Opinion | ARLnow.com

Morning Poll: Increase Density to Improve Affordability?

Published December 9, 2011 at 9:31AM

(Updated at 9:35 a.m.) During a panel discussion on Wednesday, some local employers expressed concern that Arlington County’s economy might be negatively impacted by the continued rise in rents and housing prices.

“Panelists described a scenario that could leave Arlington with housing options only for those at the top end of the economic spectrum, and those lucky enough to win access to subsidized rental units,” the Sun Gazette reported. That scenario, some say, could make it harder for Arlington employers to fill working class jobs.

Morning Poll: Thanksgiving Consumption

By ARLnow.com

Published November 28, 2011 at 10:04AM

Despite the fact that 29 percent of Americans say they’re seriously trying to lose weight, there are few signs that people are actually cutting back on their annual Thanksgiving feasts.

This year, the National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys would be consumed on Thanksgiving — that’s almost 3 pounds of turkey per person, given the average weight of 16 pounds per bird.

Morning Poll: Thanksgiving Travel

By ARLnow.com

Published November 23, 2011 at 9:47AM

According to AAA and the Associated Press, Thanksgiving airfare and the cost of filling a tank of gas are both up 20 percent this year.

Nonetheless, 42.5 million people nationwide are expected to hit the roads, rails and airways for Thanksgiving — the highest number since the beginning of the recession. Here in the Washington region, more than 1 million people are expected to travel for the holiday, and the vast majority of them will be getting to their destination via highways, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Morning Poll: Citizen Sign Cops?

By ARLnow.com

Published November 22, 2011 at 9:30AM

Proponents for citizen sign enforcement have spoken up during past Board meetings, but with little to show for it. Now, however, with the county advertising proposed changes to its sign ordinance, three out of five Board members seem willing to seriously consider the idea.

One argument against the idea is the conflict it could create between business owners and the citizen sign enforcers.

Morning Poll: Occupy Arlington?

By ARLnow.com

Published November 17, 2011 at 9:35AM

It’s not clear how many people will show up for the march. At this point, Occupy NoVA appears to be a loose coalition of, at most, a couple dozen people. And unlike their Occupy D.C. and Occupy Wall Street brethren, Occupy NoVA is not occupying anything at the moment. The group has not yet established any encampments — but they say that future plans are up for discussion.

Though Arlington is generally considered a bastion of progressivism in an otherwise right-leaning state, would county residents and workers support a move by Occupy NoVA to occupy a local park or square?

Morning Poll: Groupon Deals

By ARLnow.com

Published November 9, 2011 at 10:47AM

Those blockbuster deals would attract thousands of buyers and help spread the word about Groupon. But are the deals cooling off?

Groupon held its initial public stock offering on Friday, and since then the stock price has steadily fallen from a high of $31 to $23.50, as of this morning. Analysts have questioned whether Groupon can live up to its multi-billion dollar valuation with reports that local merchants — especially restaurants — are souring on the big daily deal model, which is often a money-loser thanks to Groupon taking up to half of the proceeds from already-discounted sales.

Morning Poll: Lower Residential Speed Limits?

By ARLnow.com

Published November 8, 2011 at 9:36AM

The plan would make the streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, while adding only a minute or two of travel time to most trips, advocates say.

Critics say such low speeds would be hard for motorists to maintain, would add to the District’s traffic woes and could actually increase incidents of aggressive driving and road rage.

Morning Poll: Daylight Saving Time

By ARLnow.com

Published November 4, 2011 at 9:30AM

Courthouse Plaza clock (courtesy Mnemosyne2009)

On Sunday at 2:00 a.m., clocks will “fall back” to 1:00 a.m. The time shift will give bar-goers an extra hour of partying, will give others an extra hour of sleep, and will force Metro to stay open an extra hour.

Daylight Saving Time was originally created in order to save energy and to reduce the number of daylight hours people wasted by sleeping through in the summer. While popular with folks who work from 9-5 and who don’t like leaving work at dusk (the sun will set at 5:02 p.m. on Monday, and days will continue getting shorter until the winter solstice on Dec. 22), farmers, who have to wake up especially early during the summer growing season, typically oppose Daylight Saving Time.

Morning Poll: New Restaurants Along R-B Corridor

By ARLnow.com

Published November 2, 2011 at 9:48AM

Thanks to new residential and commercial developments, and the coming influx of Fairfax residents on the new Silver Line, the number of customers frequenting local businesses — especially restaurants — will almost certainly continue to grow over time.

Given complaints that we have an overabundance of certain types of restaurants, we thought it useful to ask: what sort of restaurant would you like to see more of?

Candidate Essay: Audrey Clement

By ARLnow.com

Published November 1, 2011 at 1:40PM | Updated November 1, 2011 at 2:07PM

Audrey Clement in 2011

Here is the unedited response from Audrey Clement (G):

I’m long time resident of Arlington County with a Ph.D. in Political Science. I served as a congressional fellow in the 100^th Congress, serving the House Subcommittee on Select Education. I’m also an environmental activist. As treasurer of the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation, I fought the I-66 Spot Improvement Project as a waste of taxpayer funds, suing instead for an environmental assessment to study alternatives to widening I-66 piecemeal.

Candidate Essay: Walter Tejada

By ARLnow.com

Published November 1, 2011 at 1:20PM

Here is the unedited response from incumbent J. Walter Tejada (D):

My name is Walter Tejada and I am proud to call Arlington my hometown. I am honored to have served you on the Arlington County Board over the last eight years. We have a great community in which we enjoy a high quality of life. We are a safe community. We have a low real estate tax rate, the lowest unemployment rate in Virginia, and great schools. We are an award-winning model for smart growth.

Candidate Essay: Mary Hynes

By ARLnow.com

Published November 1, 2011 at 1:00PM

Here is the unedited response from incumbent Mary Hynes (D):

I love Arlington. It’s been my family’s home for more than 30 years; my five kids grew up here. I love that people from all around the world call Arlington home, that our small business community is very diverse and that our corporate citizens include some of America’s best companies. Our school system is admired; we’re fortunate to have great parks and libraries and many recreational choices. I love that Arlingtonians are not shy about sharing opinions and quick to offer help – whether it’s professional experience that’s needed, neighbor-to-neighbor outreach like Citizen Corps or Neighborhood Conservation, or effective advocacy and creativity on significant challenges like ensuring sufficient affordable housing. Working together we’ve made Arlington a great place!