Morning Notes

Beware of Tax Scam — “Some residents may have received a ‘distraint warrant’ letter from the ‘Tax Assessment Securities.’ This scam alleges that a warrant has been issued against the recipient due to delinquent tax debt and states the Federal Tax Authorities may take enforcement action to satisfy the debt. Fairfax County did not send this letter and is not connected with it in any way.” [Department of Tax Administration]

Virginia Task Force 1 Lands in Turkey — “WHEELS DOWN: Two flights carrying @usaid search and rescue experts from @vatf1 @ffxfirerescue & @LACOFD just touched down in #Türkiye. Team members will soon be working to search for survivors of these deadly earthquakes.” [USAID/Twitter]

Auto Parts Thief Arrested in Merrifield — “Catalytic converter thief caught! Monday night, officers were called to Kings Chapel Rd in Merrifield for a man stealing a catalytic converter. Officers found & arrested the man. In his truck, they found four catalytic converters & three A/C units.” [FCPD/Twitter]

Police Seize $500K in Drugs From Huntington Man — A 28-year-old Huntington man was arrested and charged on multiple drug-related counts after Fairfax County police found marijuana and THC products in his vehicle and home. The investigation began with a traffic stop after detectives learned that he was allegedly transporting drugs from out of the state. [FCPD/Facebook]

FCPD Tests New License Plate Readers — “A new type of license plate reader technology adopted by the Fairfax County Police Department is already yielding positive results in the department’s effort to catch car thieves and solve other crimes.” The FCPD is the first police agency in the D.C. area to use the Flock Safety License Plate Readers, starting with an eight-week test period that began in November. [Patch]

Community Gardens Available at Culmore Park — “The newly developed Boyd A. and Charlotte M. Hogge Park in the Culmore area includes a large, fenced community garden with 34 raised 6-feet-by-9-feet garden beds available to rent for one year — February through November…The Hogge Park Community Garden Plots are rented at an annual cost of $80.” [FCPA]

Teens Lead After-School Arts Program in Reston — “Something very special is happening at Dogwood Elementary School in Reston. Friendships are blossoming, and kids are learning as teenagers mentor smaller kids in music and art…The Tuesday after-school program is the brainchild of Ella Kim, 15, and Emma Kim, 13 — sisters who are classically trained musicians.” [WTOP]

Tysons Corner Center Owner Reports Strong Year — “Macerich’s slice of high-end retail property is surpassing even the national mall landlord’s big expectations. The real estate investment trust said it signed nearly 975 leases last year totaling more than 3.8 million square feet, demand not seen since the Great Recession.” [CoStar News]

It’s Thursday — Overcast throughout the day. High of 66 and low of 45. Sunrise at 7:08 am and sunset at 5:40 pm. [Weather.gov]