Morning Notes

Annandale House Fire Under Investigation — “Dozens of Fairfax County firefighters responded to a large fire early Monday morning that tore through a house in Annandale, Virginia. Initial 911 calls from neighbors just before 4 a.m. reported the sound of an explosion along with the fire in the 4200 block of Ann Fitz Hugh Drive,” but investigators said they haven’t found evidence of an explosion. [WTOP]

Five Caught Breaking Into Langley HS — Fairfax County police responded to the high school in McLean at 2:33 a.m. on Sunday (March 17) after school security reported “multiple activation alarms inside the school. When officers arrived, they found the school had no damage.” With the help of a helicopter, police caught five juveniles seen fleeing on foot in security videos. Petitions are pending for the juveniles, who were released to their parents. [FCPD]

County Launches Resource Portal for Business Owners — “Fairfax County officials on March 12 launched a new portal, Fairfax CORE (Connecting Opportunities & Resources for Entrepreneurs), which provides information and support to business owners of all ages.” The portal provides free resources from over 115 organizations about “counseling, support, education and even events.” [Gazette Leader]

Prank Planned for YouTube Leads to Arrests — Fairfax City police officers were called on March 5 “for the report of a person with their mouth covered in duct tap and wrists bound together lying inside the trunk of a vehicle in the Lowes parking lot.” Police determined that the person in the trunk and two people outside the vehicle “were recording a prank that they were going to post on YouTube.” [Patch]

Bill to Ban Invasive Vine Has Died — “Efforts to stem the spread of English Ivy in…Virginia continue on several fronts, despite the Virginia governor’s recent rejection of a bill introduced by a local legislator. Delegate Paul Krizek’s bill would have allowed local governments like Fairfax County to ban the sale of the plant,” but another bill that would require invasive species to be labeled is still awaiting a decision by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. [On the MoVe]

Hunter Mill Budget Town Hall Tomorrow — “I want to hear from you about the county executive’s proposed budget. Attend my in-person town hall this Wednesday, March 20, at 7 p.m., at the Patrick Henry Library. Or join the virtual town hall on March 25 at 7 p.m.” [Walter Alcorn/Twitter]

N. Va. Maintains Lead in Data Centers — “Northern Virginia remains, by far, the largest data center market in the world, according to a new report from real estate firm JLL, but the market is facing growing constraints — specifically land and availability of power…Data center leasing activity in 2023 reached a record high.” [WTOP]

Student Raises Money With Art Exhibit About A.I. — “Leah Zhang, a junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, organized pop-up exhibition at Reston Art Gallery and Studios earlier this month that raised more than $3,000 to help people with disabilities. The exhibit, entitled ‘AI & Us,’ featured 22 works that were submitted by 15 artists that addressed the impact of artificial intelligence.” [Patch]

It’s Tuesday — Expect mostly sunny skies, reaching a high of 55 degrees during the day, accompanied by 10-14 mph west winds and gusts up to 23 mph. As for Tuesday night, skies will be partly cloudy, dipping to a low of 40 degrees with a calming southwest wind around 7 mph. [Weather.gov]