Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

News

Councilman seeks to bring downstate lawmakers aboard N. Va. transit to make case for funding

By Scott McCaffrey
City Council member Canek Aguirre discusses proposed Route 7 bus improvements at a June 2026 community forum (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

An Alexandria City Council member has a way to convince downstate lawmakers of the importance of funding Northern Virginia transit.

Councilman Canek Aguirre wants to take them for a ride.

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Alexandria’s apartment rental costs fall 5% below last year’s all-time high

By Scott McCaffrey
Elbert Avenue Apartments (via Google Maps)

Alexandria’s median apartment rents declined just under 1% year over year in October and remain about 5% off the city’s all-time high, according to new data.

The city’s median apartment rental rates were $2,005 for one-bedroom units, $2,643 for two bedrooms and $2,189 overall, according to figures reported Oct. 28 by Apartment List.

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Alexandria’s total workforce holds below 100,000 over the past year

By Scott McCaffrey
Two colleagues collaborate at a desk, examining papers as one points with a pen and the other looks on over the document.
Employees in office (image via Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash)

Alexandria’s total workforce remained below 100,000 residents for the 11th month in a row in September, with some city residents moving into retirement or nontraditional jobs — or leaving the local area entirely.

The city’s total civilian workforce stood at 97,772 in September, with 94,680 employed and 3,092 seeking jobs, according to figures reported Oct. 28 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

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News

Va. transportation chief pledges to minimize local impacts of I-495 Southside project

By Scott McCaffrey
Approaching the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge on I-495 in Alexandria (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Virginia’s renewed efforts to win regional support for the contentious I-495 Southside Express Lanes project will focus more aggressively on minimizing negative consequences along the 11-mile route, the state’s top transportation official says.

“We will always look to reduce any of those types of impacts,” Secretary of Transportation Nick Donohue said at a meeting last Wednesday (Oct. 21) of the region’s Transportation Planning Board (TPB).

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News

Alexandria leaders say proposal to merge local bus services is ‘problematic’

By Scott McCaffrey
Front view of a blue city bus with DASHBUS.COM on its sign, stopped on a street beside a walkway and wooden railing, trees in the background
A DASH bus driver leaves the Braddock Road Metro station (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria leaders have joined counterparts from across the region in voicing reservations about a proposed consolidation of local bus systems in Northern Virginia.

If enacted, the proposal would roll Alexandria’s DASH system into a broader future operation spanning two counties and two cities that would have a service area totaling about 450 square miles and a population of more than 1.5 million.

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Elevated interest rates are putting a chill in Alexandria’s real estate market

By Scott McCaffrey
Bright open living and dining area with a wooden dining table for four and a beige sofa set around a coffee table in front of large windows.
Home living room and dining room (via Francesca Tosolini/Unsplash)

Affordability issues and higher interest rates led to a rough month in real estate across Alexandria in September.

Sales for the month totaled 143, down from 167 a year before and below the five-year average of 150 for the month, according to data reported Oct. 12 by MarketStats by ShowingTime.

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Alexandria’s jobless rate drops, but so does the number of residents in workforce

By Scott McCaffrey
Job interview (via Tim Gouw/Unsplash)

Alexandria’s recently reported unemployment rate was down from a year before and on the lower end of what has been seen citywide during the past year.

But like much of the rest of Northern Virginia, there also has been an exodus in the total number of city residents with jobs.

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Alexandria leader sees Route 7 transit project as model for rest of state

By Scott McCaffrey
F20 Metrobus service runs from Tysons east to Alexandria (photo courtesy of NVTC)

A key Alexandria leader wants the planned Route 7 bus rapid transit (BRT) network to serve as a statewide transportation blueprint.

Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley said the Tysons to Alexandria BRT initiative represents a “landmark project” others will be able to learn from.

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News

Alexandria apartment rents follow cyclical norms, cooling with the fall temperatures

By Scott McCaffrey
Open-concept living and dining area with hardwood floors, large windows, and a seating nook by the window.
Apartment interior (via Francesca Tosolini/Unsplash)

Alexandria’s apartment rental market is moving into the cooler stage of the year, and rental rates are down slightly from a year ago.

The city saw a median apartment rental rate of $2,193 — $2,008 for one-bedroom units and $2,467 for two bedrooms — in September, according to data reported Sept. 29 by Apartment List.

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Beyer’s challengers want congressional term limits, reduced federal role in education policy

By Scott McCaffrey
Three panelists sit at a long purple table on a stage with a blue curtain backdrop and LWV banners visible on the front.
Challengers to Rep. Don Beyer, D-8, at candidate forum (screenshot via League of Women Voters)

Rep. Don Beyer’s three challengers in the 8th District want less — or no — federal involvement in public education.

“The government should stay out of it. I don’t think it’s their business,” said Shelly Arnoldi, the Libertarian candidate, in a Sept. 28 forum presented by a coalition of local League of Women Voters organizations.

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News

Alexandria residents playing key roles in record-setting 2026 Senior Olympics

By Scott McCaffrey
Two elderly men sprinting on an indoor track, bibs 108 and 138, leaning forward in a race.
Competitors in men’s 60-meter running event (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Alexandria is well-represented in the record-breaking 2026 Northern Virginia Senior Olympics.

A total of 1,356 residents ages 50-plus from across the local area are participating in 96 events across 34 locations during the 22 days of competition.

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