Arlington was the big winner of the biggest economic development prize of them all: Amazon’s HQ2.
But Amazon’s second headquarters is nowadays feeling like a very distant second, behind the tech giant’s growing presence in the Seattle area.
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Opinion
Today’s 9/11 anniversary was a somber conclusion to an active week, news-wise.
It’s hard to believe, but next year will be the 20th anniversary of that fateful day. We’ll have more coverage then, but in the meantime the recollections of a local journalist and an Arlington firefighter are worth a read.
After a stormy stretch, a spectacular Labor Day weekend is upon us. Enjoy the sun and the cooler weather!
To avoid belaboring this post, let’s jump right into the week’s most-read stories:
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While elementary and secondary school students across the country adjust to full-time distance learning, adults have been learning online for years.
Online courses offer adults the flexibility to continue their education while working and taking care of families. Some enroll in these courses to learn new job skills and expand their employment opportunities. Others are lifelong learners who enjoy studying the arts, literature, language, history and a myriad of other subjects offered online.
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Despite our best efforts, SARS-CoV-2 has endured long enough to welcome influenza’s 2020-2021 campaign and there is rising concern that even a mild flu season could overload hospital systems already dealing with COVID-19.
This so-called “twindemic,” while sounding alarmist yet with rational undertones, can be attenuated by the simple preventive measure of vaccination.
Just in time for the start of the normal busy season in the D.C. area, MetroRail, MetroBus and ART have largely resumed normal levels of service. If you need to return to the office, transit is likely there and ready for you and the newest research is finding that riding transit can be done very safely.
MetroRail Service
On August 28, the world lost an outstanding talent. Actor Chadwick Boseman, known for playing iconic Americans including Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson and James Brown, as well as T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther, died at age 43.
His career was lauded for several reasons, one being the way he personified influential characters. Black Panther, in particular, has an important symbolism, especially today, a widespread appeal, and inspires people of all ages to embrace Black pride. As an artist, he brought characters alive which inspired us all to learn more.
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One recurring argument against upzoning is that Arlington needs single-family zoning to protect affordable starter homes from expensive redevelopment.
Without restricting lots to one unit, the thinking goes, a developer would be willing to pay a substantial sum to demolish small homes and replace them with multiple units, reaping the profit.
The weekend is here and the first day of September is within sight.
If the idea of the calendar flipping to the most self-assured month of the year conjures up fears of summer ending imminently, don’t worry — you have another 3+ weeks to go. According to our admittedly unscientific poll from earlier this week, a slim plurality of ARLnow readers believe the Autumnal Equinox on Sept. 22 to be the true start of fall.
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In many ways our workforce is changing, both due to COVID-19 and as Arlington’s economy continues to evolve.
As a community it is important that we study this impact on both our employment rate for our community’s personal economic vitality and our commercial office occupancy rate that contributes to 20% of our county tax revenue.
Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com
A new community group has formed to support restorative justice policies in Arlington.
On November 3rd, Virginians will have the opportunity to vote for a constitutional amendment requiring an independent redistricting commission.
After years of campaigning for it and eventually passing it through the General Assembly on a bipartisan basis, Democrats across Virginia have reversed course. They are tripping all over themselves looking for an excuse to vote against it. Arlington Democrats rejected the yearslong efforts of Delegate Rip Sullivan and will ask voters to oppose it on their November sample ballot.