Around Town

One Arlington man’s quiet mission to clean up a local park, first reported by ARLnow, has attracted the attention of media outlets across the nation in recent weeks.

Alan Wile, a retiree who spends his mornings picking up litter in Glencarlyn Park, has become an unlikely local celebrity after his story of daily trash collection was picked up by local CBS affiliate WUSA9 and subsequently shared by news outlets from Evansville, Ind. to Presque Isle, Maine and New Orleans.


Around Town

An Arlington business owner and veteran was featured on NBC’s Today Show this week for a life of service to others.

The Today Show recognized Linda Cheeks, owner of Linda’s Unisex Hair Salon (2405 26th Road S.) in Long Branch Creek, for her work as a foster parent and other contributions to the Northern Virginia community. Cheeks, who also served in the U.S. Army in the 1970s, was featured on the morning show’s “Heroes Among Us” series.


News

A member of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors has landed a spot on a USA Network competition show.

Bismah Ahmed, a lobbyist who also serves as vice chair of advocacy at the Chamber, is a contestant on “The Anonymous” — a reality show of strategy and deception in which players compete for a prize of up to $100,000.


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.


Opinion

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.


Around Town

Recent “Chopped” winner David Ho is coming to Arlington next week to take part in a kids cooking competition.

Ho will judge the K12 National Cook-Off, which is being held at Kitchen of Purpose in Arlington on Saturday, July 13. Celebrity chef Isabel Coss and Daniela Hurtado, Kitchen of Purpose’s director of programs, will also serve as judges.


Around Town

A local chef will appear on one of the nation’s most popular reality TV cooking shows later this month.

On Tuesday, April 16 at 8 p.m., Adam Hoffa, the executive chef at Pirouette Café & Wine Shop in Ballston, will go head-to-head with three other chefs in a high-stakes culinary showdown on Food Network’s “Chopped.”


Around Town

Students from two Arlington high schools will put their knowledge to the test in a teen quiz show airing new episodes throughout March.

Bishop Dennis J. O’Connell  and Washington-Liberty High School students will compete against other high-achieving students from D.C. area schools on “It’s Academic.”


Around Town

Arlington resident Luigi de Guzman is back on Jeopardy! following his five-game winning streak in 2022.

The local attorney will compete against a trail planner from Silver Spring and a psychiatrist from Canada — each a returning champion — in an episode airing next Thursday, Feb. 29.


Opinion

As we have been reporting, local public access station Arlington Independent Media is at a crossroads as it vies for funding from Arlington County and local cable providers.

Despite some internal strife, a bigger force is driving the existential questions around AIM: the ongoing loss of cable TV subscribers known as cord cutting.


News

Arlington is not exactly the Hollywood of the East, pivotal West Wing episodes aside, but the strikes rocking tinseltown have a new local front here.

The Writers Guild of America and performers union SAG-AFTRA are both on strike this summer, demanding better compensation — particularly from streaming services — as well as protections from the use of artificial intelligence in TV and film production. While most of the picket lines you see on the news are in New York or Los Angeles, strikers are out in Arlington today.


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