We are now officially in the back half of August and the final innings of summer.
That is especially true if you define summer as the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day, which pools are open and shandies are still stocked on supermarket beer shelves.
Two months beforethe July 8 flooding, a catastrophic and expensive sewer failure occurred not far from Amazon’s new HQ.
That May 5 sewer failure, combined with the multiple July 8 sewer failures, graphically illustrate Arlington’s lack of integrated long-range planning and investment in Arlington’s below ground infrastructure (e.g., sewer, storm water, water mains) even as new development continues to get a green light.
It is time for the Arlington County Fair, one of my favorite local traditions. This year the fair features a butterfly encounter, a first-ever beer garden, and goat yoga among other things.
As with every year, the fair also features appearances by your elected officials here in Arlington. Your school board members and interim superintendent, your county board members, the treasurer, and the sheriff will be there.
By Martha Villanigro-Santiago
At any age, we must be intentional about living your best possible life, especially being healthy and active. It’s important that individuals, community and government use data and resources to develop policies, programs and other assets that enable aging residents to flourish in Arlington.
It’s August and lots of people are going on vacation (including the person writing this post, from Gate 28 at DCA), but for those staying here it looks to be a beautiful weekend.
For a week in typically slow August, the past few days were especially busy news- and readership-wise.
Despite only being a few miles apart as the crow flies, some residents of Arlington and D.C. are reticent to date people who live in the other jurisdiction.
For some, it’s the perceived differences among people who live on opposite banks of the Potomac. For others, it’s more practical concerns: the distance makes Metro travel slow and Uber travel pricey.
Two recent columns discussing Arlington’s July 8 countywide flooding and Donaldson Run’s pollution and flood damage explained how the County’s development and construction policies and practices have increased impervious surfaces and resulted in the loss of mature trees. Combined, these factors have almost certainly heightened our flood risk and intensified the damage.
Today, I focus on the July 8 flood impacts on Lubber Run Park.
The recent audit of the Arlington County Fire Department’s (ACFD) budget crunching overtime costs is exactly the type of work that was envisioned when the independent auditor was proposed.
As reported on ARLnow, the audit found that ACFD is insufficiently staffed to avoid overtime. The department is fighting against attrition of an average of two employees per month. According to the audit, “it takes almost 12 months and costs almost $100,000 per recruit to recruit, hire and train” new firefighters And ACFD is unable to conduct as much training of existing personnel.
By Nick Dilenschneider
While young progressives across Virginia are mobilizing to retake both chambers of the legislature in this year’s elections, it is impossible for us to ignore the 2020 Democratic presidential primary already in full swing. Were you to ask 100 millennials whom they support right now, you would find answers as diverse as the generation itself. Some are looking to experience and electability, others are drawn to candidates taking aggressive stands on issues like healthcare and taxes.
July turned to August this week, as life in Arlington slowed just a touch and there were signs that fall is beginning to approach.
Maybe you noticed a bit less traffic on the roads as summer vacations ramped up. Or the Oktoberfest beers on local store shelves.
In his column last week, Mark Kelly discussed the recent unfortunate Supreme Court decision (5-4) concluding that federal courts could not provide relief from partisan gerrymandering.
In her persuasive dissent in that case, Justice Kagan concluded:
The Progressive Voice opined this week that it may be time to take measures that rein in growth.
It is slightly ironic that the growth in high rise housing has helped give Democrats a virtual lock on local elections is also causing consternation among “progressives.” It is also amusing that progressives complain about traffic and parking while many of them are advocating for eliminating travel lanes on already congested streets, stopping scooter rentals and eliminating parking spaces.
