Connect with Us
Steve Thurston is the Editor of the Arlington Mercury and the Executive Director of the Arlington Community News Lab, Inc.
He controls the editorial direction of the Mercury's coverage, and coordinates coverage with the Mercury staff and interns. He loves to try new storytelling technologies from podcasting and videos to slideshows and long-form stories.
Get in touch with him: steve (at) arlingtonmercury.org
At the Mercury, we tell stories "where policy meets the pavement."
Image: Toole Design Group (via Arlington County).
The county board approved the use permit for the Ashlawn Elementary School expansion. All who spoke agreed that the addition is great, but the driveway--and the green space it covers--is a point of contention. more »
May 19, 2013 by Steve Thurston in Countywide
Image: Bowman Consulting
Called “Ellen Trace,” the Ellen Bozman Memorial Pathway will include plantings, some seating elements and signs to mark the life of the Arlington philanthropist. more »
May 16, 2013 by Steve Thurston in subUrbanPlanning
Photo: Steve Thurston
In a race that may have been closer than James Lander wanted to see, he won the Arlington Democratic Party endorsement for school board. Lander bested Barbara Kanninen by just 47 votes. more »
May 13, 2013 by Steve Thurston
Photo: Steve Thurston
Some of Arlington’s disabled residents have not been happy lately with the county’s changes to its parking system and have been looking to Washington D.C.’s streets for guidance. more »
May 8, 2013 by Sydney Paul | Steve Thurston in Countywide
Image: DSC Design via Arlington County
The preliminary rankings of low-income housing projects were released last week, and the Pierce-Queen Apartments complex redevelopment project has been tagged as too expensive for tax credits, said officials with VHDA. more »
May 21, 2013 by Steve Thurston in About Arlington
Photo: Todd Freimuth
Outdoor Cafes on private property were redefined by the Arlington County Board on Saturday. The rules help define what an outdoor cafe is and allow those that use their own property to stay open all year. more »
May 20, 2013 by Steve Thurston in About Arlington (1 Comments)
Image: Army Corp of Engineers
Both the Arlington County Civic Federation and Preservation Virginia earlier this month officially stood against the Arlington National Cemetery Millennium Project as the Army Corps. of Engineers plans to develop it. more »
May 15, 2013 by Steve Thurston in About Arlington (2 Comments)
Photo: Steve Thurston
According to APS, the schools are negotiating with the landlord to include power-assist doors at the Sequoia Center. The attached parking garage has handicapped parking spaces and access to elevators from the first floor. more »
May 13, 2013 by Steve Thurston in About Arlington
Photo: Steve Thurston
The work of Nancy Floyd in the Tiffany Gallery had me most entranced. Floyd has been shooting photos of women who shoot guns. Floyd captured them training for this summer’s Olympics in Colorado Springs, Colo. more »
Mar 2, 2012 by Steve Thurston in Arts&Music
The installation running at Artisphere delves into the relationship between sound and vision. more »
Sep 30, 2011 by Steve Thurston in Countywide
APS Board incumbent Lander focused on his experience on the board and on building relationships in the community while challenger Kanninen focused on the need for mentors in the schools and for better enrollment data. more »
May 2, 2013 by Steve Thurston in Schools (1 Comments)
Photo: Steve Thurston
Video: Before the budget decisions next week, county staff had one last chance to pitch ideas to the Arlington County Board. more »
Apr 13, 2013 by Jonathan Kim | Steve Thurston in Countywide
The APS Board listened last night as parents reacted to Superintendent Patrick Murphy's proposals to change elementary school boundaries at 7 schools. Last night was the first of two public hearings. The final public hearing on this is April 23. more »
Apr 4, 2013 by Jonathan Kim | Steve Thurston in Schools
Photo: Gerald Martineau
People packed the Kenmore Middle School Auditorium for a chance to ask questions of county board members and staff regarding the Columbia Pike and Crystal City streetcar plans. The audience overwhelmingly did not support the streetcar. more »
Mar 28, 2013 by Jonathan Kim | Steve Thurston in subUrbanPlanning (2 Comments)
We don't have a story with this batch of photos; we just like the fall colors. more »
walktoschool.org
This annual rite of fall asks students across the country to forsake their parents' cars, and even the bus, for the simpler modes of transport: feet and bikes. (Scroll down to read photo captions.) more »
