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

Fees for county gymnastics programs increase 44% in revised budget proposal

By Scott McCaffrey
The Barcroft Sports & Fitness Center at 4200 S. Four Mile Run Drive (file photo)

While County Board members have agreed to save gymnastics programming, advocates now fear that a proposed hike in participation fees may still make the programs inaccessible for many families.

At last week’s budget-markup session, Board members settled on a proposal that would increase participation fees for the Arlington Aerials and Arlington Tigers gymnastics programs 44% in the coming year.

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Schools

Push for boys volleyball at APS arrives at School Board meeting

By Scott McCaffrey
Sam Luchessi speaks to School Board members (screenshot via APS)

An Arlington eighth grader brought the fight for boys volleyball to last week’s School Board meeting.

Sam Luchessi, a student at Kenmore Middle School, pressed Board members to include funding in their fiscal year 2027 budget so the sport could be added at the high-school level. The Arlington school system already funds girls volleyball, with competition in the fall.

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News

County Board approves one Langston Blvd redevelopment, but defers action on another

By Scott McCaffrey
The proposed redevelopment project at 3130 Langston Blvd (via Arlington County)

County Board members on Saturday approved one major redevelopment project in the Langston Boulevard corridor, but deferred action on a second.

Board members voted 5-0 in support of plans by Rooney Properties to raze the Walgreens site at 3130 Langston Blvd, replacing it with a mixed-use property rising 12 stories and containing up to 300 apartment units plus 7,200 square feet of ground-floor retail.

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News

Office redevelopment project in Falls Church isn’t ready for prime time, planners say

By Scott McCaffrey
Dental office at 815 W. Broad Street with Broadfalls Apartments in rear (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

The effort to redevelop an unusually sized parcel on W. Broad Street in Falls Church has hit headwinds.

Both city staff and the Falls Church Planning Commission have raised concerns about incomplete information in a plan to raze a dental office at 815 W. Broad, replacing it with a facility that would serve similar uses but would be more than five times larger.

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News

Neighbors’ Club began connecting women of North Arlington more than a century ago

By Scott McCaffrey
Neighbors' Club costume party, 1922 (via Charlie Clark Center for Local History)

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.

On an October day in 1970, Rock Spring Neighborhood House came alive with history.

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News

Energy committee wants to compare Arlington’s environmental efforts against neighbors

By Scott McCaffrey
An Arlingtonian holds a sign at a rally supporting clean energy on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019 in Arlington, Va. (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Members of a county advisory panel are seeking more specifics on how Arlington’s energy initiatives stack up against localities across the region.

The goal is to “try and compare [county efforts] to what our neighbors are doing,” said Elizabeth Whitney, who chairs the Arlington Energy Committee, at an April 8 meeting.

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News

Year-over-year county joblessness up nearly 55% in latest monthly data

By Scott McCaffrey
Job seekers line up at career day in Crystal City (staff file photo by Jay Westcott)

The number of jobless in Arlington rose 54.7% year-over-year in January, according to new state data.

A total of 5,148 county residents were reported as seeking jobs for the first month of 2026, up from 3,328 in January 2025.

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News

Criminal justice organization spotlights local efforts at annual ‘Liberation Gathering’

By Scott McCaffrey
OAR executive director Elizabeth Jones Valderrama at 2026 Liberation Gathering (screenshot via OAR)

A local nonprofit working to help those facing the impacts of incarceration used a recent gathering to recommit to its advocacy and supportive services.

OAR of Arlington, Alexandria and Falls Church held its 17th annual Liberation Gathering yesterday (Thursday), providing both an update on activities and a call for future efforts.

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News

Falls Church park with Civil War history may get upgrades, more programming this year

By Scott McCaffrey
Entrance to Fort Taylor Park (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A little-known park’s role in Civil War and aeronautics history may get a refresh as Falls Church celebrates the nation’s 250th birthday this year.

The Falls Church250 Committee is discussing options for sprucing up Fort Taylor Park, making it more accessible to the public and spotlighting the important history that took place in 1861.

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News

Falls Church leaders reject potential tax increases for real estate and meals

By Scott McCaffrey
Falls Church City Council member Arthur Agin (screenshot via City of Falls Church)

Tax rates on real estate and meals won’t increase, but the car tax rate might, as Falls Church City Council members work to finalize a $134.3 million budget package.

Council members voted 7-0 Monday night (April 13) to advertise a real estate tax rate of $1.185 per $100 assessed valuation, unchanged from the current rate. That becomes the highest rate that could be adopted when the budget package comes to a final vote on May 11, although a lower rate could be set.

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News

Gymnastics, Cherrydale Library likely to survive as Arlington budget takes final form

By Scott McCaffrey
Cherrydale Library (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Details remain to be worked out, but County Board members have informally decided not to eliminate gymnastics programming or close Cherrydale Library in the coming year.

Details on both decisions are likely to come into clearer view this afternoon, when Board members hold their budget markup session starting at 2:30 p.m. Final budget adoption is slated for next Wednesday, April 22.

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News

Culpepper Garden transitions seniors amid plans to end assisted living by July

By Scott McCaffrey
Marta Hill Gray outside Culpepper Garden (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

The Culpepper Garden housing complex for low-income seniors is on track to fully phase out assisted-living services by June 30.

“We are looking forward to having all our residents settled [in other housing arrangements] by that day, which is what we promised,” Culpepper Garden CEO Marta Hill Gray told ARLnow.

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