Author: FFXnow.com

Police Wrap Up Summer Road Safety Campaign — “The Fairfax County Police Department has successfully wrapped up the 2024 ‘Road Shark’ campaign, issuing nearly 35,000 citations and warnings to dangerous drivers on Fairfax County roadways over the last five waves.” [FCPD]

Tysons Electric Vehicle Company Unveils First Models — “Scout Motors Inc., the Tysons-based spinoff electric vehicle company from German automaker Volkswagen AG, on Thursday unveiled its first vehicles and announced it will offer plug-in hybrid options as well as full-fledged EVs… Scout aims to hit the market in 2027 with two vehicles — the Traveler SUV and pickup truck Terra.” [Washington Business Journal]

Reminder: Meeting on Future Wiehle Avenue Tonight — The Fairfax County Department of Transportation (FCDOT) will present a revised concept for Wiehle Avenue in Reston tonight (Monday). The final community meeting on the Wiehle Avenue Study will be held at Langston Hughes Middle School (11401 Ridge Heights Road) at 7 p.m. [FCDOT]

Why McLean Is Region’s Priciest Zip Code — “With high-end houses, including historic estates, McLean has long attracted those who want easy access to D.C. but don’t want to live full time in D.C. proper… With a median home listing price of $2.95 million in September 2024, McLean’s 22101 ZIP Code has the D.C. area’s priciest residential real estate, according to Realtor.com.” [Wall Street Journal]

Plan Shared for Completion of Mason Neck Trail — “According to the preliminary design plans, the county will build a 10-foot-wide paved path along the northbound side of Gunston Road between Julia Taft Way and Pohick Bay Drive, which leads to Pohick Bay Golf Course. That approximately one-mile stretch of trail will link up to segments that were previously implemented from the golf course to Mason Neck State Park.” [On the MoVe]

Culmore Health Clinic Reports Growth — “Culmore Clinic, a health center that provides free care to disadvantaged adults, has seen explosive growth over the past year. The clinic has 900 registered patients, representing a 109 percent increase in the past year, with 30-40 new patients coming every month.” [Annandale Today]

Basketball Court Repairs Begin — Contractors are scheduled to begin construction on repairs at Tysons Pimmit Park this week, with Ridgeview Park following in the first week of November. “The basketball court improvements at both locations will include installation of new goals, crack repairs, a 2-inch overlay on the asphalt and line painting.” [Fairfax County Park Authority]

Reston Chalkfest Return Deemed a Success — “On October 20, the streets of the Reston Town Center were transformed by a vibrant open-air gallery of inspired chalk designs. Around 300 participants and more than 1,000 Festival attendees … enjoyed live entertainment by Bach to Rock Herndon and free face painting for the little ones.” [Public Art Reston/Tysons Today]

It’s Monday — Patchy frost will clear up by 9am, making way for sunny skies and a high of around 63°F. A calm wind will shift southeast, reaching 5-7 mph in the afternoon. Monday night will see partly cloudy conditions and a low near 44°F, accompanied by a southeast wind at around 6 mph. [NWS]

Officials Celebrate Woodson HS Renaming — “Wednesday’s rededication, school officials said, served as a reminder of the previous namesake’s troubling past and an opportunity to acknowledge it and move forward.” The Fairfax County School Board voted last Nov. 9 to name the Fairfax school after historian Carter G. Woodson instead of former superintendent W.T. Woodson. [WTOP]

NASA Robot Added to Smithsonian Museum — “NASA’s retired space shuttle Discovery has been reunited with one of its last crew members. The Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum debuted Robonaut-2 (R2), NASA’s first dexterous humanoid robot flown into space, on Thursday (Oct. 24)… R2 is now on exhibit at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center” in Chantilly. [Collect Space]

Vienna Halloween Paradegoers Share Election Thoughts — “Wednesday night WUSA9 went to the annual Vienna Halloween parade to find a cross section of voters.  As the local clubs and civic groups paraded down Maple Avenue, we found families parading around in costumes. We also found some strong political opinions.” [WUSA9]

Tennis Court Renovation Complete — “The newly renovated tennis courts at Woodley Hills Park in Mount Vernon are ‘open and ready for business,’ in the words of the Fairfax County Park Authority. The repair work to the two courts, which began this past summer, wrapped up in mid-October, according to Park Authority spokesperson Ben Boxer.” [On the MoVe]

Annandale Dunkin’ Offers Free Donuts — “The new Dunkin’ in Annandale is celebrating its Grand Opening on Saturday, Oct. 26, by offering a free donut with a beverage purchase. The shop, at 8205 Columbia Pike, is along the route of the Annandale Parade, which starts Saturday at 10 a.m.” [Annandale Today]

Pumpkin Display to Light Up Local Business — Set to return to Franconia this November, Nalls Produce & Garden Center’s annual Pumpkin IllumiNIGHT “invites pumpkin lovers and families to help light up Beulah Street following Halloween by adding their own carved pumpkins to its jack-o-lantern display. The drive-by display is expected to feature over 100 pumpkins.” [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Woodlawn Park Welcomes New Playground — “Join the Fairfax County Park Authority and Supervisor Rodney Lusk for an afternoon of free outdoor fun on Monday, Nov. 4, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Muddy Hole Farm Park located at 7941 Kidd St.” Activities will include the mobile Wonder Wagon and a ribbon-cutting ceremony “for the new playground at the park.” [FCPA]

It’s Friday — Expect sunshine and a high temperature around 68 degrees alongside light and variable winds turning southwest at around 6 mph in the afternoon. Friday night will be partly cloudy, with lows near 54 degrees. South winds at 5 to 7 mph will shift to the west after midnight. [NWS]

Building Burning for Firefighter Training — “On Thursday, 10/24, 8:30am-1:00pm, #FCFRD will be conducting live burn training at an acquired structure in the 3000 blk of Popkins Ln in the [Groveton area] of @fairfaxcounty. Expect to see smoke and FCFRD apparatus and personnel in the area.” [FCFRD/Twitter]

Judge to Hear Lawsuit over Virginia Voter Removals — “More than 1,600 Virginians have had their voter registrations canceled since August under a state program that the Justice Department and advocacy groups contend is illegal.” The Justice Department will make its case for blocking Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s effort to drop people flagged as “noncitizens” from voter rolls at a hearing today (Thursday). [Associated Press]

Metro to Open Early for Marathon — All Metro stations will open two hours early at 5 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27 for the 2024 Marine Corps Marathon, which will start and end near Arlington National Cemetery. “All lines will operate frequent all-day service and fares are up to $2.50 flat rate for any one-way trip.” [WMATA]

Huntington Club Development May Restart — After stalling due to financing challenges, developer IDI Group says there’s a “strong possibility” it can resume work on plans for a mixed-use community in 2025, thanks to falling interest rates. Fairfax County officials have discussed making the Huntington area eligible for economic incentives to encourage revitalization. [Washington Business Journal]

Fairfax Veterinary Clinic Nears Grand Opening — “Bond Vet, the new veterinarian clinic in the Scout on the Circle development in Fairfax City, is celebrating its grand opening with a Halloween-themed open house event. The Fairfax City community is invited to join the celebration from 12 to 2 p.m. on Saturday.” [Patch]

Turkish Dessert Shop Coming to Annandale — “Pasha Castle, a dessert, ice cream, and tea shop in Georgetown, is opening a second location in Annandale. The café will open in a building being renovated at 7228 Columbia Pike.” [Annandale Today]

GMU Students Research Language Barriers at Courthouse — “Members of a team of 15 volunteer students from the Jurisprudence Learning Community (JPLC) … are spending time in the hallways and offices of the busy [Fairfax County] court complex conducting a survey project aimed at helping the court understand the accessibility needs of court users.” [GMU]

McLean Library to Host Local Author Talk — Writer Mark Aldrich, who has also acted on Broadway and TV, will visit Dolley Madison Library at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26 to discuss his fantasy book series “The Peripherals.” Advance registration is required for the event, which still had seats available, as of press time. [Fairfax County Public Library]

It’s Thursday — Expect sunny skies and a high near 65 degrees, accompanied by a northwest wind blowing at 14 to 16 mph and gusts reaching up to 25 mph. As for Thursday night, it will be clear with a low temperature around 43 degrees, and a northwest wind at 5 to 7 mph. [NWS]

TJ Principal to Leave for New FCPS Job — “Fairfax County Public Schools is launching a nationwide search for a new principal of the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.” Ann Bonitatibus will leave next month for a position in FCPS’ human resources department after a seven-year tenure at the magnet school that included a long legal battle over changes to its admissions policy. [WTOP]

Man Charged Again for Chantilly Sexual Assault — “A Stafford man linked to a string of assaults against women and children across Northern Virginia has been charged again in connection with an alleged 2023 attack in Fairfax County just weeks after pleading guilty to two other assaults in Prince William County.” [WUSA9]

Potential Casino Supporters and Opponents Rally — “The Fairfax County Jobs Coalition held a rally Tuesday morning to support developing an entertainment district and casino at Tysons, with those in opposition also in attendance…The coalition is calling on county leaders to speak up to the General Assembly to get a referendum.” [DC News Now]

Man Pleads Guilty to Stealing Computers — A former Customs and Border Protection employee from Bristow pleaded guilty yesterday (Tuesday) to stealing 27 laptops worth over $67,000 from a CBP facility in Lorton on Dec. 13, 2023. The man sold nine of the government-owned computers over eBay before getting caught on Aug. 1 by an undercover officer, per court documents. [U.S. Attorney’s Office]

Fairfax City Council Campaign Fundraising Update — “Anthony Amos’ campaign has received significantly more donations than the campaigns of his 10 opponents in the Fairfax City Council race, according to the latest financial filings with the State Board of Elections.” There are 11 candidates vying for six seats on the city council. [Patch]

More Funding Approved for Dulles Airport — Dulles International Airport “will receive $40 million from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program. The money will go toward the construction of a new 14-gate, 400,000-square-foot terminal building,” a project expected to cost $500 to $800 million. [Northern Virginia Magazine]

Belle View Wine Shop to Change Owner — In addition to closing the original Unwined in Alexandria, owner Vanessa Moore plans to hand over ownership of the shop’s Belle View location and “its sister restaurant Revel to a new team in early 2025.” The new owners will be familiar to regulars of the business, she says. [On the Move]

Firefighters and Police Rappel over Inova Hospital — “#FCFRD @PWCFireRescue @PGFDNews @LoudounFire @FairfaxCountyPD got to hang w/ some of the brave patients & families at @InovaHealth L.J. Murphy Children’s Hospital. Personnel rappelled over the sides of the hospital, blew bubbles, waved, & played games w/ the kids inside.” [FCFRD/Twitter]

It’s Wednesday — Expect sunny skies and a high of around 79 degrees with a south wind at 5 to 8 mph. As for Wednesday night, it will be mostly clear with a low near 54 degrees. The southwest wind will be blowing at 6 to 13 mph. [NWS]