Arlington’s summertime experiment using high tech to evaluate the state of sidewalks delivered mixed results.
The county used Kiwibots — laser-equipped robots — to roll up and down the sidewalks of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor for two weeks in July, assessing conditions.
Members of the county’s Disability Advisory Commission are hoping to become better known in the broader community during 2026, while also having more impact on public policy.
Outreach efforts will aim to increase public visibility and collaborate with other arms of the county government. Concrete goals include a 25% increase in the number of public speakers at commission meetings, plus the recruitment of two additional commission members.
The county government’s Adult Protective Services office is attempting to keep up with a surge in reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
“We’re in uncharted territory here in terms of volume,” said Rachel Coates, an official with the Department of Human Services, at the Dec. 15 meeting of the Commission on Aging.
The county government’s arborist is pushing back on accusations that an iconic tree was removed needlessly from a Lyon Park median.
But local residents aghast at the removal aren’t letting the county government off the hook for its actions.
Members of a local advisory committee are looking for ways to make Arlington more walkable after snow falls.
In focus for the Pedestrian Advisory Committee this year are curb cuts leading from sidewalks into intersections, which often fill up with snow from plows and, at times, people shoveling sidewalks.
With age comes wisdom — sometimes, at least — and in the case of one Arlington group of civic leaders, it brings a sense of humor, too.
They call themselves the Geezers. Among their ranks are two retired judges, a trio of former elected officials, several lobbyists and — a Geezer-in-waiting — the current clerk of the circuit court.
A special “stumbling stone” unveiling last week taught Gunston Middle School sixth graders about the harsh lives of those enslaved across Arlington — and in their very neighborhoods.
The stones, the latest in a series being placed across the county, recognize the lives of Sina and George, a mother-son duo enslaved during the mid-1800s in the area where the school is now located. While the full story of their lives is not known, research has uncovered some information:
An automated system that adjusts the timing of traffic signals when buses are running late is helping to improve transit reliability along Langston Blvd.
Since late summer, county transportation officials have been using “transit signal priority” along the 5-mile corridor from East Falls Church to Rosslyn. The system extends green lights and shortens red lights when ART buses are behind schedule — resulting in a small but measurable impact.
A drop in occupancy rates at Arlington hotels is raising concerns about how long a rebound might take and the ripple effects it will have across the county’s overall economy.
Vacancy rates are “the biggest challenge” among local economic indicators at the moment, said Kate Ange, acting director of Arlington Economic Development.
County Board members didn’t need to look far to find their next county attorney.
Board members voted 4-0, with Julius “JD” Spain, Sr., absent, to appoint Ryan Samuel to the post yesterday (Tuesday). Samuel has served in the county attorney’s office since 2018 and, since the departure in September of his predecessor MinhChau Corr, was acting county attorney.
The concept of creating a foundation to support county parks is coming a little closer into focus.
“It’s a really good time to talk about those options and to think about what might be the best way to move forward,” said Jane Rudolph, director of the county’s Department of Parks and Recreation, at the Nov. 18 meeting of the Park and Recreation Commission.
Several former elected officials in Arlington are expressing caution over moving too fast on potential changes to the county’s form of governance.
At issue at the moment is a proposal to form a working group to study possibilities. It has attracted skepticism from former County Board, School Board and General Assembly members advocating for restraint on embarking on change-of-government planning.
