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.

News

Founder of Spring Hill adapted aquatics program honored for starting ‘a movement’

By Scott McCaffrey
Woman with short gray hair wearing a colorful patterned blouse speaks into a microphone at a podium, gesturing with two fingers raised on her right hand.
Bryna Helfer delivers remarks to Fairfax supervisors (screenshot via Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors honored a local resident last Tuesday (July 14) for her 35 years of service to the Spring Hill Rec Center’s adapted aquatics program.

Bryna Helfer helped found the program in 1991, and continues to serve as an instructor and booster.

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Countywide

Herndon, Fairfax City saw largest apartment rent drops in D.C. region last month

By Scott McCaffrey
Entering the Town of Herndon (staff photo by Fatimah Waseem)

A new data analysis finds two local communities have seen the largest year-over-year declines in median rents across the metro area.

Herndon posted a drop of 4.8% to $2,000, and Fairfax City saw a 3.8% dip to $2,010 in the median rental price of one-bedroom apartments in June, according to the latest monthly report from Zumper.

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Countywide

Fairfax board seeks timeline for anticipated vehicle noise monitoring pilot

By Scott McCaffrey
Exhaust pipes for a BMW car parked in Fairfax City (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County leaders are eager to get a jump start on a new option to automate monitoring for excessive vehicle noise.

The county’s Board of Supervisors unanimously voted on July 14 to direct County Executive Bryan Hill to report a timeline by this fall for implementing the authority newly granted by the General Assembly to Fairfax and some other Virginia localities.

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Countywide

Retiring Fairfax Water general manager saluted for nearly four decades of service

By Scott McCaffrey
Group of officials posing in a formal chamber; woman at center holds an award plaque in front of a Fairfax County seal panel.
Fairfax Water's Jamie Bain Hedges is honored by Fairfax County Board of Supervisors (courtesy Fairfax County)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday (July 14) honored the 37-year service of retiring Fairfax Water General Manager Jamie Bain Hedges.

“We have a luxury in Fairfax County of having clean, accessible water,” Board Chair Jeff McKay said during a ceremony honoring Hedges.

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Countywide

Herrity’s resolution on Christian heritage again rebuffed by Board colleagues

By Scott McCaffrey
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity (screenshot via Fairfax County)

Democratic members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors again blocked efforts on Tuesday (July 14) by Springfield District’s Pat Herrity to designate an autumn day as “Church Heritage Recognition Day.”

Herrity, the 10-member body’s lone Republican, failed to get the necessary seconding motion required to take up consideration of his proposal to recognize Nov. 21 as Fairfax County Church Heritage Recognition Day, which he has unsuccessfully championed for several years.

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News

MWAA almost ready to unveil Dulles expansion plan sought by Trump

By Scott McCaffrey
The future terminals envisioned by the Dulles Airport master plan adopted in July 2025 (via MWAA)

The public may soon get a look at the multi-billion-dollar expansion proposal for Dulles International Airport.

Jack Potter, president and CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), said Wednesday (July 15) that the internal plan had passed an important milestone.

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News

County board offers fee relief to Burke area residents impacted by microburst

By Scott McCaffrey
The wreckage of a smashed bus shelter on Burke Road near Peppercorn Drive after a June 22, 2026 thunderstorm (staff photo by Mary Stachyra Lopez)

Fairfax County supervisors have taken a step to ease the burden of Burke-area families impacted by last month’s microburst.

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously yesterday (Tuesday) to waive costs for homeowners depositing debris at the I-66 Transfer Station or I-95 Landfill through July 29.

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Countywide

Fairfax Tree Commission could be axed in merger of environmental advisory groups

By Scott McCaffrey
Tree branches hang over Anderson Road in Tysons (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on Aug. 25 to consider eliminating the Fairfax’s Tree Commission and consolidating some of its responsibilities with those of the Environmental Quality Advisory Council (EQAC).

The resulting body would be known as the Environmental Commission, under a procedural road map laid out by staff at the Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

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News

McKay: Route 1 BRT remains on track despite less-than-requested regional funding

By Scott McCaffrey
Residents attend an in-person update on the Richmond Highway Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project at the Gerry South Hyland Government Center on Jan. 15, 2025 (staff photo by James Jarvis)

Fairfax County will receive less regional funding than desired for its planned Richmond Highway (Route 1) Bus Rapid Transit system, but a top elected official says that won’t derail the nearly billion-dollar effort.

The county government submitted a request for $463 million from the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) to support the proposal.

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Countywide

Fairfax County homes market posts higher sales, prices in first half of 2026

By Scott McCaffrey
A for sale sign for a house in Vienna coming soon to the market (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Fairfax County home sales increased year-over-year during the first six months of 2026, with average, median and per-square-foot sales prices also up.

A total of 6,289 residential properties changed hands between Jan. 1 and June 30, according to figures reported Friday (July 10) by MarketStats by ShowingTime.

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