poll | ARLnow.com

Morning Poll: Community Journalism Project

Published March 16, 2017 at 10:15AM

With a few exceptions — like breaking news — ARLnow does not publish on weekends.

We also only sparingly cover things like high school sports or do long human interest feature stories, things which readers have told us — in surveys and in their actions — are a lesser priority than news about core topics like crime, fire, local government, local businesses, weather and traffic. At the same time, readers frequently ask for us to “investigate” various topics, but true investigative journalism is time-consuming and expensive and hard to do while on the daily local news grind.

So what’s the solution to this for those readers who have emailed us and asked for more weekend coverage, more in-depth features and more investigative stories?

One possibility is for ARLnow to launch a membership program as part of a larger community journalism project.

Services like Patreon allow fans to support, with a small monthly contribution, the creators who are making content they’re passionate about. Similarly, we’re wondering if Arlingtonians would be interested in supporting local content that goes above and beyond ARLnow’s core news mission.

Those who sign up as members would get to weigh in on what kind of content their contribution should be funding — features, investigative pieces, coverage of local arts and nonprofits, etc. The new content would run as an ARLnow “weekend edition” — so as to not overwhelm readers who follow our weekday news coverage.

At the same time, members could get other benefits. We’re considering exclusive discounts from local businesses, access to exclusive ARLnow member events, access to a members-only online forum and perhaps the occasional ARLnow schwag (if NPR has totebags, we can have totebags).

That all said, maybe a $6 a month for local news isn’t something that people want to pay, or you’d rather we just stick with our core mission. Tell us what you think in the poll below and in the comments.

Morning Poll: Grade Arlington’s Snow Removal Effort

By ARLnow.com

Published March 15, 2017 at 9:15AM

The first significant snowstorm of the season was the first big test for Arlington’s new snow removal policy.

Approved this past summer, the new policy had snow crews clearing major roads and neighborhood streets concurrently, a change from the previous practice of only tackling neighborhood streets after arterial streets were totally clear.

The old policy led to complaints (and snow vigilantism) from residents that by the time crews got to their neighborhood, the snow had become so compacted or icy that it was hard for the plows to fully remove.

So how did the snow crews do? Let us know below. (As of 8 a.m., the snow clearing effort was still underway, with crews in the fourth and final phase, cleaning up remaining trouble spots.)

For reference, check out the previous grades for the snow removal effort after winter storms in 2015 and 2016.

Morning Poll: Most Questionable Rankings Involving Arlington, Ranked

By ARLnow.com

Published March 8, 2017 at 10:00AM | Updated March 8, 2017 at 12:49PM

(Updated at 12:50 p.m.) It’s hard to dispute that Arlington is a great place, which is why it winds up near the top of a lot of lists of various place rankings.

For instance, Arlington was crowned the Best City to Live in America last year by the website Niche.com.

Just a week later, however, Arlington was only No. 7 on the list of Best Suburbs to Live in America, behind No. 4 ranked Merrifield. And that’s not to mention the fact that Niche also ranked Arlington the No. 11 “Best Place to Live in America” last year.

Mashing together U.S. Census data sets and other info to rank places on various dimensions is a popular activity among publicity-seeking companies, since news outlets often pick up such stories and readers, in turn, love reading and sharing ranking articles. But the rankings — ARLnow.com is sent dozens of such lists each year — are often contradictory, nonsensical or, at least, highly questionable.

In the spirit of ranking things, today we’re letting our users arbitrarily rank “the most questionable rankings involving Arlington.” Here are the contenders and the organizations that compiled each respective list:

Arlington is the No. 3 “super cool U.S. city” (Expedia)
Arlington Heights and Yorktown are the No. 2 and No. 3 “hottest neighborhoods” in the D.C. area (Redfin)
Arlington is the No. 5 “Worst City to Own a Car” (SmartAsset)
Arlington is the No. 33 mid-sized city for “cultural diversity” (WalletHub)
Arlington is the No. 985 “Most Liberal Place in U.S. (Crowdpac)
Arlington is the No. 1 “Hardest Working City in America” (SmartAsset)
Arlington is the No. 1 “Best City to Retire” (Bankrate)
Arlington is the No. 162 “Best City to Retire” (Niche)
Arlington is No. 4 for “Best U.S. City Parks” (Trust for Public Lands)
Arlington is No. 64 for “Best Cities for Outdoor Activities” (Niche)
Arlington is the No. 8 “Best City to Train for a Marathon” (Competitor)
Arlington is the No. 1 “Best City to Live in America” (Niche)
Arlington is the No. 7 “Best Suburb to Live in America” (Niche)
Arlington is the No. 11 “Best Place to Live in America” (Niche)

Feel free to vote for as many entries as you like, because why not.

Morning Poll: Should We Just Go Ahead and Get Spring Started?

By ARLnow.com

Published February 22, 2017 at 10:30AM

It’s February on the calendar but the weather forecast for the next three days looks more like May.

Arlington — and indeed much of the country — is experiencing what could be described as an early spring, despite what the groundhog said. Blooms are forming on trees, outdoor restaurant patios are open and it’s not uncommon to see shorts and short sleeves being worn outdoors.

It’s unclear whether winter will try to make a comeback next month, but how would you feel if the weather stayed springlike until… the actual calendar start of spring?

Morning Poll: Valentine’s Day Plans

By ARLnow.com

Published February 1, 2017 at 10:00AM

Valentine’s Day is only two weeks away.

Whether you’re single or in a relationship, V-Day is a day to plan.

For those in relationships, do you stay home and plan a romantic dinner, or go out and pay a premium at a nice restaurant?

For those who are single, do you stay in or join your single friends for a night on the town?

Which are you planning to do on Feb. 14?

Flickr pool photo courtesy Chris Rief

Morning Poll: Are You Going to Any Inaugural Weekend Events?

By ARLnow.com

Published January 19, 2017 at 9:30AM

Inauguration Day is almost here, and a new administration will soon be establishing itself in Washington’s halls of power.

How will Arlingtonians be marking the occasion? Let’s find out.

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

Morning Poll: What Are You Most Looking Forward to This Year?

By ARLnow.com

Published January 11, 2017 at 10:10AM

We’re in the second full week of 2017 and it’s already shaping up to be quite the year.

While it’s impossible to know how the year will end, we do know a bunch of the milestones — including local events and openings — that will be taking place along the way.

Which of the following 20 things are you most looking forward to this year?

Wondering about one of the items? Here are some links to help: Drafthouse, Artomatic, G.O.A.T. Sports Bar, District Taco, Continental.

#poll

Morning Poll: How and Where Are You Celebrating New Year’s?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 28, 2016 at 10:05AM

New Year’s Eve is only three days away.

While one might think of New Year’s as a time to get dressed up and head into the city — or, if you’re a parent, stay home and go to sleep at 12:05 a.m. — it seems that going out here in Arlington is also a popular choice.

Already, NYE parties at Don Tito and A-Town are completely sold out, according to their respective Eventbrite pages. Another big local NYE event at Sehkraft Brewing is nearly sold out, as of 10 a.m. Wednesday.

(There are more Arlington options, as detailed in our previous NYE article and on our event calendar.)

So do more Arlingtonians stay home, go out in Arlington or go out elsewhere in D.C.? Or are most people heading out of town? Let’s find out.

Morning Poll: First Snowflakes of the Season?

By ARLnow.com

Published December 12, 2016 at 10:10AM

An Arctic blast will drop temperatures into the teens and 20s in the D.C. area starting mid-week.

The cold air is expected to push into the area Wednesday night, and will bring with it wind and the possibility of some light snow.

The last time we saw snow in Arlington was when the remains of a giant snow pile in Ballston, left over from the January blizzard, finally melted. Unlike some past years, to our knowledge no flakes fell in November this year.

Are you looking forward to the first flakes of the season?

(See some local tips for preparing for winter weather, published last week, here.)

Flickr pool photo by Kevin Wolf

#poll
#snow

Morning Poll: Dreading Talking Politics During Thanksgiving?

By ARLnow.com

Published November 22, 2016 at 10:00AM

Judging by the multiple Washington Post articles about it this year (and another from last year), it seems that some sizable percentage of the population is dreading their Thanksgiving dinner conversation following Donald Trump’s election.

Especially when the family is divided politically, such conversations can apparently go downhill fast.

Are you among those who cringe at the idea of Uncle Bob passing along his political views with the gravy and stuffing? Or is that not a concern for you?

Morning Poll: Should the County Board Be Better Paid?

By ARLnow.com

Published October 17, 2016 at 10:00AM

Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey is floating the idea that Arlington County Board members should be paid better.

Currently, County Board members are paid between about $51,500 and $56,500. The position is considered part-time, and three out of the five current members have other jobs, but in practice Board members end up working full-time hours in service of the county.

As reported by the Washington Post, Garvey wants to start a discussion about raising County Board member pay closer to the county’s median family income of $110,900, which would be more in line with what Fairfax and Montgomery counties pay their elected officials.

Board member John Vihstadt, a partner with a D.C. law firm, says he does not favor a pay raise and thinks it’s better for County Board members to have other jobs.

What do you think?