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

County Board approves one redevelopment in Clarendon, defers another near Rosslyn

By Scott McCaffrey
Design proposal for 2500 Wilson Blvd (via Arlington County)

Developers went 1-for-2 with County Board members on Saturday as one major redevelopment plan won approval and another went back to the drawing board.

It wasn’t everything they wanted, but County Board members got enough to unanimously approve the redevelopment of a key parcel in Clarendon.

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News

New Arlington voting equipment could kick into gear next spring

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

The Arlington electorate is getting new voting equipment, possibly as soon as next spring.

Electoral Board members have directed staff to begin negotiations with Unisyn Election Service Online to procure voting equipment for precincts and early-voting sites across the county.

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News

Expert: Improving Arlington’s transportation means facing deep-rooted challenges

By Scott McCaffrey
Parking meter in a performance parking zone in Ballston (staff photo)

A recent conversation with an expert on parking policy delved into the complexities of attempting to improve transportation infrastructure in Arlington.

Efforts now underway in Arlington are helping to break a century-old national focus on the automobile as primary, and sometimes lone, transportation option, said Henry Grabar, author of “Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.”

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News

‘Stuck market’ leaves Arlington homes selling far more slowly than last year

By Scott McCaffrey
Home for sale locally (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington homes are selling a lot more slowly than they were last summer.

The average Arlington home that sold in August had spent 41 days on the market — almost double the 23-day average in August 2024.

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News

Falls Church candidates pledge to keep a local focus on campaigning

By Scott McCaffrey
Candidates for Falls Church office at pledge-signing event (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

All six candidates for Falls Church City Council seats have agreed to abide by a “candidate integrity pledge.”

The six contenders for the three Council seats on the Nov. 4 ballot formally signed their support for the pledge during a candidate meet-and-greet social event held Sept. 5 at the Falls Church Arts Gallery.

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News

County Board candidates’ role models include Trump, AOC, Stacey Abrams

By Scott McCaffrey
County Board candidates at 2025 Civic Federation debate (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Asked to name national political figures they admire, aspirants for the County Board cast a wide net from left to right across the political spectrum.

The question was posed by former Board member John Vihstadt at the Sept. 2 Arlington County Civic Federation debate. A Republican and three independents are challenging incumbent Democrat Takis Karantonis in the Nov. 4 election.

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News

Two redevelopment projects, $4.9M for street improvements top packed County Board agenda

By Scott McCaffrey
Design proposal for 2500 Wilson Blvd (via Arlington County)

Two redevelopment proposals, $4.9 million for street improvements and planned renovations at Lacey Woods Park are all on the agenda for an upcoming County Board meeting.

Other agenda items include $365,810 in arts grants, $500,000 for “digital equity grants” and $150,000 in funding for local food security initiatives.

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News

Falls Church Council votes to have homeowners pay for city trash pickup

By Scott McCaffrey
Signage announces changes to Falls Church trash collection (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

After months of discussion, the Falls Church City Council has unanimously voted to change how the city funds residential trash collection and recycling.

City Council members voted 7-0 yesterday (Monday) to shift from a trash system funded through general taxes by all property owners, to one where only those in single-family homes and townhouses pay the cost.

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Schools

School Board candidates split over bringing back school resource officers

By Scott McCaffrey
Police on scene at Gunston Middle School after threat found in 2023 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Should Arlington Public Schools bring back school resource officers? Candidates running for School Board have starkly different opinions.

School Board candidate James “Vell” Rives IV used the Sept. 2 Arlington County Civic Federation candidate forum to press for a return of resource officers, known as SROs, which were removed from county schools four years ago.

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News

Survey on ranked-choice voting experiences planned after November election

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

Two nonprofits are preparing for a survey of Arlington voters’ experiences with ranked-choice voting shortly after polls close in November.

The goal is to “have the survey in the field immediately after the election, so opinions are fresh,” said Sally Hudson, executive director of Ranked Choice Virginia.

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Schools

Arlington Democrats urged not to argue with voters about APS transgender policies

By Scott McCaffrey
Activists outside an Arlington School Board meeting (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

An Arlington School Board member is cautioning Democrats against arguing with voters about the school system’s policies on transgender students this election season.

“Please don’t engage — you don’t need to get into a debate,” School Board member Zuraya Tapia-Hadley told attendees at an Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting on Wednesday.

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Schools

APS seeks to help more students earn college degrees while in high school

By Scott McCaffrey
2025 Arlington Tech dual-enrollment graduates (via Arlington Public Schools)

Arlington Public Schools leaders are seeking to help more students earn college degrees in tandem with high school diplomas.

In the spring, 19 students at Arlington Tech — the Governor’s STEM Academy at the Arlington Career Center — received associate’s degrees from Northern Virginia Community College through the program’s dual-enrollment effort.

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