Morning Notes

Fairfax County Public Schools Kick Off New Year — Led by new Superintendent Michelle Reid, FCPS administrators and staff welcomed students back in a video message. “I can’t wait to see our bright future taking shape in our Fairfax County Public School classrooms as we all come together to learn and innovate this year. Our staff and leadership has been working hard all summer, and believe me, we are ready,” Reid said. [FCPS/YouTube]

Fire Department Investigates Fairfax Area Arson — “Fire Investigators are seeking the public’s help in obtaining information regarding an arson that occurred in the basement of a home under construction sometime between the evening on Monday, August 15, and the early morning on Tuesday, August 16, in the 11500 block of Leehigh Drive in the Fairfax area.” [FCFRD]

FCPS Sees Improvement in SOL Scores — “FCPS annual pass rates for 2022 indicate that, while the road to recovery continues, FCPS students made promising gains in reading, mathematics, and science over the course of the 2022 school year. The data show that FCPS reading rates this year are nearly commensurate with pre-pandemic levels at 79%, while math rates are up by 13 percentage points to 74%. Science pass rates have improved by a third this school year.” [FCPS]

D.C. Area Sees Increase in Heavy Rain — “The Washington area saw an increase in thunderstorms this summer, leaving tens of thousands without power, severe damage, and, recently, killing three in a lightning strike near the White House. August alone has seen eight hours of recorded thunderstorms in Washington, according to Iowa State University’s Iowa Environmental Mesonet — or about two hours more than the 49-year average of 5.9 hours.” [Inside NoVA]

New Fair Lakes Townhomes Now Open — “Great day for the ribbon-cutting at the Enclave at Fair Lakes yesterday. Integrity Homes did an outstanding job in their design of the project – from the rooftop decks, to the partial brick interiors, to the dog park and community gathering spots and much more.” [Supervisor Pat Herrity/Twitter]

Hundreds of Speeding Tickets Issued in One Day — “Officers from our Motor Squad wrote over 400 tickets along the Fairfax County Parkway in ONE day! Officers issued tickets for speeds up to 106 MPH. Please slow down, obey traffic signals & be a courteous driver. Everyone wants to get to their destination safely!” [FCPD/Twitter]

Herndon Hires New Town Clerk — “The Town of Herndon has named Kirstyn Barr Jovanovich as Town Clerk. Jovanovich replaces Viki Wellershaus, who is retiring from the town after 29 years of service…Jovanovich comes to the town following two tours of duty as town manager of the Town of Occoquan” [Town of Herndon]

Former County Executive Gets New Biography — “It’s been 32 years since J Hamilton Lambert finished his decade of service as Fairfax County executive, but his impact on the history of the county and Washington region is evident…Gerald Gordon, former president and CEO of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, fleshed out Lambert’s life story in his latest book” [Sun Gazette]

Local Police Officer Wins Medal in Darts — “Lt. Michael Tucker of the Fairfax County Police Department who’s a tournament regular just won a silver medal at the World Police & Fire Games at Rotterdam, The Netherlands. As a New York native who relocated to Fairfax, Tucker is no stranger to the game of darts.” [Fairfax County Times]

It’s Monday — Rain until evening. High of 82 and low of 71. Sunrise at 6:30 am and sunset at 7:55 pm. [Weather.gov]