Morning Notes

Groveton Workforce Hub Contract Raises Questions — “Fairfax County awarded $2.5 million in tax dollars to a company named Melwood last year to build a workplace readiness center in Democratic Fairfax County Supervisor Rodney Lusk’s district, called the Workforce Innovation and Skills Hub (WISH).” However, the involvement of Lusk’s chief of staff in selecting the contractor has raised potential conflict-of-interest concerns. [WJLA]

Justice HS Students Walk Out in Support of Palestinians — “Students walked out of Justice High School in Falls Church, Virginia, on Monday morning to show support for Palestinians. ‘We’re sick of how two governments cannot deal with each other and we have to see innocent people die every day,’ a senior at the school told News4’s Joseph Olmo.” [NBC4]

New Animal Shelter Welcomes First Inhabitants — “Today [Monday], we welcomed our first group of adoptable rabbits, guinea pigs and cats to the Lorton Campus! After receiving lots of love from our staff, everyone settled in quickly and enjoyed exploring their new spaces. We’re looking forward to welcoming our adoptable pups tomorrow!” [Fairfax County Animal Shelter/Twitter]

Fairfax Man Arrested for Assaulting Lyft Driver — “The complainant, a Lyft driver, reported that his passenger assaulted and strangled him. [A 35-year-old Fairfax resident] was arrested and charged with Strangulation of Another, Simple Assault and Public Intoxication. [He] was transported to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center where he is being held without bond.” [Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office]

Reston Woman Hikes Entire Appalachian Trail — “Cris Howard wanted everything the Appalachian Trail had to offer. The long trek, the unforgiving terrain and the adventure. The Reston…resident completed the 2,190-mile grueling hike a few weeks ago. The unexpected lessons learned along the way are priceless, she said.” [WTOP]

Texas Software Company Opens Tysons Office — “Octaria Software is focused on helping businesses, from the very seedlings of startups to established small and medium-sized ventures, to effectively go digital.” Last month, the Houston-based company opened a second physical office in Tysons, which Director of Product Management Matthew Lowinger calls “the tech capital of D.C.” [Innovation Map]

New Director Appointed to Reston Association Board — “Margaret Perry has been appointed to the Reston Association Board of Directors by Category B members as the Apartment Owners’ representative. Perry, who previously served on the Board as the Hunters Woods/Dogwood District representative, officially joined the Board effective October 19. She will complete the term of Mike Collins, who resigned from the Board in September.” [RA]

Record Turnout for Mount Vernon Bicycle Ride — “Ideal fall weather conditions prevailed Oct. 21 for the 2023 Tour de Mount Vernon bike ride, which…allowed cyclists to ride on the temporarily shut down southern George Washington Memorial Parkway. Around 550 cyclists signed up for the eighth annual event, according to Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck’s office — the largest turnout to date.” [On the MoVe]

It’s Tuesday — Frost is expected to clear before 10am, leading to a sunny day with a high around 67 degrees. Calm winds will pick up to 5-8 mph from the south in the morning. Tuesday night will be clear with a low near 47 degrees and a gentle 6 mph south wind. [Weather.gov]