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.

Schools

Results of new rating system for Virginia schools create confusion for APS leaders

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

County education leaders are still evaluating new accountability ratings that showed a mix of success and shortcomings among Arlington schools.

Eight Arlington schools were categorized as “Needs Intensive Support” under new rating system and first results released earlier this month by the Virginia Department of Education, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members at their Dec. 18 meeting.

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News

Falls Church library’s new digital archive provides more access to local history

By Scott McCaffrey
George Mason High School football players, 1956 (photo by Quentin R Porter via Mary Riley Styles Public Library)

An ever-increasing amount of Falls Church history is now available with just a few keystrokes.

The city’s Mary Riley Styles Public Library has started encouraging the public to take a test drive of its new digital archive.

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News

Decision on creating governance task force pushed back to summer of 2026

By Scott McCaffrey
County Board members JD Spain, Sr., and Susan Cunningham (screenshot via Arlington County)

The Arlington County Board has tapped the brakes on discussing any changes to the county’s governance structure, agreeing to return to the issue after some preliminary steps.

The 5-0 decision on Wednesday night, which deferred a vote on setting up a governance task force for at least seven months for further public outreach, represented a compromise between a deeply divided Board.

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News

Officials seek new early-voting site ahead of Madison Community Center renovations

By Scott McCaffrey
Early voting at the Madison Community Center on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 (staff photo)

Renovations at a North Arlington community center have county election officials on the lookout for a new early-voting site in 2026.

Madison Community Center (3829 N. Stafford Street), which is closing in the spring for about a year of renovations, serves as a regular polling place on Election Day and one of two satellite centers open for early voting in the weeks leading up to elections.

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News

County Board joins push for $460M more funding for Metro each year

By Scott McCaffrey
Clarendon Metro station (staff photo)

The Arlington County Board is throwing its weight behind a region-wide proposal to provide more funding for Metro.

County Board members on Tuesday voted unanimously to encourage General Assembly action on the regional DMV Moves plan for sustained increases in transit funds.

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News

Arlington faces $13M shortfall from low consumer spending and real estate revenue

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz (via Arlington County/YouTube)

Arlington County’s tax revenue was millions of dollars short of what was expected in the first months of this fiscal year, resulting in cutbacks on some expenditures.

County revenue from real estate taxes and taxes on public consumption — like sales, meals and lodging taxes — was $13 million behind projections during the first four months of the fiscal year that began July 1, County Manager Mark Schwartz said in a County Board briefing yesterday (Tuesday).

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Schools

Construction delays at new Career Center building push up against 2026-27 school year

By Scott McCaffrey
Construction in August at the forthcoming Grace Hopper Center, located next to the current Arlington Career Center (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

The new home of the Arlington Career Center is still on track to be ready for the start of the 2026-27 school year, but the margin of error is getting increasingly narrow.

School Board members are preparing to discuss a staff request to appropriate $670,000 in contingency funds on Thursday, aiming to meet the most recent challenges for the new Grace Hopper Center at 816 S. Walter Reed Drive.

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News

Historic cemetery on Langston Blvd to receive fencing and a bench from county

By Scott McCaffrey
Grave markers at Calloway United Methodist Church (via Arlington County)

A new partnership between the county government and a local church aims to preserve, improve and maintain public access to a historic cemetery.

The county government plans to install perimeter fencing, access gates and a bench at Calloway United Methodist Church’s cemetery at 5000 Langston Blvd, one of the oldest church-affiliated African American graveyards in all of Arlington.

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News

Revised plan for affordable housing building near Langston Blvd wins praise at meeting

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

An updated plan for an affordable housing building near Langston Blvd has received mostly praise but some criticism from the Housing Commission.

The Housing Commission was provided an update on Dec. 4 on the plan to replace 40 garden-style apartments at the Leckey Gardens apartment complex with a 10-story apartment building with 249 committed-affordable units.

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News

Panel seeks solutions to snow on sidewalks at intersections in Arlington

By Scott McCaffrey
An icy crosswalk in Crystal City on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Members of a local advisory committee are looking for ways to make Arlington more walkable after snow falls.

In focus for the Pedestrian Advisory Committee this year are curb cuts leading from sidewalks into intersections, which often fill up with snow from plows and, at times, people shoveling sidewalks.

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News

Plan for 743-unit expansion to RiverHouse in Pentagon City receives approval

By Scott McCaffrey
Seven-story residential building proposed for RiverHouse site (via Arlington County)

After years of discussion and hours of public testimony this weekend, the County Board has approved a substantial expansion to Pentagon City’s RiverHouse development.

In a series of 5-0 votes, Board members approved JBG Smith’s proposal to add 132 four-story townhome-style properties as well as two mid-rise multifamily buildings, one of 102 units and the second of 509, at the 36-acre RiverHouse site along Army Navy Drive and S. Joyce Street.

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