It was a cold and snowy week in Arlington, and your ARLnow team is exhausted.
There was a lot to cover during a week in which most of the office was ailing with a cold bug that seems to be going around.
Opinion
The word “equity” derives from the Latin aequus, meaning “equal,” or “fair.”
Arlington Public Schools’ (APS) strategic plan refers to “equity” this way: “Eliminate opportunity gaps and achieve excellence by providing access to schools, resources, and learning opportunities according to each student’s unique needs.”
Yesterday we told you about a new Clarendon cafe called This is Fine Coffee, but more importantly we told you about one of their signature drinks: an espresso, orange juice and caramel concoction called the Bumble Coffee.
It’s apparently popular in Eastern Europe, and fairly rare here stateside.
The Arlington County Board held its 2020 organizational meeting on Thursday, January 2. It is not uncommon for the Board to elect as their chairman the member up for re-election in that year, and – as expected – they selected Libby Garvey to lead the Board.
This is perhaps a tacit endorsement by the Arlington establishment, since Garvey will have to fend off a potentially contentious Democratic primary challenge in June from Chanda Choun, who lost to Matt de Ferranti in the Democratic primary for County Board in 2018.
|
Happy New Year, it’s 2020. This is the year the combined Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar system was scheduled to open.
Streetcar opponents like Libby Garvey and Peter Rousselot said a “Modern Bus Rapid Transit System” could be implemented much more quickly than a streetcar, so let’s check-in to see how things are progressing.
I recently did something which may be considered a faux pas among social media users.
The “People You May Know” section on Facebook had gotten on my last nerve. I have designed a very specific Facebook experience for myself. I don’t like reminders or requests. I check messages and handle any action items which create notifications quickly, just so I do not see the notification. (I do realize this is odd!)
I have lived in Arlington for almost 5 years and I’ve come to see the “Arlington Way” as both a blessing and a curse on the County.
For those not familiar, the Arlington Way as a tradition of citizen democracy, realized through an extensive culture and apparatus for public engagement around most County policies, as well as new commercial or residential developments. The goal is to give residents many opportunities to influence, or at least register their opinion, on a range of regulatory and administrative topics and projects that will have a broad impact.
It was a slow, holiday-shortened week in Arlington that saw the calendar turn to the neatly symmetrical year of 2020.
(Pro tip: there’s no need to comment with “slow news week?” on a week that’s obviously a slow news week.)
The end of a holiday-shortened week is here.
For those in the office and working this week, we salute you. For those who left town, we hope you have a relatively painless return journey amid the holiday travel rush.
By Tara Teaford and Dana Milburn
As mothers, our priorities center on our children’s health, well-being, happiness, and yes — definitely — their safety. As progressives, we support measures to promote those rights for everyone, everywhere.
It’s Christmas Eve and the third night of Hanukkah, and nothing is stirring in the ARLnow offices, not even Vernon Miles — because we’re taking the next day and a half off.
ARLnow will be back on a limited coverage schedule on Thursday. Of course, if there’s breaking news, we’ll be on top of it no matter what holiday or day of the week it is.
|
By Cheryl Moore
Every year from Thanksgiving through year-end, my mail fills up with pleas from various nonprofit organizations — for financial donations, groceries or holiday gifts for low-income families in Arlington.