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

Panel: Changes to affordable-housing funding need nuance and community buy-in

By Scott McCaffrey
The previous plan for a new affordable housing building at 2031 N. Woodrow Street (via Arlington County)

Efforts to provide more funding for Arlington’s Affordable Housing Investment Fund (AHIF) will require buy-in from elected officials, the development industry, the General Assembly, activists and the broader community to be viable, an advisory panel believes.

“We should take the time and get it right,” said Joe Ventrone, a member of the Housing Commission’s working group on revisions to the government’s affordable-housing ordinance.

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News

New apartments hitting the market in Arlington increased by about 10% this year

By Scott McCaffrey
A home getting built (courtesy of RentCafe)

One in every 280 apartments set for completion in 2025 nationally will be in Arlington, a rate higher than last year, according to new data.

The expected 1,806 new rental units to become available countywide before the end of the year represents 0.36% of the national total of about 506,300 new apartments, according to recent estimates from RentCafe.com’s annual apartment construction report.

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News

Falls Church Library Board plans more hands-on budget review this year

By Scott McCaffrey
Mary Riley Styles Library (via BKV Group)

Members of the Falls Church Library Board of Trustees will take more time to review staff budget proposals before they go to the city manager and City Council this year.

The process will take place in two steps, library leaders said at the board’s Aug. 20 meeting.

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News

Final push toward Election Day starts right after Labor Day in Arlington

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

The two-month sprint to Election Day in Arlington begins next Tuesday as the Arlington County Civic Federation holds its annual candidate forum.

The Civic Federation is typically the first organization to hold a fall election-themed forum. This year, the event will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 2 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Hazel Auditorium at VHC Health.

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Schools

Durán: APS is more than 99% staffed up as 2025-26 school year begins

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

Arlington Public Schools opens the 2025-26 school year with a 99.3% staffing rate, one of the highest in recent memory.

Only 34 staff positions out of more than 3,000 positions are unfilled, Superintendent Francisco Durán told School Board members on Aug. 21.

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Schools

What changes to expect at APS when the school year begins next week

By Scott McCaffrey
An APS school bus (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Changes to the online back-to-school packet, updated cellphone policies and planning for projects to support student well-being are coming to Arlington Public Schools this year.

School leaders hope that some of the changes will deliver a smoother process leading up to the first day of class, which begins one week from today on Monday, Aug. 25.

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News

Licensing a dog in Arlington could get easier someday

By Scott McCaffrey
Ace was ARLnow's Adoptable Pet of the Week in late October 2024 (courtesy Animal Welfare League of Arlington)

The process of licensing a dog in Arlington is less onerous than it used to be, but efforts are underway to streamline it further.

Until recent years, dog owners were required to come to the treasurer’s office in person to present the required rabies certificate and pay the fee. More recently, an online option was added, but it remains a two-step process.

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News

Late tax payments increase slightly, troubling Arlington treasurer’s office

By Scott McCaffrey
County treasurer's office compliance personnel (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Arlington’s tax-delinquency rate ticked up slightly this year, despite the county treasurer’s office’s efforts to address high rates of late payment and non-payment of vehicle taxes.

The delinquency rate of 0.18% was up from 0.17% last year and above the goal of 0.16% set by Treasurer Carla de la Pava.

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News

Falls Church officials strengthen affordable housing goals in updated comprehensive plan

By Scott McCaffrey
Falls Church Mayor Letty Hardi (screenshot via City of Falls Church)

The Falls Church City Council has updated the city’s comprehensive plan with an increased focus on affordable housing.

A new policy document, unanimously approved after more than 18 months of discussion on how to align the city’s inclusive vision with fiscal reality, calls for a “dedicated, annual and indexed” source of city funds for affordable-housing efforts.

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News

Arlington ballots will allow no more than three ranked-choice options in November

By Scott McCaffrey
Election Day in Arlington (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington voters will be able to select up to three County Board contenders, but no more, through ranked-choice voting this election season.

County elections director Gretchen Reinemeyer confirmed at an Electoral Board meeting on Tuesday that three will be the maximum number available to voters.

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News

Arlington isn’t obligated to help federal takeover of D.C. policing, Karantonis says

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington police officers moving protesters in D.C. during June 2020 incident (screenshot via @thehill/Twitter)

Regional mutual-aid agreements do not require Arlington agencies to support federal policing efforts in D.C., County Board Chair Takis Karantonis believes.

The federal government is not a signatory to those agreements, and even if a request came via D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department, it would receive close scrutiny, Karantonis said at a Tuesday luncheon of Arlington Senior Democrats.

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News

Falls Church leaders debate costs of different trash can sizes under new billing system

By Scott McCaffrey
Trash collection in Arlington (staff photo)

After nearly two hours of trash talk, Falls Church City Council leaders have settled on two potential options for funding future garbage collection and recycling services.

Council members have set a Sept. 8 date for a public hearing, and a likely final vote, on the long anticipated switch away from paying for trash collection and recycling services via general taxation.

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