Author: FFXnow.com

School Board Member Joins Race to Replace Ken Plum — Karen Keys-Gamarra won’t return as an at-large member of the Fairfax County School Board, instead filing to become delegate in Virginia’s new House District 7. She is the fifth candidate vying to succeed Del. Ken Plum, who confirmed last month that he won’t seek reelection after representing Reston for 44 years. [Patch]

County Breaks Ground on New Government Center — “We celebrated the beginning of construction on the new Franconia Governmental Center and Kingstowne Regional Library this week. The new facility — projected to open in 2025 — will provide a safe, convenient and friendly environment for the residents of the Kingstowne area to gather and to access county services in one central location.” [Fairfax County]

High School Students Will Get Free Virtual Mental Health Services — “Fairfax County Public Schools has partnered with Hazel Health, giving some 61,000 students access to the service, according to the county’s contract…A pilot program was expected to launch by the beginning of January but was delayed. Access to Hazel Health’s services is expected to be available later this spring” [WTOP]

Doctor Gets Prison Time for Prescribing Drugs in Fatal Overdose — A federal judge sentenced Dr. Robert Cao, 39, of Lafayette, Louisiana, to 15 months for “illegally prescribing controlled substances to a man who died of an overdose” in Fairfax in May 2021. A former Falls Church resident, Cao wrote prescriptions for oxycodone and hydrocodone to the victim at least five times despite not being his doctor. [NBC4]

County Advertises Flat Real Estate Tax Rate — “The advertised real estate tax rate is $1.11 per $100 of assessed value. That is the county’s current rate and was proposed to remain the same under County Executive Bryan Hill’s fiscal year 2024 budget proposal. The same rate or a lower rate can be adopted during the budget process, but a higher rate can not be considered.” [Patch]

Eight Displaced by Pimmit Hills House Fire — Fairfax and Arlington county firefighters were dispatched to the 2000 block of Griffith Road at 9:02 p.m. on Monday (March 6) after an unattended candle ignited a fire in the one-story house. No one was injured, but eight people were displaced and the fire caused about $30,000 in damages. [FCFRD]

FCPD Uses Tech to Track Guns Used in Crimes — “A computer technology that can match the unique marks a gun makes on cartridge casings is helping detectives in Fairfax County, Virginia, to track down people suspected of violent crimes more quickly…Fairfax County is the only local department in the region with the system.” [NBC4]

County Highlights Women’s Stories — “In honor and recognition of Women’s History Month, we are sharing a few stories of amazing women leaders throughout Fairfax County, as well as events in March that highlight compelling stories about women’s contributions to society.” [Fairfax County]

Regional Earthquake Fundraiser Officially Launches — “On Friday, March 3, Northern Virginia elected leaders and officials gathered to launch a fundraising effort organized by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC) to collect money to purchase food packages for those impacted by the earthquakes” that hit Turkey and Syria in early February. [Fairfax County]

Person Burned in Herndon Townhouse Fire — “Units are on scene of a townhouse fire in the 300 block of Reneau Way in Herndon. Arriving units found and quickly extinguished a fire on a deck. One person transported with burn injuries. No reported firefighter injuries.” [FCFRD/Twitter]