poll

Morning Poll: Which presidential candidate do you think is going to win in Virginia?

By ARLnow.com
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris at the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024 (via ABC)

We’re a week away from the Nov. 5 election and the culmination of a historic presidential race.

While states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin get the most attention as campaign battlegrounds, Virginia has also traditionally been considered a battleground state. In recent years, though, it has mostly voted Democratic in presidential contests.

This time around, Vice President Kamala Harris (D) is leading former president Donald Trump (R) in polls. According to a RealClearPolitics poll average, Harris has a nearly 6 percentage point advantage over the former president in the Commonwealth.

But that’s not stopping a bit of hopeful rhetoric from the Arlington GOP, which has been saying on social media that Trump — who is currently polling ahead in most other battleground states — has a “damn good chance” to win Virginia.

Given the current polling, what you’re seeing on the ground, and other factors, who do you think will win here next week?

Morning Poll: Do you agree with the Missing Middle ruling?

By ARLnow.com
People gathered outside the Arlington County courthouse after a Missing Middle ruling in September 2024 (staff photo by Dan Egitto)

On a rainy Friday morning, an Arlington Circuit Court judge overturned a sweeping zoning change years in the making.

The ruling late last week sent a shockwave through the county, disrupting numerous planned developments and calling into question how the county government sets policies. “Missing Middle” opponents celebrated while supporters and at least one County Board member called for an appeal.

More from our reporting:

Judge David Schell ruled against the county on four counts this morning (Friday), finding that the county failed to adequately consider localized impacts, failed to follow proper procedure and violated state tree canopy requirements when adopting the amendments.

As of today, the county cannot lawfully issue any more permits under the Expanded Housing Option, which allowed for the construction of up to six-unit buildings on properties that were previously zoned for only single-family homes. […]

In a ruling read aloud from the bench, Schell referenced testimony from witnesses about possible wastewater backups and overflows that might result from the strain additional housing could place on stormwater and sewage infrastructure.

Although a county expert testified that Arlington does, in fact, have sufficient infrastructure to support anticipated growth, the judge found “no evidence presented that the county considered likely overflows” and other localized impacts.

All things considered, and putting aside your personal feelings about the zoning changes, do you agree with the ruling?

Morning Poll: Did you watch last night’s debate?

By ARLnow.com
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris at the presidential debate on Sept. 10, 2024 (via ABC)

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump took the debate stage for the first time together last night in Philadelphia.

The debate quickly turned contentious. As reported by the Associated Press:

Sparring on politics and personality, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump showcased their starkly different visions for the country on abortion, immigration and American democracy as they met for the first time Tuesday for perhaps their only debate before November’s presidential election.

The Democratic vice president moved repeatedly to get under the skin of the former Republican president, provoking him with reminders about the 2020 election loss that he still denies and derisive asides at his other false claims.

Harris not only tried to make the case that Trump is unfit for office but tried to use her answers in a way that seemed designed to provoke him into launching into one of the personal attacks that his advisers and supporters have tried to steer him away from.

Arlington, as a place well within the Beltway, is likely to have a higher than average proportion of viewership for the debate. But just how high was it — and did the debate change any minds here that were not already made up?

That’s what we are asking in this morning’s poll.

Morning Poll: Flu and Covid vaccination plans

By ARLnow.com
Pharmacist prepares a syringe (courtesy CVS)

If the cool mornings are any clue, cold and flu season is upon us — and that means many people are thinking about vaccinations.

Covid and flu vaccinations are currently available at many local pharmacies and medical offices.

“To ensure communities are protected this season, the CDC is recommending that everyone over age six (6) months get an annual flu shot AND an updated COVID-19 vaccine,” pharmacy chain CVS said in a late August press release, announcing the availability of vaccines.

“The ideal time to get vaccinated is in September or October, to restore and enhance protection against the most common viruses currently circulating before peak season starts,” the release continued. “Pharmacies are one of the most common places people choose to get vaccinated.”

According to CVS, 46% of people plan to get a flu shot and 60% of people planning to get the flu vaccine would like to get a Covid vaccine during the same visit.

We were wondering how that compares with vaccine plans in Arlington. Are you planning to (or did you already) get the jab?

Morning Poll: In your opinion, is it fall yet?

By ARLnow.com
Pumpkins for sale at the Whole Foods in Clarendon in September 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Signs of fall abound around Arlington.

Oktoberfest beers and pumpkin spice lattes have been on offer at local stores and cafes for a little while now. Kids are back in school and fall sports are underway. The weather has turned cooler following long stretches of blast furnace heat. We’re now past Labor Day, considered the unofficial end of summer. Most summer vacations have ended and many commutes are getting longer. And, technically, it is now meteorological fall.

On the other hand, there are also signs that summer is hanging on.

The traditional Labor Day closure of many local pools has been pushed back by a week or two. Some folks are still on their Labor Day vacations. The NFL regular season has not started yet. Temperatures in the 80s are expected this week. Astronomical fall doesn’t start until Sept. 22. And, typically, ARLnow’s daily readership does not recover from its summer doldrums until the week after Labor Day (this is also true about rush hour traffic, which will get worse next week.)

Given these contrasting signals, we’re wondering whether our readers consider us now to be in the fall season — or if it comes later.

Opinion

Morning Poll: Are you even here?

By ARLnow.com
Looking south, the sun sets as traffic moves along I-395 (Staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Aside from the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the Friday before Labor Day is one of the quietest days of the year in the D.C. area.

Many are on vacation, but even those still here and working might be, well, checked out for the weekend. On top of that, there’s no school today for Arlington Public Schools and, traditionally, it’s a very slow day for readership on ARLnow.

Go to Morning Poll: Are you even here? Read more

Morning Poll: Too early for Halloween?

By ARLnow.com
Pumpkin Head Ale for sale at Clarendon's Whole Foods store (staff photo by Jared Serre)

As ARLnow reported last week, some Halloween displays have already started popping up in Arlington stores.

It’s part of a trend that some call “Summerween,” with the spooky season seemingly starting earlier and earlier each year.

More from Axios:

There’s a race to move out holiday merchandise early, aiming to get shoppers ready well in advance and, ideally, pushing them to spend more money.

Halloween is big money for retailers and last year sales were projected to reach $12.2 billion, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual holiday survey.

There’s a lot to like about Halloween, pumpkin patches, Oktoberfest beers and 12-foot skeletons — but is this all just way too early? Or do you welcome the autumnal vibes in August, actually?

Opinion

Morning Poll: Have you been watching the Olympics live or at night?

By ARLnow.com
Torri Huske helps Team USA win gold in the mixed 4x100m medley relay (via NBC)

Television ratings for the 2024 Paris games are way up compared to the Tokyo Olympics.

The excitement of crowds that were absent during the Covid-delayed Tokyo games probably have something to do with that, as does the time change improvement that sees most major events happening live in the morning and afternoon in the U.S. instead of overnight.

Go to Morning Poll: Have you been watching the Olympics live or at night? Read more
News

Morning Poll: Should ARLnow have a smartphone app?

By ARLnow.com
ARLnow on a mobile phone (photo illustration by ARLnow)

The main theme of ARLnow’s promotion of our email newsletter is that it allows you to get all of the headlines, without intermediation by algorithms.

Large online platforms like social networks and search engines are great, but they will generally only surface a fraction of the local stories you might be interested in reading, unless you actively seek them out. And many of us have settled into being more passive scrollers than active seekers when it comes to news.

Go to Morning Poll: Should ARLnow have a smartphone app? Read more
Opinion

Morning Poll: Which new DCA flight destination do you most want?

By ARLnow.com
Departure board at Reagan National Airport (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Last week we rounded up the eight airlines applying for new long-haul flights at Reagan National Airport.

Tomorrow is the final day for public feedback to the U.S. Department of Transportation on which airline proposals should receive one of the five new congressionally authorized slots.

Go to Morning Poll: Which new DCA flight destination do you most want? Read more
Opinion

Morning Poll: Have spam text messages been getting worse for you?

By ARLnow.com
People on smartphones (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Telemarketing calls have been the bane of phone owners for decades, but an escalation led to action against “robocalls” by state and federal elected officials alike over the past couple of years.

A more modern telecommunications annoyance, meanwhile, may be taking the spotlight away from such calls.

Go to Morning Poll: Have spam text messages been getting worse for you? Read more

Morning Poll: Have you been targeted by a phone scam?

By ARLnow.com
A woman receiving a call while wearing a face mask at Long Bridge Park in May 2020 (Staff Photo by Jay Westcott)

Phone-based scams are common — but just how common?

That’s what we’re wondering in today’s morning poll, following an article we published last week, which detailed a local woman’s experience getting targeted by a sophisticated phone scammer.

It started with a phone call. Somebody claiming to be her daughter alleged she was being held by the police after striking a pregnant woman. She herself had a broken nose, according to the caller whose caller ID claimed to be from Woodbridge.

“This person on the phone had the exact mannerisms that my daughter has,” the mother said. “She said my name the same way that she usually does. She apologized profusely like she normally would.”

The caller claimed that bail was set at $180,000, before passing the phone to a supposed police officer. Soon after, the mother received a call from a Texas phone number, from somebody claiming to be an attorney.

That’s when the red flags started getting raised.

The article is among the most-read on ARLnow over the past week, pointing perhaps to worries that a similar attempted scam could happen to almost anyone.

To find out how common it actually is, today we’re asking readers: have you ever been targeted by a phone scam?

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