Pike Wire reports that would-be chicken owners are organizing to try to convince the county to allow “small-scale backyard chicken-keeping in Arlington.”
Proponents say urban chicken ownership promotes sustainable, chemical-free egg production on a local level. Should Arlington follow the lead of Baltimore, Portland and Los Angeles in allowing homeowners to keep chickens in their backyards?
It’s shaping up to be a very interesting off-year election in Arlington.
There are competitive Democratic primaries set for local state Senate and House of Delegates races. There’s a strong Republican contender looking to pull an upset in a formerly safe Democratic state Senate district. And there’s a national Green Party official challenging two County Board incumbents.
Local political watchers used to lopsided elections are enthralled at the prospect of some legitimate horse races. But is anybody else paying attention at this point? Let’s find out.
Mother’s Day is big business in the U.S.
Between the cards, the flowers, the brunches and all the other accoutrements, Sunday’s little holiday for mom will have many local businesses seeing green. Of course, it’s the thought that counts, not the price tag — but we were wondering how much you were planning on spending on your own mother this weekend.
(If your mother is no longer with us, you may tell us how much you’re planning on spending on your wife or any other important mom in your life.)
Okay, it’s not Hollywood, but Arlington certainly has its share of beautiful people.
Don’t believe us? Next time you’re out near the local gym, the local pool, or the local trail, look around and see for yourself. This is a good-looking, fitness-oriented town.
At the risk of coming off as superficial — which would be a fair criticism — we’re wondering where the greatest concentration of attractive men and women is in our fair county. To make sure the list of locations doesn’t get too long, we’ve narrowed it down to Arlington’s residential Metro stops.
Yes, it seems that the much-ballyhooed royal wedding is local news. After all, that and a weather item regarding today’s slight risk of showers makes up the entirety of the “above the fold” portion of the Washington Post’s local news page.
So we might as well give a nod to pop culture and ask: did you watch the wedding? Bonus question for the comments: were you late to work as a result?
For many people who don’t have cars, Capital Bikeshare seems like a no-brainer. With all the money spent on road construction and maintenance, and with our streets lined with parked vehicles, the loss of a few parking spaces and the investment of a few thousand dollars to bring CaBi to Rosslyn is a drop in the bucket.
But to those who own cars and frequently utilize street parking, even the loss of a couple of parking spaces in a crowded area like Rosslyn can seem like an encroachment. Doubly so if you don’t believe Bikeshare is an efficient use of tax dollars.
Thus, when someone at the Arlington County Republican Committee observed the loss of eight parking spaces for CaBi’s four new Rosslyn locations, he or she took to blogosphere to vent.
“Those parking spaces had been heavily used by Rosslyn visitors and shoppers… but the County decided to replace the valuable spots with rental stations for the costly subsidized bicycle rental program,” the GOPer fumed on the committee’s blog.
“The loss of on-street parking in Rosslyn means additional inconvenience,” the GOPer argued. “It also hurts Rosslyn shops and restaurants, who depend on available parking to attract customers.”
The blog estimated that the loss of the parking spaces would cost the county $10,000 in parking meter revenue per year.
Do you think the loss of parking spaces and meter revenue is worth it in order to bring Capital Bikeshare to Rosslyn and – soon – other Orange Line locations?
Flickr pool photo by Patryce
Under County Manager Barbara Donnellan’s proposed FY 2012 budget, funding for ‘Safety Net’ rental assistance programs will increase by $1.2 million, or 17 percent, from $7.3 million to about $8.6 million.
That increase includes an extra $630,000 for the county’s housing grant program, which serves just over 1,000 households per year; an extra $467,000 for permanent supportive housing programs, which will serve just over 100 households per year; and an extra $162,000 for ‘general relief’ emergency housing assistance, which will serve 250 households per month.
Arlington County officials place great emphasis on safety net programs, which are serving those in need during tough economic times. But some are questioning whether the increases are sustainable or even appropriate given the county’s tight finances.
“Our libraries aren’t fully funded, and our roads are in terrible condition. But the cost of this program seems to keep rising,” a member of the county’s own Fiscal Affairs Advisory Commission told the Arlington Connection. The Connection’s Michael Lee Pope notes that funding for housing grants has increased from $3.6 million in 2007 to $6.6 million in the current proposed budget.
What do you think?
The pollen count in the area was listed as ‘high’ yesterday. It’s back down to ‘moderate’ today thanks to the cool, wet weather, but many seasonal allergy sufferers are still sneezing, scratching and reaching for the pill bottle.
Are your allergies acting up?
A new analysis of county employee compensation, prepared by county staff, says that Arlington employees earn less than their counterparts in Alexandria and Fairfax County.
The Washington Examiner reports that veteran employees often earn thousands of dollars less than employees in Alexandria and Fairfax, the county’s two biggest competitors in terms of hiring. Despite the fact that Arlington often hires employees at higher starting salaries, the staff analysis recommends raising county employee salary ceilings in Arlington to compete for the best workers.
What do you think?
This site is often a venue for serious debate about (mostly) serious issues. Which is fine — although we wish some folks would play a little nicer in the comments section.
On a day like today, however, with the sun shining, plants in bloom, and people enjoying the nice weather, maybe a less serious question is in order.
Clarendon and Courthouse have changed — a lot — over the past couple of decades.
The arrival of Metro in the late 1970s and early 1980s heralded the demise of many small mom-and-pop retailers and ethnic restaurants that once gave the area its unique character. It also helped speed along the end of large department and five & dime stores.
Among the categories and names of businesses that have disappeared from the Clarendon-Courthouse area are:
Which of those businesses would you most like to see come back to the area?
It’s worth noting that while there are still a few ethnic restaurants in the Clarendon area — Nam Viet and Taste of Morocco come to mind — there were once many more. Ethnic restaurants might not be gone, but certain specialty cuisines, like Cuban, are.
