Morning Notes

Man Sentenced in Shots Fired Case at Herndon Bar — The man who fired a gun inside Sully’s Pour House in 2021 was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday (July 28) but will only have to serve eight months, a Fairfax County Circuit Court judge determined. The bar owner said she was “disappointed by what she calls a weak punishment.” [NBC4]

Braddock Road Project Will Affect Fewer Trees — “The Virginia Department of Transportation has reduced the amount of tree loss in the Braddock Road Multimodal Improvements Project, agency officials announced at a recent community meeting. The project would create 10-foot-wide shared-use paths along both sides Braddock Road, as well as intersection improvements” [Annandale Today]

Astronaut Barbies on Display in Chantilly — “As Barbie-mania sweeps the nation and people cool down in theaters to see the movie, two Barbies that flew to the International Space Station are on display at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Tipping Anecdote at Tysons Restaurant Stirs Debate — A Reddit user claimed that their waiter called their $52 tip on a $291.40 bill for three people “unsatisfactory” during a recent visit to Chima Steakhouse in Tysons. The story prompted a discussion about tipping culture with more than 600 comments, though most agreed the server was out of line. [Reddit]

Rocket Launch May Be Visible Tonight — “The D.C. region, if weather allows it, has a chance to see a rocket launch that will soar into the sky and be visible to many in the Mid-Atlantic and up the East Coast. Scheduled for launch at 8:31 p.m. Tuesday from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, this will be Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply services mission for NASA.” [WTOP]

Town Hall Held on Reston Comprehensive Plan — “Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn hosted a town hall meeting Thursday night at the North County Governmental Center to solicit public input and answer questions about the Reston Comprehensive Plan Amendment… ‘This has been a really a long, long slog to get to this point,’ Alcorn said, to the approximately 20 people who showed up for the meeting.” [Patch]

County Gets Top Spot for Building Permitting Process — “Fairfax County ranked number one for best building permitting process in the United States by the NAIOP Research Foundation…This ranking was decided after comparing the site plan and building permit review process of 100 communities across the U.S. and Canada.” [Fairfax County]

What to Know About Hurricane Season 2023 — “With hurricane season underway, it’s essential to stay informed and prepared. Our Department of Emergency Management and Security recently hosted Kevin Rodriguez, a lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service, who provided a ‘2023 Hurricane Season Outlook’ presentation.” [Fairfax County Emergency Information]

It’s Tuesday — The weather forecast predicts sunny skies and a high temperature of around 84°F. For Tuesday night, expect mostly clear conditions with a low temperature of around 64°F and a gentle northeastern breeze between 3 to 6 mph. [Weather.gov]