Morning Notes

Democratic Candidates to Replace Ken Plum Sound Off — “Four Democrats running to represent Reston in the Virginia House of Delegates squared off Tuesday night during a candidate forum at the Reston Community Center — Lake Anne.” Topics ranged from education funding to protections for the LGBTQ community. [Patch]

Arrest for Armed Robbery and Carjacking in Penn Daw — “A 19-year-old Woodbridge man has been arrested and is facing several charges after robbing one person and carjacking another late Monday night, officers said. Officers with the Fairfax County Police Department say just before midnight they responded to Furman Lane, off of South Kings Highway…after a report of a robbery.” [WUSA9]

Grocery Store Lidl Has Opened in Chantilly — “I’m excited about Lidl opening their newest store in Chantilly. This is a great addition for the community &with the approval of more residential units in the area Lidl will provide options for the residents. I was pleased to work with Lidl and welcome them to the Sully District” [Kathy Smith/Twitter]

Springfield Auto Dealerships Seek Split — “Safford Automotive’s Hyundai and Genesis brands are separating in Springfield. The two operations, currently located under one roof on Loisdale Road,” are seeking Fairfax County’s approval to move the Genesis dealership to a parking lot east of the existing building. [Washington Business Journal]

McLean Wealth Manager Raises Big Bucks from Google — “Wealth management startup Range said Wednesday it has raised a $12 million Series A round led by Palo Alto, California’s Gradient Ventures, Google’s AI-focused venture fund. Range said it will use the funding to grow its product and engineering teams” [WBJ]

Reston CEO Tests EV With Cross-Country Trip — “Robert Barrosa, VP of technology at Electrify America, will become president and CEO of the company on June 1. From March 31 to April 6, Barrosa traveled almost 2,800 miles in a Hyundai IONIQ 5. He drove from Los Angeles to Electrify America’s HQ in Reston, Virginia. He stopped at 28 Electrify America charging stations in 13 states.” [Electrek]

Dominion Energy Proposal Criticized — Stating that “renewables alone aren’t expected to meet” projected future demand for electricity, Dominion Energy Virginia has filed a plan that could “keep most of its existing power stations online for decades” and add “small natural gas and nuclear units.”  The filing “was quickly met with criticism from environmental groups and other clean-energy advocates.” [Associated Press/WTOP]

Habitat for Humanity Builds Homes in Groveton — “Three neighboring homes being built in Groveton by Habitat for Humanity of Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia (Habitat DC-NOVA) are about 80% complete and will be ready for move-in by summer, according to staff members from the nonprofit.” The houses are the chapter’s largest to date and the first placed in a trust committed to keeping them affordable for future owners. [On the MoVe]

Native Plants for Sale in Vienna This Saturday — “The Spring Native Plant Sale, hosted by the town’s Conservation and Sustainability Commission, will be held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Vienna Community Center. It’s also the first weekend of the Vienna Farmers Market, which runs Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon in the Vienna Community Center parking lot.” [Patch]

It’s Thursday — Afternoon clouds. Cool. High of 62 and low of 43. Sunrise at 6:07 am and sunset at 8:03 pm. [Weather.gov]