Decades before Clarendon became the pub crawl mecca for Arlington twentysomethings, it was home to “Little Saigon.” Though only a few Vietnamese restaurants remain, many locals recall the era from 1975 through the 1980s when Clarendon – long Arlington’s quasi-downtown —was dramatically altered and dubbed “the Mekong Delta” by the press. (As […]

By Debra Z. Roth Immediately after the world learned that my friend, Democratic advocate, environmental photographer and Falls Church resident, Drew Klebrink, shot himself to death, the usual questions came in. The answers this time, however, are different. His legacy, in the hands of advocates like me, is to create […]

“Sweet April showers do spring May flowers,” according to Thomas Tusser, a 16th century English poet and farmer. Last week’s intense rainstorms wouldn’t be termed “sweet,” but the azaleas and dogwoods now abloom are welcome May sights as we leave a seemingly interminable winter behind. Many of Mason District’s neighborhoods […]

Some 60 days have passed since the Governor called a special session of the General Assembly to address the issue of the biennial budget. We are no closer to passing the budget today than we were when we began the process during the regularly scheduled session. Taking a cue from […]

The long battle, beginning just after the first of the year, for the City of Falls Church’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget was resolved by a 4-3 vote last week.

The proposed streetcar continues to roil Arlington and may be put to the populist test in a November referendum. The latest bone of contention in this byzantine debate is a $97,000 study the county commissioned projecting that the Columbia Pike corridor gains $3.2 billion to $4.4 billion in development if […]

Falls at home are a leading cause of injury, and sometimes death, for older residents in our community. It is so easy to trip on a loose rug, or stumble on a step, or lose balance while moving something heavy. Preventing such calamities is the focus of “Preventing the 9-1-1 […]

After a thorough process of patient analysis, community dialogue, robust debate, and negotiated compromise, City Council approved a budget and capital improvements program that taxes citizens and businesses responsibly, spends carefully on today’s needs, and invests wisely in long-term infrastructure to ensure that our City and schools enjoy a bright future.

Huzzah, the Falls Church City Council has a budget for the next fiscal year and demonstrated a concerted effort not to burden taxpayers with any more than absolutely necessary to achieve it. Given that they were starting with City Manager Wyatt Shields’ recommendation last month for a four-cent real estate […]

The homeless among us are often invisible, the well-dressed speaker noted, and many of them prefer it that way. But Arlington’s community of activists against homelessness was plenty visible April 24, when 300 turned out at a Ballston conference center for the first-ever “Coming Home Breakfast” fundraiser put on by […]