Morning Notes

Polls Open for Presidential Primaries — Super Tuesday has arrived in Virginia and 15 other states that will help determine each party’s prospective nominee “ahead of the Republican National Convention from July 15 to 18 and Democratic National Convention from Aug. 19 to 22.” Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. An acceptable form of ID is required to vote in person, and all precincts will accept drop-off ballots. [Patch]

Burke Resident Advocates for Renaming — “The namesake of the unincorporated town of Burke has a dark history associated with slavery, leading some to speculate whether the time has come to change the name.” Resident David Martosko proposes renaming the area after Fenton, an enslaved child bought by Silas Burke, “but keeping the street names and shopping center names in order to force a conversation.” [WUSA9]

State Senate to Consider Metro Funding — “Funding for Metro is back on the table in Virginia as budget talks continue…Senate Finance Committee Chair Sen. L. Louise Lucas posted on X that she has decided to put extra funding into the senate’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year after commitments for long-term reform from Metro leadership.” [WTOP]

County Proposes Raising Permit Fees — “Fairfax County building and rezoning fees could rise as much as 35 percent under a proposal drafted by county staff. Bill Hicks, the director of Land Development Services, told the Board of Supervisors’ Land Policy Committee that the fees have to be raised because of inflation, increased staffing, increased employee compensation, and the requirement that fees have to cover the department’s expenses.” [Annandale Today]

Mount Vernon Reps Question Proposed FCPS Budget — “Elected officials from the Mount Vernon District have made it clear they will not automatically be green-lighting the initial $254 million budget ask from Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) for fiscal year 2025.” School board member Mateo Dunne and Supervisor Dan Storck urged school officials to find ways to trim costs, while stressing “the need above all else to get more public-school funding from the state.” [On the MoVe]

Vienna Church to Add Solar Panels — “Aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2030, the leaders of Church of the Holy Comforter (Episcopal) in Vienna are advancing with plans to build a solar array on the site’s lower parking lot. Leaders of the church…are seeking permits from Fairfax County and the town of Vienna, but hope to break ground on the project in mid-April and have it finished sometime this summer, said Rev. Jon Strand, the church’s rector.” [Gazette Leader]

Dog Adopted After Long Stay at County Shelter — “An animal shelter employee’s lunch order led to an incredibly happy ending for one patient rescue dog. On Saturday, Feb. 10, Grubhub driver Alan Moncayo delivered lunch to a manager at the Fairfax County Animal Shelter’s Lorton, Virginia, campus. When he walked in Moncayo saw a dog in the front window…Jihoo had been at the shelter for 240 days since his owners surrendered him.” [People]

Vienna Opens Applications for Annual Photo Contest — “Snap to it! Put your skills to the test in the Vienna Photo Show! Enter your best pieces in the contest at the Vienna Community Center (VCC) from 5-8 p.m. on March 14 and 12-3:45 p.m. on March 15. Applications are available online or at the VCC.” [Town of Vienna/Twitter]

It’s Tuesday — Rain is likely, mainly before noon, with patchy fog between 7 and 11am. The sky will gradually clear up to be mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Expect a 70% chance of rain. At night, there’s a slight 20% chance of rain after 4am, with increasing clouds and a low around 50. [Weather.gov]