poll | ARLnow.com

Published March 10, 2020 at 9:45AM | Updated March 11, 2020 at 11:12PM

Coronavirus (photo via CDC/Unsplash)

(Updated at 9:55 a.m.) Coronavirus has arrived in Arlington, with a local resident and a worker in Crystal City testing positive for the disease. And the fourth and fifth case in Virginia were subsequently confirmed in Fairfax and Spotsylvania County.

While this is obviously big news, given the impacts the disease is having on both the economy and the health of those who contract it, let’s for a minute allow for some optimism: the stock market is back up this morning, perhaps the authorities will be able to contain the outbreak before it gets much worse, and just maybe COVID-19 will not prove to be as deadly as originally feared.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Should the Property Tax Rate Be Lowered?

By ARLnow.com

Published February 27, 2020 at 8:55AM

Money (by Sharon McCutcheon/Unsplash)

With rising property assessments, the Arlington County Board sees no need to raise taxes this year.

The Board on Tuesday advertised a maximum property tax rate unchanged at $1.013 per $100. The question is: should the rate be lowered?

Opinion

Morning Poll: What Do You Think of This Mild, Damp Winter?

By ARLnow.com

Published February 12, 2020 at 9:05AM | Updated February 12, 2020 at 10:15AM

This winter in Arlington has been an anomaly.

It’s the only winter since 1932 in which the temperature has failed to drop below 22 degrees. And it’s generally been cloudy, rainy and — well — pretty gloomy.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Are You Shopping Less Frequently at Bricks-and-Mortar Stores?

By ARLnow.com

Published February 4, 2020 at 9:00AM | Updated February 4, 2020 at 4:16PM

There’s little doubt that a retail apocalypse is underway, though there is some debate about how to assign blame.

Store closures and imminent closures in Arlington since last summer include Abercrombie & Fitch, Swatch and Papyrus at the Pentagon City mall; World Market in Pentagon City; Rite Aid in Crystal City; and Pier 1 in Rosslyn. Malls in Tysons have also seen a spate of recent closures.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Would You Try the Bumble Coffee?

By ARLnow.com

Published January 10, 2020 at 9:30AM

Bumble Coffee, a mix of espresso, orange juice, and caramel at This is Fine Coffee (staff photo by Vernon Miles)

Yesterday we told you about a new Clarendon cafe called This is Fine Coffee, but more importantly we told you about one of their signature drinks: an espresso, orange juice and caramel concoction called the Bumble Coffee.

It’s apparently popular in Eastern Europe, and fairly rare here stateside.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Which Rejected Design Should We Turn into a Shirt?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 20, 2019 at 9:35AM

"The Cheesecake Incident 2018" t-shirt

We hope you enjoyed our series of locally-themed t-shirts available for the holiday season.

In case you missed them, check out our Clarendon Cheesecake Riot shirt, Gondola Now! shirt, South Arlington 4 Life shirt, Definitely Not an ARLnow Commenter shirt and Local Is Everything shirt.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Should Renters Have Less of a Say Than Homeowners?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 3, 2019 at 9:15AM | Updated December 3, 2019 at 11:16AM

An editorial in the Arlington Sun Gazette newspaper last week, on the topic of single-family zoning, seems to suggest that renters are ill-informed and should have less of a say than homeowners.

Those who live in Arlington’s single-family neighborhoods traditionally have dominated the direction of local governance. They are the ones who have controlled the selection of local officials and then, through activism, ensured public policy proceeds the way they desire.

Opinion

Morning Poll: When Are You Taking Off for Thanksgiving?

By ARLnow.com

Published November 25, 2019 at 9:20AM

Anecdotal as it may be, it seems that the Thanksgiving holiday has already started for a lot of local folks.

On the way to ARLnow’s office in Ballston during the peak of the morning rush hour, the usual backups on eastbound Wilson Blvd at N. Glebe Road were gone. So was the usual line at a certain chain coffee shop near the Ballston Metro station.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Should Route 1 Go Underground Instead?

By ARLnow.com

Published October 2, 2019 at 9:15AM | Updated October 2, 2019 at 10:27AM

Our reporting yesterday about plans to eliminate Route 1 overpasses in Crystal City and replace them with more urban-style, at-grade intersections was greeted with some skepticism.

Though the idea of making Route 1 — also known as Richmond Highway — more of an “urban boulevard” as Amazon moves in may seem appealing at first glance, the prospect of crossing the busy commuter route to get to and from the Crystal City Metro Station, as opposed to just walking underneath as one can currently on 18th Street, elicited some strong opinions.

Opinion

Morning Poll: What’s Your Favorite Thing About September?

By ARLnow.com

Published August 27, 2019 at 9:00AM

September will arrive this weekend, heralding the unofficial start of fall.

Yes, the actual season starts on September 23, but with pools closing after Labor Day, football being played, Oktoberfest beer being poured and Pumpkin Spice Lattes being brewed — well, it’s basically fall.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Should John Glenn’s House Be Torn Down?

By ARLnow.com

Published August 19, 2019 at 9:35AM

Astronaut John Glenn's former house in Arlington (photo via Washington Fine Properties)

Astronaut John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth. He was also an Arlington resident for about 5 years.

The group Preservation Arlington points out that Glenn’s former home, a mid-century rambler near Williamsburg Middle School, is now for sale with the listing hinting — “the value is in the land,” it says — that it will likely be a tear-down. The property is listed for $1,050,000.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Dating Across the River

By ARLnow.com

Published August 9, 2019 at 9:30AM

17. A Rosslyn view from Memorial Bridge, from ARLnow's "Bridge Too Far" dating article (Photo via Flickr/John Sonderman).

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.