Due to late-breaking news, the weekend discussion is being posted a day later than usual. But that seems likely to stop the usual robust conversation.
Without further ado, here are the week’s most-read stories:
Opinion
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Thanksgiving is two weeks away. Hanukkah is four weeks away. Christmas is six weeks away.
The holiday season is upon us, which may be why today local radio station 97.1 WASH-FM is making its annual switch to all Christmas music, starting at 5 p.m.
This afternoon was a gorgeous introduction to the weekend — we hope you were able to take a break from work and/or cable news watching and doomscrolling to enjoy it.
While the primary focus of the past few days was on national issues rather than local news, there were still some big Arlington stories this week.
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(Updated at 9:50 a.m.) Thanksgiving is only three weeks away, and with coronavirus on the rise in much of the country, plans for the holiday are in flux.
The usual gatherings of family and friends are now subject to a calculation: is a big turkey dinner worth the risk of contracting a potentially deadly or debilitating disease?
Here is the unedited response from Symone Walker:
I am Symone Walker, an APS parent, and education activist, having served on various PTA and school committees for the past decade. I currently serve as Co-Chair of the Arlington NAACP Education Committee. As the parent of a gifted child and a child with special education needs, my passion for education activism stems from my own struggles in seeking equitable access to special education and differentiated instruction for my children. I am running for the school board to be an instrument of change because a lot needs to change. The opportunity gap has not closed in decades; our reading curriculum is leaving students further behind and widening the gap. Struggling students are graduating semi-literate; unable to read well enough to fully participate in our democratic society, and unable to write well enough to navigate the rigors of college-level writing without remedial classes or tutors.
Here is the unedited response from David Priddy:
I am David Priddy and I am one of two candidates endorsed by the Democratic Party (Cristina Diaz-Torres is the other), running for the Arlington County School Board. Like you, I am passionate about achieving a quality 21st-century education for all of our children in Arlington.
Here is the unedited response from Cristina Diaz-Torres:
Hello, Arlingtonians! I’m Cristina Diaz-Torres, a former teacher and education policy specialist running as one of your two Democratically endorsed candidates for Arlington School Board because I believe all students have a right to succeed — no matter their background, race, ability, family context, language, or legal status.
Last week, we invited the two candidates seeking a seat on the Arlington County Board to write a post on why our readers should vote for them in the Nov. 3 general election.
Here is the unedited response from the Arlington County Board Chair and Democratic incumbent Libby Garvey.
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Last week, we invited the two candidates seeking a seat on the Arlington County Board to write a post on why our readers should vote for them in the Nov. 3 general election.
Here is the unedited response from independent candidate Audrey Clement.
Tomorrow is Halloween, and this year’s edition is coming complete with a blue moon.
But the real scare of the weekend comes early Sunday morning, when Daylight Saving Time ends, leading to a 5:07 p.m. sunset that night.
To paraphrase The La’s, “There they go! There they go again!”
APS has again embarked on an elementary boundary process that dismisses student demographics, one of the six guiding principles in APS’ boundary policy. This isn’t surprising. But it is disheartening that APS’ new Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (CDEIO), Arron Gregory, supports APS’ approach.
Holiday season is fast approaching, and millions of people are weighing the risks of air travel versus staying home. The decision is intensified by the fact that many have not seen family for almost a year, and driving long distance just isn’t an option.
While the thought of being confined in a small space with strangers for hours is daunting, recent studies have suggested that flying may not be as dangerous for COVID-19 spread as once thought, and that cabin air may in fact be cleaner than air in hospitals.