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

Gulf Branch, Long Branch nature centers expanding hours next month

By Scott McCaffrey
Gulf Branch Nature Center (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Arlington’s two county-government-operated nature centers will see their operating days doubled in two weeks.

The county’s Department of Parks and Recreation has announced plans for Long Branch and Gulf Branch nature centers to be open six days a week for the winter season, starting on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

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News

Arlington Independent Media boosters gear up to rebuild finances, operations

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

Arlington Independent Media now has new board of directors and the outlines of a battle plan to bring itself back from the brink of extinction.

“We’re not giving up the ghost,” the organization’s outgoing secretary, Claire Seaton, said at the end of AIM’s annual membership meeting, held Sunday (Oct. 27).

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News

New county LGBTQ+ advisory panel starts prioritizing issues to tackle

By Scott McCaffrey
LGBTQ+ rainbow pride flag (Photo by Sophie Emeny via Unsplash)

The Arlington government’s new LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee held its first meeting this week, electing a chair and vice chair and beginning to set priorities.

“I want to hear the different ideas everyone has, and how we can work together,” said Laman Ben-Trahoret, a committee member, on Monday (Oct. 21).

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News

City Council candidates offer top ways to improve Falls Church transportation

By Scott McCaffrey
City Council candidates Laura Downs and John Murphy (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

At the recent Falls Church Chamber of Commerce candidate forum, the two aspirants running in the special election for City Council were posed this hypothetical situation.

“If you had $50 million handed to you,” they were asked, “how would you use it to make transportation better in the city?”

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News

At forum, Beyer unenthusiastic about need for federal probe into jail operations

By Scott McCaffrey
2024 Arlington NAACP candidate forum (via Arlington NAACP)

U.S. Rep. Don Beyer says he does not, at present, desire to see a federal investigation into conditions at the Arlington County Detention Facility.

But speaking at a Monday (Oct. 21) candidate forum hosted by the Arlington NAACP, Beyer (D-Va.) did seek more interaction between local officials and their federal counterparts on the issue.

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Around Town

Lyon Park residents are delving into neighborhood’s past while contemplating its future

By Scott McCaffrey
Lyon Park Community Center in 2016 (Flickr pool photo by Alan Kotok)

As it moves further into its second century, the Lyon Park community is taking a deeper dive into understanding its formative years.

From digitizing historical records to developing a trio of commemorative markers, leaders hope that looking to the past will help shape the Arlington neighborhood’s next century.

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News

‘Buckingham Pollinator’ sought as name for new Ballston-area park

By Scott McCaffrey
Plans for Buckingham Pollinator Park (Arlington County)

Members of the Park and Recreation Commission on Tuedsay (Oct. 22) voted unanimously to recommend that the Arlington County Board bestow the name “Buckingham Pollinator Park” on a new park.

The park is to be constructed as part of redevelopment of the Harris Teeter site in the Ballston area.

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Schools

School Board candidates: APS leaving some groups of students behind

By Scott McCaffrey
School Board candidates and NAACP moderator (via Arlington NAACP)

Is Arlington Public Schools a two-tiered education system, with some groups receiving needed resources while others are left behind?

That was the view, to varying degrees, of the four candidates vying for two open School Board seats.

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News

County plans to deploy more weekend problem-solving staff across Clarendon

By Scott McCaffrey
A St. Patrick's Day bar crawl in Clarendon in 2014 (photo via Groupon)

More county staff will be deployed on weekends to keep the nightlife scene in Clarendon lively for patrons while more proactively addressing concerns of those who live nearby.

Upcoming efforts likely will include having code-enforcement and fire-marshal personnel on hand to immediately respond to issues that arise, officials say.

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News

County Board aspirants each want significant governance changes enacted

By Scott McCaffrey
School Board candidates and forum moderator (via Arlington NAACP)

Those hoping to be Arlington’s next County Board member each want to see the body updated to meet the needs of the 21st century.

And that could include expanding the number of Board members, carving the county into election districts or adding an elected chief executive with strong powers.

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News

New zoning rules for Arlington addiction-recovery homes win County Board approval

By Scott McCaffrey
An existing recovery residence in Arlington (via Google Maps)

Arlington County Board members on Saturday (Oct. 19) voted 4-1 to amend zoning rules allowing more people to occupy addiction-recovery residences in the community.

The new rules allow up to eight people by-right for recovery residences located in single-family neighborhoods. A local-government use permit will be required in other zoning areas or if more than eight occupants are sought.

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