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.

Sports

Falls Church School Board lauds Meridian’s state-champion golf squad

By Scott McCaffrey
The state champion Meridian golf team (courtesy of Meridian athletics)

Members of the state-champion Meridian High School varsity golf team were honored Dec. 10 by the Falls Church School Board.

“That’s an impressive achievement — we’re really proud,” School Board Chairman Tate Gould said in reaction to the team’s Virginia High School League Class 3 state crown, achieved during competition on the Heritage Oaks Golf Course in Harrisonburg.

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News

Costs to rise for county EV-charging stations, Gateway Park plan approved & more

By Scott McCaffrey
Former Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey charging an electric vehicle (courtesy Arlington County)

Arlington County Board members approved higher fees for access to county-operated electric-vehicle charging stations this past Saturday (Dec. 14), among other actions.

“We’re not trying to make big bucks. We’re just trying to meet our costs,” Board chair Libby Garvey said after the vote to raise the base fee from the current 14.52 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 17.46 cents.

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News

JD Spain, Sr. pledges to be voice for entire community on County Board

By Scott McCaffrey
JD Spain, Sr., at swearing-in ceremony (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Incoming County Board member JD Spain, Sr., used his ceremonial swearing-in ceremony to promote the spirit of collaboration and community.

During the Dec. 14 ceremony, Spain — a Democrat — pledged to support a community “where everyone feels valued and safe.”

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News

County Board chair to focus on economic development, office vacancies in 2025

By Scott McCaffrey
County Board members Takis Karantonis (left) and Matt de Ferranti (right) at the Madison Community Center polling place on June 8, 2021 (photo via Takis Karantonis/Twitter)

Arlington’s likely 2025 County Board chairman has economic-development and property-repurposing initiatives atop his to-do list for the coming year.

“One out of four square feet [of office space in the county] is unoccupied,” Takis Karantonis on Dec. 10 told members of Arlington Senior Democrats. “It’s the highest for us ever, and one of the highest in the nation. What is worse, it’s not looking like the business is coming back.”

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Schools

Departing School Board members lauded for service to students

By Scott McCaffrey
Cristina Diaz-Torrez (Arlington Public Schools video)

Dec. 12 was a graduation day of sorts for Arlington’s two departing School Board members.

“Your work has made a real difference,” Board chair Mary Kadera told Cristina Diaz-Torres and David Priddy at the meeting, the body’s final one of the year.

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Schools

School Board adopts all-day ban on student phone use, makes one exception

By Scott McCaffrey
Cell-phone use is restricted in Arlington's public schools (via Christian Wiediger/Unsplash)

Arlington School Board members Thursday night (Dec. 12) voted unanimously to implement a bell-to-bell ban on student use of phones in county schools starting Jan. 6.

“Our schools are places of learning,” Superintendent Francisco Durán said just before the vote, saying his recommendation was “a policy that will protect that instructional space.”

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News

Democratic chair downplays Trump’s vote increase in Arlington

By Scott McCaffrey
Arlington County Democratic Committee chair Steve Baker (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Donald Trump did slightly better in Arlington in 2024 than 2020 and 2016. But the difference was slight, the chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee told his party’s rank-and-file.

“Arlington did its job” in turning out the vote for presidential candidate Kamala Harris, Democratic chair Steve Baker said at the committee’s Dec. 4 monthly meeting.

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News

County seeks $8M in funding for key Crystal City connector trail

By Scott McCaffrey
A long row of Capital Bikeshare bicycles (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington leaders will likely seek regional funding for a major pedestrian/bicycle connector trail in Crystal City.

County Board members on Saturday (Dec. 14) are expected to request $8 million from the pool of $25 million to $30 million that will be available next year from tolling on I-395 and I-95.

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News

Arlington print newspapers face thinning ranks after a vibrant history

By Scott McCaffrey
Issues of the GazetteLeader newspaper (staff photo)

The demise of the GazetteLeader news organization in late September left Arlington with just a single weekly print news publication.

Should the survivor, the Arlington Connection, someday follow the trend of print publications moving online or disappearing entirely, that could be the end of the community’s legacy of physical newspapers — one that spans more than two centuries.

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News

A new version of Missing Middle zoning changes may be studied

By Scott McCaffrey
An approved EHO development in the Leeway Overlee neighborhood, in October 2024 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

The Arlington Housing Commission is considering whether to study possible ways to revive Missing Middle zoning changes.

The Expanded Housing Option is currently off the books following a circuit court judge’s ruling this summer.

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News

Public-health director who guided Arlington through the pandemic is retiring

By Scott McCaffrey
Dr. Reuben Varghese at walk-up coronavirus testing center opening in May 2020 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

In his nearly two decades as Arlington’s public-health director, Dr. Reuben Varghese has never been short of new challenges to tackle.

Among them: Ebola. West Nile Disease. H1N1 influenza. Monkeypox. The fallout — literally and figuratively — from a potential nuclear strike. And of course, COVID-19.

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