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

New tenant-relocation guidelines could include more privacy protections

By Scott McCaffrey
A local apartment building (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A rewrite of the county’s current tenant-relocation guidelines aims to provide more privacy protections to impacted renters.

County staff have tweaked some proposed changes recommended by the Tenant-Landlord Commission, which had sought more specific information about people required to move out of apartments because of redevelopment.

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Arlington HOAs could get fee rebates for stormwater improvements

By Scott McCaffrey
Natural stormwater filter on the corner of 22nd and N. Kentucky Street in the Leeway Overlee neighborhood (via Arlington County)

A proposed tweak to Arlington’s two-year-old stormwater-fee program could help members of homeowners’ associations save a little money.

County Board members are considering a possible change to the county’s stormwater-credit fee in areas where homeowners’ groups have made specific stormwater improvements. The change, which Board members voted to advertise for an October public hearing, would allow for financial rebates of up to 35%.

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Falls Church officials prepare for start of early voting this week

By Scott McCaffrey
Falls Church Registrar David Bjerke feeds provisional ballots into a scanner (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Falls Church election officials are getting ready for the start of early voting on Friday and the general election in November.

At a meeting last week, leaders provided updates on plans to send mail-in ballots, select election officers and ensure that voting equipment is good to go.

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N. Va. Senior Olympics kick off with over 200 Arlington competitors

By Scott McCaffrey
Janet Garber was torch-carrier for the 2026 Senior Olympics (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

More than 200 of Arlington’s “seasoned citizens” are among a record 1,200 across the region participating in the 2025 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.

That county’s total of 209 competitors is up 17% from 2024, making Arlington the jurisdiction with the second most participants this year — behind Fairfax County.

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Karantonis: County can’t save Arlington Independent Media from possible demise

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington Independent Media staff at work in earlier times (via Arlington County)

Arlington’s top elected official says there’s nothing the county government can do to prevent the demise of Arlington Independent Media (AIM).

“The law is what the law is. We cannot do too much about that,” County Board Chair Takis Karantonis said at the Sept. 13 Board meeting, responding to concerns raised during the public-comment period about the state of local media in Arlington.

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Metrobus riders worry more about crime than those using rail, survey finds

By Scott McCaffrey
Police at Court House Metro station (file photo)

Crime is declining on the Metro system, but riders’ perceptions of safety depend on which mode of transportation they use.

Riders on Metrobus reported more safety concerns than those on Metrorail. Overall, however, rider satisfaction rates are either flat or improving, according to data reported at the Sept. 11 meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Area Transit Authority’s safety and operations committee.

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

By Scott McCaffrey
Home for sale in Falls Church (staff file 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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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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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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