op-ed | ARLnow.com

Published April 12, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated April 12, 2020 at 1:14PM

Knocking on doors last summer and fall, I asked Arlington voters their top legislative concerns. The largest response, by far, was for the General Assembly to take action to reduce gun violence.

That same sentiment has been growing across the commonwealth for years due to the lack of response to tragedies, such as, Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Parkland, Columbine, and more recently, Virginia Beach. But the gun violence prevention movement is not just about the mass shootings you see and hear about in the media. It’s the daily acts of gun violence — over 100 a day — occurring in our communities and firearm suicides that you don’t hear about.

Opinion

Op-ed: Arlington is Nonbinary

By ARLnow.com

Published November 6, 2019 at 2:30PM

The following op-ed was written by D. Taylor Reich, a native of Arlington and a graduate of H-B Woodlawn, whose writings have also appeared on ARLnow sister site Tysons Reporter.

I am not a woman or a man. I am an Arlingtonian.

Opinion

Op-ed: What I Believe In, By Parisa Dehghani-Tafti

By ARLnow.com

Published November 1, 2019 at 10:10AM

The following op-ed was written by Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Democratic nominee for the top prosecutor job in Arlington and Falls Church. Voters will head to the polls this coming Tuesday, Nov. 5.

If you had told me two years ago that I would be writing as the Democratic nominee for Commonwealth’s Attorney for Arlington County and the City of Falls Church, I would not have believed you. People with my personal and professional backgrounds don’t often run for, much less win, political office.

Opinion

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.

Opinion

Op-ed: Arlington GOP Still Focused on Local Issues, Despite Lack of Candidates

By ARLnow.com

Published October 11, 2019 at 2:30PM | Updated October 11, 2019 at 4:42PM

The following op-ed was written by Andrew Loposser, Chairman of the Arlington GOP.

Mark Kelly is correct. In his most recent “Right Note” opinion column, Kelly writes:

Opinion

Op-Ed: Honoring APS Custodians and Their Role in Sustainability Efforts

By ARLnow.com

Published October 4, 2019 at 2:15PM

The following op-ed was written by Levi Novey, Laura Watchman, and Elenor Hodges, members of the Superintendent’s Advisory Committee on Sustainability.

Last December, Aracely Vance, a teacher at Claremont Elementary School, was tasked with figuring out what to show in the primary display case at the school entrance.

Opinion

Op-ed: Commonwealth’s Attorney Nominee Parisa Dehghani-Tafti on the Road Ahead

By ARLnow.com

Published June 24, 2019 at 11:00AM

The following op-ed was written by Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, the Democratic nominee for Arlington and Falls Church Commonwealth’s Attorney. As the presumed victor in the unchallenged November election, which followed a heated primary campaign, Dehghani-Tafti will be the area’s chief prosecutor amid questions about how the prosecutor’s office will change under her leadership.

Moments after 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11, while standing on a sidewalk on Clarendon Boulevard near Courthouse, I received a phone call from my friend and deputy campaign manager excitedly telling me that the voters of Arlington County and the City of Falls Church had selected me as the Democratic nominee for Commonwealth’s Attorney. In that moment, with the sounds of supporters cheering in the near distance and the sight of young people milling about on a warm spring evening, I was reminded, as I knew from the very start of the campaign, that it would soon be my charge, together with other branches of law enforcement, to help maintain the safety, welfare, and wellbeing of nearly 250,000 people.

Opinion

My Time Working for Hugh Hefner (RIP)

By Buzz McClain

Published September 28, 2017 at 3:45PM

From 1992 to 2012 I did a monthly home entertainment column on the movie pages of Playboy. I would review several B-movies or direct-to-tape (later, direct-to-disc) films, with the occasional A-list movie.

There are few bigger thrills than getting your first paycheck with an embossed “bunny head” on it signed by Hugh Hefner’s daughter, Christie. (Hef led the way in empowering women; his daughter was chairman and CEO of Playboy Enterprises. His considerable philanthropy for women’s rights and free speech is largely unnoticed, and he liked it that way.)

Opinion

Op-Ed: Cancer Claims About Artificial Turf Fields Not Based on Science

By ARLnow.com

Published May 4, 2016 at 1:45PM

Turf fields will be replaced at Long Bridge Park.

The following op-ed was written by Michael Peterson, a board-certified toxicologist at Gradient, an environmental and risk sciences consulting firm. He serves as scientific adviser to the Recycled Rubber Council.

Given some concerns that have been raised over recycled rubber infill in artificial turf fields by your publication (“Time To Re-Examine Artificial Turf Fields,” 4/21/16), I wanted to lend a scientific perspective to the conversation to clear up some misconceptions.

Opinion

Op-Ed: Scaled-Down County Aquatics, Health and Fitness Facility Should Proceed

By ARLnow.com

Published April 14, 2016 at 5:00PM | Updated April 14, 2016 at 6:02PM

The following op-ed was written by Tobin Smith, Chair of the Long Bridge Park Citizen Advisory Committee. Smith is also a past chair of the Arlington Park and Recreation Commission.

Earlier this week, the Long Bridge Park Citizen Advisory Committee, which I chair, recommended that the County proceed with designing a new aquatics, health and fitness facility at Long Bridge Park.

Opinion

Op-Ed: Letter To NoVa Communities Concerned About Gun Stores

By ARLnow.com

Published April 14, 2016 at 2:45PM

Rep. Don Beyer (D)

The arrival of two new gun stores in Northern Virginia in close proximity to families and schools set off a wave of concern from constituents. First, NOVA Firearms opened near Franklin Sherman Elementary School in McLean. Then NOVA Armory opened its doors in Arlington’s vibrant Lyon Park neighborhood. Almost every person who contacted me expressed strong opposition to gun stores at these locations.

Thanks to Virginia’s Dillon Rule, state control preempts local authority. In these cases, it means Arlington and Fairfax Counties cannot prohibit these stores from opening, regardless of the overwhelming will of local families and schools. The power to stop this from happening rests with a gun-friendly General Assembly, which has refused to help, despite the efforts of Northern Virginia’s delegation in Richmond.