Author: Scott McCaffrey

A Northern Virginia native, Scott McCaffrey has four decades of reporting, editing and newsroom experience in the local area plus Florida, South Carolina and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. He spent 26 years as editor of the Sun Gazette newspaper chain. For Local News Now, he covers government and civic issues in Arlington, Fairfax County and Falls Church.

Countywide

Fairfax County mulls options for a sports or entertainment authority

By Scott McCaffrey
A soccer goal at Spring Hill District Park in McLean (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County’s leadership appears willing to move cautiously forward in considering the creation of a sports and entertainment authority.

However, the responsibilities of a potential independent agency, where it would get its funding and how it would interact with existing public and private facilities still need to be ironed out.

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Countywide

Fairfax County prioritizes new public health lab in revised bond referendum plan

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County Chief Financial Officer Christina Jackson (screenshot via Fairfax County)

Fairfax County staff have sketched out details of a series of bond referendums for the next five years that would raise just under $2 billion for facility construction and renovation projects.

With both economic uncertainty and higher interest rates causing headwinds, however, alterations could be possible — even likely.

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News

NAACP still has concerns about Fairfax County’s clearing of homeless encampments

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County cleared a homeless encampment in Reston in September 2024 (staff photo by Fatimah Waseem)

Fairfax County leaders have agreed to some proposals from the local NAACP branch on how to address homeless encampments, but divides between the civil rights organization and county government on the issue remain.

Perhaps the biggest point of contention is whether outside observers should be allowed on site when camps are dismantled.

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News

New McLean space helps LGBTQ organization expand its community services

By Scott McCaffrey
Opening of NoVA Prism Center in McLean (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

Northern Virginia’s lone nonprofit community center for LGBTQ+ individuals marked the opening on Saturday (March 29) of a new facility designed to expand opportunities serving the region.

“We have a lot of exciting things we want to do with this space,” said NoVA Prism Center board president Sydney Mastrangelo during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the expanded service center at 1340 Old Chain Bridge Road in McLean.

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Countywide

D.C.-area transit task force pumps brakes on suggested local bus systems merger

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax Connector bus to Oakton (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Finding better ways for bus networks across Northern Virginia to better collaborate seems to be a priority for local representatives on the DMV Moves task force.

However, the possibility of consolidating the disparate systems into one appeared to be a non-starter, especially for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.

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Countywide

Metro can soon start banning those arrested for assaults, sex crimes on its property

By Scott McCaffrey
The Metro Transit Police Department (file photo)

Metro is following through on plans to prohibit people alleged to have committed serious infractions on its property from returning.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Board of Directors voted 8-0 yesterday (Thursday) to approve a new policy allowing the transit agency to issue citations banning individuals arrested for assault or sex-related crimes from its system.

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Countywide

Consultant places Fairfax in middle of pack for economic competitiveness

By Scott McCaffrey
Office tenants at Reston Station include Google and ICF (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

When it comes to preserving economic development gains in challenging times, localities need to have strategies to play offense and defense, and Fairfax County has room for improvement in both cases, a consultant told the Board of Supervisors earlier this week.

Economic success is “not something to take for granted,” Camoin Associates CEO Rachel Selsky said at an economic initiatives committee meeting on Tuesday (March 25).

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Countywide

Fairfax County leaders plan to reinforce financial reserves in case of economic downturn

By Scott McCaffrey
The Fairfax County Government Center (staff photo by Jared Serre)

Fairfax County officials plan to put additional millions in fiscal reserves as they brace for the economic fallout from Trump administration policies to take hold.

County staff are recommending that the Board of Supervisors allocate $2.4 million more for reserves, with an additional $8.1 million available that also could be sent there or used to address other priorities.

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Countywide

Regional transit funding task force mostly pessimistic on possibility of future Metrorail expansion

By Scott McCaffrey
An Orange Line train pulls into the Vienna Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

For the immediate future at least, further expansion of rail lines across the D.C. region is likely to take a back seat to more modest upgrades to transit service moving forward.

That seemed to be a consensus, albeit not a unanimous one, as members of the regional DMV Moves task force met Monday (March 24) to narrow options for improving the area’s transit — and paying for a Metro system that’s now estimated to cost between $450 million and $600 million more per year.

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News

Fairfax County to reconfigure homeless shelters with Fair Ridge facility opening next month

By Scott McCaffrey
The Extended Stay America hotel at 3997 Fair Ridge Drive is planned for conversion into an emergency shelter (via Google Maps)

April will bring a major restructuring of facilities serving those experiencing homelessness across Fairfax County.

The county is on track to open its Fair Ridge Family Shelter, located in a converted hotel in Sully District, on Tuesday, April 1, staff told the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors at a housing committee meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

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