Federal Layoffs May Be Affecting Home Sales — Turmoil in the federal workforce may have impacted last month’s home sales across Virginia, which were down 9% year-over-year to 6,129. “February’s slowdown in sales could be an early signal that there is some hesitancy in some of our regional markets due to growing concerns around federal employment,” Virginia Realtors chief economist Ryan Price said. [Virginia Realtors]
Drivers in Viral Tysons Street Race Found Guilty — “The drivers involved in a viral street race video in Fairfax County were convicted Monday of multiple charges. A traffic divisions court judge found [a 48-year-old man from Vienna and a 38-year-old man from Sterling] guilty of reckless driving and stopping on a highway.” [WUSA9]
Recreational Weed Sales Bill Vetoed — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin has again vetoed legislation that would have allowed people to buy cannabis in Virginia for recreational use. The General Assembly passed bills from Del. Paul Krizek (D–Fairfax) and state Sen. Aaron Rouse (D–Virginia Beach) … aimed to establish a regulated and taxed recreational cannabis marketplace with retail sales starting in May 2026.” [Virginia Public Media]
Fentanyl Testing Bill Named After Local Teen to Become Law — “After Absolon and Thurraya Kent of Annandale lost their 17-year-old son, Malcolm, to a drug overdose two years ago, they discovered he could have been saved if the hospital had tested him for fentanyl poisoning.” Del. Irene Shin’s bill, signed on March 21 by Youngkin, will require emergency rooms to test for fentanyl as part of urine screenings. [Annandale Today]
Falls Church Considers Tree Planting Requirements — “Falls Church officials are considering requiring future commercial developers to meet minimum tree-planting requirements. The number of projects that any change could impact might be small, however.” [ARLnow]
Herndon Names New Communications Head — “The Town of Herndon has named Brent M. Heavner as chief communications officer. Heavner replaces Anne Papa, who is retiring from the town after more than 19 years of dedicated service.” Most recently a communications lead for the U.S. Education Department, Heavner will officially join the town on April 14. [Town of Herndon]
Historic GMU Basketball Seasons Conclude — George Mason University’s female basketball team saw its first-ever March Madness experience come to a quick end on Saturday (March 22) with a 94-59 loss to Florida State. After a record 15 A-10 wins, the men’s team beat the Sanford Bulldogs last week in the National Invitational Tournament but lost to Bradley 75-67 in the second round. [GMU]
Fire Department Hands Out Smoke Alarms — “Over the weekend, #FCFRD joined multiple county partners to install 160 smoke alarms and increase the safety of 193 residents at Penn Daw Terrace … This collaborative effort improved fire safety and strengthened community resilience, ensuring residents are better protected and informed with various prevention, safety, and resource information.” [FCFRD/Facebook]
It’s Wednesday — Expect mostly sunny skies and a high temperature of around 56 degrees. The day will be breezy as a northwest wind increases to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon, with gusts reaching up to 36 mph. The night will be mostly clear with a low of approximately 35 degrees. [NWS]
