Author: FFXnow.com

Hybla Valley Murder Case Dismissed — Fairfax County General District Court Judge Vanessa Jordan dismissed a second-degree murder case yesterday (Tuesday). Court records don’t explain the dismissal, but the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office says it plans to ask a grand jury to indict Francisco Joel Juares, who was arrested in August for the fatal shooting of D’Mari Norris. [The Washington Post]

Six New Markers Recognizing Black History Planned — “Six Historical Markers were chosen from a field of 53 submissions to honor the Black/African American Experience in the county…The next step in the process will be working with staff and members of the History Commission to refine the language of the markers, work with a vendor to create the marker and plan installations” [Fairfax County]

Local Task Force Deployed to Turkey — “Members of Virginia Task Force 1 in Fairfax County are making plans to head to Turkey and Syria after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit parts of the countries, killing thousands of people and leaving thousands of others missing among the rubble. The task force team will consist of 79 people and six dogs, the task force said in a tweet Monday afternoon.” [Patch]

County Honors Partners in Covid Response — “On Saturday, Feb. 4, more than 1,000 community members and organizations gathered at the Fairfax County Government Center for an official recognition ceremony hosted by the Health Department and the Board of Supervisors.” [Fairfax County]

Daring Deer Dashes Across I-66 — Fairfax County police officers “were called to the Monument Drive ramp of I-66 just after 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 28. When officers arrived, they found a deer that appeared to be stuck on the scaffolding…Animal Protection Police attempted to catch the deer but the animal eluded officers before taking off across the roadway. Thankfully, the deer was not hurt and a serious crash was avoided.” [WUSA9]

No Jail Time for Driver After Fatal Herndon Crash — “A Northern Virginia family wants laws changed after a distracted driver caused an accident that killed an 86-year-old grandfather and war veteran. The driver walked away from court with just a small fine and not a single day of jail time.” [WUSA9]

Fire Department Gets Grant for Cancer Screenings — The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department recently got a $450,000 grant from FEMA to support free cancer screenings for all workers, some of whom are currently diagnosed. Firefighters face a 9% higher risk of getting cancer, and one Fairfax County firefighter died last year. [FCFRD, NBC4]

Shooting Threat Found on Fairfax School Wall — City of Fairfax Police responded yesterday (Thursday) morning to Katherine Johnson Middle School after a message threatening “to shoot up the school” was found. Police said they didn’t know how long the message had been there, but with no evidence of immediate danger, the school never went into lockdown. [Patch]

Deadline for Feedback on School Calendars Extended — “Thank you to the approximately 23,000 families, staff, students, and community members who completed FCPS’ Calendar Feedback Form…The form will close on Monday, February 6, at noon. The School Board is scheduled to vote on a calendar on Thursday, February 9.” [FCPS]

McLean Teen Launches Swim School in South Africa — “An 11th-grade student at The Potomac School in McLean returned to the United States in late January after launching a youth swim academy in Alexandra…The not-for-profit Alexandra Youth Swim Academy, founded by Sasha Minsky, 17, provides free swim instruction to children aged 7 to 16 in the township, near Johannesburg.” [Patch]