26 Square Miles - An Arlington Podcast: Recent Episodes
ARLnow.com
In the latest episode, Lene, Dan and Vernon discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:
- A widespread participation in a significant protest, plus Bill Nye's presence.
- Graffiti on stop signs sparking debate over free expression and the cost of vandalism.
- Vegan soul food gaining popularity.
- A giant Lego model and the patience and planning it requires.
In the latest episode, Lene, Dan and Vernon discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:
- The big debate on ARLnow pronunciation among locals.
- Road closures for the military parade.
- Retail theft possibly involving organized crime.
- Local restaurants in Arlington gaining recognition around Northern Virginia.
In the latest episode, Lene, Dan and Vernon discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:
- Freddie’s Beach Bar founder planning to wed at the WorldPride Parade.
- An IT specialist arrested by the FBI for alleged national security violations.
- Rising crime rates in Arlington, especially shoplifting and assaults.
- Pet photo contests raising funds for local animal shelters.
In the latest episode, Lene, Dan and Vernon discuss a few notable local news stories in Arlington from the past week, including:
- Arlington animal rescue and fostering pets
- Ending police interactions with ICE
- Rising homelessness in Arlington
- WorldPride events in Arlington
Lene, Vernon and Dan discuss the week's local news in Arlington, including:
- A County Board candidate says he has placed tracking chips in his campaign signs due to theft
- An arcade featuring classic pinball games has opened in Arlington
- An abandoned strip mall along Columbia Pike may finally get redeveloped
- An 85-year-old woman narrowly escaped a falling tree limb while walking her dog
Lene, Vernon and Dan discuss the week's local news in Arlington, including:
- A house fire in Green Valley
- Local law enforcement cooperating with ICE
- Celebrating Cinco de Mayo responsibly
- Bus route changes
We're trying out a new format for the ARLnow Podcast. This was recorded as a test but we're releasing it as a pilot episode in the hopes of getting your feedback. Let us know what you think: news [at] arlnow.com.
On this week's episode we discuss:
- The Rosslyn safety ranger initiative
- Increasing unemployment claims
- A cat and dog film fest coming to Arlington
This panel discussion features Arlington-specific insights on residential renovation vs. new construction costs and considerations, as well as construction timelines and financing options. On the panel were Arlington experts from MR Custom Homes, DeFalco Home Design, Alair Homes, and US Bank. The event was moderated by ARLnow real estate columnist Eli Tucker and held at Arlington Central Library on March 11, 2025. Essential listening for Arlington homeowners considering their next steps.
Bridges To Independence CEO Fraser Murdoch sat down with ARLnow's James Jarvis to discuss the factors driving Arlington's escalating youth homelessness crisis and how the broader community can intervene.
Dave Statter talked with ARLnow editor Jo DeVoe to talk about aiding police with unique footage, Arlington's evolving chase policy echoing past incident repercussions, and concerns over DC's lacking automatic mutual aid for fire departments, impacting response times.
Frequent Arlington County Board candidate Audrey Clement talked with ARLnow editor Scott Brodbeck to talk about her latest unsuccessful run for County Board, her allegations of media bias and age discrimination, Missing Middle zoning changes, proposed changes to Arlington County's governance, and why she keeps running for public office.
Deputy Director of the Columbia Pike Partnership Amy McWilliams sat down with ARLnow's James Jarvis to delve into the economic hurdles that these small businesses are still confronting, nearly four years post-pandemic.
Local political analyst Sam Shirazi sat down with ARLnow's Jo DeVoe to discuss the recent Arlington County and Virginia General Assembly elections, the impact of redistricting, Arlington's political dynamics, and political personalities.
Michael Stiefvater, Director of Business Investment at Arlington Economic Development, sat down with ARLnow's James Jarvis to discuss Arlington's emerging tech industry over the last decade and the future outlook for the local tech scene.
Flood Czar, a pseudonymous and long-standing active participant in our comment section, sat down with ARLnow to discuss the origin and history of the Flood Czar persona and its role in the community, the evolution of the comment section over the years, and the role of ARLnow as a source of information for residents.
Wilma Jones, President of the John M. Langston Citizens Association ,sat down with Jo DeVoe to discuss Plan Langston Boulevard, community history, and historic preservation efforts in the Halls Hill neighborhood.
Eli Tucker of the Eli Residential Group sat down with ARLnow editor-in-chief Scott Brodbeck to discuss the current state of the Arlington real estate market, in light of high mortgage interest rates, as well as the impacts of new Missing Middle policies and Amazon's HQ2.
Eli has been ARLnow's real estate columnist since 2015.
Rahmein, Scott, Jo, and James discussed some of the top stories in Arlington for the week ending Sept. 29, 2023.
Discussed this week:
- Revamped, food-centric Crystal City Water Park set to open next week
- New study sees surge of people living alone in Arlington
- A $4 million renovation of Ballston Wetlands Park is officially complete — and beavers returned for the occasion
- Metro 29 Diner reopening after sewer line repairs
- APS to pause middle school boundary process for one year
- Big Tony’s Pizzeria & Dive Bar opens in Clarendon, replacing Bronx Pizza
- UPDATED: Large police response at Yorktown HS after threatening phone call
- Wakefield High School sees second student death this year
Scott, Jo, and James discussed some of the top stories in Arlington for the week ending Sept. 22, 2023.
Discussed this week:
- County poised to require drivers to come to a full stop for pedestrians in crosswalks
- Cookie purveyor Chip City could open next month in Clarendon
- Heads up: There’s a flaming pile of trash in the middle of Wilson Blvd
- Missing teen found by tow driver who previously talked man down from ledge
- NEW: Judgment in Missing Middle lawsuit likely one month away
- Arlington man arrested in connection to Lyon Village hit and run
- Amid shutdown fears, Rep. Don Beyer emotional letters from government workers
Rahmein, Jo, James, and Scott discussed some of the top stories in Arlington for the week ending Sept. 15, 2023.
Discussed this week:
- At long last, Astro Beer Hall to open in Shirlington next Tuesday
- Covid cases on the rise in Arlington, but so far lower than last year
- Crystal Drive was closed for several hours yesterday due to utility company accident
- Cleveland-based ‘loaded fries’ eatery launches delivery-only kitchen near Clarendon
- Nottingham ‘swing space’ proposal puts cart before horse, says county-wide PTA
- Morning Poll: How do you feel about duplexes?
- Arlington art teacher and parent learns to ‘walk with cancer’ after a diagnosis upended her life
- County Board, community leaders recommend tweaks to strengthen draft Plan Langston Blvd plan
Jo, James and Scott discussed some of the top stories of the week in Arlington as the busier fall news cycle gets started.
Discussed this week:
- Manhunt for escaped D.C. murder suspect underway just across from Arlington
- Under construction Centurion Lounge at DCA shows new signs of progress
- Ireland’s Four Courts is planning to reopen this week
- Some neighbors fought a duplex, and won, as county approves more Missing Middle homes
- More than half of South Arlington families struggle to afford basic needs
- Woman cited after car towed with kids inside
- Arlington has spent $150,000 on fencing at local parks to help quiet the pickleball pop
- Stick shift foils attempted carjacking in Ballston
Jo, James and Scott discussed some of the top stories of the week in Arlington. It's the late August news doldrums but we still had plenty to talk about.
Let us know what you think about this format, as we continue to prepare for the official podcast relaunch. Email feedback to arlingtonnews@gmail.com
Discussed this week:
- An acoustic fence is coming to Walter Reed pickleball courts
- Suspects armed with ‘AK-47’ rob man after rear-end crash
- Panera Bread looks to replace former Cosi in Ballston after three-year vacancy
- Persistent one-word graffiti spree around Arlington is vexing neighbors
- Police respond to attempted kidnapping of Ronald McDonald
- Arlington actor bids farewell to ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ Broadway tour
- Power being restored after 10,000 in dark around Pentagon City and Crystal City
- ACPD to conduct road safety campaign as students go back to school next week
We're still rehearsing and testing the format for our revamped ARLnow Podcast, but wanted to give listeners a preview of what we're working on. Jo, James and Scott were joined this week by guest host Rahmein Mostafavi.
Let us know what you think... email feedback to arlingtonnews@gmail.com
Discussed this week:
- New Ikea location in Pentagon City to open tomorrow
- One year after fiery crash, Ireland’s Four Courts now aims to open in early September
- “Tropical glam bar” Coco B’s hoping to open this weekend in Clarendon
- Numerous crashes block I-395 after truck hit-and-run suspect steals Arlington ambulance
- DCA to change its roads, add parking and build a new rental car facility
- Dominion Energy says burying power lines in Arlington complex and costly
- Crash involving overturned vehicle blocking N. Glebe Road at I-66 ramps
- New vape shop wafts in to prominent Wilson Blvd storefront in Courthouse
- Introducing the new ARLnow merch shop
- Preview of some of next week's stories
After a multi-year hiatus, ARLnow's podcast is returning. Our first test episode recording turned out pretty well, so we decided to let you listen to it.
It starts with a discussion of some local news of the week, then transitions to a discussion about local news reporting and journalism as a career. The episode features ARLnow founder Scott Brodbeck, reporter/editor Jo DeVoe, incoming reporter/editor James Jarvis, and Peter Berlizov, a local high school student who showed up for a tour of our office and got roped into interviewing ARLnow's staff for the podcast.
Let us know what you think of this format by emailing arlingtonnews@gmail.com!
We talked with Telly Tucker, the new head of Arlington Economic Development, about Friday's reopening, what's going on with the local economy, the plight of small businesses during the pandemic, and the growth of tech companies in Northern Virginia.
Why hasn't Arlington closed some streets to cars, to make more room for pedestrians and cyclists? What can be done about overcrowded trails? Should the Arlington Way move mostly online? Those are a few of the things we discussed with Gillian Burgess, a local civic leader and cycling advocate.
Last night ARLnow sat down for a fireside chat with Kate Bates, President and CEO of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. We discussed the state of the business community during the pandemic, what the future might look like, and the work Kate and the Chamber are doing.
On April 10, Arlington County announced a new initiative for the coronavirus era: the Cooperative for a Hunger Free Arlington. We talked to those heading the group -- Abby Raphael, Diane Kresh and Amy Maclosky -- about what it is and how they plan to help during these tough times.
The 26 Square Miles podcast is back! At least during the the quarantine.
ARLnow's Scott Brodbeck talked with Scott Parker -- of Don Tito, Bash Boxing, Bearded Goat Barber and other local businesses -- about the state of local business in Arlington during the coronavirus pandemic.
If you enjoyed this interview, please order from local restaurants and support ARLnow's advertisers 🙏
Anyone familiar with ARLnow and our corner of the digital media universe knows that we have a prolific comment section. Driving the comment section is a community of regular commenters that has developed over time, and one of the leading voices in that comment community is Dave Schutz. We talked with Dave about the comment community on ARLnow, about our comment moderation, and about his opinions on various topics.
We talked to Arlington Transportation Commission Chair Chris Slatt about various transportation and bicycling-related topics, with a special focus on Columbia Pike.
Mike Cordero is one of the most prolific restaurateurs in Arlington. He's the man behind local hotspots like Don Tito, The G.O.A.T., Barley Mac and soon -- The Bronson and Taco Rock. Also, you might have seen him cruising the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor in his Bentley. We talked with Cordero about his background, the success of his restaurants, the partnerships that helped build that success, and his new concepts.
On his last day on the job, we sat down with outgoing ARLnow managing editor Alex Koma to talk about Arlington, Amazon, ARLnow, our new editor Airey and a bunch of other topics that don't start with "A."
As editor-in-chief of the Washington Business Journal, Doug Fruehling has been overseeing coverage of Amazon's forthcoming HQ2 in Arlington. On the latest 26 Square Miles podcast, Fruehling discusses the ramifications of Amazon coming to "National Landing" and how the subscription-based Business Journal has managed to expand its coverage in the face of news industry struggles.
The state legislature is now in session and among those representing Arlington in Richmond is Del. Patrick Hope (D). In an interview over the phone from his office at the state capital, Hope discussed his decision to refuse donations from Dominion, the state incentives offered to Amazon, his bill to limit solitary confinement in state prisons, why the effort to rename Jefferson Davis Highway in Arlington is stalled, and more. And, at the end, Hope surprised us with a very candid answer to the question of whether he's running for reelection this year.
Amazon's arrival in Arlington has been hailed as a massive boon for the county and the Commonwealth of Virginia. But are the incentives offered to the company worth the economic development benefits it promises to bring? We discussed Amazon and the HQ2 process with Michael Farren, a researcher at GMU's Mercatus Center who studies the effects of government favoritism toward particular businesses.
Facebook has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons, so we checked in with Justin Bensan, Social Communications Specialist at the Rosslyn Business Improvement District, to talk about what's going on in the world of social media. This episode was recorded prior to Amazon's HQ2 announcement, but we asked Justin about what it means for a place like Rosslyn nonetheless.
Local nightlife king Scott Parker is branching into fitness, launching BASH Boxing with fitness instructor and manager Alex Trakas. We asked Parker and Trakas about their new venture and also talked with Scott about the state of the local bar scene and about that time the Washington Capitals brought the Stanley Cup to Don Tito.
ARLnow's Scott Brodbeck moderated a Oct. 10 debate between the two contenders for County Board: independent incumbent John Vihstadt and Democratic challenger Matt de Ferranti. The event was hosted by Arlington's Committee of 100.
The D.C. Metrorail system has been "rebuilding" for years and now has a dedicated stream of funding. On top of that, its general manager just received a big vote of confidence from the Metro board: a new contract and a sizable raise.
So why does Metro still kind of suck?
On today's 26 Square Miles podcast we talked with the semi-anonymous creator of Unsuck DC Metro, a blog and Twitter account that is perhaps Metro's biggest and most vocal critic.
We talked about Paul Wiedefeld's new contract, his adversarial relationship with Metro's main union, the system's new railcars and more -- and tried to arrive at an explanation for why Metro is in its current state.
Justin Tirelli is currently an Arlington County Fire Department captain, but 17 years ago he was a rookie firefighter in the ACFD ranks. On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Tirelli was responding to a fire call in Rosslyn when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the west side of the Pentagon. As his engine company was diverted to join the massive and heroic emergency response to the terror attack, Tirelli and his fellow firefighters focused on the task at hand -- not realizing that it would change them and the community they served forever. In this special episode of the 26 Square Miles podcast, we talked with Tirelli about what it was like to be a first responder at the Pentagon on that fateful day.
For more than two decades, Jim Pebley worked to make Arlington a better place. Pebley is now retired and last year moved to a more leisurely locale in North Carolina, but not before receiving plenty of plaudits from across the Arlington civic and political spectrum. We decided to check in with Jim, see how he's doing and get his take on the current state of the county. We covered everything from the safety of Reagan National Airport, the cost of school construction, the potential of Amazon's HQ2 in Arlington and why he decided to decamp for elsewhere.
Matt de Ferranti, the Democratic nominee challenging John Vihstadt for a spot on the County Board this fall, discusses his vision for Arlington's economy, his view on the potential fallout from Amazon's arrival, the politics behind the 2018 race and more.
Political strategist Ben Tribbett joined us on this week's podcast to talk about local, state and national politics -- and a bit of sports betting.
Arlington's economic outlook is "so bright you need to wear shades," says Terry Clower, an expert on the D.C. region over at George Mason University.
Anna Merod's time as a spring intern at ARLnow is almost up, but before she leaves, she stopped by for a podcast conversation with reporter Alex Koma. Topics included some of Anna's favorite stories, like an analysis of racial disparities in suspensions in Arlington Public Schools and in-depth look at why millenials struggle to buy homes in Arlington, and what she's learned in her time growing up in and covering the county.
Plenty of big changes are on the way for Ballston, and Business Improvement District CEO Tina Leone has a front seat to all the latest developments. Join Leone and ARLnow's Alex Koma for a conversation about the future of the Ballston Quarter development, the shifting landscape of the neighborhood's transportation needs and much more.
Join ARLnow assistant managing editor Bridget Reed Morawski and Arlington's own Virginia teacher of the year, Michelle Cottrell-Williams, as the two talk about world language reductions, the one-to-one technology program, and guns in schools.
Frank O'Leary served as Treasurer of Arlington County for more than three decades and has seen it all. During his time in office, O'Leary brought the tax delinquency rate down from 9 percent to less than 1 percent, but somehow managed to win friends in the process. O'Leary, 74, is retired but still avidly follows and offers predictions about about Arlington elections. We talked to him about his time in office, whether names like Jefferson Davis Highway and Washington-Lee High School need to change, his predictions for the upcoming November elections, and why restaurants are among the hardest businesses from which to collect taxes, among other topics.
Bridget Reed Morawski joined ARLnow as our new assistant managing editor earlier this month. Morawski and ARLnow editor-in-chief Scott Brodbeck had a free-wheeling discussion about Arlington, the website and what's next for both.
On this week's 26 Square Miles podcast, Arlington Economic Development director Victor Hoskins discussed the county's amazon bid, the office vacancy rate and more.
Rosslyn BID CEO Mary-Claire Burick on the neighborhood's growth, development including Central Place and other construction projects, as well as the move of Nestle's corporate headquarters. Burick also discussed the future of Rosslyn and the work of the BID to make it a vibrant, fun place to be.
Local Dels. Rip Sullivan and Alfonso Lopez (D) were at the forefront of last November’s wave of Democratic victories, from the governor’s race to the Virginia House of Delegates, where the party is near parity with the Republicans. The pair reflected on a momentous 2017 for Virginia Democrats, and looked ahead to 2018 and the new legislative session.
We talked with outgoing County Board chair Jay Fisette about his 20 years in office, his achievements and regrets, and his advice to his remaining colleagues.
Arts organizations in Arlington need additional support from Arlington residents, says Janet Kopenhaver, founder and chair of Embracing Arlington Arts.
We spoke with County Board member John Vihstadt about last week's elections in Virginia, his reelection bid next year and various issues facing Arlington County, including budget pressures and development. We also asked about the possibility of Arlington landing Amazon's second corporate headquarters.
Joel McHale is coming to Arlington. The actor and comedian, best known for hosting The Soup on E! and for his starring role on Community, is performing four stand-up comedy shows at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse (2903 Columbia Pike) this coming Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17 and 18, 2017. McHale, who also recently starred on CBS's The Great Indoors and Fox's The X-Files reboot, spoke with ARLnow.com for our 26 Square Miles podcast on Wednesday. He talked about hosting the 2014 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, told us what we can expect at his upcoming stand-up shows, and gave a candid answer about why The Soup was cancelled and whether it is in line for a revival.
As part of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce's Secrets to Success live podcast series, we interviewed Alex Villanueva, the founder and CEO of Arlington-based free ride service Sprynt. We asked Alex about his startup and its business model, and how he got his start. This podcast was recorded live at 1776 in Crystal City.
At this debate, hosted by the Arlington Committee of 100, the six candidates for County Board and School Board in the 2017 general election clashed on a range of issues, from how to engage more millennials in county government to closing the achievement gap in Arlington Public Schools.
Scott Parker is part of a group of partners who together have built something of a nightlife empire in Arlington. A-Town Bar and Grill, Don Tito and Barley Mac have all been hits along the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor. And now Scott and his partners are getting ready to open the G.O.A.T., a new sports bar right across from the Clarendon Metro station in the former Hard Times Cafe space. Scott has helped to build this empire based on Sunday Fundays and happy hour drink specials all while having a somewhat unique personal background for a bar impresario: he does not drink. We sat down with Scott to discuss all of that and the Arlington bar and restaurant scene in general on this week's 26 Square Miles podcast.
Okay so the Arlington connection is tenuous, but this week on the podcast we shot the breeze with a fellow independent online publisher from D.C.: PoPville owner Dan Silverman. A local blogging legend, Dan has been tirelessly chronicling community news, happenings and minutia for more than a decade. We asked him about how he started the site, his approach to PoPville's coverage and about the parallels (and partnership) between PoP and ARLnow.
Indivisible Arlington describes itself as part of a "grassroots movement... to resist the Trump agenda." We talked with two of its members, Gayle Fleming and Clara Bridges, about the organization, the events in Charlottesville this past weekend, the words and actions of President Trump, and about where the movement goes from here.
We sat down with two of our summer interns, Brooke and Kalina, to talk about why the heck they're pursuing a career in journalism, what they think of media coverage of the Millennial generation, and what it's like to grow up and go to school in Arlington.
On Monday, July 17, we sat down with Pinkie Dent Mayfield of Rosslyn-based Graham Holdings to talk about her path to success in the business world.
The event was held at 1776 in Crystal City and organized by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, as part of a new "Secrets to Success" live podcast series with ARLnow.
Former Mad Rose Tavern general manager Giovanni Quintana talks about the fundraiser he's holding in Clarendon to help pay for experimental surgery that will allow his daughter Arianna to hear.
Christian Dorsey joined the County Board in 2016 and now also represents Arlington on the WMATA Board. We talked to Dorsey about whether SafeTrack and new train cars are improving Metro. We also talked about schools, parks, land use, issues with the Arlington Way, development, the Shirlington Dog park controversy, gentrification, affordable housing, and a proposed pedestrian walk from Crystal City to Reagan Nat'l Airport.
Monique O'Grady describes herself as just a "regular Arlington resident." But this regular resident just beat out several candidates, including incumbent James Lander, in the Democratic school board endorsement caucus. O'Grady, a mother of one current Arlington Public Schools student and two APS graduates (one of whom happens to be a well-known actress), says she wants to make a difference on the school board and help APS navigate its current period of rapid student enrollment growth. We asked O'Grady about herself, her family and the various issues facing APS in this week's 26 Square Miles podcast.
Candidates for County Board Audrey Clement, Kim Klingler, Peter Fallon and Erik Gutshall participated in this year's Arlington Chamber of Commerce County Board candidate forum. ARLnow.com's Scott Brodbeck moderated and asked the candidates about issues of particular importance to the local business community.
Matt Hussman is the executive director of the Clarendon Alliance, the organization that is charged with improving "the health and vitality of the Clarendon corridor." The alliance is a booster for local businesses and helps to put on the annual Clarendon Day festival and a number of other events. We asked Matt about the current state of Clarendon, about turnover among restaurants and retailers, and about the future of the neighborhood including development projects in progress.
With nearly 5,400 followers on Instagram, Discover Arlington is one of the hottest social media presences in Arlington at the moment. The account highlights local restaurants, events and other happenings around Arlington -- an engaging introduction to the county for newcomers and a way to discover new places for even long-time Arlingtonians. Two couple behind Discover Arlington is Blake Davenport and Leah Virbitsky. Having moved here two years ago, they may not be the longest-tenured local residents, but they do have an uncommon passion for all things Arlington.
Chris Teale recently joined ARLnow after nearly two years at the Alexandria Times. You might see him out and about, reporting at meetings and community events, but if not this interview can serve as an introduction. We chatted with Chris about Alexandria, development, Potomac Yard, Taco Bell, beer, soccer, the hated Oxford comma and about growing up in England (after being born in the US).
Media personality Sarah Fraser has been on the D.C. radio and TV airwaves for a decade. What you might not know about her is that she's a Virginia Square resident and does a lot locally here in Arlington. We talked with Sarah about her podcast and new media ventures, about the business of broadcasting, and about Arlington restaurants from Oz to Crystal City Restaurant.
Jim VandeHei was a political writer for the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post before co-founding Politico in 2006. A decade later, Politico is a major force in the news industry and VandeHei has moved on to found another media startup: Axios. Launched in January and based in Clarendon, Axios has made some big hires, broken some big stories and is growing rapidly, thanks in part to investment from major media companies. We talked with Jim about the vision for Axios, the current state of the media industry and his take on what's happening inside the Trump White House.
Angela Fox is the president and CEO of the Crystal City Business Improvement District, the organization charged 10 years ago with "reinventing" Crystal City, changing perceptions about one of the area's biggest business districts and creating experiences that make it a more dynamic place to live, work and play. That was not an easy task, especially when half the jobs in the area were set to pick up and leave due to BRAC. We asked Angie about how the BID tackled that challenge, what kind of events it's hosting this year, and about the changes to Crystal City that could be coming soon.
Vanessa Reisis, along with her husband and kids, have been running Goody's Pizza (3125 Wilson Blvd) since it opened in Clarendon in 2006. When we last checked in with "Momma Goody" last summer, she said the family-owned shop was struggling to keep up with high rent and lots of competition. The good news is that since then business has picked up, Reisis told us on this week's podcast.
We often refer to Remy Munasifi as the "Arlington Rap guy." But now that he has a prominent role in a new Netflix series, Brown Nation, we might have to tweak that description. We sat down with Remy, who recently moved from Clarendon to Falls Church, to talk about his career, the making of the Arlington Rap, Donald Trump (of course), making money on YouTube and about his latest music video.
Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to all of our listeners! We close out 2016 with a special holiday podcast, featuring Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen of Central United Methodist Church in Ballston, Dr. Leonard L. Hamlin Sr. of Macedonia Baptist Church in Nauck, Rabbi Lia Bass of Congregation Etz Hayim along Route 50, and an exclusive interview with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. This is a family-friendly episode that you can feel free to let your kids listen to.
Chris Farley is the owner of Arlington-based Pacers Running, which operates local running stores and organizes local races. We talked with Chris, a native Arlingtonian, about how Pacers came to be and how the business grew over the past dozen or so years. We also asked him about his podcast, Pace the Nation, about some of his famous clients and about the retail climate in Arlington County.
As leader of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Kate Bate has lately taken an active role on issues like trespass towing and Airbnb rentals. We asked Kate about that, about the current business climate in Arlington and about her ascension to President and CEO of the Chamber at a relatively young age.
Bryna Helfer is trying to improve and modernize the way Arlington County communicates with its residents and businesses.
Helfer joined county government as Assistant County Manager for Community and Public Engagement in September and has been seeking input on the county's public outreach since. We asked her about her position at the county, about technology and its role in updating the "Arlington Way" system of public outreach, and about why residents occasionally feel "blindsided" by the county's decision making process.
Nick Freshman is a native Arlingtonian who is the co-owner of Spider Kelly’s and was the co-owner of the former Eventide Restaurant in Clarendon. We talked with Nick about the current state of Arlington's restaurant business, why so many restaurants are closing, and why he's decided to start investing in and advising new restaurants.
On election night 2016, ARLnow conducted a live video broadcast from an election watch party in Clarendon. In the second half of our broadcast, we heard election night speeches from local Democratic officials and later interviewed County Board Chair Libby Garvey, County Board member Jay Fisette and state Senator Adam Ebbin. Among other things, we asked Garvey about her relationship with the Democratic party, we asked Fisette whether he'll run for reelection next year and we asked Ebbin about the possibility of marijuana decriminalization in Virginia.
On election night -- Nov. 8, 2016 -- ARLnow conducted a live video broadcast from an election watch party in Clarendon. We interviewed a number of local officials and politicos on a range of topics. Among the interviewees in Part 1 of the broadcast: Arlington Co. Democratic Committee Chair Kip Malinosky, ARLnow columnist Peter Rousselot, School Board member-elect Tannia Talento and School Board member Nancy Van Doren.
After fending off a primary challenge from fellow Democrat Erik Gutshall, Arlington County Board Chair Libby Garvey is now running for reelection against independent candidate Audrey Clement. In this week's podcast, we ask Garvey about a number of local issues, from development to transit along Columbia Pike to preparations for snow removal this winter.
Audrey Clement is running for Arlington County Board... again. Clement may be a perennial candidate, but she has dedicated supporters and, more importantly, she goes to the trouble of running for local office when other serious challengers to the Democratic candidate are often nowhere to be found. Clement's ideas may seem incongruous -- she bikes everywhere but doesn't like bike races, she is in favor of affordable housing but generally against high-density development -- but she is consistent in her views. We asked Clement about her opposition to those bike races; her opposition to development, particularly recent projects in Westover; her support of renewable energy; and her desire to lessen the tax burden on Arlington residents.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) is a freshman member of Congress who's running in his first reelection campaign. Since taking over for long-time congressman Jim Moran, Beyer has been focused on a number of issues of importance to voters in the Eighth District of Virginia, which includes Arlington. We asked Beyer about some of those issues, like the rehabilitation of the Memorial Bridge and aircraft noise from Reagan National Airport, as well as this year's election and, of course, the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump.
At a time when Donald Trump is at the top of the Republican Party's ticket, GOP congressional hopeful Charles Hernick is, well, not anything like Donald Trump. He's an economic conservative who doesn't have much to say about social issues. He thinks he can do a better job in office than Rep. Don Beyer (D), but doesn't think he should be jailed. In fact, Hernick acknowledges that Beyer is basically free of skeletons in his closet, which makes running against him even more of an uphill battle than he would otherwise face in the deep blue Eighth District of Virginia. We talked with Hernick about the issues, about Trump and about Hernick's own one-time intra-party foe, the ever-entertaining Mike Webb.
This week's episode is a wide-ranging chat with Ethan Rothstein, the former editor of ARLnow.com. Ethan, who's now the East Coast Editor for Bisnow, talks with Scott about what it was like to report for ARLnow. They also discuss the future of Arlington's economy, how everyone seems to hate Advanced Towing, the story behind the million dollar bus stop, the Arlington streetcar saga and the current state of the news business. This is a long episode but is a must-listen for any local news nerds who want to know what happens behind the scenes at ARLnow and what journalists really think about some big local issues.
Local developer Kevin Shooshan talks about the ups and downs of being a developer, the projects he's currently working on, the next generation of young leaders in Arlington, the county's slow permitting process, and whether the local office market will ever fully recover amid high vacancy rates (hint: it probably won't).
Best known as "Champ" from Anchorman, David Koechner is a TV and film actor, writer and producer, and a traveling standup comedian. David will be performing at the Arlington Cinema Drafthouse this weekend (Sept. 22-24, 2016), so he stopped by our studio in Clarendon for a quick chat Thursday morning. We talked about his roles in Anchorman, Waiting, Thank You for Smoking and The Office, and also discussed whether he plans to see any sights in Arlington during his visit.
Robert Peck is the co-founder and CEO of Commonwealth Joe, a local coffee roaster that sells its coffee to cafes and offices, and also operates a cafe of its own: Java Shack in Courthouse. Commonwealth Joe is opening a brand new flagship cafe in Pentagon City, so we asked Peck about the company, its growth, and its competition with Arlington's ubiquitous Starbucks locations.
We talk with Arlington County Board member Katie Cristol about issues the board will tackle this fall, like the location of Fire Station No. 10 and affordable housing in Westover. We also discuss the failed "Blue Ribbon Panel" effort, child care affordability, options for making housing affordable for young professionals and transit along Columbia Pike.