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 Julie Farnam, candidate for Arlington County Board.
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 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:
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.
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
It’s a challenging real estate market out there.
Home sales were down in March, both in Northern Virginia and nationally. Prices remain elevated while inventory is tight and mortgage interest rates are well over 7%.
There’s no place like home. Especially if you’re from one of the safest, happiest, fittest, most climate resilient, most livable, most Millennial- and renter-friendly places in the United States.
This month’s Mike Mount cartoon hits on some familiar notes to make the point that, even on a deserted island, an Arlingtonian might find themselves trying to figure out ways to feel more connected to our fair county.
Arlington Public Schools might definitively put the kibosh on outside birthday treats in the classroom.
A policy update is set to be considered by the School Board later this month, according to the Gazette Leader.
In some very limited circumstances, ARLnow has been using AI-generated images to illustrate stories.
The typical use case are stories around a concept for which specific imagery might cause problems or is simply unavailable. For instance, file photos we have on hand for real estate stories show for-sale signs with a specific agent’s name and phone number, as well as a specific house — which someone presumably now lives in and might not love being shown over and over.
Happy April Fool’s Day, Arlington!
If you’re looking for some Arlington-specific gag articles involving gondolas, Starbucks openings, HQ2 plans and non-existant Potomac Yard arenas, unfortunately that’s not in our repertoire.
With the Alexandria NHL and NBA arena deal now dead, and MLB opening day today, it’s a good time to reflect on the fact that Arlington could have been the home of the Nationals.
In the early 2000s, a group bidding to land the Montreal Expos pitched the “PenPlace” site in Pentagon City. You know it now as the site where Amazon HQ2 Phase 2 and its distinctive Helix tower will be going (probably).
