Progressive Voice is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
By Kathie Panfil, with the Abuelitas
Opinion
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President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan has added a glimmer of hope to those who would like to see an expanded Metrorail system.
The initial planning for the system in the 1960s envisioned a line down the Columbia Pike, ultimately terminating in Annandale, but the proposed line was nixed in order to save on costs. A physical remnant of the planning is a pair of stub tunnels near the Pentagon Metro station, built to accommodate a potential future Columbia Pike expansion.
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Warming temperatures should make for a sunny and pleasant holiday weekend, weather-wise.
Happy Easter and end of Passover to our readers who observe either faith. Due to the holidays, we’re getting started on today’s weekend discussion a bit early.
It’s April Fool’s Day, which in the Before Times might mean elaborate workplace pranks.
Alas, there’s still a pandemic going on, and those working from home while their kids go to remote school might not have the same pranking energy as in the days of yore.
Gov. Ralph Northam announced this morning a proposal to move up the legalization of marijuana in Virginia to this summer.
A legalization bill championed by state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D), who represents part of Arlington, passed the General Assembly earlier this year. But it called for legalization of recreational marijuana possession and cultivation on Jan. 1, 2024.
The weekend is here, along with what should be a very nice Saturday, weather-wise.
Whether you’re heading out to check out Arlington’s cherry blossoms, to go for a long-overdue bike ride around the Arlington loop, or to spend time with friends or family you haven’t seen in awhile, we hope you enjoy some quality outdoor time.
Lyon’s Legacy is a limited-run opinion column on the history of housing in Arlington. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
Arlington County was once home to a community of former slaves so prosperous that tours were given to foreign dignitaries as evidence of America’s racial progress.
There’s word this morning that the idea of a Rosslyn-Georgetown gondola might not be as dead as we first thought.
Just over four years since the Arlington County Board said it was “not in favor” of the $80-90 million project, which always seemed to be more attractive to Georgetown business interests than to those on the other side of the river, a D.C. Council member is raising the hopes of the gondola’s cult-like following with a new funding request.
A majority of Arlington’s affordable apartments are not built into typical new apartment or condo buildings, but rather separated into their own building complexes.
Over the course of decades this has created segregated housing in Arlington. Although the dynamic is improving, the equation and incentive structure at the heart of this issue must change.
The pandemic is still here, but — with rising vaccinations — there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
It could yet be many months before things return to some semblance of normal, but today let’s try to imagine the pandemic being over.
A new report called Spending Growth and Real Estate Taxes by Dr. John Huntley of Arlington Analytics explains why Arlington real estate taxpayers will be hit by sharply rising tax bills over the next ten years. Such increases will disproportionately drive out of Arlington the most vulnerable, diverse residents the County claims to value.
Arlington’s long-term structural operating budget deficit
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The Right Note is a biweekly opinion column. The views expressed are solely the author’s.
As the pace of vaccinations accelerate and we anticipate a return to a more normal way of life, the County Board and School Board are making budget decisions for the upcoming fiscal year.