Opinion | ARLnow.com

Examiner Blasts Arlington’s Streetcar Project

Published July 7, 2011 at 9:36AM

“This colossal, unjustified waste of tax dollars has been deliberately concealed from the public,” the Examiner alleges. However, the plan to convert the transitway into a streetcar line has been discussed in public meetings.

The Examiner editorial also alleges that the planned streetcar line along Columbia Pike will hinder traffic, especially during rush hour. The paper says the county should release the results of a simulation that attempted to find out how much vehicle travel times would be affected by the streetcar.

Morning Poll: Parking Rate Increases

By ARLnow.com

Published July 1, 2011 at 8:51AM | Updated July 1, 2011 at 9:10AM

Parking is getting more expensive in Arlington. Starting today, parking rates are going up by 25 cents.

The hourly long-term meter rate is increasing from $0.75 to $1.00 while the hourly short-term meter rate is increasing from $1.00 to $1.25.

Morning Poll: New Comcast Guide

By ARLnow.com

Published June 29, 2011 at 10:56AM

The new guide was touted in mailings as faster and easier to use with a few new features that had been requested by customers. Many local customers, however, have taken to our comments section to blast the new guide, which eliminated the sleep timer and picture-in-a-picture functions that were available with the old guide.

Now that you’ve had a week to try it out, how do you feel about the “upgrade?”

Morning Poll: Pro-Car or Pro-Pedestrian?

By ARLnow.com

Published June 28, 2011 at 9:30AM

The issue is presented as a set of two mutually-exclusive options: either continue to support transportation policies that make it easy to own and drive a car, at the expense of bike and pedestrian safety; or support policies that make it easier and safer to walk and bike, at the expense of drivers.

Yesterday on the Arlington’s Commuter Page Blog, county Commuter Services Transportation Bureau Chief Chris Hamilton lauded Europe’s pro-pedestrian and anti-car policies, which have “reduced traffic and the number of cars in cities… re-conquering space for pedestrians.”

Morning Poll: Parked Trucks on the Pike

By ARLnow.com

Published June 22, 2011 at 9:05AM

Delivery trucks are making a regular habit of blocking one lane of Columbia Pike in front of the new-ish Siena Park apartment building (2301 Columbia Pike).

The design of the building and the surrounding block seems to discourage delivery truck drivers from parking anywhere but right out front. Other than a tiny, often-full set of parking spaces cut into the sidewalk in front of the building, however, the only place for trucks to sit is right smack in the right-hand westbound lane of the Pike.

Morning Poll: Dating in Arlington

By ARLnow.com

Published June 16, 2011 at 9:12AM | Updated February 13, 2015 at 9:28AM

Earlier this month, Bloomberg News declared that single women had “long odds” when it came to dating in the District.

D.C. has a female-to-male ratio — 112 women for every 100 men — that’s higher than any of the 50 states. Plus, the article suggests, men in Washington are much more focused on their careers than on making good conversation.

Morning Poll: Testicle Festival

By ARLnow.com

Published June 10, 2011 at 9:32AM

The seventh annual Montana State Society ‘Testicle Festival’ is being held from 6:00 to 10:00 Saturday night. A $20 ticket buys you “all the Crown Royal you can drink and all the balls you can eat,” as festival co-organizer Brittany Beauleiu told NBC Washington. There will also be all-you-can-drink beer and country music from the Wil Gravatt Band.

Also known as Rocky Mountain oysters or cowboy caviar, bull testicles are said to be chewy and taste like chicken.

Morning Poll: Groupon Return Visits

By ARLnow.com

Published June 9, 2011 at 9:35AM | Updated June 9, 2011 at 10:08AM

While consumers only see the great money-saving bargains — for instance, $40 worth of food at a local restaurant for $20 — merchants have to accept that running a Groupon-type deal is probably going to be a money-losing proposition in the short term. Since Groupon typically gives merchants 50 percent of its deal revenue, that means that Joe’s Restaurant is only receiving $10 for giving away $40 worth of food. Low-margin businesses like restaurants will often lose money on that — and the losses will add up, since Groupon can sell hundreds or even thousands of coupons at a time.

The silver lining for businesses that use Groupon — and the entire premise of ‘daily deals’ in general — is customer acquisition. The idea is that by getting a whole bunch of people to try your food (if you’re a restaurant) or services (if you’re, say, a yoga instructor) you can get a certain percentage of those deal purchasers to come back later and pay full price.

Morning Poll: How to Spend a Hot, Humid Afternoon

By ARLnow.com

Published June 8, 2011 at 9:13AM

The mercury is expected to flirt with 100 degrees today as a heat wave envelops the region. Tomorrow will bring more of the same heat and humidity — but with a better chance of hitting 100.

If you’ve lived through just one summer in the D.C. area, this is nothing new. In fact, there’s an excellent chance that it will get even hotter at some point this summer.

Morning Poll: Banning Kids from Dog Parks

By ARLnow.com

Published May 24, 2011 at 9:19AM | Updated May 24, 2011 at 10:52AM

At first, officials say, most people who contacted them were against banning kids. Now, with every major media outlet in town running their own version of the story, opinions are about 50/50.

Officials say the ban is far from a done deal. First, it must be cleared by county attorneys — although that seems likely, given that other Virginia localities, like Fairfax County, already ban young children. After it gets the legal go-ahead, Arlington Parks Department spokeswoman Susan Kalish says the matter will only be decided after some sort of community input process.

Morning Poll: Oil and Vinegar Store in Shirlington

By ARLnow.com

Published May 23, 2011 at 8:00AM

According to its Facebook page, the store will offer “over 35 olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars… bottled on the premises for you.” The oils will be imported from around the world and dispensed from air-tight tanks, which will “[ensure] the best flavor intensity.” Each purchase will include recipes and mixing ideas.

The store will also offer olive oil-based soaps, skin and hair care products and a limited selection of foods to accompany the oils and vinegars.

Morning Poll: ARLnow.com Forums

By ARLnow.com

Published May 16, 2011 at 11:02AM

Two weeks ago we introduced our new discussion forums section — a message board where the conversation isn’t limited to the articles we publish.

Now that you’d had some time to check it out, we wanted to know if there’s any way we can make it better. Namely, we’re wondering if the forums would be more useful if we did away with the eight discussion groups — News, Reviews, Sightings/Overhead, etc. — and instead put all discussion topics right on the forums home page. That way, users could easily see what people are talking about now, rather than having to wade into each individual discussion group.