Last week’s presidential debate led to the probability of a Trump victory rising in prediction markets.

Should the former president get elected to another term, there might be some chatter among Arlington’s most progressive residents of potentially moving out of the country — particularly among affluent progressives with the means to do so.


Telemarketing calls have been the bane of phone owners for decades, but an escalation led to action against “robocalls” by state and federal elected officials alike over the past couple of years.

A more modern telecommunications annoyance, meanwhile, may be taking the spotlight away from such calls.


Last week, we invited the candidates running in the June 18 Democratic primary to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.

Below is the unedited response from JD Spain, candidate for Arlington County Board.


Last week, we invited the candidates running in the June 18 Democratic primary to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.

Below is the unedited response from Natalie Roy, candidate for Arlington County Board.


Last week, we invited the candidates running in the June 18 Democratic primary to write a post about why Arlington residents should vote for them. Find information on how and where to vote here.

Below is the unedited response from Tenley Peterson, candidate for Arlington County Board.


A woman receiving a call while wearing a face mask at Long Bridge Park in May 2020 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Phone-based scams are common — but just how common?

That’s what we’re wondering in today’s morning poll, following an article we published last week, which detailed a local woman’s experience getting targeted by a sophisticated phone scammer.

It started with a phone call. Somebody claiming to be her daughter alleged she was being held by the police after striking a pregnant woman. She herself had a broken nose, according to the caller whose caller ID claimed to be from Woodbridge.

“This person on the phone had the exact mannerisms that my daughter has,” the mother said. “She said my name the same way that she usually does. She apologized profusely like she normally would.”

The caller claimed that bail was set at $180,000, before passing the phone to a supposed police officer. Soon after, the mother received a call from a Texas phone number, from somebody claiming to be an attorney.

That’s when the red flags started getting raised.

The article is among the most-read on ARLnow over the past week, pointing perhaps to worries that a similar attempted scam could happen to almost anyone.

To find out how common it actually is, today we’re asking readers: have you ever been targeted by a phone scam?


ARLnow Reader Choice logo

ARLnow is thinking about bringing back The Arlies, but under a different name and with a new way to vote.

We paused the Arlington Community Awards program two-and-a-half years ago to re-think how best to differentiate it from other local awards. Another consideration: how to encourage more people to vote while discouraging repeat voting.

Now, as we near the latter half of 2024, we think we might have the answer to both. The current plan is to:

  • Rebrand The Arlies as the ARLnow Readers’ Choice awards
  • Vote on one category each week, throughout the year, using the same voting system as Morning Poll posts like this one (the Arlies used a survey system, in which one had to click a link and then vote by typing in an answer)
  • Have up to 10 choices for each category, selected via automatic qualification (highest rated on Yelp, etc.) and reader nomination (with annual promotion/relegation depending on nominations/votes received the prior year)
  • Utilize our voting system’s ability to disqualify instances of repeat voting from the same computer
  • Announce the official winners for the previous week in each weekly voting post

The other local awards are great, but voting for and then announcing the winners all at once is perhaps not ideal. We believe that voting for one category at a time, while showing the unofficial results in real time, could be more fun and not as overwhelming — while encouraging voting from a broader swath of Arlington residents.

What do you think?


Tomorrow is the last day to share feedback about a dozen ideas for the future of Arlington libraries.

Arlington Public Library is conducting the survey as it seeks ways to serve the broader community beyond books and a quiet space.


Last week Rosslyn-based Politico broke the news about a big rift at Washington Golf and Country Club in North Arlington.

Some 240 members and spouses at the tony club at 3017 N. Glebe Road reportedly signed a letter expressing concerns about the plan to include a men’s bar and grill in a $5 million renovation project.


Gavel (Flickr photo by Joe Gratz)

Over the past couple of weeks ARLnow has reported on a pair of lawsuits against Arlington County.

There’s the ongoing suit against the Missing Middle zoning changes, which has the support of at least two candidates for County Board. And there’s a lawsuit against the Pentagon City Sector Plan, by condo residents upset about proposed development on the RiverHouse site potentially being detrimental to their property values and view of D.C.

The approval of Missing Middle and the sector plan both had supporters and outspoken critics when approved unanimously by the County Board.

Both suits ultimately rely on technicalities. An appellate judge in the sector plan suit rejected more substantive arguments about the proposed development and instead nullified the plan based on an insufficiently descriptive legal notice ad. The Missing Middle suit, meanwhile, primarily argues that the changes were insufficiently advertised and inadequately studied for potential impacts.

One could argue that such suits hold the Board accountable for discrepancies in its processes, while at minimum delaying policies that some people strongly disagree with. One could also argue that it’s a waste of taxpayer money that delays policies that duly elected representatives supported and still support.

Regardless of the reasons why, today we’re asking readers: do you support these lawsuits against the county?

Photo via Joe Gratz/Flickr


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