Countywide

FCPS Will Start COVID-19 Rollback Plan Tomorrow — Masks will be optional for both students and adults, including staff and parents, in Fairfax County Public Schools after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changed its health metrics so that the county is now considered to have low transmission. FCPS said on Friday (Feb. 25) that masks would be optional for students, as ordered by a state law, but still mandatory for adults. [FCPS]

Judge Calls TJ Admissions Discriminatory — The Coalition for TJ on Friday (Feb. 25) won its lawsuit against the Fairfax County School Board over changes to admissions process for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. The judge found that the shift from a standardized test to “experience” factors was done in a way discriminatory to Asian applicants. The school system intends to appeal. [The Washington Post]


Countywide

The weekend is almost here, and with it, FFXnow’s launch week comes to a close. Before parents start fretting over whether their kids go to school without masks or you head to bed for some much-needed sleep, let’s revisit the past week of news in Fairfax County.

Here are the five most-read stories on FFXnow this week:


News

The inspiration for the Tysons Regional Chamber of Commerce’s new monthly backpack drive came to Andrew Clark on the Saturday before Christmas.

“I’m at home and realized — really, an epiphany of how good my life is,” the chamber’s board of directors chairman recalled last Friday (Feb. 18).


Countywide

Fairfax County Public Schools will comply with the new Virginia law prohibiting local school boards from enforcing universal mask requirements.

Face masks will be optional on school property for students starting Tuesday (March 1), Superintendent Scott Brabrand confirmed today (Friday) in a message to families.


News

Taste of Vienna is back.

After two consecutive cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual festival showcasing the town’s food scene will return for 2022 on April 30, the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department confirmed on Tuesday (Feb. 22).


Countywide

Tysons Mass Vaccine Site Tweaks Hours — “Beginning Tuesday, March 1, the Tysons Community Vaccination Center (CVC) located at 7950 Tysons Corner Center, McLean, will be open five days a week, Tuesday-Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.” [Fairfax County Health Department]

Alleged Serial Killer Still Not Charged in Fairfax County — Local police and prosecutors have yet to find enough evidence to charge a man that police dubbed the “Shopping Cart Killer” in the death of California resident Stephanie Harrison, one of two women whose remains were found in Huntington in December. [WTOP]


News

A popular D.C. area pizzeria plans to open a new location in Tysons this fall.

Stellina Pizzeria will take over a 4,100-square-foot space on the ground floor of Capital One’s headquarters at 1610 Capital One Drive, the business announced today (Thursday).


Countywide

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department saw a significant increase in activity in 2021 compared to the previous year.

The honor for busiest company of the year went to Engine 430 based out of Merrifield Station 30, the department shared last week.


Countywide

Trucker Convoys Could Affect Capital Beltway — Traffic on the Capital Beltway could become clogged in the coming weeks as truck drivers plan to descend on D.C. to protest Covid-related health rules. One convoy reportedly left Scranton, Pennsylvania, yesterday (Wednesday), but the organizer has backed off plans to shut down the Beltway. [NBC4]

Police Union Unhappy with Proposed Budget — The Virginia Police Benevolent Association Fairfax County Chapter president criticized the proposed county budget for not giving officers 15% raises, saying this could worsen vacancies. Board Chairman Jeff McKay countered that the plan presented on Tuesday (Feb. 22) increases the average police pay by 8%. [ABC7]


News

After going viral last summer for offering cicada-themed sundaes, Arlington-based Toby’s Homemade Ice Cream has parlayed that success into a new shop in Vienna, its first expansion.

Signs that Toby’s was adding a location in the Cedar Park Shopping Center (280 Cedar Lane SE) were reported in December, but the business didn’t confirm the news until Feb. 9.


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