poll

Morning Poll: Too many days off school for APS?

By ARLnow.com
Arlington Public Schools buses (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The grumblings from Northern Virginia public school parents are getting louder.

Last week, the discontent broke out into the open, when 106.7 The Fan host Danny Rouhier went on a rant that ended up going viral on social media and prompting some news coverage. His message: kids are getting too many days off of school.

Arlington and Fairfax schools have added more student holidays in recent years.

Starting with the 2021-2022, Arlington Public Schools added several religious holidays to its calendar, including Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Diwali and Eid al-Fitr. This year Eid al-Adha was added, after a divided school board decided against a last-minute addition to the calendar last year.

Both Arlington and Fairfax, meanwhile, added next Tuesday — special election day for the state redistricting amendment — as an off day and APS is off today (Monday) for a grade prep day. (Over the past month, APS has been off March 13, 20, 30-31 and April 1-3, 10, and 13.)

FCPS has even more off days on its calendar than APS and the Fairfax school board has been considering removing some federal holidays next year to strike a better balance. From an April 8 FFXnow article:

As the current school year enters its final stretch, the Fairfax County School Board is considering tweaking the calendar for the next year in response to mounting complaints about disruptions to class schedules.

At the board’s meeting tomorrow (Thursday), members led by governance committee chair Melanie Meren will propose nixing Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Veterans Day as official student holidays and limiting the number of scheduled early release days to four per year.

“Partial school weeks function as an informal ‘childcare tax’ that falls hardest on our hourly-wage and most vulnerable households,” said Meren, whose committee has been discussing a new calendar policy. “My goal is to adjust the 2026-27 calendar to increase the number of five-day school weeks.”

If the motions are approved, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which will fall on Oct. 12 this year, and Veterans Day — observed annually on Nov. 11 — would become standard instructional days for both students and staff going forward. Fairfax County Public Schools would implement a curriculum to teach students about the groups that the occasions are intended to recognize.

After an April 9 vote, only Veterans Day will be eliminated as a school holiday, FFXnow reported today.

While Arlington has fewer off days than FCPS, some parents are nonetheless feeling the burden of frequently having to find childcare for myriad off days and early release days.

Do you think APS should also consider removing some off days next year? Weigh in below.

Poll: What do you think of today’s snowfall?

By ARLnow.com
Snow falling in front of Ballston Quarter on March 12, 2026 (staff photo)

Late Wednesday afternoon it was sunny and in the mid-80s. Around 1 a.m. it was still in the 70s and one could go for a comfortable walk in shorts.

Half a day later, and we’re in the midst of an hours-long snowfall.

Granted, temperatures in Arlington are above freezing and accumulation is minimal. But the weather whiplash is real.

While the past 24 hours might be particularly extreme — National Airport recorded a record high of 86 yesterday, and now it’s 33 degrees in North Arlington and snowing — the temperature roller coaster isn’t done.

Monday’s expected high temperature of 70 will be followed by a predicted low of 28 on Tuesday, according to forecasts.

That brings us to our poll question: What do you think about the snow today? Given the following two poll options, which one are you choosing?

Morning Poll: How would you grade Arlington’s snow removal effort?

By ARLnow.com
Arlington County snow plow working to clear a neighborhood street (via Arlington DES/X)

As the snow removal operations from the Jan. 25 snow and sleet storm wind down, we’re wondering how locals would grade the effort.

This winter storm was uniquely challenging, with five inches of snow falling before getting covered by 2-3 inches of icy sleet — what would have otherwise been 1-2 feet of total accumulation should it have kept falling as snow. Then we had nearly 10 straight days of frigid conditions, with temperatures not rising above freezing and allowing the “snowcrete” to soften.

The scale of the removal operation in Arlington alone is notable. From our reporting yesterday:

Crews have hauled more than 5,000 truckloads of snow — weighing roughly 55,000-75,000 tons, in total — from Arlington’s commercial areas since the snowstorm. They’ve deposited these at five locations around Arlington, at 14th Street N., Fairfax Drive, N. Quincy Street, Long Bridge Park and 601 S. Carlin Springs. […]

They’ve cleared more than 1,000 miles of roads, 10 miles of protected bike lanes and 63,000 feet of sidewalk, working 14 consecutive 12-hour shifts beginning on Jan. 24.

For some, the effort did not go far enough, leaving neighborhood streets covered to harden into an impassable icy surface that remained for days. For others, crews worked long hours and did their best despite very challenging conditions.

All things considered, how would you grade Arlington’s snow removal effort?

Morning Poll: Do you agree with the APS closure decisions?

By ARLnow.com
A still snow-covered sidewalk near Claremont Elementary (courtesy Joel Weger)

School buses are crisscrossing county streets and students are steeling themselves for the first day of school in 11 days.

Yes, class is back in session this morning for Arlington Public Schools students, to the great relief of many beleaguered parents.

The decision to keep schools shuttered all last week, while piles of “snowcrete” covered the sidewalks (and in some cases, roads) near schools, prompted acceptance from some and grumbles from others. Why, some asked, had conditions around schools not been addressed earlier in the week, potentially making it harder to clear now?

The grumbles grew louder this week, amid Monday’s closure and today’s two-hour delay. Some questioned whether it’s even safe now for kids to go back.

“As of 7:30 A.M.  there is no safe approach to Claremont Elementary or Wakefield High School from S Columbus St.,” local resident Joel Weger wrote this morning. “There has been no snow cleared on S.  Chesterfield Rd for the entire length of school property. For Claremont snow has been cleared from only one side of the school.”

That was echoed by another local resident who lives near Wakefield.

“I’m not a parent but I see the kids walking to school everyday and parents taking their littles ones to the bus pick up spots,” wrote Julia Itani. “While walking my dog in the neighborhood there were many times I almost fell and we couldn’t walk safely. I can’t imagine students walking every morning while there’s piles of ice.”

Others suggested that a loss of learning outweighs what they see as marginal safety improvements from keeping schools closed longer. Even today’s delay was too much for some.

“I am writing to express my deep disappointment and continued frustration with the county’s repeated school closures and delayed openings due to snow and ice,” wrote Gregory Cohen, a “concerned and gobsmacked parent,” in an email this morning. It was one of several addressed to the County Board and School Board that ARLnow was CCed on in recent days.

“From a parent’s perspective, these decisions do not appear to be data-driven, outcome-oriented, or transparent. Delays in particular seem to accomplish little beyond creating unnecessary hardship for working families,” Cohen wrote. “A two-hour delay does not meaningfully improve road conditions, does not reduce childcare challenges, and often results in the same ultimate outcome: lost instructional time with no measurable safety benefit.”

What do you think — did APS strike the right balance by staying closed for five school days (Friday was a scheduled off day) and opening on a delay today? (Neighboring Fairfax notably took the same approach.)

Or should schools have opened up earlier? Or stayed closed longer? Let us know below.

Morning Poll: Need an escape from winter?

By ARLnow.com and The Associated Press
Groundhog Club handler A.J. Dereume holds Punxsutawney Phil, the weather prognosticating groundhog, during the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pa., Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. Phil's handlers said that the groundhog has forecast six more weeks of winter. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)

After a frigid and snow covered past week and a half — and yet another APS snow day — you might be ready for a big warm-up.

Bad news: we have at least another week of mostly freezing temperatures, according to the forecast, and six more weeks of winter, according to Punxsutawney Phil.

The groundhog saw his shadow this morning in the woods of Pennsylvania.

PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (AP) — Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Monday, a forecast sure to disappoint many after what’s already been a long, cold season across large parts of the United States.

His annual prediction and announcement that he had seen his shadow was translated by his handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club at Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania.

The news was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos from the tens of thousands who braved temperatures in the single-digits Fahrenheit to await the annual prognostication. The extreme cold kept the crowd bundled up and helped keep people on the main stage dancing.

Usually guests can come up on stage and take pictures of Phil after his prediction, but this year the announcer said it was too cold for that and his handlers were afraid to keep him out too long. Instead, the audience was asked to come to the stage, turn around and “do a selfie.”

The club says that when Phil is deemed to have not seen his shadow, that means there will be an early spring. When he does see it, it’s six more weeks of winter. Phil tends to predict a longer winter far more often than an early spring.

Is cabin fever setting in, after one of the longest stretches of very cold temperatures in recent memory? Are you in desperate need of a warm weather escape while winter still rages here in Arlington?

Let’s find out how many local need to get away.

Morning Poll: Would a revamped Dulles sans people movers affect your airport choice?

By ARLnow.com
1/5

In a 2023 ARLnow poll, nearly two-thirds of respondents said they would pay more or compromise on schedule in order to fly out of National Airport instead of Dulles.

In the comments, several people mentioned the “super lame” and “interminable” people movers at IAD as being a key factor.

Well, those lumbering, decades-old “mobile lounges” may be on the way out, just months after airport officials said they could be in operation for another 15-20 years. Following a crash involving a people mover that injured more than a dozen people, President Trump says the federal government will be leading an effort to “rebuild” the airport, with a likely focus on eliminating the 1960s-era vehicles.

More from the Associated Press:

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration will embark on a reconstruction of Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.

“We’re also going to rebuild Dulles airport because it’s not a good airport,” Trump said during a meeting of his Cabinet members at the White House. “It should be a great airport, and it’s not a good airport at all. It’s a terrible airport.”

Dulles is one of the three Washington-area airports and its quality is a hotly-debated topic among Washingtonians.

Trump, a former real estate mogul, said the Dulles building was “incorrectly designed.” He nonetheless praised Eero Saarinen, the Finnish-American architect who designed the main terminal at Dulles.

“We’re going to turn that around and we’re going to make Dulles airport — serving Washington and Virginia, Maryland, etc. — we’re gonna make that into something really spectacular. We have an amazing plan for it.”

His motorcade took an unannounced drive through Dulles in early November. At the time, the White House said Trump wanted to take the detour to the airport to assess potential future projects.

During Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy singled out the controversial “people movers” that ferry travelers in between concourses. One of the vehicles, which are also called “mobile lounges,” crashed in November. […]

The Transportation Department announced later Tuesday that it is inviting bids for a Dulles project that would build “completely new terminals and concourses” at the airport. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said in a statement that it will work with the Transportation Department to build upon the existing $7 billion plan to improve Dulles.

This morning we’re wondering: would significant updates to the airport, beyond those already made or under construction, make you more likely to fly out of Dulles?

Morning Poll: Are you shopping today?

By ARLnow.com
A Christmas tree at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City (file photo)

It’s the biggest shopping day of the year. Are you going to be among the throngs?

There is a bit of a Yogi Berra “nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded” phenomenon where the mental images of crowded mall parking lots or swarmed big box stores keep some people away. But Black Friday’s reputation is well earned and many will end up doing some holiday shopping or discount hunting today.

We’re wondering what percentage of ARLnow readers will be Black Friday shoppers, either in person or online. Check any of the options below that apply.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Who’s having more fun, Arlington or Alexandria?

By ARLnow.com
Alexandria as seen in the distance from Arlington (file photo)

Yesterday, Arlington County Board member Maureen Coffey sparked a debate on Bluesky.

“Among my most important and treasured duties as a board member is making sure everyone knows: a) they can submit names for our snow plows and b) we are having more fun than our neighbors in Alexandria,” Coffey wrote on the social network, while linking to our article about Arlington’s snowplow naming contest.

Go to Morning Poll: Who’s having more fun, Arlington or Alexandria? Read more

Morning Poll: What are your Thanksgiving dinner plans?

By ARLnow.com
Thanksgiving turkey (file photo)

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is just a week away.

Over the years, ARLnow has conducted morning polls on various Thanksgiving related topics:

This year we’re wondering: what are your Thanksgiving dinner plans?

Are you dining at home, somewhere else in town, or out of town? And will you be enjoying the meal with mostly family or mostly friends?

Opinion

Morning Poll: What should we do with the comment section?

By ARLnow.com
Comment button on ARLnow

The ARLnow comment section is legendary.

Over the past 16 years it has hosted a daily exchange of ideas on local topics with a volume of comments more typical of a large city newspaper than a hyperlocal website. It has been a place where a (mostly) anonymous group with usernames that became familiar over time could gather, joke and commiserate over the news of the day.

Go to Morning Poll: What should we do with the comment section? Read more

Morning Poll: Are people in Arlington generally more fit than those in other parts of the U.S.?

By ARLnow.com
Runners in Long Bridge Park in Crystal City (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

A Reddit thread has locals debating whether (and why) people in our area appear noticeably more fit than those in other parts of the country.

From a user in the Northern Virginia subreddit, in a thread titled “Why is everyone here so thin/fit?”:

Did anyone here come from deeper south and realize the disparity in the size of the average person? I looked it up and at the city level, Arlington VA was names the fittest city in the USA for eight consecutive years and DC is always second place. Now I understand places like Colorado being fit because of the mountain hiking and outdoorsy culture but this is a congested urban area with chronically busy people and career hustle culture. We also have a lot of restaurants and bars and people go out frequently, and if I’m not mistaken there are some parts of this area (DC especially) that are high poverty “food deserts” which are actually typically associated with a higher obesity rate. Does it really just come down to walkability? What’s different about here?

That original post from last week sparked what is now a nearly 400-post-long discussion. Redditors pointed to several factors that might explain why folks here are fitter than elsewhere, including:

  • Wealth and education giving people access to better food, gyms, and healthcare
  • The area’s career-driven, Type-A culture that extends to fitness
  • Walkability and Metro use that naturally builds in thousands of extra steps per day (unlike car-dependent areas)
  • Extensive trail networks and parks
  • Corporate gyms and flexible work schedules;
  • Fewer high-sugar staples, like Southern-style sweet tea, in people’s everyday consumption

What we’re wondering in today’s poll, however, is not what’s causing this phenomenon — but whether you’ve noticed it specifically in Arlington.

Are Arlingtonians actually fitter than people in most other parts of the country, based on your observations?

Opinion

Morning Poll: Daylight Saving Time dread

By ARLnow.com
Rain collects on a windshield in Westover during a dark evening drive (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

It’s that time of year again. This Sunday at 2 a.m., we’ll “fall back” as Daylight Saving Time comes to an end for 2025.

While gaining an extra hour of sleep sounds nice in theory, the reality of earlier sunsets and darker evenings can be a tough adjustment for many. By the end of next week, the sun will be setting before 5 p.m. in Arlington, leaving many commuters heading home in the dark.

Go to Morning Poll: Daylight Saving Time dread Read more
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