Author: FFXnow.com

Highway Lane Closures Lifted for Easter — “To help motorists get to their destinations without hassle, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will suspend most highway work zones and lift most lane closures on interstates and other major roads in Virginia for the Easter holiday from noon Friday, March 29, until noon Tuesday, April 2.” [VDOT]

Minimum Wage and Marijuana Sales Bills Vetoed — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed legislation Thursday that would have established a retail marijuana market in Virginia and raised the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour, torpedoing two top Democratic priorities from the 2024 General Assembly session.” [Virginia Mercury]

N. Va. Sees Rise in Home Sales — “The number of home sales in Northern Virginia rose 2.2% compared to a year earlier, the first year-over-year increase since November 2021. That is in contrast to the national housing market, which saw sales fall 3.3%. Northern Virginia also saw a dramatic increase in home sales from the previous month, up 32%.” [WTOP]

Governor Vetoes Gun Safety Bills — “Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed an assault weapons ban and a slate of other gun-control bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly, but he signed a pair of…measures into law: One bans a device that turns a semiautomatic firearm into a machine gun, and the other allows a parent or guardian to be charged with a felony for allowing a child who has been deemed a threat to have access to a gun.” [Washington Post]

Arrests Made After Annandale Barricade — “Fairfax County Police arrested 13 people March 25 following a dispute at the Parliaments Apartments in Annandale. Police responded to a report of a brandishing incident in the 7300 block of Englewood Place at about 8:30 p.m.” A 19-year-old “displayed a firearm, then threatened to shoot” one of the occupants. [Annandale Today]

Trial Underway in Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against FCPS — “A 24-year-old woman told jurors Tuesday that she was repeatedly raped and sexually harassed a decade ago as a seventh-grade student in Virginia, and that school officials reacted to her pleas for help with indifference…The case involving B.R. stretches back to allegations she was raped and harassed as a 12-year-old student at Rachel Carson Middle School in Reston.” [Associated Press]

Local Figure Skater Wins World Championship — “Ilia Malinin, the 19-year-old from Fairfax, Virginia, put on a dominant display Saturday night in Montreal and took the world figure skating crown in record performance. His free program included a jaw-dropping six quadruple jumps — including his patented quad axel” and setting a record for the competition’s free skate. [WTOP]

Police Investigate “Suspicious Package” in Reston — Sunset Hills Road closed outside of the Reston Town Center Metro station yesterday (Monday) after Fairfax County police got a report of a “suspicious package” in the area at 4:40 p.m. An investigation determined the item wasn’t an explosive device, and there was “no apparent threat to the community at this time.” [Patch]

Developer Suggests Combining Casino and Arena — “With Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to build a $2 billion arena in Alexandria for the Washington Capitals and Wizards in jeopardy, three political and business figures have been pitching an unlikely Hail Mary: an idea to pair the sports arena with a new casino in Fairfax County…The idea has been flatly rejected by Youngkin (R) and the teams’ owner, Monumental Sports & Entertainment.” [Washington Post]

No Injuries in Transformer Fire Near NRA HQ — “Just after 7am [Saturday] morning #FCFRD and City of Fairfax Fire Department responded to the 11200 Blk of Waples Mill Rd for a reported building fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene to find an outside transformer on fire. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the fire preventing any exposure to the building.” [FCFRD/Facebook]