county government | ARLnow.com

Volunteer Opp: Help Arlington’s ‘100 Homes’ Campaign

Published September 14, 2011 at 4:24PM | Updated September 14, 2011 at 7:43PM

The effort is part of the county’s 100 Homes Campaign, which will try to cut “chronic homelessness” in Arlington in half by July 2013. The campaign will place some of Arlington’s most medically-vulnerable homeless individuals — described as “those most likely to die if not housed quickly” — in permanent supportive housing.

The county is looking for volunteer surveyors, data entry personnel and headquarters staff to work from Oct. 17-19. Surveyors will be asked to go out in teams and interview homeless individuals from 3:30 to 7:30 a.m., while data entry will be done between 6:30 and 9:00 a.m. More information on volunteering can be found on the 100 Homes Arlington web site.

News

Acrimony Among Neighbors, County Staff During Traffic Calming Fight

By ARLnow.com

Published September 14, 2011 at 9:45AM | Updated September 15, 2011 at 1:27AM

The changes, designed to slow down drivers on a wide, downhill portion of River Street, can hardly be described as “drastic.” But the two-plus year neighbor vs. neighbor vs. county battle that preceded it can be.

Emails obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by opponents of the traffic calming measures reveal that the fight got so nasty, the acrimony even spread to county staff.

Events

Comcast Renewal Meeting Tonight

By ARLnow.com

Published September 13, 2011 at 11:42AM

The ‘franchise agreement’ that allows Comcast to provide cable television services in Arlington County is up for renewal, and residents are being asked to share their thoughts on what services the company can provide as part of a new franchise agreement.

News

Arlington County Labor Day Closures

By ARLnow.com

Published August 29, 2011 at 10:00AM

Courts, libraries, schools and the Department of Human Services will be closed. All community centers will be closed, except for the Barcroft Sports and Fitness Center, which will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

ART buses will operate on a holiday schedule. Parking meters will not be enforced. Trash and recycling pickup will take place as scheduled.

News

Arlington Declares Local Emergency

By ARLnow.com

Published August 26, 2011 at 3:59PM | Updated August 27, 2011 at 11:20AM

Update at 11:20 a.m. on 8/27/2011 — An Arlington County spokeswoman says the county is not distributing sandbags, despite information provided to ARLnow.com yesterday.

Arlington County has declared a local emergency in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Irene.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 15, 2011 at 9:10AM

Sun Sets on Arlington County Fair — The rides, food stands, and carnival games that made up the Arlington County Fair are all packing up and heading out. Last night was the fair’s last night. In case you missed it, Patch has published 21 separate articles on the fair since Thursday.

Arlington’s ‘Karaoke Cab’ Featured on NPR — Arlington’s ‘Karaoke Cab‘ was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered over the weekend. [NPR]

News

Arlington County Credit Rating Reaffirmed

By ARLnow.com

Published August 5, 2011 at 1:44PM

The rating agency had threatened to downgrade Arlington during the U.S. debt crisis, due to its indirect ties to the federal government. With the debt crisis resolved and with the federal government’s Aaa rating reaffirmed, Moody’s reaffirmed the ratings of more than 300 public finance issuers, including Arlington.

In a statement, Moody’s said that Arlington and other debt issuers would, like the federal government, be assigned a “negative outlook.” The agency said that the outlooks “will be reviewed on a case by case basis in the coming weeks,” in order to determine whether individual outlooks should be set back at “stable.”

News

No West Nile Found in Arlington So Far

By Katie Pyzyk

Published July 27, 2011 at 3:45PM

No cases of West Nile Virus have been reported in humans this year or last year, according to the Arlington County Department of Human Services. Fairfax, Alexandria and the District all identified West Nile in mosquito samples in recent days. However, Arlington County no longer does sampling because it confirmed long ago that mosquitoes with West Nile are present throughout the region.

Arlington County discontinued mosquito spraying several years ago, but encourages residents to be proactive about avoiding contact with mosquitoes. A “Mosquito Information Center” website has been set up with tips for staying mosquito bite free.

News

Residents Fight County on Construction Project

By Katie Pyzyk

Published July 26, 2011 at 12:22PM

The county has been planning to redesign parts of Arlington Ridge Road from 23rd Street to South Meade Street. Some of the improvements include work on curbs, gutters, sidewalks and bike lanes. The county cites pedestrian safety as the reason for the revamping.

Some neighbors launched a campaign called “Save Our Streets” to oppose the approximately $200,000 project. Group members say they’re upset because of wasteful spending, the county isn’t listening to them and there’s a lack of transparency.

News

Arlington Plugs Budget Gap

By ARLnow.com

Published July 11, 2011 at 10:57AM

The board voted to use its existing, two-year-old Budget Stabilization Fund to make up the gap, caused by a $442,077 reduction in federal community block grants. The grants are used to fund local human services and education projects, to support affordable housing and homeless prevention initiatives, to improve neighborhood safety and to enhance economic opportunities for residents.

In a press release, the county cautioned that additional federal funding cuts are likely next year.

Around Town

Fourth of July Closures

By ARLnow.com

Published July 1, 2011 at 4:17PM

The long holiday weekend has begun, and that means many county services are stopped or altered. Here’s a list of changes:

The police department has also provided a list of road closures for activities on July 4. In addition, police are reminding event attendees that:

News

Top Zoning Official Leaving County Gov’t

By ARLnow.com

Published June 28, 2011 at 5:06PM | Updated June 29, 2011 at 2:14PM

In a statement, released after ARLnow.com first reported the resignation, Arlington County Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development Director Robert Brosnan called Artman “a dedicated and talented public servant.”

“She brought a high level of professionalism and a strong sense of fairness to her work,” Brosnan said. “She arrived in Arlington at a time when the Zoning Office was beginning a transformation into a higher performing organization and she has helped shape the office and the work of the staff in a very positive way. We thank her for her service to Arlington County, and wish her the very best as she embarks on this new challenge.”