Countywide

Man Hospitalized After Crash in McLean — A driver was taken to a hospital “in life-threatening condition” after a single-vehicle crash at Old Dominion Drive and Kirby Road in McLean on Saturday (Sept. 28). An investigation into the crash is ongoing. [FCPD/Twitter]

Pedestrian Killed in Hit-and-Run Identified — A preliminary investigation into the fatal hit-and-run crash last Thursday (Sept. 26) indicated that “James Matthew Martin, 57, was crossing Richmond Highway from east to west outside the crosswalk when he was struck by the driver.” Detectives have also identified the driver and “continue to investigate the circumstances of the crash and potential charges.” [FCPD]

Herndon Man in Murder Case Denied Bond — “Brendan Banfield was denied bond on Friday after being indicted earlier this month for the murders of his wife, Christine Banfield, and another man, Joseph Ryan, at the couple’s Fairfax County home…The defense argued that Banfield is not a flight risk and needs to care for his child.” [FOX5]

Addition to Justice HS Completed — “Justice High School is a lot less crowded now that a new classroom wing has been completed. The new three-story wing — finished just in time for the start of the 2024-25 school year — has classrooms for world languages, English, science, social studies, and career and technical education.” [Annandale Today]

Mason Neck Park Introduces All-Terrain Wheelchairs — “In the past few years, Mason Neck State Park in Lorton has been focused on increasing accessibility to all park users, and the park took one more step in that direction recently with the debut of the all-terrain wheelchair program.” Mason Neck is the first park in Virginia to move forward with the pilot program. [On the MoVe]

Lorton Golf Club to Serve as GMU Team’s Home — “The Fairfax County Park Authority and George Mason University Golf are proud to announce a new partnership naming the Park Authority’s Laurel Hill Golf Club as the university golf team’s home course. The collaboration…will also provide opportunities for expanded Park Authority summer camps utilizing the George Mason Field House in Fairfax.” [FCPA]

FCPS Nonprofit Gets Donation — “On Friday, September 27, Educate Fairfax received a generous donation of $131,056.80 from the now-dissolved Association of Fairfax Professional Educators (AFPE)… The donation is designated for Educate Fairfax Grants, which provide students across Fairfax County with equitable access to innovative education experiences.” [FCPS]

Dranesville School Sees Decline in Absenteeism — Chronic absenteeism at Dranesville Elementary School has dropped from over 20% during the 2022-2023 school year to 7% last year, thanks to “a renewed focus on connecting with every student.” Principal Jamie Gadley says students have started to hold themselves accountable. [WTOP]

It’s Monday — Expect showers with a high near 70, with a 90% chance of precipitation and possible new rainfall amounts between a quarter and half an inch. Monday night will see continued showers, a low around 62 and an 80% chance of precipitation. [NWS]

Driver Hospitalized in Richmond Highway Crash — A man was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after crashing on Route 1 at Janna Lee Avenue in Mount Vernon yesterday (Thursday). Fairfax County police say “excessive speed was a factor” in the single-vehicle crash, which occurred down the road from a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run that morning. [FCPD/Twitter]

Springfield Woman Charged in Fatal Crash — “Police have charged a 21-year-old Springfield woman with DUI manslaughter in connection with a Sept. 13 crash in Woodbridge that killed a passenger in her car and left another driver seriously injured.” [Inside NoVA]

Man Who Shot at Police Officers Sentenced to Jail — “A man who led police on a wild, high-speed chase involving gunfire and damage to numerous vehicles has been sentenced to two years of active incarceration.” Ricardo Singleton pleaded guilty in Arlington County Circuit Court but “still faces several weightier charges in Fairfax County.” [ARLnow]

Baby Reunited with Family After Carjacking — “The mother of a 4-month-old child has been reunited with her baby after the child was taken during a carjacking in Fairfax County. The carjacking took place just before 2 p.m. on Wednesday outside the Apple Federal Credit Union on Richmond Highway.” [NBC Washington]

Reston Company Raided by FBI Involved in Price-Fixing Case — The FBI has yet to confirm what prompted its recent raid of Carahsoft’s Reston headquarters, but there has been “speculation about possible — but thus far unsubstantiated — links to an ongoing court case that was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland last year and involved efforts to defraud government agencies.” [Government Executive]

Uyghur Restaurant Eyes Falls Church Expansion — Dolan Uyghur, which can currently be found in D.C. and Chantillly, “plans to expand further into Northern Virginia with a new Falls Church location. The new eatery hopes to open by Friday, Oct. 18 at 400 S. Maple Avenue, in the space formerly held by Pizzeria Orso.” [ARLnow]

Reston Contractor to Help Build Lunar Rover — “Lunar Outpost in Golden, Colorado, announced this week that Leidos has joined its effort to create a new class of lunar terrain vehicles to be used by astronauts on Artemis missions. Leidos, which already supports a number of NASA missions, will be part of a team that also includes General Motors, Goodyear Tire & Rubber and MDA Space.” [Washington Business Journal]

Marshall Girls’ Basketball Team Gets New Top Coach — “It makes sense that Doug Sawitzky is the new coach of the Marshall Statesmen’s girls varsity high-school basketball team. He knows both the school and the hoop programs very well.” [GazetteLeader]

It’s Friday — Expect showers throughout the day, with possible thunderstorms after 5pm and a high of 76°F. Precipitation is likely at 70%, with rainfall amounts ranging up to a quarter of an inch. Rain will likely continue until 2am, as temperatures drop to around 70°F. [NWS]

Task Force Activated for Tropical Storm Response — “VA-TF1 has been activated by @fema as an 80-person, 4-canine Type 1 US&R team for TC Helene.” The task force prepared “over 30 tons of equipment, including tents, boats, and rescue equipment,” before leaving Chantilly yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon for Florida. [VA-TF1/Twitter]

Langley Student Hit by Car on Way to School — McLean resident Nadia Leonova recalls the morning of Aug. 21, when her son “was struck by a car as he was trying to cross Georgetown Pike near Pine Hill Road. There is no crosswalk at the intersection. In fact, there are no crosswalks between the street on which the Langley freshman lives and his school.” [Patch]

GW Parkway Views to Be Restored — “Drivers on the George Washington Memorial Parkway may soon have clearer views of the Potomac, but they should also expect weekend lane closures during restoration work. The National Park Service announced…that crews will ‘rehabilitate’ 15 scenic vistas between the North Donaldson Overlook and Spout Run Parkway.” [ARLnow]

Metro to Bring Back Self-Driving Trains — “Metro’s Red Line trains will drive themselves starting in December, and the self-driving trains will be used across the rail system by spring 2025…The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority used to use automation to operate trains, but pulled the system after the 2009 Red Line crash at Fort Totten that killed nine riders.” [WTOP]

Potomac River Water Critical to Region, Report Shows — “Think of this the next time you kayak, drive over, run by or, simply, stare at the Potomac River: Its ruin would cost the D.C. region nearly $15 billion in the first month, according to a report released Tuesday.” [Washington Post]

Annandale Road Diet Gets Support — Fairfax County transportation staff detailed their proposal for a road diet on Annandale Road “between Little River Turnpike and Gallows Road at virtual community meeting on Sept. 23…The seven people who commented on the proposal at the meeting all said they supported it. Several people called for more bike lanes on other roads.” [Annandale Today]

Fairfax City Offers Grants to Nonprofits — “The City of Fairfax has established a grant program to help support nonprofit human services organizations that serve city residents…Applications will be accepted from Sept. 23 through 4 p.m Nov. 4. Recipients will be announced Dec. 10.” [City of Fairfax]

It’s Wednesday — There’s a 60% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms. Patchy fog may occur between 7am and noon. The day will be cloudy with a high near 73 and a southeast wind around 9 mph. Wednesday night, there’s a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms, with cloudy conditions and a low around 68. [NWS]

Man Found Shot Near Herndon Park — “Police are investigating a shooting that occurred Sunday evening in the vicinity of Hutchinson Park.” Officers found a 21-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the lower body in the 13000 block of Parcher Avenue. A preliminary investigation indicated that he was shot during a fight that “broke out near where the man was found.” [Patch]

Construction to Start on Mount Vernon Apartments — Developer Elm Street Communities anticipates starting site work on its new residential building between Richmond Highway and Buckman Road within the next couple of weeks. The 280-unit Elms Mount Vernon apartments are “the first phase of the broader Mount Vernon Gateway project.” [On the MoVe]

Herndon Police See Tire-Slashing Spree — “Herndon PD has received calls for multiple tires slashed in town over the past week and half. A total of 15 vehicles have been identified at the following locations: 9/14/2024: 3rd Street/Stanton Park Court, 9/14/2024: 1100-blk Casper Court [and] 9/19: 12900-blk Alton Square.” [Herndon PD/Instagram]

Fairfax Block Party Raises Funds to Fight Cancer — A Fairfax neighborhood raised over $87,000 for the Pancreatic Action Network with a block party that drew over 400 people. The tradition began last summer to help a resident’s relative Kyle, who died this past June from pancreatic cancer. Organizers decided “to continue their tradition in honor of Kyle’s memory by raising funds for others going through their own cancer journeys.” [WUSA9]

GMU to Accept Students Without Applications — “Some Northern Virginia seniors will be admitted to George Mason University without having to fill out an application, as part of a pilot program that aims to address the falling number of underrepresented students applying to college. The initiative, which is part of the university’s Direct Admissions Program, includes a partnership with several D.C.-area school divisions.” [WTOP]

County to Extend Lease for Wellness Services — At its meeting today (Tuesday), the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is expected to authorize an Oct. 22 public hearing on a lease extension for Inova Health Care Services. Inova has leased the top floor of the Sharon Bulova Center for Community Health in Merrifield since 2015 for community wellness services. [Gazette Leader]

Reston Eye Doctor Wins Lottery Money — “A Reston optometrist was blown away after winning $195,543 on the Virginia Lottery’s VIP game recently…[Dr. Michael] Khalil, who works at the Khalil Eye Care in the North Point Village Center in Reston, has no immediate plans for his winnings.” [Patch]

It’s Tuesday — Scattered showers and cloudy skies are expected with a high near 70 and an east wind of 6 to 9 mph; the chance of precipitation is 40%. Tuesday night will have a 50% chance of scattered showers and potential thunderstorms after 2 am with a low around 65. [NWS]