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

Local homelessness advocate and Rotary Club member receives leadership award

By Scott McCaffrey
Liz Nohra, holding plaque, with dignitaries at ISCC luncheon (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A member of the Arlington Rotary Club and leader at an Arlington homelessness nonprofit has received a local leadership award.

Liz Nohra received the Inter-Service Club Council of Arlington’s 2025 Community Leader Award at the organization’s 86th annual awards luncheon, held at Washington Golf & Country Club last week.

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News

Sen. Favola receives top honor from Arlington Bar Foundation

By Scott McCaffrey
Sen. Barbara Favola is flanked by Courtney McCarthy and Mark Cumming at the Bar Foundation awards presentation (photo courtesy Rob Willey)

For her efforts in support of Virginia women, children and families, one of Arlington’s state senators has received the Arlington County Bar Foundation’s highest honor.

Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40) was presented with the 35th annual William Winston Award during the foundation’s annual luncheon, held at Washington Golf & Country Club last week.

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News

New oral history project launches with volunteers from Arlington Historical Society

By Scott McCaffrey
Jeanine Brundage and Karen Darner explore Arlington Historical Museum exhibition (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

The Arlington Historical Society has launched a new initiative designed to capture present-day voices for future study and understanding.

In preparation for pilot projects — including discussions with those involved in development in the Shirlington area as well as the Crystal City Underground — co-chairs Sean Denniston and Marty Suydam recently completed a five-week training session on oral histories courtesy of the Office of Historic Alexandria.

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News

Airport leaders budget for a modest rebound in Reagan National travelers next year

By Scott McCaffrey
A Delta flight at the gate at Reagan National Airport (staff photo)

Regional airport leaders are budgeting for a moderate rebound in passenger numbers after a decline in 2025.

The calendar year 2026 budget for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) anticipates about 12.8 million enplanements next year, up from a projected 12.6 million in 2025 but down from the record 13.1 million enplanements in 2024.

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News

Plans for governance task force drive strong divisions within Arlington County Board

By Scott McCaffrey
Julius "JD" Spain, Sr., is the chief County Board proponent of a governance-change task force (screenshot via Arlington County)

County Board members continue to be divided on how quickly to move forward with a new advisory panel to look at governance issues over the coming year.

As things now stand, there appears to be a 3-2 Board majority to move forward in setting up the panel and determining its responsibilities at a meeting sometime in mid-December.

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News

Arlington treasurer’s office plans new tools and more staff to cut growing delinquency rate

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Treasurer Carla de la Pava (via Arlington County/YouTube)

The Arlington treasurer’s office is seeking to curb a growing rate of tax delinquency with new tools and additional personnel.

The addition of QR codes on delinquency letters, in combination with the hiring of two new collection employees, leaves Chief Deputy Treasurer Kim Rucker optimistic about the possibility of lowering the delinquency rate despite challenging economic times.

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News

Karantonis endorses $460M in annual Metro funding, but says the region needs more

By Scott McCaffrey
The Pentagon City Metro station (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Officials from Arlington and Falls Church have endorsed a regional plan to support the Metro system with $460 million per year.

County Board Chair Takis Karantonis and Falls Church City Council member David Snyder were part of the 22-0 vote, with two abstentions, as the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) board of directors backed the funding plan laid out in late October by the DMV Task Force.

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Schools

Students, parents and staff push APS to commit to TJ Middle School upgrades

By Scott McCaffrey
Sign held at School Board 2025 hearing (courtesy Thomas Jefferson Middle School PTSA)

Numerous community members are pressing the Arlington School Board for a firm commitment to either renovating or replacing Thomas Jefferson Middle School.

Teachers, parents and students all pointed to the challenges of the half-century-old building’s narrow halls and limited natural light, which result in what one seventh grader called “a somewhat depressing environment.”

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News

Where to find Christmas trees in Arlington and Falls Church this season

By Scott McCaffrey
A yellow stand selling Christmas trees in 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Sales of Christmas trees and other seasonal items are returning to Arlington and Falls Church for the holiday season.

As usual, many holiday markets begin shortly after Thanksgiving, representing an annual tradition and local pilgrimage for countless buyers and sellers in the area.

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News

Falls Church leaders consider new tax surcharge on business real estate

By Scott McCaffrey
Falls Church City Manager Wyatt Shields (screenshot via City of Falls Church)

Falls Church leaders have begun talks on a possible tax surcharge on commercial property to fund transportation improvements.

If it’s enacted, owners of non-residential parcels in the city could pay an additional rate of up to 12.5 cents per $100 assessed value each year, similar to surcharges in neighboring Arlington and Fairfax counties.

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Schools

APS seeks to reduce chronic absenteeism to pre-Covid rates by 2030

By Scott McCaffrey
School Board Chair Bethany Zecher Sutton (via APS)

Arlington Public Schools leaders hope to return to a lower, pre-Covid level of student absenteeism by 2030.

“That last year before the pandemic, 2018-19, we were around [an] 8% rate. We have been using that number as a goal, our star, for the last couple of years,” said Darrell Simpson, executive director for student services, during a Nov. 13 briefing of School Board members.

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