Opinion | ARLnow.com

Modern Mobility: Micromobility Ordinance – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Published October 30, 2019 at 2:30PM

On November 16th the County Board will hold a public hearing on the “micromobility ordinance.”

In addition to providing a permanent framework for “for-hire” micromobility companies like Bird and Lime to offer e-scooters and e-bikes on Arlington streets, the ordinance tries to finally make some sense of Arlington’s vague and conflicting rules and regulations around bicycles, e-bikes, scooters, e-scooters, motorized skateboard and a whole range of other weird and unique ways to get a person around without a car.

Community Matters: A Journey to “Building Community” in Arlington

By Krysta Jones

Published October 29, 2019 at 2:30PM

Building community can be one of the most challenging and rewarding actions that a group of people can undertake. For the last 15 years of my life as a resident of Arlington, I have made a conscious decision to take part in that challenging process.

When I moved to Arlington in 2004, I admit that I did not deliberately choose Arlington. My real estate agent found a condo in the Arlington Mill (formerly known as Columbia Heights West) community that was in my price range. I was promised that this neighborhood would soon see changes under the Columbia Pike revitalization plan, and I assumed that I would move to a larger property in the near future.

Making Room: Arlington’s Neighborhoods Should Match Our Values

By Jane Green

Published October 28, 2019 at 2:30PM

Your neighborhood is only as diverse as its housing stock.

That is my housing mantra. It is adapted from a line in Henry Grabar’s reporting on the 2018 city council vote in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to end exclusionary zoning and allow up to three-unit buildings on every residential lot. Minneapolis’s bold decision, made in the name of racial equity and housing affordability, has echoed throughout the country and we have started to hear the reverberations here in Arlington.

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published October 25, 2019 at 5:00PM

Double rainbow on Oct. 22, 2019 by Sandra P.

A cloudy and then rainy weekend is on tap — but with any luck the rain will hold off until the Nationals win the World Series in four. (Crosses fingers.)

In case you didn’t see it, earlier today we listed some places to cheer on the Nats in Arlington, along with specials being offered during the game.

A New Slate of Opinion Columns is Debuting Next Week

By ARLnow.com

Published October 25, 2019 at 11:20AM | Updated October 25, 2019 at 11:54AM

ARLnow’s mission is to connect and improve our local community — residents, workers, local businesses, nonprofits and government — via high quality, original journalism and photography.

In addition to our own reporting, we seek to fulfil our mission via contributions from community members. As part of that, we’re debuting a new slate of opinion columns, focused on specific local topics, starting Monday. These columns will alternate every other week with our existing columns: Progressive Voice, The Right Note, Peter’s Take, and What’s Next With Nicole.

What’s Next: Renters Rights in Arlington

By Airey

Published October 24, 2019 at 2:40PM | Updated October 24, 2019 at 2:57PM

Laws protecting Virginia renters finally went into effect this month. Thanks to an update of the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, the 60% of Arlingtonians who are renters will be realizing sweeping protections and seemingly basic rights in our day to day lives.

Arlington should see this as an opportunity to take a leadership role in implementing this law by creating a civil landlord-tenant specific court docket. In D.C., this type of court parallels their small claims court and does not require the burden of attorney fees that are often too great of a hurdle for renters.

Peter’s Take: Proposed Bluemont Park Upgrades Expose Flaws in DPR Park Design

By Peter Rousselot

Published October 23, 2019 at 2:30PM

On October 16, ARLnow reported on the Department of Parks and Recreation’s (DPR’s) proposed project at Bluemont Park (601 N. Manchester Street).

In the article, the county explained more about the renovations, writing that:

The Right Note: Quick Hits

By Mark Kelly

Published October 22, 2019 at 2:30PM

Not everyone loves baseball, but tonight the Nationals are playing in the franchise’s first ever World Series. Sports often transcends politics, so here’s hoping for a little break from the divisiveness filling up our airwaves and social media feeds.

Activists interested in keeping bike lanes clear made an effort to document violations last week. Some motorists took to the comment section of the story to indicate they would welcome a report on the number of times bikes run red lights, fail to stop at stop signs and otherwise ignore traffic laws.

Progressive Voice: Why Turnout Matters for Arlington on November 5

By Progressive Voice

Published October 21, 2019 at 2:30PM | Updated October 21, 2019 at 3:17PM

Del. Rip Sullivan

By Del. Rip Sullivan

If you were to stop the first 100 people you encountered at any Metro station in Arlington and ask their thoughts on the next election, many of them would give a response related to Donald Trump or the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. When our news is saturated with national issues and political rancor, crucial state and local elections can get lost in the mix, even in politically engaged Arlington. But Arlingtonians have two urgent reasons to care about the actual next election — November 5, 2019 — before turning their focus to November 2020.

ARLnow Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published October 18, 2019 at 6:00PM

(Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

A busy weekend of fall events is on tap, as Nats fans prepare for the team’s first World Series appearance in generations.

With the NLCS afterglow still strong, the #2 story on our list of the most-read stories of the week should be no surprise.

Op-ed: Virginians Deserve Real Relief from Surprise Billing

By ARLnow.com

Published October 18, 2019 at 4:45PM

The following op-ed was written by Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington).

For patients — including many of my Arlington constituents — accessing and affording the health care they need can be an overwhelming task. Even when they’ve found an insurance plan and physician specialist that works for them, just keeping up with all the co-pays and meeting high deductibles can prove to be a huge financial strain. When emergencies arise, as they always will, receiving an unexpected bill that you thought your insurance covered, is unfair.

ARLnow Holiday Weekend Discussion

By ARLnow.com

Published October 11, 2019 at 3:30PM

It’s Columbus Day weekend — or Indigenous Peoples’ Day weekend, in Alexandria or D.C. — which means an extra day off for federal employees and others.

It should be a close-to-perfect weekend weather-wise, full of fall events in Arlington and other parts of D.C. area.