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 started 2026 with more jobless residents than it did 2025, latest data shows

By Scott McCaffrey
Virginia Career Works Northern Region table at a University of Virginia job fair in August 2025 (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

The number of jobless residents in Fairfax County jumped by more than a third — 33.8%, to be precise — year over year to start 2026, according to new state data.

A total of 23,749 county residents were reported seeking work in January, up from 17,744 a year before, based on figures released April 16 by the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement.

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News

County board OKs new Penn Daw fire station with shelter, supportive housing

By Scott McCaffrey
Planned Penn Daw Fire Station with supportive housing and emergency shelter (via BKV Group/Fairfax County)

Fairfax County supervisors on Tuesday (April 14) unanimously approved the plan to build a new Penn Daw Fire Station, supportive housing and an emergency shelter facility on a 3.5-acre tract just east of Richmond Highway.

The approval marks a significant step forward in a capital project that has been in the works for more than a decade.

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News

Cinder Bed Road Bikeway critics rally at opening of governmental center

By Scott McCaffrey
Cinder Bed Road Bikeway opponents protest at Franconia Governmental Center dedication (photo courtesy Friends of Accotink Creek)

Opponents of the proposed Cinder Bed Road Bikeway found a captive audience at the April 11 dedication of the Franconia Governmental Center.

“The lines of citizens waiting outside to get in gave us protesters the opportunity to open discussions about the Bikeway,” said Philip Latasa, who helped organize the public information rally at the new government facility at 7130 Silver Lake Blvd.

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Countywide

FCPS workers’ union urges county leaders to restore last year’s budget cuts

By Scott McCaffrey
Fairfax County Federation of Teachers president Emily VanDerhoff speaks at rally (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

A union representing some Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) employees rallied yesterday (Tuesday) for restoration of pay, benefits and staffing levels negotiated last year but not funded by county leaders.

“We’re here to make sure the Board of Supervisors knows … they cannot leave the schools behind,” Fairfax County Federation of Teachers (FCFT) President Emily VanDerhoff said at the late-afternoon event, held in front of the Fairfax County Governmental Center.

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Countywide

Fairfax County supervisors hope to move beyond annual battles over Tysons casino

By Scott McCaffrey
Hunter Mill Supervisor Walter Alcorn with anti-casino forces in 2025 (courtesy Hunter Mill District Office)

Fairfax County supervisors opposed to a bill that would’ve allowed a casino in Tysons said this week they hope Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s veto of the legislation puts an end to the matter once and for all.

“This has been a distraction — our residents have been traumatized,” Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn said at the Board of Supervisors meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

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News

Opening of Kingstowne library gives Franconia residents ‘first-class’ branch to call their own

By Scott McCaffrey
Patrons get questions answered at Kingstowne Regional Library opening (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

“A first-class library that the people of Franconia deserve” is how Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay described the new Kingstowne Regional Library, which welcomed crowds measuring well into the hundreds at its April 11 opening.

“This is a huge day,” said McKay, who represented the Franconia District when it was still called the Lee District on the board before becoming chairman.

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Countywide

Home sales rise across Fairfax in first quarter of 2026, while prices show mixed results

By Scott McCaffrey
House for sale sign (file photo)

First-quarter home sales were up across Fairfax County, but pricing data offered mixed signals about the state of the market, new figures showed.

A total of 2,192 properties went to closing between Jan. 1 and March 31, according to data from MarketStats by ShowingTime. That’s up 5.2% from the 2,084 transactions during the same period in 2025.

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News

New Franconia Governmental Center seen as a model for future facilities

By Scott McCaffrey
County leaders cut ribbon on new Franconia Governmental Center (staff photo by Scott McCaffrey)

After a relatively brisk 25 minutes of speeches followed by the snip of a red ribbon, the new Franconia Governmental Center opened to the public Saturday morning (April 11).

That moment represented the culmination of “two and a half — plus — decades of planning,” said Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk at the dedication ceremony, which attracted hundreds to the facility at 7130 Silver Lake Blvd, located south of Manchester Blvd and east of Beulah Street.

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Countywide

Fairfax planning body suggests prioritizing preventive maintenance over new facilities

By Scott McCaffrey
Fiscal year 2027 capital improvement projects (via Fairfax County)

Fairfax County Planning Commission members on Wednesday (April 8) joined a growing chorus calling on county leaders to emphasize maintenance of existing government facilities over construction of new ones.

“Prioritizing preventive maintenance and system renewal is a fiscally responsible alternative to the higher cost of full renovations or facilities replacements,” said at-large commissioner Timothy Sargeant.

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Countywide

Fairfax County hopes getting public input ‘early and often’ may speed transportation projects

By Scott McCaffrey
A construction barrier closes off a sidewalk on Sunset Hills Road near Fairfax County Parkway in Herndon (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

Community members may soon get more information on local transportation projects across Fairfax County earlier in the development process — but they also may find their input opportunities cut off earlier, too.

That was one potential scenario considered by county supervisors and staff on April 6, as they brainstormed ways to improve a process they acknowledged can take frustratingly long.

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