Opinion

Morning Poll: Big snowstorm on tap this winter?

By ARLnow.com
Snow removal in Clarendon on Feb. 6, 2010 (file photo)

After several years of relatively meager winters, could this upcoming season have a big snowstorm on tap for us?

There’s some early suggestion of an elevated chance of large coastal winter storms between January and March, owing in part to a particularly intense El Niño climate pattern.

Of course, such a pattern could also leave Arlington high and dry again.

“Of the seven strong El Niño winters since 1950, four have been associated with well above normal snowfall while snowfall was virtually absent in the other three winters,” the National Weather Service wrote about winters in metro D.C. and Baltimore.

Climate prognosticating — it’s an inexact science, just ask the groundhog — has been raising the hopes of snow lovers this month, with some models suggesting a cold and snowy winter is likely for the Mid-Atlantic region.

The last really big winter storm to hit Arington was the Jan. 22-23, 2016 blizzard. The three large snow events of the winter of 2009-2010, meanwhile, are still fresh in the minds of many locals who lived through them.

What do you think? Would you welcome another big snowstorm this winter or do you prefer the mostly snowless winters of late?

Morning Poll: Ban TikTok?

By ARLnow.com
TikTok on a phone (Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash)

Virginia’s Attorney General has authored an amicus brief supporting the ban of TikTok on a statewide level.

The short-form video app, which is especially popular with younger users, is set to be banned next year in Montana. In response to a federal lawsuit challenging the ban, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares — joined by 17 other GOP state attorneys general — says the ban should be legal as it amounts to a “garden variety consumer protection statute.”

More from a press release:

Attorney General Jason Miyares filed an amicus brief, joined by 17 other state attorneys general, in support of the State of Montana’s law banning the popular app ‘TikTok.’ Montana’s action protects its citizens’ privacy from TikTok’s relationship with China and the Chinese Communist Party, and its citizens’ wellbeing from the proven physical and mental health detriments the app has on young children.

“Montana’s elected officials voted to ban TikTok, and Montanans voted to elect their representatives. This legislation is a result of the will of the Montana voters,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares. “We know TikTok poses a threat to our privacy and security because of its connection to the Chinese Communist Party, and study after study shows the app harms our children’s mental health – especially young girls. Montana has the right to protect its citizens.”

In March, Attorney General Miyares joined 45 states and the District of Columbia in asking a state court to order social media company TikTok, Inc. to fully comply with an ongoing investigation into whether the company violated consumer protection laws. As part of the multistate investigation, the state attorneys general sought to review internal TikTok communications to determine whether the company engaged in deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable conduct that harmed the mental health of TikTok users, particularly children and teens.

Earlier this year Virginia banned TikTok and some other apps of Chinese origin from state-owned devices and networks, including on college campuses.

While a total ban does not appear likely in Virginia, would you support a ban if one was proposed?

Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash

Morning Poll: How do you feel about duplexes?

By ARLnow.com
1/6

Last week, ARLnow reported that neighbors successfully dissuaded a developer from building a duplex in the Tara-Leeway Heights neighborhood.

Their concerns included traffic and parking challenges on the street, writing that the “proposed development will only exacerbate this, endangering residents, including the many children who live on the block.”

While the neighbors were able to leverage a restrictive deed covenant from 1938 to scuttle the duplex and convince the developer to build a single-family home instead, more duplexes are on the way following the Arlington County Board’s approval of the “Missing Middle” zoning changes earlier this year.

According to real estate agent Natalie Roy’s latest EHO Watch newsletter, one duplex has been approved under the new “Enhanced Housing Options” process, another is nearing approval, and two more were recently submitted for review.

Notwithstanding a successful legal challenge to Missing Middle — a lawsuit by a group of residents is set for a court date next week — Arlington residents are likely to see more duplexes, alongside 3-6 unit EHO projects, in the coming years.

Given that, we were wondering how ARLnow readers feel about duplexes specifically, given that they’re perhaps the most palatable to those otherwise skeptical of higher density projects. Yes, duplexes are now allowed countywide thanks to “Missing Middle,” but our poll questions asks if you are in support of that.

Do you think duplexes should be allowed to be built in most or all residential neighborhoods in Arlington — assuming that current EHO restrictions, including only being able construct the same size building as that allowed for single-family homes, remain in place?

Morning Poll: September heatwave — welcome or woeful?

By ARLnow.com
Haze and heat over the National Mall, seen from the Netherlands Carillon (file photo by Jay Westcott)

Today marks the halfway point of a five-day September heat wave.

A high temperature of 98 is forecast today, with “feels like” temperatures reaching into the 100s. Relief is expected Friday, as high temperatures dip into the upper 80s.

A Heat Advisory is in effect starting at noon today. From the National Weather Service:

730 AM EDT Tue Sep 5 2023

…HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…

* WHAT…Heat index values of 100 to 105 expected.

* WHERE…Portions of northern and central Maryland, The District of Columbia, and northern Virginia.

* WHEN…From noon today to 8 PM EDT this evening.

* IMPACTS…Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.

Take extra precautions if you work or spend time outside. When possible reschedule strenuous activities to early morning or evening. Know the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing when possible. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

Usually, one might expect the start of meteorological fall to be more temperate, amid pools closing, white pants getting packed away and and pumpkin spice lattes being served with increasing frequency. Not this year.

What do you think of the late bout of hot weather?

Cartoon: Pumpkin spice everything

By ARLnow.com
“No, there is not a pumpkin spice option for crab seasoning.” (Cartoon by Mike Mount)

As noted in our Morning Poll last week, pumpkin spice season slipped even earlier this year.

About 62% of you said it was “way too early.” And yet! People are clearly buying it, talking about it, and even making videos about its inexplicable cultural allure.

This month’s Mike Mount cartoon puts the pumpkin spice juggernaut in a uniquely Arlington context.

See all of Mike’s local ‘toons in the ARLnow Press Club weekend edition newsletter.

Morning Poll: Too early for pumpkin spice?

By ARLnow.com
1/2

It’s that time of year again: the Pumpkin Spice Lattes have arrived at local Starbucks stores.

Local chain Compass beat the Seattle-based coffee giant to market this time, rolling out a fall menu featuring pumpkin- and maple-flavored pick-me-ups a few days ago. Dunkin and others started slinging the spice even earlier, part of a broader trend of fall flavors creeping into the summer season.

More from Axios:

Starbucks said it will release its Pumpkin Spice Latte and fall menu on Thursday, six days earlier than last year.

  • The announcement kicks off the annual debate over whether it’s too soon for fall flavors and if pumpkin fanfare has gone too far.
  • It also follows pumpkin spice’s Aug. 16 arrival at Dunkin’ and even earlier launches at Krispy Kreme, 7-Eleven and Bath & Body Works.

Between the lines: Nostalgia is one reason why the fall flavor keeps coming back earlier, Jason Fischer, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Johns Hopkins University, told Axios.

  • “It brings to mind those associated memories including those flavors and aromas of the pumpkin spice stuff,” said Fischer, a perception researcher who is also a pumpkin fan.
  • The summer heat is often the argument for why some say pumpkin pandemonium is too early but Fischer said it could be the opposite this year.
  • “Maybe the enduring heat is a thing that just makes us imagine and crave that cooler weather and then it calls to mind pumpkin spice even earlier,” Fischer said.

So what do you think: Have companies taken the pumpkin spice creep to far? Or do you like the fall vibes starting earlier, actually?

Morning Poll: Should power lines be moved underground?

By ARLnow.com
1/2

After big storms, many of the same questions are asked: namely, why don’t we just bury power lines?

Surely the expense of constantly fixing power lines downed by falling trees, branches and the occasional crash — both in terms of the repairs themselves, lost productivity, etc. — cannot be far off from the cost of just moving them underground?

As our exploration of the topic last week found, however, it’s not quite that simple. It would cost tens of billions of dollars to bury lines across the state, and previous looks at the question specifically in Arlington also concluded that it’s infeasible from both a cost and a permissions perspective — getting everyone to agree to let the power company dig up their yards.

Instead, Dominion and local governments have been conducting more targeted undergroundings, along high-density corridors like Columbia Pike and in places where storm damage is more frequent. That has cut the power restoration time after big storms, a Dominion spokeswoman told us, but outages will remain a fact of life as long as there are storms and trees.

Of course, there are likely those that would argue that with climate change whipping up fiercer storms, burying more lines should be more seriously considered.

Where do you stand?

Morning Poll: Favorite type of summer vacation

By ARLnow.com
Bethany Beach (file photo)

You might have noticed that it’s a bit quieter around Arlington in recent days.

Based on traffic volumes and out-of-office email responses it’s pretty clear that a lot of people are on vacation (including, at least in theory, the person writing this poll).

With vacation season in full swing, we were wondering about the favorite genre of summer trip for our readers. Among the following eight options — beach, lake, mountain, city, international, camping, cruise and national park — which is your go-to destination?

Have a different favorite summer vacation in mind? Let us know in the comments.

Morning Poll: Missing Middle Twitter war (can you take it anymore?)

By ARLnow.com
A row of townhouses in Portland, Oregon (courtesy of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability)

Arlington didn’t start the ‘Missing Middle’ fire — localities across the country and around the world have been trying to figure out how to deal with rapidly rising housing costs.

While Arlington’s approval of new zoning regulations allowing small-scale multifamily housing in previously single-family-detached only neighborhoods was not the first time a major jurisdiction made such a move, the underlying debate is still raging in certain pockets of cyberspace.

ARLnow’s comment section aside, one place where the fire is still burning is on Twitter. (The social network was recently renamed “X” in a bid to incorporate additional features, arguably making it the National Landing of tech companies.)

On Twitter, a persistent anonymous account named Arlington Transparency has been posting side-by-side images of older homes set to be redeveloped as Missing Middle housing, next to speculation about how much those new units may cost given the price of existing, similar homes in the area.

In each case, the detached home set for demolition is less expensive than a newer townhouse or other multifamily home.

On the other side of the debate are local housing advocates like Jane Green, who point out that, yes, the resulting Missing Middle homes will likely be more expensive than the tear-down that’s being replaced, but they’re much less expensive than the “McMansions” that would otherwise be going up.

Plus, the more affordable homes being replaced would need “significant work” to be viable for buyers seeking to live there.

https://twitter.com/janefgreen/status/1681404933902327808

https://twitter.com/lidija_sekaric/status/1681443049698918407

Unsurprisingly for Twitter, there’s a counter argument to the counter argument: that $900k+ townhouses benefit “elites” and not buyers in need of greater affordability.

Given the arguments above, who’s got the winning team, in your view? (With apologies to those who feel that this debate has been burning since the world’s been turning.)

Morning Poll: Do you consider ‘Karen’ an offensive term?

By ARLnow.com
A file photo of a business woman who is stressed and frustrated (Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash)

“Karen” has been making the rounds again in Arlington.

The slang term, popularized after a 2020 incident in New York City that got national attention, refers to “a middle-class white woman perceived as entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal,” according to Wikipedia.

It was brought last week in the context of the Democratic primary.

Geographic distribution of votes for Commonwealth’s Attorney on Election Day (via Virginia Public Access Project)

From an ARLnow article Friday morning:

[Political consultant Ben] Tribbett was more blunt about what he saw as the electoral dynamic, citing the geographic distribution of votes in the Commonwealth’s Attorney race in particular.

“It’s the Karens versus the non-Karens,” he said. “Clearly, there’s a divide in the community that jumps out at you.”

“When that divide crosses over into multiple races and they follow the same pattern of results, even when fought on different issues… it tells you this is a lot more about different visions for the community than it is about any individual issue,” Tribbett added.

That did not sit well with some segment of our readership.

“Karen” in that context is generally considered a pejorative term, but at least one reader saw it as a slur, and wanted its use — including by those in the comment section — banned.

From an email we received:

Please STOP allowing ArlNow commenters to call women who are concerned with deteriorating quality-of-life in Arlington, and speak out about it, “Karens”.

The meme “Karen” has evolved over several years into borderline hate speech directed against middle aged White women who are unhappy with deteriorating quality of life here (e.g., crime in their neighborhoods) and call ACPD when, for example, they see suspicious behavior.

Charles, Arlington

Do you agree with the emailer that the term “Karen” is offensive? Or something more benign?

Photo by Elisa Ventur on Unsplash

Morning Poll: Are you more or less optimistic about Arlington than one year ago?

By ARLnow.com
Staircase as seen at Amazon HQ2 grand opening (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

The Democratic primary has come and gone and, while the County Board results have yet to be tabulated, Tuesday was largely a victory for incumbent and incumbent-endorsed candidates.

The implication is that a majority of voters — at least Democratic primary voters — are largely satisfied with the way things are going in Arlington.

Of course, that’s not to be confused with universal support for the status quo. Nearly 45% of voters filled in the bubble for the Commonwealth’s Attorney candidate who highlighted rising crime as an issue in Arlington. Additionally, the initial County Board results show a split between candidates who support and oppose the recent Missing Middle housing changes.

Arlington still has its share of problems — soaring housing costs, high commercial vacancy rates, rising crime and police staffing challenges, a lack of mental health treatment, and opioid overdoses.

But there are also hopeful signs: Amazon is reportedly planning to build Phase 2 of its HQ2 after only a short delay, new mental health treatment options that just opened or are in the works, and there are promising opioid addiction treatment and overdose prevention efforts. Plus, while stats showed a rise in crime in 2022, anecdotally that seems to be moderating a bit over the past couple of months. The several month carjacking spree that started the year, for instance, has not continued into the late spring and early summer.

This morning we’re asking readers: all things considered, are you more or less optimistic about the current state and future direction of Arlington than you were at this time last year?

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