Morning Notes

Fire Danger Heightened Today — “There is an increased fire danger for Tuesday, February 21st. Outdoor burning is strongly discouraged during this time and remember to properly dispose of smoking material.” [Ready Fairfax/Twitter]

Mount Vernon School Board Rep to Retire — “Karen Corbett Sanders, the Mount Vernon District representative to the Fairfax County School Board, announced Feb. 15 that she will not be running for a third term later this year…Corbett Sanders told On the Move that her decision not to pursue a third term was difficult and one that she didn’t take lightly.” [On the MoVe]

Five-Vehicle Crash Closes I-495 — Two people were evaluated for injuries not deemed life-threatening after a five-vehicle crash on northbound I-495 before I-66 in the Dunn Loring area. The crash closed the Capital Beltway for about an hour, and first responders had to extinguish a fire around one car. [FCFRD/Facebook]

Virginia Among States Scrutinizing AP Course — “At least four more states will review the new Advanced Placement African American studies course to see if it conflicts with their policies or laws restricting the teaching of race…Officials in Arkansas, Virginia, North Dakota and Mississippi said they had questions and planned reviews before deciding whether the new class may be taught in their classrooms.” [The Washington Post]

Springfield Woman Convicted in Gang Case — “A Springfield woman was sentenced Thursday to 15 months in prison for witness tampering in connection with a federal trial against four people accused of violent gang activity in Virginia, California and other states, according to federal prosecutors.” [Patch]

Staffing Still a Challenge for McLean Police Station — “Residents learned that the McLean police district still has a 30-percent vacancy rate among officers, the same vacancy rate as a year ago…The police district has 38 open positions that it needs to fill, [Captain Carolyn Kinney, who heads the McLean police station] said.” [Patch]

Mount Vernon Celebrates George Washington’s Birthday — “While George Washington’s actual birthday is Feb. 22, large crowds gathered at his estate outside Alexandria, Virginia, to celebrate and learn a little more about the nation’s first president…Overall, Mount Vernon staff estimated Monday’s daily attendance at nearly 20,000 visitors.” [WTOP]

Spring Water Flush Begins — “Each spring, Fairfax Water flushes its water mains by opening fire hydrants and allowing them to flow freely for a short period of time. During this time, the treatment process switches from using combined chlorine to free chlorine.” Treatment began for the McLean and Falls Church areas yesterday (Monday) but isn’t set to start for the rest of the county until March 20. [Fairfax County Government]

County Summer Camp Registration Opens — “Registration for 2023 Camp Fairfax begins on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, at 8 a.m. The summer day camp is open to rising first through seventh graders living in Fairfax County or the City of Fairfax. Camp Fairfax gives campers the opportunity to explore interests in performing arts, visual arts and sports/team-building.” [Neighborhood and Community Services]

It’s Tuesday — Partly cloudy throughout the day. High of 61 and low of 45. Sunrise at 6:53 am and sunset at 5:53 pm. [Weather.gov]