One news story this week has divided Arlington, and promises to dominate conversation for days to come.
Everybody has an opinion, but there is seemingly no resolution in sight to a question vexing residents and non-residents alike:
Opinion
On Monday, The Washington Post ran the following headline: “Metro hails SafeTrack as a success, but it has yet to translate into better services for riders.”
The article was not any better for the system than the headline. After one year and nearly $160 million spent addressing decades of deferred maintenance on its basic infrastructure, the system still has miles to go on repairs.
Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
APS Superintendent Patrick Murphy has recommended a short-term plan to add 1,300 new high school seats by 2022. Under Murphy’s “hybrid proposal,” 600 seats would be added at the Ed Center and 700 seats would be added at the Career Center.
By Christopher Gray
Today, many Virginia workers face stark choices without easy answers. Even as cuts in public funding cause college tuition to rise at an unreasonable rate and with a student debt crisis that threatens to spiral out of control, the percentage of Americans over 25 with a college degree continues to grow at historic rates.
Though a bit of a roller coaster, it’s been a cooler spring than we’re used to in the D.C. area. It’s June and the high temperature today isn’t even supposed to break 70.
Good news for those who like it hot: A heat wave is on the way next week. And the first official day of summer is around the corner, on June 21.
Even in a shortened week thanks to the Memorial Day holiday, there has still been plenty to talk about around Arlington.
Here are the top five most-read articles this week:
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Two little discussed revenue raisers in the most recent Arlington budget were included by the County Board in April and formally voted on last week.
Your natural gas and electricity bills will go up in what was described as a “slight uptick” in a recent ARLnow story. The slight uptick is a rate increase of 50%.
Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
On November 28, 2016, the county received a proposal from a private developer, Arcland Property Company. Under the proposal, Arcland would exchange land it owns on Shirlington Road for part of the N. Quincy Street site (known as the Buck property) located across the street from Washington-Lee High School.
By Elaine Furlow
Could you explain basketball’s March Madness to people in China? Who would even try?
The following Letter to the Editor was written by former U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and his wife Rohini. The Chopras are Arlington residents and parents of Arlington Public Schools students.
While many Arlingtonians are mobilizing to protect much needed science investments in the wake of proposed Trump administration budget cuts, a more pressing local threat has emerged that needs our immediate attention: the June 1st Arlington School Board vote that, if passed, will unnecessarily weaken our best shot at helping lower-income kids succeed in science and, thus, prepare for the jobs and industries of the future. And it does so without adding a single new seat to handle APS-wide over-crowding challenges.
The annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle rally rumbled into town late last week and has departed.
The Memorial Day weekend tradition, which is intended to honor military veterans and bring attention to the plight of those killed and missing in action, calls Arlington home. Its headquarters is at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City and its main rally point is the Pentagon parking lot.
We made it to Memorial Day weekend. Have a relaxing time, and keep in mind the various closures throughout the county on Monday.
It’s a time to remember those who made their ultimate sacrifice for our country, and with so many reminders throughout Arlington like the Pentagon, the Air Force Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Day is particularly significant.