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

APS enrollment is down 1.6% from the start of school last year

By Scott McCaffrey
Teacher stands with hands on hips addressing a diverse circle of elementary students seated on a colorful rug in a classroom.
Superintendent Francisco Durán at a first-day-of-school event (via APS)

Arlington Public Schools kicked off the school year with an enrollment of 27,173, down 1.6% from last year.

The figure, which counts students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, is down from 27,603 reported during the first week of the 2025-26 school year.

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News

Families of wage earners detained by ICE to receive up to $2K from Arlington County

By Scott McCaffrey
Crowd of protesters holding signs reading Justice for José and Stop, gathered at a street demonstration behind a speaker podium.
José Mejía Hernandez discusses injuries that he says he received during a recent ICE arrest (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

The Arlington County Board has set aside $50,000 for grants to support families whose primary wage earner has been detained by immigration enforcement.

Grants distributed by Arlington Thrive will provide up to $2,000 per affected family over the coming 10 months. Funds will support basic needs such as housing, food and utilities.

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News

Cast ballots early and in-person, Arlington Democrats chair urges voters

By Scott McCaffrey
Two people cast ballots at a red voting booth set up in a gymnasium.
Two Arlington voters cast ballots at Innovation Elementary School in Lyon Village (staff photo by Ryan Cole)

The county’s Democratic leadership is advising local voters to take no chances as the Nov. 3 general election draws closer.

“I am concerned about threats to voting,” Arlington County Democratic Committee chair Paul Ruiz said at the party’s monthly meeting on Sept. 2.

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News

Environmental group honors Del. Lopez for work on ‘forever chemicals’

By Scott McCaffrey
Man in a dark suit speaking into a handheld microphone at a panel or event, gesturing with his right hand
Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-3 (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

The Virginia League of Conservation Voters saluted Del. Alfonso Lopez this week for his legislative work on water quality this year.

Lopez (D-3) was honored alongside Sen. Richard Stuart, a Westmoreland County Republican, on Sept. 1 for joint efforts on legislation requiring testing for PFAS on biosolids applied to farmland.

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News

Arlington NAACP prepares for leadership elections, banquet

By Scott McCaffrey
Rev. Dr. DeLishia Davis (screenshot via Arlington NAACP)

The Arlington NAACP has begun laying the groundwork for leadership elections for 2027-28.

“We welcome anyone and everyone who would like to serve,” incumbent president Rev. DeLishia Davis said at the organization’s monthly meeting on Monday night.

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News

Arlington’s 100th anniversary celebrations in 1946 fell short of expectations

By Scott McCaffrey
Front page of The Arlington Daily (Sept 6, 1946) with large headlines about Arlington County Centennial Celebration and postwar policy, black-and-white photos mix.
Arlington Daily coverage of 1946 centennial celebration (via Virginia Chronicle)

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.

Around this time 80 years ago, Arlington residents celebrated the community’s 100th anniversary with a week’s worth of special events.

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News

Arlington’s jobless rate stabilizes, despite a shrinking workforce

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

Arlington’s employment picture appears to be stabilizing after a tumultuous 18 months, during which the county lost thousands of jobs.

With 147,695 county residents employed in the county’s civilian workforce and 4,452 looking for jobs, the county’s jobless rate of 2.9% in July was down slightly from 3% a year before.

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News

Falls Church begins rewriting rules for clearing snow from sidewalks

By Scott McCaffrey
Ice-covered sidewalk on W. Broad Street after January 2026 storm (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Falls Church City Council members appear to be closing in on simplified guidelines for shoveling sidewalks after winter storms.

City officials authorized a Sept. 14 public hearing on a proposal to create a uniform requirement that snow be removed within 12 hours of a storm’s end.

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News

More ‘stumbling stone’ installations to honor dozens enslaved in Arlington

By Scott McCaffrey
Attendees at the stumbling-stone ceremony at Lomax AME Zion Church (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Markers honoring dozens more people once enslaved in Arlington are slated to be installed by the end of the year.

The Memorializing the Enslaved in Arlington project has been in the process of installing “stumbling stones,” brass markers embedded in sidewalks. They mark places where those enslaved in Arlington lived and/or worked between 1669 and 1865.

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Schools

APS students’ testing scores improve in four of five categories

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Public Schools' chief academic officer Gerald Mann (screenshot via APS)

Arlington Public Schools students recorded increases in four of five broad academic categories in the Virginia Department of Education’s 2025-26 Standards of Learning exams (SOLs).

The school system reported overall increases in reading, history/social sciences, mathematics and science pass rates, with a decline in the writing category.

Go to APS students’ testing scores improve in four of five categories Read more
News

Libertarian takes on Rep. Beyer, pledging to cut government waste, support civil liberties

By Scott McCaffrey
Shelly Arnoldi (via Shelly Arnoldi for Virginia/Facebook)

A congressional candidate with the backing of the Libertarian Party of Northern Virginia is challenging U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-8) on the November ballot.

Shelly Arnoldi understands the uphill battle for anyone taking on Beyer in a district that, in recent years, has been a Democratic political fortress. However, she says her effort to unseat him will bring important issues into the local political discussion.

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News

Arlington rents decrease slightly year-over-year, following nationwide trends

By Scott McCaffrey
An apartment building in Shirlington (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

Arlington apartment rents declined year-over-year in August but are up 3.5% since the start of 2026, according to new data.

The median rental price for an apartment countywide was $2,460 for one-bedroom units, $2,973 for two bedrooms and $2,612 overall, according to figures reported Aug. 26 by Apartment List.

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