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3), who got 21 pieces of legislation through the House of Delegates before crossover, the period when bills move to the opposite house for consideration.

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News

Artist from Halls Hill explores local impacts of gentrification in new exhibit

By Scott McCaffrey
Zane Killgo in front of collage of Halls Hill neighborhood (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A local artist’s exhibit examining the impacts of gentrification in historically Black neighborhoods is on display at the Arlington Historical Museum.

The exhibition, titled “A Different Look from a Different View,” explores local Black residents’ challenges coming to grips with changing realities in once tight-knit communities in places like Halls Hill, Green Valley and D.C. neighborhoods including Adams Morgan, Logan Circle and Navy Yard.

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News

Pedestrian advocates seek continued investment despite budget difficulties

By Scott McCaffrey
People walking in the snow in Arlington (file photo)

Arlington’s Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC) is seeking to ensure that safety programs for people on foot are considered a must-have during this budget cycle.

Major cuts in personnel and programs could “set things backwards,” PAC acting chair Eric Goodman warned at the body’s Feb. 11 meeting.

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Local congressional races are ‘full steam ahead’ despite districting uncertainty

By Scott McCaffrey
Voting at Arlington Central Library on Nov. 7, 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

While questions around congressional redistricting will remain unresolved for months, campaigns for two seats that could represent Arlington are in full swing.

For now, all eyes are on an April 21 statewide referendum on whether to authorize dramatically redrawn districts for the U.S. House of Representatives. But that isn’t stopping candidates, political parties and officials in Arlington from launching into election season.

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News

Affordable housing proposal off of Langston Blvd heads to County Board

By Scott McCaffrey
Plans for the Leckey Gardens site at 2031 N. Woodrow Street (via Arlington County)

Plans for a 249-unit affordable housing building off of Langston Blvd are up for County Board consideration this weekend.

Planning Commission members voted 9-2 on Feb. 9 to support True Ground Housing Partners’ proposal to replace 40 garden-style apartments at the Leckey Gardens complex (2031-37 N. Woodrow Street) with a 10-story affordable apartment building.

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Next year’s budget, future parking rates to highlight County Board meeting

By Scott McCaffrey
County Manager Mark Schwartz (Arlington County screenshot)

This weekend’s County Board meeting is expected to include a presentation on the county manager’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year and several other notable items.

Additional slated topics include a vote on the future of Arlington’s parking rates, an upgrade to the elevators at the Arlington County Justice Center and more vendors at the Lubber Run Farmers Market. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21.

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News

Arlington officials certify Bennett-Parker’s victory, succeeding State Sen. Ebbin

By Scott McCaffrey
Democrat Elizabeth Bennett-Parker at Senate victory party (staff photo by James Cullum)

Arlington election officials have formally certified Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker’s overwhelming victory in the race to succeed State Sen. Adam Ebbin.

Across the entire district, the Bennett-Parker (D-39) won 83.4% of the vote in the Feb. 10 special election. In Arlington, she got 84.2% of the vote compared to 15.8% for Republican Julie Robben Lineberry, according to preliminary figures from the Virginia Department of Elections.

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Falls Church to celebrate nation’s birthday on Memorial Day and before Fourth of July

By Scott McCaffrey
The VA250 Mobile Museum outside Vienna Elementary School last summer (courtesy of Amy Woolsey)

Special events on Memorial Day and the night before Independence Day will highlight Falls Church’s commemoration of the nation’s 250th birthday.

City officials have been informed that the state government’s Mobile Museum Experience will come to Falls Church on Memorial Day — Monday, May 25 — to bring the “Out of Many, One” 250th-anniversary exhibition to local residents.

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News

Snow left on ramps at government building angers Arlington disability advocates

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington County government headquarters in Courthouse (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Members of the county’s Disability Advisory Commission are deeply unhappy with recent local efforts to remove snow and ice from pedestrian pathways.

A recent meeting zeroed in on a lack of attention given to a key entrance to the Bozman Government Center, as well as lingering snow on many curb cuts and sidewalks.

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News

More ‘see me’ flags requested to promote Falls Church pedestrian safety

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Girl Scouts use their new "See Me Flags" at a Wilson Blvd intersection (courtesy of Barbara Hagenbaugh)

A Falls Church advisory panel is asking city leaders to embrace a low-tech but potentially effective tool to promote pedestrian safety.

Discussion on providing orange flags at unsignalized street crossings came up at the Feb. 11 meeting of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Transportation.

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