Countywide

Fairfax County high school students will soon have access to free mental health services. Starting April 10, Hazel Health will provide students with weekly virtual therapy sessions at no cost to families.

The school system’s website says Hazel’s therapists can help students with mood or behavior changes, anxiety, social skills, bullying, family relationships, and academic stress.


Countywide

Fairfax County’s independent police auditor has published its annual report, showing an increase in police shootings but a decrease in use-of-force complaints last year.

The county’s Board of Supervisors established the Office of the Independent Police Auditor (OIPA) in 2016 to increase trust between residents and the police department “by providing accountability, fairness, and transparency in the complaint system and investigative process,” the report stated.


Countywide

The Fairfax County School Board voted unanimously on Thursday (Mar. 9) to give public school teachers and staff collective bargaining rights.

The resolution gives employees the right to organize and elect a union that can negotiate labor contracts, including pay, benefits and work conditions.


News

Sandy Anderson, an educator, military spouse, and mother of two, will seek to represent the Springfield District on the Fairfax County School Board.

Announcing her candidacy on Friday (Mar. 3), Anderson is the only Democrat in the race so far and faces two Republican challengers. School board elections are nonpartisan, but candidates can get endorsements from political parties.


News

Fairfax County leaders will celebrate the grand opening of a community center in Annandale’s Heritage Mall tomorrow (Saturday).

Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw and the county’s Department of Neighborhood and Community Services will open the Annandale Community Center with a ribbon cutting ceremony, an open-house, and community activities, according to a release.


Countywide

Northern Virginia leaders are taking steps to assist victims of the earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria in early February.

In an effort organized by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC), elected leaders plan to announce a local aid program to collect funds that will be used to purchase food packages for those affected by the disaster.


Around Town

The Tephra Institute of Contemporary Art in Reston will peer into the future with its latest exhibit.

Featuring an all-female roster of artists, “Forecast” collects 22 images and text works that are meant to “speak to our collective futures,” the institute proclaims.


News

The Fairfax County Planning Commission will soon decide whether to remove a condition that could allow construction to start on the planned town center at MetroWest.

The proposed buildings would bring up to 900 residential units and retail amenities to the 56-acre community south of I-66 and the Vienna Metro Station.


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