It’s not yet clear how much snow this weekend, but don’t be surprised if on Sunday you see a scene like the photos above, from March 25, 2013.
At minimum, forecasters say say a coastal storm will make for a cold, soggy weekend, with a mix of rain and snow. Accumulation seems to be the biggest wildcard.
So enjoy the start of spring and stay warm. Feel free to stay in this weekend and discuss any topics of local interest in the comments.
The Right Note is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
While the mid-week Metro shutdown was sudden and shocking to the area, it sent a clear message that the new General Manager Paul Wiedefeld is prepared to make unpopular decisions in the name of safety. And that’s a good thing.
During the shutdown Wednesday, safety inspections revealed at least three other locations where cables required repairs because they were fire hazards.
It was unquestionably a good decision to put safety first. But, the timing of the move also got the attention of both elected leaders and the public at large by sending a much-needed shockwave through the entire region.
Metro riders have long known about the system’s problems, but it didn’t really impact everyone directly. That is, until Tuesday evening’s announcement when suddenly every commuter had to think about Metro.
Wiedefeld has said Metro’s situation was worse than he originally thought, and that he is working to make systemic changes.
However, there was something very troubling in this Washington Post story. One WMATA official said, “The bottom line is he can’t rely on the people working for him.” The, albeit anonymous, source went on to say, “Nothing fundamental has changed to guarantee that the information he’s getting is accurate.”
So, in addition to a culture of safety, it sounds like Wiedefeld must institute a culture of accountability. He must institute a culture of trust. And, he must institute a culture of sound financial management.
In other words, there is a long way to go before WMATA is truly back on the right track. Hopefully the WMATA Board has given him all of the authority and latitude he needs to make all of the needed changes.
Not surprisingly, the discussions turned to the question of funding.
Regional leaders should evaluate the funding mechanisms in place and how best to move forward. However, it is clear that there are still more questions than answers about Metro’s future and funding alone will not solve them. Leaders must insist that a real plan to fundamentally transform how WMATA operates is in place and working before any funding changes are made.
Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
Last week, the Virginia General Assembly filled a vacancy on the Virginia Supreme Court. The name of the candidate finally selected to fill this vacancy — Stephen McCullough — was first revealed to the public only one day before the legislature voted to confirm his appointment. That’s a bad process.
Background
Under Virginia law, the legislature — not the Governor — has the power directly to appoint judges when the legislature is in session. Last year, during a time when the legislature was not in session, Governor McAuliffe exercised his power to appoint a qualified judge, Jane Roush, to fill this vacancy. To be effective permanently, Governor McAuliffe’s interim appointment of Judge Roush required confirmation by the legislature once it returned to session. In the past, such interim appointments by Virginia governors routinely have been made and subsequently confirmed by the legislature.
However, in this case, the Republican leadership of the General Assembly claimed that they had not been adequately consulted and refused to confirm Judge Roush’s appointment. Last year, the Republican leadership quickly brought forward and recommended another qualified judge, Rossie Alston, as their preferred alternative appointment.
As this year’s legislative session began, Governor McAuliffe and the Republican legislative leadership continued to argue bitterly over whether Judge Roush or Judge Alston should be appointed. Since Republicans control both houses of the legislature, they bear full responsibility for managing the legislative calendar.
Discussion
Let’s just assume only for purposes of this discussion that the Republican leadership of both houses of the General Assembly are correct that Governor McAuliffe did not consult them adequately about Judge Roush’s initial interim appointment. Let’s assume further that the Republican legislative leadership entered the legislative session in January legitimately believing that Judge Alston was a better choice.
Early in this year’s legislative session, the Republican legislative leadership should have arranged up or down votes for both Judge Roush and Judge Alston. Had the Republican leadership done so, they would have discovered that neither of these candidates had the votes to be confirmed. Then, there would have been time to bring forward and adequately vet alternative candidates. Instead, the Republican legislative leadership allowed this issue to drag on and on and on.
On Tuesday of last week, with only days left before the legislature was due to adjourn, the Republicans suddenly announced that they wanted to nominate former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to fill this vacancy. Democrats erupted with a storm of protest, and just hours later, Cuccinelli withdrew his name from consideration. A few hours after that, Republicans suggested for the first time that they wanted Stephen McCullough appointed. McCullough was confirmed the next day.
Conclusion
As long as the Virginia legislature retains the power to appoint judges, there will be a substantial amount of partisanship in judicial selection. However, because judges are supposed impartially to decide the cases before them, both legislators themselves and the people of Virginia should have a fair and adequate opportunity to evaluate and comment upon any proposed judicial candidates. The Republican legislative leadership could have provided that opportunity in this case, but they let the people of Virginia down by failing to do so.
Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.com.
By Krysta Jones
Every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month as a way to honor and remember women who have been pioneers and who have helped shape our society and contributed to its success.
Nationally, the theme of the National Women’s History Project is “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.”
We in Virginia are also seeking to honor women who have been important contributors to Virginia’s progress as a Commonwealth.
We need look no further than Arlington to find women deserving of our respect, praise, and remembrance.
Mary Marshall was a public servant who represented Arlington County for 24 years as a Delegate in the Virginia General Assembly. She championed social services ranging from the rights of senior citizens to the needs of young children.
Evelyn Reid Syphax was a former Arlington elementary school teacher who served on elected and appointed school boards as well as many civic and community organizations. As Chairman of the Arlington School Board in the early 1980s, she led a successful overhaul of the County’s desegregation plan to reduce long bus rides for minority students. Mrs. Syphax’s family continues to provide leadership in our County and those who knew her honor her and remember her passing 16 years ago this month.
Both women exemplified Arlington’s progressive values. Yet despite their successes in and on behalf of Arlington, many current County residents know little about them. The same is true for many other women who were instrumental in bettering life in Arlington or Virginia.
Fortunately, the Women’s Monument Commission of Virginia is aiming to write more women into our history books by recognizing 12 outstanding women for their contributions to society with a monument on the grounds of the state Capitol in Richmond.
We can thank Em Bowles Locker Alsop, a feisty advocate for women’s issues, who in 2010 successfully lobbied for a resolution to establish a monument recognizing Virginia women on Capitol Square in Richmond. The Women’s Monument Commission selected the finalists for the monument from the many recommendations received from around the Commonwealth.
The Monument is likely the first of its kind at a state capitol. Its interactive design centers around an oval courtyard with statues of the 12 women — some standing, some sitting — greeting visitors with descriptions about their lives. Guests will be invited to learn and reflect on the important role women have played in our history, and inspire people to make their own positive mark on our Commonwealth’s history.
Here are just a few of their stories:
These are the untold stories of phenomenal women in Virginia’s history. The Honorable Mary Margaret Whipple, a former state Senator representing Arlington, serves as the Vice-Chair of the Commission, and is leading the charge to raise funds and awareness for the project.
The Monument also includes a Wall of Honor which will be updated regularly to reflect the continuous contributions women make to Virginia’s history. The deadline to nominate a woman for the wall is March 31. To find out more about the Monument or nominate your favorite Arlington woman, click here.
In honor of Women’s History Month, I hope everyone will learn more and teach our children about the women who worked to make Virginia, and communities like Arlington, places we are proud to call home.
Krysta Jones is founder and CEO of the Virginia Leadership Institute. In 2014 she was named by Leadership Arlington as a Top 40 Leaders Under 40 awardee.
In an unprecedented step, WMATA General Manager Paul Wiedefeld shut down the entire Metrorail system on a weekday for emergency inspections.
Those inspections found more than two dozen damaged power cables along the tracks, the kind which caused a deadly fire and smoke incident in a tunnel outside of the L’Enfant Metro station last year.
With the damaged cables repaired, Metrorail service resumed this morning. Do you think the disruption to hundreds of thousands of people’s daily commutes was worth it?
Yesterday, inspired by the Washington City Paper profile of PoPville’s Dan Silverman, who goes on 12-mile walks around the District looking for news, ARLnow.com decided to do all of our reporting and commuting via bike.
(It should be noted that our Borderstan news site — which covers Dupont Circle, Logan Circle, U Street and Columbia Heights — competes for scoops with PoPville.)
Here are the main takeaways from our “car-free diet” experience.
While this was a fun experiment, practicality dictates that we’ll probably have to keep driving for our daily reporting. It would be hard to get to a breaking news scene fast enough via bike. And the car doubles as a mobile workspace.
Feel free to discuss biking or any other topic of local interest in the comments.
Quick reminder this weekend: don’t forget to “spring forward” and set your clocks ahead an hour when you go to sleep Saturday night. Daylight Saving Time is finally here.
If there’s an article of footwear more ubiquitous than the famous brown flip flop in Arlington, it’s the boat shoe.
Come summertime, boat shoes abound, on the feet of both men and women.
But given this week’s warm weather, we were wondering when the appropriate time is to dust off one’s boat shoes and begin wearing them around town.
What’s your boat shoe rule?
Progressive Voice is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organizations or ARLnow.com.
By Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz
I am proud to call myself an Arlingtonian. One of the reasons for this pride is that I believe our community recognizes the importance of creating opportunities for all to succeed. Ours is a community that proactively gets involved in the process of effecting positive change.
As a result, we have done very well as a community from a macro socio-economic perspective. However, as a community we have a lot more to do to create conditions whereby that success develops more broadly – especially for communities of color to prosper in ways that are more equitable while also benefiting the entire community.
This can be seen from a closer look at poverty in Arlington County. Overall, the County has a low income poverty rate (6%). That rate is less than half of the percentage of households living in income poverty across the United States.
Yet African Americans and Latinos face a different income situation in Arlington. Their poverty rates are 14.7% and 15.4%, respectively.
Moreover, while the median household income in Arlington is approximately $103,000, the median household income for African Americans is approximately $60,000 and for Latinos approximately $63,000.
Another indicator of the socio-economic wellbeing of a community is the ability of its residents to deal with an adverse personal financial event. According to a new data analysis from Family Assets Count — a project of the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) and the Assets & Opportunity Initiative — more than one of every five Arlington households (23%) is financially vulnerable. Communities of color fare even worse: 50% of African American households and 58% of Latino households are poor in terms of liquid assets.
A household is considered to be liquid asset poor if it does not have enough savings to live above the poverty line for just three months if they face loss of a job, a medical crisis, or a similar substantial income disruption.
As a result, one out of every two African American and Latino households in Arlington live in a state of persistent financial insecurity, one emergency away from falling into debt, losing a home, or suffering from poverty.
While there is no magic formula to fix problems in life, there are steps we can take to build a stronger sense of household financial security.
Based on my professional experience in working on asset-building and wealth creation solutions for low- and moderate-income families, I have five recommendations that can serve as a good starting point:
Let’s celebrate financial and entrepreneurial successes in our community. Let us also recognize that we can simultaneously provide opportunities for many others to succeed. More can be done to make our vulnerable residents less so, and enhance financial acumen to broaden our prosperity.
We can be a stronger community and a more stable and equitable community by recognizing vulnerability and sharing more broadly the tools for success.
I look forward to being part of our collaborative approach to benefit all in the community. How about you?
Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz works for an asset-building organization in Washington, D.C. and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Arlington-based non-profit organization Dream Project.
Peter’s Take is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
A 69% increase in asthma cases among APS elementary students — first reported in 2014 — has led Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE) to launch a new survey regarding idling times for cars and school buses at APS schools.
Background
Among the “Key Findings” of a 2014 Community Report Card on the Status of Children, Youth, and Families were these:
The number of parent-reported chronic conditions in APS elementary students increased by 62% between 2009-10 and 2013-14, driven by a doubling in food allergies and a 69% increase in asthma.
On March 4, 2016, ACE launched a survey seeking information intended to shed light on the role that idling times for cars and school buses might be playing in this spike in asthma cases. The ACE survey notes:
Idling not only wastes fuel, it contributes to air pollution and the emission of toxins that cause cancer and other serious health effects, including asthma. According to the EPA, air quality monitoring at schools has shown elevated levels of benzene, formaldehyde, and other toxins in the time just after school pick up.
Discussion
ACE is right to be concerned about the role that the toxins emitted by idling vehicles might be playing in the reported alarming increases in asthma among APS elementary students. As the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality explains:
Because a single vehicle dropping off and picking up kids at one school puts three pounds of pollution into the air per month, stopping unnecessary vehicle idling is one relatively easy way to contribute to improved air quality and respiratory health in our communities.
However, one bus delivering 30 children to school generates far less overall exhaust (and thus pollutants) than do 30 individual private vehicles all driving a single child to school. To reduce atmospheric pollution near schools and limit children’s exposure, the principal goal of an anti-idling program should be to reduce the number of private cars driving children to school. APS can promote this goal by shortening bus routes and by collaborating with the Arlington County government to make it safer for children to walk and bike to school.
Car exhaust is a principal ingredient in ground-level ozone (or smog). Smog occurs when sunlight and heat react with vehicle exhaust. The American Lung Association has awarded Arlington’s air quality an “F” due to excessive smog. Spikes in ground-level ozone correspond to spikes in emergency room visits by asthmatics because smog inflames airways and reduces lung function, making it the greatest threat to children’s developing lungs.
Conclusion
How can we help? Arlington’s students already know the answer: we must be more careful stewards of the land. Protecting mature trees, limiting building footprints, minimizing paved surfaces and increasing green space all reduce the amount of heat-trapping elements in our built environment. Lower temperatures can reduce our children’s exposure to asthma-triggering ground-level ozone.
The Right Note is a weekly opinion column. The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
Last week, the Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission (FAAC) narrowly recommended the County Board use $1.5 million in economic development incentives to attract new businesses. The vote was 7 to 5 with one other member abstaining.
Some of the dissenting FAAC members thought the county should stay out of the business of using taxpayer dollars to incentivize businesses altogether. Others thought the money should be used elsewhere to get more bang for the buck. Many of those who back such economic development efforts believe that Arlington must use incentives to stay competitive with Fairfax, Alexandria and DC.
On multiple occasions, I have advocated that Arlington County take a holistic approach to making Arlington open for business. This means improving the fundamental environment for new businesses to start-up here as well as making it a priority that existing businesses can grow.
No amount of up-front financial incentives alone will ensure businesses will make a permanent home in Arlington. From the penalizing BPOL tax to the zoning process and everything in between, Arlington’s leaders must recognize the need to create an environment that allows businesses to thrive and create new jobs.
As part of its recommendations, FAAC did ask for the periodic review of the success of such incentive efforts. Hopefully FAAC members will continue to ask the question – is it working? They should make every effort to ensure taxpayers receive a good long term return on investment, not just let county leaders pat themselves on the back for “doing something.”
The volunteer FAAC members dedicate a lot of their time and energy to provide input on how your tax dollars are spent. We should applaud the FAAC members who thoughtfully raise concerns with, and are not afraid to oppose, the County Manager’s recommendations.
Did you know there were nearly 50 County Board established advisory groups in Arlington?
We hear about a number of them regularly. The Planning Commission, the Arlington Commission for the Arts, or the Sports Commission may also jump to mind immediately.
What about the Industrial Development Authority, or Urban Forestry Commission, or even the Out-of-School-Time Advisory Council? Have you heard of those? Do you know what they do?
If you want to give the Arlington County Board advice on an issue that is important to you, applying to serve on one of these groups is perhaps your best opportunity. You can apply online here if you are interested.
It was a busy week for news here in Arlington.
ARLnow.com was the first to report on two developments in the on-going saga of the Lyon Park gun store, we were the first to report on this piece of local election news that was later picked up by the Associated Press, and we were the first to report on today’s bomb threat and evacuation at Bishop O’Connell High School.
By Sunday, ARLnow.com will have published at least 54 posts this week, a new record.
While we enjoy a well-deserved weekend break — complete with a trip to buy some Girl Scout cookies — feel free to discuss any issues of local interest in the comments.
